Staff Reporter:
The Local Government Engineering Department has decided to cut 31 trees each ageing 60-70 years for a project to build a Tk180-crore luxury resort in Faridpur town.
The local lawmaker AK Azad would inaugurate the project’s physical works within a month and the trees are expected to be cut within weeks. The trees were auctioned off for a meager Tk9.9 lakh on 28 March, and have been marked for felling.
A district administration official said they sought to save the age-old trees but the Local Government Division has clarified that the project could not be implemented by keeping the trees intact.
After uprooting the trees, authorities would plant nearly 1,800 other trees to retain environment standards, a district administration official has told reporters. However, local environment activists see the existing trees invaluable due to their type and age, and see no reason why they should be felled along the banks of the Tepakhola lake.
The trees are predominantly of Mahogany species, and there are also mango, jackfruit and coconut trees lining the banks of Tepakhola lake.
The resort would be constructed as part of beautification initiatives centring the 14-acre Tepakhola lake in Faridpur municipality. The local government ministry has already procured Tk50 crore for implementing the beautification project on 18 acres of land that also includes the lake.
