The value of illegally occupied forestland across the country is around
Tk 2,74,902 crore, double the budget for fiscal year 2010-11, says a
government audit report.
However, the current market price of the grabbed forestland is much higher than the amount estimated according to government-fixed rates, says the report on forest management in Bangladesh by the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The country’s forests continue to be depleted due to illegal logging, smuggling of timber, land grabbing in the name of setting up industries, and lack of proper management of industrial waste, it says.
The report notes that forest management in the country is seriously hampered by lack of coordination between the DoE and the ministries and divisions concerned. The report has been placed in parliament.
Mohammed Younus Ali, chief conservator of forests (CCF) at the Department of Forest, said it was true that some forestland were still being occupied by land grabbers.
But the figures mentioned in the audit report were not “absolutely accurate” as they were based on seven-year-old findings. And the situation had changed a lot in the last four years, he said.
Younus said the Department of Land Survey and the district administration had been informed about the illegal occupation of forestland, but no action was taken against the land grabbers.
According to him, land survey is done by temporary staff, and there are many instances where one’s land has been recorded against someone else’s name. And the chances of such discrepancies are much higher in case of government land.
Citing an example, he said about 10,000 acres of forest department land in Gazipur had been recorded against the names of individuals.
The report says forests account for 17 percent of the country’s total land. Only 9.77 percent of land is entirely covered by forests while about 4.45 percent are in the hands of land grabbers. Deputy commissioners have been lax in taking measures to recover the occupied forestland.
According to Bangladesh Environment Protection Act, 1995, no industrial unit can be set up on any forestland or close to it without a no-objection certificate from the Directorate of Environment (DoE).
Of the 299 industries in Bhawal National Garden, only 24 got clearances from the DoE. And at least 161 industries there release hazardous waste, causing harm to the forest’s bio-diversity.
Though the environment and forest ministry in 1999 made it illegal for any building, structure, agricultural farm or fishery to be set up there, at least 201 industries were installed in the area after the ministry issued the order.
However, the Department of Forest told the CAG office that those industries were installed on approval from the Board of Investment and the district administration.
The industrial units include readymade garments, dyeing, painting and textiles, pharmaceuticals, and lubricant factories, and cattle farms.
The report says forestland has been grabbed not only in Bhawal National Garden but all over the country as well. Moreover, the state exchequer is being deprived of a huge amount of revenue due to destruction of forest resources and smuggling of timber.
The DoF deposited Tk 235 crore to the state exchequer by selling around 18.44 lakh cubic feet of timber it had seized from smugglers in the 10 years from 1999. However, it was a small fraction of the timber that is smuggled every year.
The report is based on the data that the CAG office collected in 10 years between the fiscal years 1999-2000 to 2008-09.
However, the current market price of the grabbed forestland is much higher than the amount estimated according to government-fixed rates, says the report on forest management in Bangladesh by the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The country’s forests continue to be depleted due to illegal logging, smuggling of timber, land grabbing in the name of setting up industries, and lack of proper management of industrial waste, it says.
The report notes that forest management in the country is seriously hampered by lack of coordination between the DoE and the ministries and divisions concerned. The report has been placed in parliament.
Mohammed Younus Ali, chief conservator of forests (CCF) at the Department of Forest, said it was true that some forestland were still being occupied by land grabbers.
But the figures mentioned in the audit report were not “absolutely accurate” as they were based on seven-year-old findings. And the situation had changed a lot in the last four years, he said.
Younus said the Department of Land Survey and the district administration had been informed about the illegal occupation of forestland, but no action was taken against the land grabbers.
According to him, land survey is done by temporary staff, and there are many instances where one’s land has been recorded against someone else’s name. And the chances of such discrepancies are much higher in case of government land.
Citing an example, he said about 10,000 acres of forest department land in Gazipur had been recorded against the names of individuals.
The report says forests account for 17 percent of the country’s total land. Only 9.77 percent of land is entirely covered by forests while about 4.45 percent are in the hands of land grabbers. Deputy commissioners have been lax in taking measures to recover the occupied forestland.
According to Bangladesh Environment Protection Act, 1995, no industrial unit can be set up on any forestland or close to it without a no-objection certificate from the Directorate of Environment (DoE).
Of the 299 industries in Bhawal National Garden, only 24 got clearances from the DoE. And at least 161 industries there release hazardous waste, causing harm to the forest’s bio-diversity.
Though the environment and forest ministry in 1999 made it illegal for any building, structure, agricultural farm or fishery to be set up there, at least 201 industries were installed in the area after the ministry issued the order.
However, the Department of Forest told the CAG office that those industries were installed on approval from the Board of Investment and the district administration.
The industrial units include readymade garments, dyeing, painting and textiles, pharmaceuticals, and lubricant factories, and cattle farms.
The report says forestland has been grabbed not only in Bhawal National Garden but all over the country as well. Moreover, the state exchequer is being deprived of a huge amount of revenue due to destruction of forest resources and smuggling of timber.
The DoF deposited Tk 235 crore to the state exchequer by selling around 18.44 lakh cubic feet of timber it had seized from smugglers in the 10 years from 1999. However, it was a small fraction of the timber that is smuggled every year.
The report is based on the data that the CAG office collected in 10 years between the fiscal years 1999-2000 to 2008-09.
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