400 trees uprooted for watermelon cultivation

Around 400 mangrove trees were uprooted allegedly to clear the land for watermelon cultivation in Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali on Saturday, prompting the Forest Department to file a general diary against four people.

The incident took place in the South Char Biswas mangrove plantation under Char Agasti Beat in Char Biswas Union.

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According to the Forest Department, the 75-hectare mangrove plantation was established on reserved forest land in the area in the 2015-16 fiscal year under a government plantation project.

Forest officials said four to five people, allegedly led by local resident Md Shahin Hawlader, uprooted around 400 Keora trees using an excavator on Saturday afternoon to construct an embankment and prepare the land for watermelon cultivation.

On information, forest officials reached the spot and intervened, prompting those involved to flee, said Abdul Barek, officer of Char Agasti Beat, who later filed the GD against Shahin and three others.

“We have been developing the mangrove plantation here since 2015,” he added.

Denying the allegation, Shahin claimed the land had been allotted to landless farmers by the Galachipa Land Office in 2004-05 and 2005-06, and that he leased the land from the allottees to cultivate watermelon.

He also claimed the Forest Department had not planted trees there and that the vegetation had grown naturally.

Nayan Mistry, range officer of the Galachipa Forest Department, rejected the claim, saying the land belonged to the Forest Department and had not been leased out.

Md Imtiaz Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Galachipa Police Station, said police were investigating the matter.