Forest department files 272 cases against tree lifters
A long-standing allegation of the theft of hilly forest by the armed terrorists has been reported. Forest department officials said in the wake of allegations of smuggling trees from the time of deforestation, the trafficking rate has started to decline recently.
With the concerted efforts of local administrative bodies against tree thieves and terrorists bungling of trees have already fallen by 50 percent over the past few decades in the reserved forests and natural and private forests of the highlands. Forestry sources claimed legal action and consistent operations are forcing smugglers to stop.
According to the Forest Department authorities, at least one hundred and half of the accused have been sentenced to jail by the Rangamati court for their destruction of forest property. One of them is the Vice Chairman of the Upazila.
Rangamati Hill Chittagong South Forest Department sources said that in the past one and a half years, forest department authorities have stopped at least 272 cases in the past one year in order to stop the violence of illegal encroachment syndicate in the forest areas under Rangamati district. In these connections 2.50 crore of revenue was also earned.
Also, at least 25 acres of illegal forest reserves have also been recovered, said Md. Musharraf Hossain, head ranger of the South Forest Department. He said 60 cases are underway in Rangamati court. Besides, 10 writ petition and two civil suits are ongoing in the civil court in Dhaka High Court.
During the last six months, 82 cases have been settled through the South Forest Department. Of them, at least 160 accused have been convicted in five cases. Such successes in the forest department was never seen in previous years.
Meanwhile, Amjad Hossain, who is in charge of the forest department in the Rangamati court, said that as per the court's directive, 16 cases were settled in December last, 13 in January and 9 in February. In the Sadar Range, 38 cases have been filed in three months from December 25 to February this year. The convicts have been convicted in the case.
During the six months of the financial year 2019-20 Forest department have been able to seize 10,000 cubic feet of Teak, Gamari and Koroi wood species, and 15 engine-powered boats and minitruck. Earlier, the South Forest Department authorities in 2018-19 fiscal year seized about 13,000 cubic feet of Teak, Gamari and Koroi wood species, and seized 20 engine-powered boats and mini truck in an effort to prevent the smuggling of illegal timber.
Sadar Range Range Officer Mosharraf Hossain, who is in charge of managing the forest department's case, said, I have been assigned to conduct cases in the court for only six months. In the six months, the conviction of more than 150 accused in the 60 cases has been confirmed by the court. Among the accused are many from political leaders to influential people.
‘I have worked in different districts of the country during my life. But in Rangamati alone there was no political interference or major pressure. We have received all kinds of support from the army, BGB, police, Ansar Battalion and the highest level of our forest department, including the political leaders here. As a result, I have been able to give the court the information it needs, for prosecuting government forest and natural forest destroyers, handing them over to the court and handling the cases properly.
In that light, the court confirmed the conviction.
He added that many residents of the hills did not cooperate in the past, but now the awareness of the people has increased many times more than ever due to the extensive awareness programs implemented by the forest department. So we too get the right information from the locals at the right time.
Accordingly, with the help of the local administration, I was able to catch the goons of the forest destroyer and their punishment was also confirmed. Increasing awareness among the locals about protecting their wealth will save them as much as the forest deforestation, he said.