The government has canceled the allocation of 700 acres of land, previously allotted to the Ministry of Public Administration for establishing the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Academy of Public Administration. This cancellation follows the request of Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, to protect the forest land.
In a letter dated 10 November, signed by Aminur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Land, the Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner has been instructed to take necessary action and submit a report to the Ministry of Land on this matter.
The 700-acre land, situated in Jhilanja Mouza of Cox’s Bazar Sadar, includes 400 acres of ‘hill’ (Dag No. BS 25001) and 300 acres of ‘stream’ land (Dag No. BS 25010), which fall under gazetted protected forest land. As a result, this allocation has been canceled.
On 29 August 2024, the Environment Advisor sent a semi-official letter highlighting that the allocated area has been designated as protected forest under Section 29 of the Forest Act, 1927, since 1935. This 2,145.02-acre forested area contains trees such as garjan, chapalish, telsur, and is home to elephants, monkeys, wild boars, and other species. Reforestation activities were conducted in 2011-12 and 2012-13 to counter climate change effects.
Due to the omission of “protected forest” in the records, the Forest Department filed a case on this issue. A writ petition was also filed in the High Court to cancel the land allocation. The High Court issued a stay order on the allocation, which the Appellate Division upheld.
In 1999, Jhilanja Union was declared an environmentally critical area, banning activities like tree felling and altering the natural landscape. The 700-acre protected forest falls within this critical zone.
According to Article 18A of the Constitution and the UN Biodiversity Convention, the government is committed to forest conservation. With Bangladesh’s forest cover below the required level, such land allocations are deemed against public interest.
