12,000 acres forestland in Cox's Bazar to be returned to forest department

The government has announced that nearly 12,000 acres of forestland in Cox's Bazar, previously allocated to various agencies, will be returned to the Forest Department.

Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan disclosed it on Thursday, warning that public land will be cleared of all illegal occupation.

Speaking to the media following a visit to the municipal garbage dumping site on the banks of the Bakkhali River, she said that steps would be taken to free Cox's Bazar's rivers, forests, and beaches from encroachment and pollution.

No construction will be allowed in Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA) without proper authorisation. No government or private construction would be considered without approval from the Department of Environment, Forest Department, and the District Administration, she added.

The adviser emphasised that any violation of regulations would be dealt with legally. "If we do not immediately curb the encroachment and pollution of the beach, it will soon turn into private property. We will not allow that to happen," she warned.

She mentioned that, considering the limited timeframe, the current government was prioritising several urgent actions.

Already, 700 acres of forestland in Cox's Bazar have been recovered.

She added that construction on 150 acres of illegally occupied forestland by an individual was being halted, and 20 acres allocated for a football academy were being reclaimed.

Efforts were underway to return land allocated to BEZA on Sonadia Island to the Forest Department.

Senior officials from various government departments were also in attendance.

"After I took charge, the Deputy Commissioner has been requested to recover 51 acres of land. The process of bringing back the land allocated for fishing on Sonadia Island under the forest department is also underway", she said.

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