3,000 trees looted from <i>khas</i> land, 700 seized
The upazila administration on Friday night seized logs of some 700 trees, out of around 3000 ones felled allegedly by ruling Awami League (AL) men led by Alauddin Munshi, vice president of Lohagara upazila unit of AL, from a khas land at Kalna village in Lohagara upazila under Narail district between Thursday and Friday.Photo: STAR
A few ruling party men allegedly led by Alauddin Munshi, vice president of Lohagara upazila unit of Awami League, stole at least 3000 mature trees worth over Tk 50 lakh from a khas land in Kalna village between January 24 and 25. On Friday night Lohagara upazila and police administration seized at least 700 of these trees from Lohagara Bazar area adjacent to a godown belonging to ruling party men. The trees were on a 4.86-acre stretch of a khas plot under No 44 Charjajira Mouja of Kashiani upazila in Gopalganj district. Though on paper, the land is documented under Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj district but it is situated on the Narail side of the Modhumoti River that divides Narail and Gopalganj districts. Hemayet Hossain of Kalna village under Lohagara upazila of Narail who claims to have inherited the plot, said he had planted at least 3000 trees on the plot about 15 years ago. “But when the land was enlisted as khas, I filed a case against the government with Gopalganj Judge Court and that case is still pending,†he said. On January 25, when Narail-2 ruling party Member of Parliament (MP) SK Abu Baker came to Narail crossing Kalna Ferry Ghat, several hundred villagers including women besieged his jeep protesting the tree theft. The villagers chanted slogan demanding punishment of Alauddin Munshi and his followers who chopped down the trees. The villagers said that Alauddin Munshi, and his followers Motiar Rahman, Munna, Toruk Mollah, Saiful Mollah, Zakir Mollah, Bappy Saha and Soruj Mollah and the labourers felled the trees. MP SK Abu Baker immediately asked the district administration and the police to take action against the perpetrators. Rebeka Khan, upazila nirbahi officer of Lohagara, and Masum Billah, additional police superintendent of Narail, jointly conducted a drive and recovered at least 700 stolen trees. Rebeca Khan said that the trees were recovered from Lohagara Bazar area adjacent to Alauddin Munshi's brick kiln godown. Azizur Rahman, a timber trader of Lokhipasha Bazaar under Lohagara upazila, said that he bought a few trees from Alauddin Munshi. “I had also paid him an advance of Tk 18,000,†he said. Alauddin Munshi denied his involvement in the theft and said that he knew nothing about it. He declined to comment further. Rebeka Khan, however, said that the ownership of the land was disputed between Khashiani upazila administration and a local man. “The two deputy commissioner of the two districts will sit in a meeting and make a decision on the next step," she added.
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