Some miscreants are cutting Para Forest for Shrimp farming in Maheshkhali, Bangladesh
Some miscreants are cutting Para Forest trees in the Kalagazi neighborhood of Hoanak Union of Maheshkhali Upazila of Cox’s Bazar for shrimp farming. A Group of Miscreants occupied at least 200 acres of forest land and constructed an embankment for shrimp farming.
They have cut two thousand pine trees in the forest. Para forest existence is now under threat as shrimp farming construction continues.
According to local sources, the cutting of Para Forest trees has been going on for two weeks in the west of Bagachtar Ghona of Kalagaji Para under Jhapua Bit of Gorakghata Range of Maheshkhali, Forest Department.
The land grabbers are constructing embankments for the shrimp cages with excavators after cutting para forest trees by hundreds of workers. However, the local forest workers obstructed the construction of the dam. At that time, the workers engaged in cutting forest trees ran away.
In this regard, Mohammad Mahabubul Haque, Jhapua Bit Officer of the Forest Department, said, “A gang led by Mohammad Ershad has been constructing a dam for shrimp farming after cutting para forests for several days.”
The forest officials destroyed the illegally constructed shrimp embankment in two raids and prepared a legal case against the people involved in constructing the embankment.
SM Anisur Rahman, Gorakghata Range Officer of Maheshkhali of Forest Department, said, “At least 2000 pine trees have been cut down in small and large areas of Paraforest while making an embankment for shrimp farming.
The forest department has suffered a loss of about BDT.02 million. The land grabbers first cut the para forest trees with laborers. Later, they illegally constructed shrimp dams in the forest land with excavators.
Although the embankment on the west side has been completed, they could not build the dam on the north and south sides. As a result, at least 100 acres of forest land have been freed from encroachment by cutting some places of the dam on Saturday afternoon.”
Pranab Chowdhury, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Maheshkhali Police Station, said, “It is impossible to say how much damage has been done to the environment due to the destruction of Para Forest.
However, no one filed a written complaint with the police station on behalf of the forest department. Legal action will take against the involved persons subject to investigation after receiving a written complaint.”
Courtesy: গ্রীন পেইজ Green Page (Bengali)
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