Govt cancels allocation of 700-acre forest land in Cox's Bazar

The government has cancelled the allocation of 700 acres of forest land for establishing the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Academy of Public Administration in Cox's Bazar.

The allocation was cancelled following a request of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan to protect the forest land.

In a letter on November 10, signed by Aminur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Land, the Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner was instructed to take necessary action and submit a report to the Ministry of Land on this matter.

The 700-acre land, situated in Jhilanja Mouza of Cox's Bazar Sadar, includes 400 acres of 'hill' (Dag No. BS 25001) and 300 acres of 'stream' land (Dag No. BS 25010), which fall under a gazetted protected forest land. As a result, this allocation has been cancelled, a ministry press release said.

On 29 August 2024, the environment adviser sent a semi-official letter highlighting that the allocated area has been designated as protected forest under Section 29 of the Forest Act, 1927, since 1935. This 2,145.02-acre forested area contains trees such as garjan, chapalish, telsur, and is home to elephants, monkeys, wild boars, and other species.

Reforestation activities were conducted in 2011-12 and 2012-13 to counter climate change effects.

Due to the omission of "protected forest" in the records, the Forest Department filed a case on this issue. A writ petition was also filed in the High Court to cancel the land allocation.

The High Court issued a stay order on the allocation, which the Appellate Division upheld.

In 1999, Jhilanja Union was declared an environmentally critical area, restricting activities like tree felling and altering the natural landscape. The 700-acre protected forest falls within this critical zone.

According to Article 18A of the Constitution and the UN Biodiversity Convention, the government is committed to forest conservation. With Bangladesh's forest cover below the required level, such land allocations are deemed against public interest.