Chattogram district administration has leased five acres of forest land to the owner of the same organization which failed to take the lease 2 years ago.
However, this time the land has been leased to another organization of the same owner showing it under different mouja.
The organization, BBC Steel, failed to take lease of coastal forest land to establish shipbuilding factories in Sitakunda of Chattogram three years ago. The owner of BBC Steel is Abul Kashem who is known as Raja Kashem.
Although the district administration leased 7.10 acres of forest land in Tulatoli area, the High Court canceled it.
This time Kohinoor Steel has got the lease and the owner is Kashem’s wife Kohinoor Akhter.
The district administration leased 5 acres of forest land showing it under Uttar Salimpur mouja of Sitakunda in the name of Kohinoor on 14 February this year.
Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (BELA) served legal notices to different parties including the district administration, the forest department and Kohinoor on 8 September.
The forest department alleges most of the areas are in the Tulatoli mouja although the area has been shown in Uttar Salimpur area in the documents. Tulatoli is not a declared shipbreaking factory area. As a result, the district administration has tactfully leased 5 acres of land of the forest department’s ‘Keurabon’ showing the land is situated in the Uttar Salimpr mouja.
The coastal forest department has 150 acres of land at Uttar Salimpur and Tulatoli mouja. The forest department has already served two notices to Kohinoor Steel to leave the forest land. After issuing final notice, they will go for eviction.
Chattogram coastal forest land divisional officer Mohammad Abdur Rahman said most of the leased land is in the Tulatoli mouja. It is mainly the land of the forest department. The forest department sent several letters to the district administration after they came to know about the lease of forest land.
However, they did not respond to the letters. A letter has been sent for canceling the lease mentioning the court order. They didn’t respond to this letter too. However, the court gave an order asking the district administration to protect forest land.
