Graft rules forest department

As high as 61 percent of the government funds for different forest department projects have been embezzled, according to a Transparency International Bangladesh report.

Besides, at least Tk 3 crore was exchanged in 60 offices of the department beyond law for the appointment, promotion, and transfer of officials to posts, including the one of the chief conservator of forest, the report said.

The report, "Forest Department: Governance Challenges and Way Forward" was released at a virtual press conference today.

While disbursing project funds to the range office, divisional forest offices illegally kept 20 to 25 percent of the money for itself.

The embezzled money was distributed among the forest survey team members, conservator of forests, assistant conservator of forests, audit group members, grievance redress team members, and a section of local journalists, it said.

The forest range offices also kept aside 20 to 25 percent of the funds before giving it to the beat offices that further embezzled 20 to 30 percent of the funds.

Officials at the range and beat offices later distributed the money among themselves and a section of local journalists

TIB conducted the survey between January, 2019 and November, 2020.

It collected data on hill forests, sal forests, mangrove forests, and afforestation of coastal mangroves in 10 districts.

TIB also collected data from the forest department's 60 offices, including the headquarters in Dhaka. Considering office type and volume of work, the researchers interviewed 130 key informants, held six group discussions, and analysed different documents, including survey reports and relevant laws.

The report said between Tk 1 crore and Tk 3 crore were exchanged by officials hoping to be the chief conservator of forests.

Likewise, Tk 20 to 25 lakh was exchanged illegally for appointment and transfer as forest conservators, Tk 10 lakh to Tk 1 crore for promotion or transfer as divisional forest officers, Tk 1 to 1.5 crore for appointment or promotion as project directors, and Tk 1 to 5 lakh for transfer as assistant forest conservators.

The money went to policymakers in the ministry, high officials and a section of employees, it said.

A FRACTION OF GRABBED FOREST RECLAIMED IN FIVE YEARS

The TIB report said in the last five years, the forest department could reclaim about 8,792 of about 2.87 lakh acres of forest lands from illegal occupants.

In some cases, the department did not make any effort to demolish illegal establishments or reclaim forest lands from influential quarters in Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh and Cox's Bazar, it said.

TIB recommended determining government forest areas based on the Cadastral Survey (CS) record.

Besides, the government should develop an authentic database of grabbed forest lands and take proper steps to reclaim those, it said.

The report said about 1.60 lakh acres of forest areas were allocated to different state forces and public and private organisations as of September this year.

Of those, 58.62 percent was given to different state forces and law enforcement agencies, 26.89 percent to the Bank and Financial Institutions Division (BFID), and 14.49 percent to other public and private organisations.

Although forest conservation is the key responsibility of the forest department, there have been specific instances of its failure in doing so, said the report.

It nodded to setting up of the coal-based power plant in Rampal near the Sundarbans although the environment department raised concerns, it mentioned.

The department declared different reserve forests as wildlife sanctuaries, and national parks without following relevant laws and taking opinion of people who depend on the forests for livelihood.

TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the picture of the forest department was frustrating.

On occasions, it avoided responsibility by not taking any step while in some cases there were instances of collusion, he added.

Corruption has been "institutionalised" here as "the protector turned into the predator", he said.