Own Correspondent, Gazipur: More than half a hundred hundred-year-old fruit trees are being cut down inside the cotton development board's seed breeding farm in Gazipur Sadar Upazila. 13/14 trees were felled throughout the day on Thursday. There has been a strong reaction among the environmentalists of the district .

More than half a century trees are being cut down for the radiation center-2

According to various sources, the Ministry of Agriculture has allotted some land inside the cotton development farm of Bhabanipur Mouja cotton development board on the northern side of Gazipur Sadar Upazila to Bangladesh Atomic Agriculture Research Institute (BINA). Bina will set up Gamma Radiation, Experimental Center there. That is why they are cutting down 54 centuries old trees inside the land reserved for them.

According to Bina sources, they published a tree sale auction notice on October 16 to cut down 54 hundred-year-old trees including 41 jackfruit trees, nine mango trees, one shimul tree, three palm trees around the field of Bina Regional Gamma Research Center in Bhabanipur, Gazipur. Later, Bhandar officer and auction committee member secretary Saiful Islam gave the work order to cut the trees. After receiving the work order, the tree felling started from Thursday morning. Ignoring the objections of environmentalists, 13-14 trees were felled throughout the day.

Bina official Farid Mia said that we have taken the land of Cotton Development Board from the Ministry of Agriculture. Bina Regional Research Center will be set up. It will be implemented with World Bank funding. All agricultural perishable products that we export abroad, those products will be exported abroad with gamma radiation here. For setting up this centre, we have taken the initiative to cut down 54 different species of trees within the boundary.

He also said that permission to cut trees has been taken from the wildlife management and nature conservation department of the forest department.

Regarding the cutting of trees, Hasan Khan, General Secretary of Bangladesh Environment Movement, Gazipur, said that such old and ancient farban trees are being cut down, which is very painful. He said that the authorities need to look into how to implement the project without cutting the trees.

He also said, as far as I know, there is a system for felling trees, there is a committee with divisional commissioner as president and divisional forest officer as member secretary. Tree felling is allowed subject to the approval of that committee. It is not clear how this committee gave permission.

Khorshed Alam, Joint Secretary of Sripur branch of Bangladesh Nadi Paribrajak Dal, said, "We have tried a lot to ensure that the trees are not cut." But no one wants to listen to us. Forest land in Gazipur is being cleared by various individuals, and trees are being felled here, by government agencies.

Mozammel Hossain, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department, Gazipur, said that this is a priority project of the Ministry of Agriculture. So we have given permission to cut 54 trees.

Binar Gamma Radiation, Experimental Officer Anwarul Islam said, we have allocated 22.5 acres of land for setting up this very important project of the government. Gamma radiation center will be established in 3 acres of land and research center will be established in the remaining land. Here we will deal with radiation. That is why it will be a protected area.

He also said that if radiation is given to agricultural products such as potato, it will not spoil for 5/6 months. That is why the project was not possible without cutting the trees. For this, the trees are being cut following all the rules.

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