The Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Science University has built a dormitory in a protected forest land which was leased out to them by the land ministry for building an institute of coastal biodiversity, marine fisheries and wildlife research, amid strong opposition from the Forest Department. The five acres of forest land given to the university, has already been experiencing a massive onslaught due to the Rohingya influx. The university authority in connivance with the Land Ministry has damaged the environment and habitat of wild animals, which is not a wise course of action at all.
The Land Ministry changed the status of the protected forest in 2015 to facilitate the lease. The university authorities constructed a five-storey dormitory in 2018, violating the lease conditions that prevent them from using the land for any other purpose other than building the institute. This land is an important habitat of the endangered Asian elephant, which has been in a dire state due to destruction of habitat, grabbing of the forestland and continuous deforestation in the area. Besides, the forest is home to various species of deer, wild dog, monkeys and badgers. Locals alleged that administrators, academics and political leaders check-in at the dormitory when they go on excursions in Cox’s Bazar, the most sought-after tourist spot of the country.
A hundred yards to the west of the five acres of forest land was a vast field, made by levelling hills, prompting the Department of Environment (DoE) to file a lawsuit against the university authorities in 2018. An inspection report of DoE in 2018 attributed the death of an elephant to the steep cutting of hills. Environmentalists said the dormitory has to be demolished and the university authorities must be asked to do compensatory afforestation. We echo the environmentalists’ demands.
