|
October
9, 2000
Rangpur,
Oct 8 (UNB) - Trees are being felled indiscriminately by an organized
gang from the Gopalpur forest range under Mithapukur upazila since
long in collaboration with some dishonest forest officials.
Informed
sources said about 50 percent trees from the Helencha, Lohanipara,
Sharbishla, Shaltigopalpur, Kadirabad and Khoragach areas of the range
has already been ruined.
They
said trees are felled at night and carried away in trucks. Local
people recently seized five valuable trees while being taken away from
Kadirabad forest and deposited to the police.
They
said some 17 sawmills have been set up illegally in the forest areas
and stolen trees are supplied to these sawmills.
The
forest officials, however, denied their collusion in the illegal
felling of trees and said 150 cases were filed against the gang in
last six months.
A
total of 3,550 acres of land in Gopalpur range were afforestated in
fiscal 1980-’81. Of the total, 800 acres were brought under the
programme in Shaltigopalpur, 1,065 acres in Lohanipara, 435 acres in
Helencha, 250 acres in Khoragach, 700 acres in Kadirabad and 300 acres
in Sharbishla.
Besides,
about 250 acres of land are in illegal occupation of some influential
people of the area and no step has yet been taken to reclaim the
forestland, alleged the local people.
|
