Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :
An influential leader has allegedly cut down more than 250 government trees from both sides of the road Ishwardi’s Dashuria Uniona. The market value of the trees are about half Tk one crore taka. These trees are cut down on both sides of the road from Munshidpur to Dargabazar in Dashuria Union. The people under the umbrella of the leader in Dashuria of Dashuria boldly cut down the trees. The incident has caused a strong reaction among the locals. The locals demanded that legal action be taken against the culprits after proper investigation of the incident.
On closer inspection, it was seen that more than two and a half hundred trees of different species have been cut down on both sides of the road to widen the road. Officials of the Forest Department and Roads and Highways Department have no information as who cut down these trees. Locals said the trees on both sides were marked for cutting to widen the road. The people of the forest department sealed the trees.
Another said on condition of anonymity that about 250 trees had been cut down. Whose market value is about half a crore taka. People in the shadow of the powerful leader in Daputa boldly cut down the trees in public. He said the culprits would be identified if a proper investigation is carried out.
Alauddin Khan, a newly elected member of Ward 7, said the LGED authorities had planted trees on both sides of the road. I saw some people in the area cutting them. He said he did not know who had cut them or why they were cutting them because of the busy schedule.
Mojibar Rahman, the current member of Ward 7, admitted the fact that the trees on both sides of the road were not cut down by the LEGD authorities or the Upazila Forest Department.
Ishwardi Upazila Forest Department official Ismail Hossain said, “LGED authorities have sealed the trees through us.” In fact, under the district council, there were bushes on both sides of the road. Asked about the cutting of the tree, the official said, “I don’t know, but we sealed the tree.”
