Dubious measurement of 4,105 trees under sale

Serious irregularities have been alleged regarding the forest department's planned sale of over 4,000 trees in different areas of Amtali upazila in Barguna district.

Estimated wood of each tree has been shown as only two cft (cubic feet) on an average although it would be minimum ten cft of wood, said locals and beneficiaries who have been looking after the trees since their planting between 1999 and 2011 on different flood control embankments of Water Development Board (WDB) in Amtali upazila.

The beneficiaries, who are supposed to get 60 percent of the total value of the trees, are now worried about their deprivation.

The forest department planned to sell trees including mahogany, rain tree, and chambol varieties as WDB requested freeing the embankments that need repair, forest department and local sources said.

In the meeting of Amtali upazila forest development committee on March 12, the forest department submitted a list of 4,105 trees on 24 kilometre embankments of WDB in Amtali upazila, showing a total of about 8,000 cft of wood and sought approval to sell them in auction.

Amtali Upazila Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Mizanur Rahman, who presided over the meeting at his office, raised question about the authenticity ofa measurement of the trees but Altaf Hossain, assistant conserver of forest (ACF) of Patuakhali forest department, did not make any answer.

As this correspondent visited several spots on Wednesday, locals expressed dissatisfaction over the irregularities in measuring wood.

"Each of these trees has at least 15 to 20 cft of wood as they were planted 16 years ago," Dhalai Khani, a beneficiary of the project, said, showing some trees in front his house at Raugha village.

"We are to get 60 percent of total value of the trees but we will be deprived of proper benefit as forest staff did not make proper measurement of wood," said Altaf Khan, a resident of the same area, also a beneficiary.

ACF Altaf Hossain said bid is under process to sell the trees as the upazila forest development committee approved the list.

"Some trees are very small in size while some are middle-sized. We calculated the total quantity of wood properly," he said.

Amatali UNO Md Mizanur Rahman said, "I had raised objection over the matter in the meeting and now the shown amount of wood seems inauthentic."

Mihir Kanti Do, divisional forest officer in Patuakhali, said, "We are investigation the matter. We have already asked the Barguna ACF to submit a report over the matter within three days."