A human chain was formed demanding the immediate implementation of the High Court’s order to free the forest area of Gazipur from illegal encroachers and the closure of illegal sawmills within 15 days to protect forests and climate.
On Sunday (April 21), the Gazipur Environment Movement (GAPA) held a human chain in front of the Rajendrapur range office of the Dhaka Forest Department.
Under the chairmanship of Federic Mukul Biswas, president of Gazipur Environment Movement and general secretary Mehdi Hasan, the organization’s vice president Moshaddekur Rahman, senior joint general secretary Rafiqul Islam, organizing secretary Sabuj Ahmed, Enamul Haque, SM Kamal and others spoke at the rally.
In addition to the workers of the organization, local lawyers, journalists, teachers, political leaders, various social organizations and residents participated in the human chain with banner festoons with various slogans.
Speakers in the human chain said that a group of forest bandits are occupying the government forest area of Gazipur and building various facilities and factories illegally. On the one hand, it is deforesting, and on the other hand, it is having an adverse effect on the natural environment and climate. A class of dishonest officials and employees of the forest department are directly and indirectly cooperating in this encroachment. Besides, numerous illegal sawmills have been built around the protected forest areas. In these sawmills, forest trees are cut and timber is smuggled.
The speakers also said that the encroachers in Gazipur district have already encroached and destroyed 6 thousand 86.84 acres of protected forest land under the control of the Dhaka Forest Division and Wildlife Division of the Forest Department. Factories, shops, cottages, resorts, houses have been built in these occupied places. The forest department has sent eviction proposals to the district administration to save a total of 6 thousand 128.19 acres of protected forest land in 67 phases, but no visible action has been taken. As a result, the encroachers are constantly deforesting. In this, the traditional forest area of Gazipur is being destroyed and the biodiversity is disappearing.
Md. Aminul Islam/AH/GKS
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