Save Lauachhara national park

In a letter to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (Bela), Centre for Sustainable Development (CFSD) and Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB) sought her intervention in protecting the park, also a reserve forest.

They said the Lauachhara National Park is an extremely rich ecosystem that reportedly sustains at least 167 high value plant species, four species of amphibians, six species of reptiles, 246 species of birds and 20 species of mammals.

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As per existing laws, there is no scope to allow commercial activities within a national park, but the government has decided to allow Unocal to set up 1.5-km gas pipeline through the fragile and sensitive eco-system of the park, they added.

Besides, the government took the decision without any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that is an utter disregard to the national law that requires environmental clearance for setting up gas pipelines, they added.