Depleting forest in Gazipur to lose 600 more acres

The government move to regularise illegal industries in and around the Gazipur National Park will cause the forest department a permanent loss of around 618 acres of land, officials say.The government, instead of removing the illegal industries and other establishments, has recently made a decision to regularise those and would formulate stringent regulations about it.A meeting of the advisory council chaired by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed on January 21 decided the government would consider giving clearance certificates to the factories and other structures there.Experts say the decision will turn another forest into a legal industrial zone where wildlife like tiger, deer, bear and peafowl used to roam just decades ago.Now Bangladesh has only seven percent forestland against 25 percent of the coverage a country should have.The government move came when the illegal grabbers have already occupied over 11,000 acres of forestland out of 64,000 acres that include the 12,435-acre National Park in Gazipur.As it is a neighbouring district of the capital with very good location, influential people over the years have already grabbed 20 percent of its forestland.Many observe the government move would further encourage illegal occupiers in the future.A committee comprising Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) AKM Shamsuddin and Director General of Department of Environment Dr Rashidul Hasan has already submitted a report.The report says around 300 industries are being run there, some of which are situated absolutely on the illegally occupied forestland.Asked, AKM Shamsuddin said: "We're waiting for the government decision. We don't know anything more."Neyamat Ullha Bhuiyan, director of the environment department, Dhaka division, also said he does not know anything about it.According to existing laws, it is prohibited to provide clearance certificates to the industries in and around the National Park situated in eight mouzas -- Araisha Prasad, Bishayakuribari, Baraipara, Bon Khoria, Uttar Salna, Baupara, Bahadurpur, and Mahna Bhabanipur.During a recent visit to the environment department, a notice was seen still posted on the board that reads no clearance will be given to the industries on these mouzas.Since declared National Park in 1982, around 1,900 people have so far occupied the 618-acre forestland and constructed over 3,500 structures violating prohibitions, forest sources say.The sources add that there is 119 acres of grabbed land in Araisha Prasad mouza, 210 acres in Baraipara, 2.5 acres in Bon Khoria, 16 acres in Uttar Salna, 19 acres in Baupara, 14 acres in Bahadurpur, and 183 acres in Mahna Bhabanipur. "Once the land grabbers get the clearance certificates, the forest department will lose all the land forever," says a forest official asking not to be identified.Although there are prohibitions against launching industries in the National Park area the influential people could not be resisted.Construction workers are still seen building new structures at the park, a clear indication of destruction of the patch of Sal forest in Gazipur.Forest department insiders say the grabbers first obtain fake land ownership documents by bribing government officials of land and forest ministries and the deputy commissioner's office in Gazipur.Then they set up a third party and make them file a case for the ownership of that certain piece of land. Once the court gives a verdict, the property goes to either of the parties, creating a legal impediment to the forest department's land reclamation initiatives.In a few instances the political governments have allocated forestland to their close allies violating the laws.During the tenure of the last government, a former environment minister influenced the forest officials to allocate 23 acres of the National Park land to Orion Group for cultivating mushrooms.The minister and the then deputy commissioner of Gazipur played a vital role to record the 23 acres as khas land for that purpose."The land is situated inside the boundary wall of the National Park, just beside the office of Vawal National Park," says a former forest official.One Group on that piece of land given to Orion in Vaoraid village has set up two industries -- One Spinning Mills Ltd and Denim Mills Ltd.The owner of One Group, Giausuddin Al Mamun, a friend of Tarique Rahman, son of former premier Khaleda Zia, and Obaidul Karim, chairman of Orion, are close allies.The locals say One Group launched the industries around three years ago during the last political government rule.A large number of people have either taken allocation or occupied huge quantity of forestland during in the five years of BNP-Jamaat rule. Many consider the legalisation move of the military-backed caretaker government as legalising all those illegal activities."The move of the government may legalise the illegal activities of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government," observes a former forest official.Even the current high officials of the department are trying to hide many instances of land grabbing.Asked about allocation of the 23 acres of forestland where One Group has founded its industries, Zahiruddin, Dhaka divisional forest officer, remained tight-lipped, saying his higher authorities forbid him to comment on that.

More infor test.

This is test page. We will back soon.