A government official in Bandarban has stirred criticism after cutting down and selling seven trees on the premises of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (Bscic) in Alikadam Upazila.
After having the trees felled without the approval of the authorities concerned, Rakib Uddin, a trainer at the office, attempted to conceal the stumps by covering them with soil and dirt.
The long-neglected office was recently renovated. Years ago, various fruit trees were planted there with office funding, and they have grown significantly in the last 20-25 years.
Rakib Uddin cut down seven of these, including belgium, mango, and white teak trees.
Five of the felled trees were large, and two were medium-sized, with their market value estimated at Tk60,000.
Rezaul Islam, range officer of Alikadam Toin range, said: “According to regulations, a written application must be submitted to the Forest Department to cut down trees on government office premises. Trees can only be felled after approval and must be sold through a tender process. However, no such approval was obtained for cutting down the trees at the office.”
Meanwhile, Rakib Uddin admitted to having the trees chopped down but claimed that these “useless trees” died 10-15 years ago. He also claimed that the office area turned unclean due to the fallen leaves. “So I cut them down."
Asked how these trees could be considered "useless," he said they were polluting the office area. At one point, he requested that the news not be published.
Contacted, Bandarban Bscic Deputy Manager Mohammad Shameem Alam said: "I was unaware of this issue. Had I known about it, I would have taken action. Now, the matter will be investigated."