Eviction programme to recover 1.38 lakh acres of reserved forest land starting next year

A parliamentary body today set March next year as the deadline to start crash eviction programme to recover 1.38 lakh acre reserved forest land across the country grabbed by 88,000 individuals and organisations.

The parliamentary standing committee on environment, forest and climate change ministry set the deadline at its meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

"According to the deadline, a complete list of grabbers, their complete address, amount of grabbed lands, land record numbers and date of grabbing will be completed by December 20," Saber Hossain Chowdhury, an Awami League MP and chief of the parliamentary watchdog, told The Daily Star after the meeting.

He also said by January 31 next year, the ministry will write to all deputy commissioners to prepare eviction notices which will be served among the grabbers.

Saber Hossain also said that within February next year all the DCs will serve notices to the 88,000 individuals and organisations giving them seven days to return the grabbed land to the respective authority of the government.

"From March, the deputy commissioners will start the crash eviction programme…," Saber Hossain also said.

Earlier in October, the environment, forest and climate change ministry at a meeting had informed the committee that 90,000 individuals and organisations were illegally occupying 2.87 lakh acres of forest land of the forest department.

Cox's Bazar district has the highest 59.471 thousand acres of forest land illegally grabbed by different individuals and organisations, the committee was informed.

The parliamentary committee yesterday asked the ministry again to make public the names of the forest land grabbers in its website.

The committee also asked the ministry to digitalise all records and documents of all forest lands.

The Jatiya Sangsad Committee also recommended the ministry to estimate the value of all forest land.

"We will not be able to protect our forest land, if we don't estimate their value," Saber Hossain said.

In the meeting, the parliamentary body asked the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority to make a strategic environmental plan study before making economic zones in the country.

Committee members Md Shahab Uddin, also minister, Ministry of Environment, Rejaul Karim Lablu, and Khodeza Nasreen Akhter Hossain, among others were present at the meeting.