LOGGERS have been wiping out hundreds of acres of forest in Hathazari upazila of Chattogram, within a three-kilometre radius of the Forest Department office. The felled logs are then smuggled through the department’s checkpoints, largely without any obstruction. For months, loggers have been clearing forestland at Udaliya in Mondakini of Hathazari — which the Forest Department claims does not fall under its jurisdiction. Even, the loggers constructed a road to facilitate transportation of the logs but the front part of the forest was left intact so that no one could grasp what was going on inside.
Going around two hundred yards into the forest, this correspondent saw two large hills — once blanketed by trees, shrubs and bushes — completely denuded. The trail of trees felled is evident from the numerous trunks strewn across the hills. But as per the law, for trees to be felled even in private forests require permission, inspection, and inventory from the Forest Department. The 11-mile-area checkpoint under Chattogram Divisional Forest Office (north) largely allows the smuggled logs to pass through unobstructed. The loggers also carry false papers with them. If anyone is involved in timber trading, he must have a free licence issued by the Forest Department as well as a transport pass to carry the timber. But every day, around 20 to 25 log-laden vehicles come from Udaliya. When the Upazila Administration seized these, they showed papers which later turned out to be false as they admitted to felling the trees from Udaliya.
Though forest officials concerned denied the illegal logging, seize the goods when they encounter any illegal transporting of trees. The protector has turned into predator in the forest department across the country. The Udaliya incident under the supervision and management of forest officials in exchange of hefty commission from loggers is nothing but a symbolic condition of public service delivery under the government, where rules of laws are in long hibernation and people are helpless to protect their interest. The system must be corrected, replaced and altered for protecting our survival by breathing oxygen.
