Illegal charcoal field on occupied waqf land

An illegally set up charcoal field near four educational institutions in Kalaiya Bazar area of Baufal upazila under the district poses health hazard for locals and threat to environment in the area.

Mizanur Rahman alias Mizan Mollah, organising secretary of Jubo League's Kalaiya union unit in the upazila, set up the coal field forcibly occupying about 1.57 acres of land of Abdul Haque Waqf Estate, locals said.

It is about 50 metres from Ali Akbar Government Primary School, about 100 metres from Kalaiya High School and Kalaiya Rabbana Fazila Madrasa and 150 metres from Idris Mollah Degree College.

Just beside the coal field, there is a stand for three-wheelers and around 30 shops.

About one month ago, Mizan started making his coal field and he has already set up six hearths (fireplaces) with several pipes as outlet for the smoke.

Anwarul Islam, a worker of the coal field, said 3,000 maunds of firewood has already been kept inside these hearths and around 20 tonnes of coal would be produced by burning it within 15 to 20 days.

The coal will be sold to brick kilns in the area as the fuel has huge demand here in the brick building season from December to April.

Mizan Mollah set up the coal field occupying the waqf land worth over Tk 7 crore and locally collected firewood is being burnt there, locals said.

Abu Naser Khan, chairman of Paribesh Bachao (save the environment), a social organisation, said the government should take immediate step to stop the operation of the coal field as it poses threat to the environment.

The coal field will badly affect productivity of croplands and lead to deforestation in the area, said a few teachers of Idris Mollah Degree College.

Contacted, Mizan Mollah said, "I took lease of the land from Shahjada Mia, motowalli (custodian) of the land. I have not taken permission for setting up the coal field as environment would not be polluted."

But waqf estate administrator's office sources said there is no motowalli named Shahjada at the estate.

Jahangir Hossain and Solaiman Mia are legal motowallis of the estate, they said.

Jahangir Hossain said Mizan Mollah set up the coal field after forcibly occupying the land.

Md Ruhul Amin, acting upazila forest officer, said they did not give any permission to burn firewood in the coal field.

Sukumar Biswas, Barisal divisional director of the Department of Environment, said, "We did not issue permission to set up any coal field in the division. We will take immediate step to stop operation of the field."