Police orchard boosts innate beauty of Rangamati

‘Shukhi Nilganj', an orchard, in Rangamati. PHOTO: Zobaer Hossain Sikder

Responding to the tree plantation campaign, the Rangamati Range of Police created the orchard with some 50,000 fruit, timber yielding and medicinal trees of around 80 species.

The orchard developed on 31.34 acres of land, occupied for some 17 years, also helped set up a new police line at Bhedbhedi in the hilly district.

The man who moved to turn the 'once illegally occupied land' into a Police Line-cum-orchard is Md Humayun Kabir, the then Superintendent of Police (SP) of Rangamati.

With a view to setting up a new Police Line for Rangamati land, including 3.76 acres on lease, was acquired at Bhedbhedi in 1984-1985, sources said.

The land remained abandoned for years, where 300 tribal and 42 settler families erected illegal structures, including a mosque, a Buddhist temple, a graveyard and a Shmashan (cremation ground).

The situation worsened when over 100 indigenous families started constructing illegal structure on the land, which encouraged some 12 settler families to erect more structures there.

The fear of additional non-tribal familiescoming to the area angered the indigenous people and a tense situation was prevailing in the area, sources said.

At this stage, on November 10, 2001, Chingkue Roaza, the then chairman of Rangamati District Council, briefed Humayun Kabir about the situation, fearing a tribal-settler clash over the illegal occupation. Chingkue also requested the police super to take measures in this respect.

Later, police demolished 342 houses, including over 100 under-construction illegal structures, and recovered land worth Tk 13 crore to set up new police line.

Five barrack houses with an accommodation capacity of 100 policemen and other necessary installations were constructed. A huge parade ground was also prepared on the hilltop of the acquired land.

Then the police administration started the process for developing the huge orchard revolving round the new police line.

The police personnel collected seeds and saplings of different species of popular, common and extinct varieties. They worked hard voluntarily and grew around 50,000 trees of 80 species of wide varieties since 2002.

The local brigade of Army, the department of forest, the district council and the Bangladesh Tobacco Company also came forward with helping hands for the noble venture, sources said.

The orchard has been enriched with around 40,000 fruit trees of different varieties. The fruit trees grown so far included 25,000 jackfruit trees, 6,000 coconut trees, 4,000 olive trees, 1,300 mango trees, 1,000 Batabi Lebu (shaddock) trees, 700 guava trees, 550 Kaju Badam (kechue nut) and 350 lichi trees.

Besides, there are plants of Golapjam, Bilambi, Bilti Gaab, Amrra, Dalim, Safeda, Custard apple, Wood apple, Kamranga, Balck-berry, date, lemon, Ratan, Deuoa, Kau, tamarind, Chalta, Sharifa, Babana, Apple, Orange, Jamrul, Palm, Papaya, Lalphal, Mon, nut, Amloki, Hartaki, Bahera, Arjun, Neem, Tejpata, Daruchini, Jafran, Golemarich, Alubokhara, Agar, civit, Sajina, Karamcha, Ulatkamol, Joitun, Mehedi, Mahogany, Tick, Chapalish, Gamari, Swarnachapa, Raintree, Bakul and Hijal.

The orchard has been divided into several areas under different names such as Philistanbag, Bakultala, Amrakanon, Saroder Pathey, Ali Hossain Bag and Shalimar Bag.

While talking to this correspondent at his present office at the CMP headquarters, Humayun Kabir said, "We gave it the name 'Shukhi Nilganj' to symbolise an ideal village as dreamt of by a poor and retired school teacher in a popular TV serial Eai Sob Din Ratri by eminent writer Humayun Ahmed."

The success in developing such a rich orchard also earned some recognition and fame for Humayun Kabir. It endowed him with the President Police Model Service while Shukhi Nilganj project received the second prize of the Prime Minister's National Award for tree plantation in 2003.

He said he initiated the project aimed at creating a model for proper utilisation of fertile land in the hilly areas.

"With proper care and nursing the garden will earn at least Tk 1 crore annually within five to six years," he said.

It will also encourage the tribal people for creating such gardens instead of joom farming and will reap a harvest for years, he added.