Gazipur Forest Dept sets example of afforestation

Gazipur Correspondent :
Gazipur under Dhaka Forest Department has set a new record in forestry in the current fiscal year 2021-2022. A total of 470 acres of forest land has been afforested in the revenue sector in the current financial year in different bits of the four ranges of the district under the division. Among the ranges only Kachighata range has afforested 210 acres of forest land in the revenue sector in the current financial year. The process of appointing beneficiaries to the gardens created by eviction of encroachment in the district is underway. The forests of Gazipur are becoming sustainable and rich in afforestation under Sufal project.
 According to the office of the Dhaka Divisional Forest Officer, in the current financial year, 20 hectares in Rajendrapur range of Gazipur, 50 hectares in Sripur range, 35 hectares in Kaliakair range and 85 hectares in Kachighata range have been afforested in the underdevelopment or revenue sector. Gardens created in underdeveloped sectors have been created by eviction of various types of encroachment. A large part of the cleared forest land was used for agriculture by different people in the past. Apart from afforestation in the underdeveloped sector in Gazipur, different categories of forestry activities are continued in bits under each range under sustainable forest and livelihood or benefit schemes.
 According to the research, the most promising range under the Dhaka Forest Department is Kachighata. The range, operated with three bits, employs only 13 people. But even with this low manpower, in the current financial year only 135.85 acres of forest land in Kachighata sadar bit of the range has been rescued and afforested from the possession of various individuals. As a result of afforestation, the forests of various mouzas including Mothajuri, Mantala mouzas have become green. In the financial year 2019-2020, along with afforestation of 22 hectares of Sufal project in Kachighata Sadar Bit, strip plantations have been done on both sides of the two kilometer road. Apart from this, in the financial year 2020-2021, 35.5 hectares of forest land has been afforested under the Sufal project, and in the current financial year 2021-2022, 12 hectares have been afforested under the Sufal project.
 Kachighata range officer Manjurul Islam, undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change AKM Shaukat Alam Majumder recently visited the garden created in the underdeveloped sector after the eviction of Jabardakhal in Kachighata Sadar Bit. He was pleased to see the garden. Afforestation is being done by identifying the forest land used as agricultural land in different bits of Kachighata range. Forest workers who have been using forest land for cultivation for many years are being attacked when their encroachment is forcibly evicted. Recently there was an attack on the forest workers of Kachighata Sadar Bit.
 The forest workers are being subjected to tricks and propaganda from different quarters. Anti-encroachment, eviction and afforestation activities are continuing as per the direction of the Divisional Forest Officer.