Naogaon: More than 150 eucalyptus trees beside a road in Manda, Naogaon have been cut down allegedly by a local Jubo League leader recently without permission from the authorities concerned.  

The trees, worth over Tk 10 lakh, had been planted under the government’s social afforestation programme, reported United News of Bangladesh.

Locals alleged that the administration kept mum despite their knowledge about the destruction of such a large number of trees.  

Local union unit Jubo League president Abdul Jalil is behind the act, which he perpetrated through his hired men, they informed the correspondent.

The felling of the trees in an area from Manda’s Pirpali Bazaar to Kalapara continued for long three days but the locals did not dare to say anything in protest.  

Locals said the trees had been planted 10 years ago by the then Naogaon upazila chairman Mohsin Reza under the social afforestation programme.

Reza said that the union parishad had a deed in non-judicial stamp on the tree plantation with a local committee.

According to the deed, the committee members were to get a certain amount of profit for nursing the trees.  

He also said that Jalil was not a member of that committee, nor ever was.

Mahbubur Rahman, upazila forest officer, confirmed that 127 eucalyptus trees had been cut down by Abdul Jalil.

He informed Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saifur Rahman Khan and assistant commissioner (land) Razibul Alam about the incident.

He added that no one in the committee had the authority to remove the trees.

It would have to be done only through a tender and obtaining permission from the district forest and environment resolution sub-committee.

Saifur Rahman Khan said he instructed the assistant commissioner (land) to take actions.