The country has suffered a loss of over Tk 100 billion due to the ongoing rampant felling of trees by political activists during blockade, shutdown and other agitation programmes, according to green activists in Dhaka on Thursday, reports UNB.
“Trees are being felled indiscriminately across the country during hartals and blockades enforced by opposition parties to put barricade on roads and highways to sever road communication. The economic loss of this mindless felling of trees is over Tk 100 billion,” joint secretary of Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) Engr Abdus Sohban told a press conference on tha day.
Poribesh Bachao Andolon, an environmental organisation, arranged the press conference at its office in the capital to reveal its assessment on the economic loss following destruction of greenery and rail sector by political party workers.
In his keynote paper, Abdus Sohban said a country needs 25 per cent forests against its total land, but Bangladesh has less forest than what it requires.
“The recent incidents of felling trees can’t be recovered within the next 20 years. We need more than 25-30 years to recoup the losses caused by the tree felling in 2013,” he said.
He said a conspiracy is on to make the country environmentally vulnerable in a longer term by cutting down trees indiscriminately.
Referring to a number of recent incidents of greenery damage, Abu Sobhan said thousands of trees have been cut down during the countrywide violence after the judgment against war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami naybea ameer Delwar Hossain Saydee on February 28 this year. “Hefajat workers cut down a huge number of trees in the capital after its rally at Motijheel on May 5 last while thousands of trees have been chopped down in different districts during shutdowns and blockades since November 26 this year,” he said.
About the damage in the railway sector, Poba general secretary Kamal Pasha Chowdhury said the railway is a cheap and environment-friendly transport in the country. Citing Bangladesh Railway’s information, Pasha said the rail sector has already suffered a loss of about Tk 45 crore due to the acts of sabotage since February 28 this year.
-With UNB/The Financial Express input
