Reserved forest land in the Dulahazara forest beat of the Fasiakhali range in Chakaria upazila, under the Cox’s Bazar North Forest Division, has been illegally occupied for houses and other structures, and the reserved forest is shrinking. Local people say an influential group is grabbing large areas one after another, day and night, using political connections, and allege that dishonest officials of the forest department are helping them in various ways.
The group is also accused of selling occupied plots and sharing the proceeds. Brick houses, farm buildings and other illegal structures are going up on the reserved land in disregard of government rules, locals say.
According to local people, the group has been building new structures on reserved land west of the beat, beside the Dulahazara railway station. Old garjan mother trees and valuable social forestry trees have been felled, and the encroachment is shrinking the forest and threatening biodiversity and the environment.
On a visit to the site, structures were seen going up near the railway station, close to the local beat office. Local environmental campaigners questioned the role of forest staff, saying there has been a rush over the past month to build homes, poultry farms and other structures on the land. Evictions alone are not enough, they said; the land must be watched afterwards so it is not reoccupied, and forest officials should take legal action against the groups identified. They believe the groups are able to keep building because of the silent cooperation of forest officials.
Dulahazara beat officer Shahriar Amin acknowledged that forest land had been seized and illegal structures built. “We have gone to the site, carried out drives against the encroachment, filed cases and protested, but we do not dare to carry out an eviction there because of the threat to our lives from the occupiers,” he said.
Environmental journalists in Chakaria said that unless the occupation is stopped, the government’s reserved forest will gradually shrink and forest resources, biodiversity and the area’s natural balance could be seriously damaged.
Fasiakhali range officer (ACF) Kamrul Hasan said several drives had already been carried out at the site in the Dulahazara beat to remove illegal structures and poultry farms, and that cases had been filed against the occupiers involved.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report