Save Lawachhara campaign begins

Lawachhara Bon O Jibo Boichitro Rokkha Andolon launched a signature campaign on Friday to boost support from the tourists and locals for persuading the authorities concerned to stop cutting trees in Lawachhara Reserve Forest.

The programme came against the backdrop of the authorities' decision to cut down 25 thousand trees along the Dhaka-Sylhet track running through the rain forest to facilitate smooth plying of trains there.

Musaddek Mela, general secretary of Communist Party of Bangladesh's Srimangal upazila unit and advisor of Lawachhara Bon O Jibo Boichitro Rokkha Andolon, inaugurated the weeklong programme at the main gate of Lawachhara National Park in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar district.

The programme includes rally and discussions. 

The high authorities of Bangladesh Railway on April 9 sent a letter to forest department's Kamolganj range office with an entreaty to fell about 25,000 trees along five-kilometre rail track under Srimongal-Bhanugachh section to make train journey safe.

Train communication in the area during summer turns risky as trees uprooted by storm sometimes fall on the track, the letter said.

Inter-district Upobon Express train got stuck as about 30 trees lay on the rail track after being uprooted by storm on April 21 in 2015, it mentioned.

"To make rail communication safe, we have to cut the trees," Mujibur Rahman, assistant executive engineer of Bangladesh Railway in Sylhet, said yesterday.

Joly Paul, convener of Lawachhara Bon O Jibo Boichitro Rokkha Andolon, said, "We are not against any development work but that should not be done at the cost of destroying forest, because forests sustain life."

Abdul Karim Kim, general secretary of BAPA's Sylhet unit, warned of a tough movement if the authorities do not revoke the authorization to cut trees in Lawachhara forest.

In 1996, part of the West Bhanugach Reserved Forest was declared "Lawachhara National Park", comprising 1250 hectares of land.