Local influentials are cutting down and destroying trees spread around Pechar Dwip in Khuniya Palong forest under Ramu Upazila of Cox's Bazar.
According to locals, the trees were first cut down and then the entire area was set on fire in order to burn down the remaining parts of the trees.
Earlier, a company named Kingshuk Firms Limited destroyed around 20,000 trees of the Perabon in the name of setting up a fish enclosure in the area. Later, such activities came to a halt in the face of protests by environmentalists.
Local people allege that one Harun Bin Hasem along with a union parishad member named Kamal Uddin and Amir Hossain have recently destroyed a huge part of the forest located in Ramu's Pechar Dwip area.
Several species of rare and valuable trees including Bain and Kewra were also destroyed in the process.
Local people also allege that the quarter has installed new boundary pillars announcing their dominance in the area.
Kinshuk first destroyed around 20-acre land while Harun, Kamal and Amir destroyed around another 5 acres.
Local people said that the social forestry site is located close to the Cox's Bazar Marine Drive and is a natural habitat of many species of birds.
Responding to the allegations, Harun Bin Hashem told Dhaka Tribune that he personally had no land in the area and had no involvement with the torching of the forest or installing pillars.
A local union parishad member Shafiqul Islam Sohel told Dhaka Tribune that the trio had been claiming the ownership of some lands on the basis of power of attorney. He said that he too had no clue who had installed the pillars there.
Absar Kamal, a land office staff at Khuniya Palong, told this correspondent that he had learned about the installation of pillars. He said that further details would come up after an investigation.
Deepak Sharma Dipu, president of Cox's Bazar Forest and Environment Conservation Council, told Dhaka Tribune that some local influential people had been destroying the forest at an alarming rate. He demanded legal action against the culprits to protect the forest.
Md Hafizur Rahman, assistant director of the Department of Environment in Cox's Bazar, said he had no idea about the torching of the forest.
