Protest held in Sunamganj over mass felling of trees along roadside

SUNAMGANJ — Environmental activists held a protest rally on Saturday in the Icharchar area of Sunamganj Sadar Upazila to denounce the mass felling of trees along the Sunamganj-Jamalganj highway.

The protest, organized by the advocacy group Haor and Nodi Rokkha Andolon, targeted the removal of approximately 4,500 trees along a 19-kilometer stretch from the district headquarters to Sachnabazar. According to organizers, the Forest Department has already cleared more than 1,000 trees.

Speakers at the rally demanded an immediate halt to the operation, noting that a similar attempt to clear the trees was successfully thwarted by public protest two years ago. The Forest Department has justified the current action by citing the expiration of the social forestry program and the need for road expansion.

However, officials from the Sunamganj Roads and Highways Department stated they had no prior knowledge of the tree-felling project. Furthermore, local residents designated as beneficiaries of the social forestry initiative reported that they had not been informed of the plan nor had they received any financial compensation for the cleared timber.

Protesters alleged that a syndicate is operating in collusion with the Forest Department to profit from the logging. They criticized the department for undermining environmental conservation efforts by encouraging tree planting while simultaneously orchestrating the destruction of mature plantations.

Rajshahi University Jatiyatabadi Chhatradal Demands Investigation Into Alleged Irregularities in RAKSU Fund

Read Article

The rally was addressed by leaders of the Haor and Nodi Rokkha Andolon, including President Mohammad Raju Ahmed, Vice Presidents Mujahidul Islam and Obaidul Munshi, General Secretary Obaidul Haque, and members MD Zakaria, Sujan Talukdar, and Mofazzal Hossain.

Mohammad Raju Ahmed claimed that the felling process had been finalized in secrecy, bypassing local stakeholders. “We saved these trees two years ago through our movement. Now, the felling has begun indiscriminately, and it must be stopped immediately,” Ahmed said.

Riaz Uddin, the Forest Department’s Range Officer in Sunamganj, defended the actions by stating that the trees were part of a completed social forestry contract and were being harvested in accordance with established regulations. He added that the clearing is also necessary for planned road expansion projects, and promised that new trees would be planted along the highway upon completion of the roadwork.