Sagar Biswas :
A powerful crime syndicate allegedly backed by some local Awami League leaders are directly involved in igniting fire in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest and UNESCO world heritage site, to grab water bodies to run their million-taka illegal fish business.
Specifying the issue, Dhan Sagar station Forest Officer Sultan Mahmud filed a case with senior judicial magistrate court on Saturday accusing six persons on charge of arson attack in the Sundarbans.
In the complaint, the Forest Department claimed that the fire has caused damage of forest in 3.5 acres of land. The amount of total loss of assets, including natural atmosphere, wild animals, trees and plants and biodiversity could be estimated after an investigation, the Forest Department also said in the complaint.
Police arrested one Khalilur Rahman, 35, of North Razapur under Sharonkhola upazila in connection with the arson attack. The Forest Department will seek arrest warrant against other accused persons placing the issue before a Bagerhat court on Monday.
“We have filed case accusing six persons in connection with the arson attack.
The crime syndicate has intentionally been setting fire one after another in the area to grab about 18-20 beels [water body] for farming fish like koi, cat fish and etceteras,” Md Saidul Islam, Divisional Forest Officer [Sundarbans east], told The New Nation over phone yesterday.
“I can’t tell the names of six accused persons for tactical purpose…The matter is highly sensitive. All the accused are local influential persons,” he said.
But requesting not to be named, a senior forest official said that all the accused are leaders and activists of ruling party who have established a reign of terror in the Sundarbans and its adjacent areas taking advantage of relaxed mood of law enforcement agencies.
“As per our primary investigation, the criminals in a pre-planned away set fire at least in 20 separate spots in the Eastern Range of the Sundarbans. We’ve also identified that all of the criminals have come from Sharonkhola area,” the official said.
With filing of the case, three cases so far have been filed accusing 17 persons, including local ruling party leader Shahjahan Howlader alias Shahjahan Shikari, in connection with four fire incidents in a span of only 30 days.
The latest fire which was caught on Wednesday morning at Tulatola area of Compartment no.25 near Dhan Sagar Station of Changpai Range in the eastern part of the Sundarbans was finally doused on Friday midnight after a frantic effort for three days.
In this situation, Chief Conservator of Forests Md Yunus Ali on Saturday visited the fire spots in the Sundarbans. Besides, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju will visit the Sundarbans today [Sunday], officials said.
Earlier on Thursday, the Forest Department imposed restriction on the movement of fishermen, honey collectors and general people in the Changpai range areas with stopping issuance of pass and permit for uncertain period.
It is learnt that the forest department earlier had proposed the government to impose a ban on accessing all kinds of resources of the Sundarbans for one year. The Forest Department had also placed a Tk 700 crore project to provide 35 lakh forest-dependent people with alternative income-generating opportunities during the one-year-ban. But the concerned ministry did not pay heed to the proposal for reasons best known to them.
“The Forest Department had forwarded the plan to prevent criminals, including forest robbers, from entering the Sundarbans. The hardcore criminals are used to enter the forest in the guise of fishermen or honey collectors and have long been involved in tiger poaching also,” an official of Forest Department said yesterday.
A powerful crime syndicate allegedly backed by some local Awami League leaders are directly involved in igniting fire in the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest and UNESCO world heritage site, to grab water bodies to run their million-taka illegal fish business.
Specifying the issue, Dhan Sagar station Forest Officer Sultan Mahmud filed a case with senior judicial magistrate court on Saturday accusing six persons on charge of arson attack in the Sundarbans.
In the complaint, the Forest Department claimed that the fire has caused damage of forest in 3.5 acres of land. The amount of total loss of assets, including natural atmosphere, wild animals, trees and plants and biodiversity could be estimated after an investigation, the Forest Department also said in the complaint.
Police arrested one Khalilur Rahman, 35, of North Razapur under Sharonkhola upazila in connection with the arson attack. The Forest Department will seek arrest warrant against other accused persons placing the issue before a Bagerhat court on Monday.
“We have filed case accusing six persons in connection with the arson attack.
The crime syndicate has intentionally been setting fire one after another in the area to grab about 18-20 beels [water body] for farming fish like koi, cat fish and etceteras,” Md Saidul Islam, Divisional Forest Officer [Sundarbans east], told The New Nation over phone yesterday.
“I can’t tell the names of six accused persons for tactical purpose…The matter is highly sensitive. All the accused are local influential persons,” he said.
But requesting not to be named, a senior forest official said that all the accused are leaders and activists of ruling party who have established a reign of terror in the Sundarbans and its adjacent areas taking advantage of relaxed mood of law enforcement agencies.
“As per our primary investigation, the criminals in a pre-planned away set fire at least in 20 separate spots in the Eastern Range of the Sundarbans. We’ve also identified that all of the criminals have come from Sharonkhola area,” the official said.
With filing of the case, three cases so far have been filed accusing 17 persons, including local ruling party leader Shahjahan Howlader alias Shahjahan Shikari, in connection with four fire incidents in a span of only 30 days.
The latest fire which was caught on Wednesday morning at Tulatola area of Compartment no.25 near Dhan Sagar Station of Changpai Range in the eastern part of the Sundarbans was finally doused on Friday midnight after a frantic effort for three days.
In this situation, Chief Conservator of Forests Md Yunus Ali on Saturday visited the fire spots in the Sundarbans. Besides, Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju will visit the Sundarbans today [Sunday], officials said.
Earlier on Thursday, the Forest Department imposed restriction on the movement of fishermen, honey collectors and general people in the Changpai range areas with stopping issuance of pass and permit for uncertain period.
It is learnt that the forest department earlier had proposed the government to impose a ban on accessing all kinds of resources of the Sundarbans for one year. The Forest Department had also placed a Tk 700 crore project to provide 35 lakh forest-dependent people with alternative income-generating opportunities during the one-year-ban. But the concerned ministry did not pay heed to the proposal for reasons best known to them.
“The Forest Department had forwarded the plan to prevent criminals, including forest robbers, from entering the Sundarbans. The hardcore criminals are used to enter the forest in the guise of fishermen or honey collectors and have long been involved in tiger poaching also,” an official of Forest Department said yesterday.
