Editorial
When development work is bane
The authorities should be more careful while executing such work
That not all development work is beneficial for the people or nature or the flora and fauna of the land, we have long understood. This has been starkly revealed in a report appearing in this newspaper regarding the immense damage done to the environment and wild life as a result of a one-mile road constructed by the LGED thorough a forest tract in Rajnagar upazilla. We feel that this is an instance where the authorities were totally oblivious of the laws regarding use of forest land and the environment or they couldn't care less about it.
In the process of constructing the said road through hillocks and forest land in Rajnagar of Maulvibazaar, for the purpose of linking up with Fenchuganj - Maulvibazaar road, immense and irreparable damage has been done to the forest land in and around the newly constructed road. And one is not certain whether the road was in the top most priority list of works or even a requirement of the locals.
By their own admission, the locals would rather not have anything to do with 'development' works that harm the environment. Therefore one may well ask for whose benefit was the road constructed in the first place, if not for the local inhabitants? For all we can understand, this had very little to do with 'development' and more with facilitating the movement of a privileged and influential class of the locality and at what cost?
The example of Rajnagar is a problem that is only the tip of the iceberg. The wanton cutting down of hillocks in Sylhet as well as in many other places in the country disregarding laws that clearly prohibit hill cutting and deforestation, has not only threatened the wildlife with extinction, it is also posing severe risk to local ecology and bio-diversity. The worrisome aspect is that the relevant laws are being violated by state agencies. If that be the case who will bring the other perpetrators to book?
It is essential that not only should the authorities show more concern for the ecology and environment when undertaking any development work, there also is a strong rationale for local administration oversight in such undertaking which is not so at the moment.
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