Desk report: A total of 340 illegal saw mills are going to stop operation immediately in Pabna at a high court order responding to a petition on July 24,reports Daily Observer.
Out of 367 Saw mills, 340 sawmills are running without any government permission in Pabna district. While our correspondent asked some owners about the government permission, they said they were unaware of the permission from the government to establish saw mils. But local people said the influential people are establishing sawmills without permission for more profit causing a threat to environment and the government is being deprived of huge amount of taxes from these illegal sawmills. On the other hand forest is being destroyed gradually due to the greed of sawmill owners. Social Forestry Department sources said there are only 27 sawmills with proper license in Pabna district. On the other hand 340 mills are running without proper license and permission.In Pabna sadar upazila, 9 mills have license out of 74.
Three have license out of 46 sawmills in Ishwardi, three sawmills out of 20 are legal in Atgharia, 3 out of 45 are legal in Chatmohor, 6 are legal out of 25 in Bhangura, only one out of 46 in Santhiya sawmills have license, and 2 sawmills out of 32 have license in Bera upazila. Another 66 in Sujanagar and 10 sawmills in Faridpur upazilas of the district have no permission.
Zakir Timber owner Md Aminul Islam said, “I don’t know anything about a forest department license. I am licensed as a furniture trader. I don’t know if the mill has forest department permission.”
People informed, the leftover woods from these illegal sawmills are being used in different brick fields which is totally illegal. The trees are being cut without any supervision. Illegal wood laden trucks are being smuggled to different areas of the country without any prohibition.
Local people demanded proper supervision over sawmills and wood cutting in the district. In a visit to the area, this correspondent found, most of the sawmills are established beside the highways and regional roads. The mill owners pile up woods occupying the roadsides.
Lucky Furniture and Sawmill owner Abdul Awal Titu said, he has began this business in Singra bypass road recently. He has taken a license from Municipality.
But he has no idea about the permission from Social Forestry Department. Another businessman said, they have been doing sawmill business for long time. They take trade license from union parishad and municapility. They manage somehow the government people when any supervision goes one.
Allegedly on a monthly arrangement of bribes with some unscrupulous forest officials, a good number of sawmills has been operating near the forest for several years, said reliable sources.
Pabna Social Forest Department officer Md Kobir Hossain Patwary said, they have sent notice to illegal sawmill owners through UNO. He said the department needs help of administration to evict the illegal sawmills.
Pabna Additional DC Md Shafiul Islam said, 340 sawmills are not established in one day. If the Forest Department took steps in the beginning this would not happen. They should have been notified from the beginning. If the illegal sawmill owners don’t take permission mobile court will lead eviction drive and fine them as soon as possible, he added.
The scale of non-compliance was brought to light in particular at a meeting last March, of the District Development and Coordination Committee. And yet, to date, no serious action has been taken to address the problem.
Meanwhile, local rights association Lawyers Society for Law has recently taken the step of having a legal notice issued against six government authorities.
“The secretary of the environment ministry, the director-general of the environment and forest directorate, the divisional forestry officer in Pabna, the deputy commissioner, district forestry officer and additional district magistrate were made respondents to the notice,” said Advocate Mesbahul Islam Asif, on behalf of the association.
Deputy Commissioner Md Jasim Uddin claims better enforcement efforts have already begun. “We have launched a mobile court to seek out illegal sawmill operations and take action,” he says. “The high number of illegal mills is primarily due to forest department negligence.”