Reserved forest land in Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar is being sold as land for occupied houses. Like general holding land, forest land is also being bought and sold at high prices. General holding land is being sold freely in the courts for four hundred rupees instead of a stamp of three hundred taka. Purchase and sale of reserved forest land in Ukhia; Building quota is being created freely After purchasing these lands, raw, semi-finished or multi-storey buildings are being constructed in some places.
Areas are being divided – Patabari, Lambaghona, Shailardheba, Hangarghona, Hazmirpara, Buddhist temple area, Kutupalong and many settlements including shops, godowns have been found on both sides of the highway.
It is alleged that at least 20 syndicates are working from Thainkhali to Ukhia. These separate groups, under the instructions of their respective owners, complete the process of transferring or occupying forest land in their respective areas and deliver the money to the relevant owner in the form of a padayan.
How much is left in a particular place is also calculated in the note book. They are embezzling lakhs of taka by giving verbal approval for construction of houses in forest land. Forest guards, jagirdars, headmen and their employees are involved in this crime.
They go to different places on motorcycles and collect money from the owners of houses under construction. Later, this money is divided among the concerned officials and employees.
According to a survey by an environmental organization, the sale of forest land from Ukhia Sadar to Kutupalong has now become a regular business. The price of land per kani (40 acres) has increased to 40-50 lakh taka.
The encroachers are selling land by selling soil, cutting hills and changing the land category. There is no obstacle in constructing tin shed houses and multi-storey buildings on these lands—the work goes ahead only if the forest workers are financially ‘burdened’.
Local Abdus Salam, a victim, said that without managing the forest workers, the boundaries of the houses cannot be fenced even with pieces of bamboo. There are allegations that some of their associates, some of the fake journalists, also extorted money by threatening them.
Recently, a group of 4-5 so-called journalists together extorted about 70 thousand taka during the construction of a house in the Patabari area. The real picture is that a direct inspection showed that more than a hundred buildings have been built on both sides of the road from Ukhia Sadar to Thaingkhali. Most of the owners do not have any documents; they admit that they have taken ‘legality’ by paying forest workers.
If they refuse to pay, forest cases are filed against them and they are harassed. The forest department claims that Ukhia Range Officer Abdul Mannan said that there are about 20 thousand hectares of forest land in Ukhia Range.
Of this, the government has allocated about 4 thousand hectares of land for the settlement of Rohingyas. After 2017, the Rohingyas have destroyed a lot of forest resources, the financial loss of which will exceed thousands of crores of taka.
Although regular patrols are currently being strengthened, it is not possible to recover the forest lands that were lost in the past due to manpower shortage.
Ukhia Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Zarin Tasnim said that the encroachment of a large amount of forest land and destruction of forest resources is very worrying.
Although it is difficult to handle the pressure of more than seven lakh people, the administration’s campaign is continuing.
In the last three months, several dumpers carrying hill soil have been seized and fines have been collected. Recently, an illegal sawmill has also been evicted in the West Rumkhan area.
In this regard, environmentalist leader Bapa Cox’s Bazar branch leader HM Ershad has sought urgent intervention, including an increase in manpower, to protect the forest area.