Activists decry tree cutting on Sat Masjid road, demand replantation

A new committee formed to protest the recent tearing down of trees on road dividers of Sat Masjid road near Abahani playground in Dhanmondi has called for an immediate stop to the initiative and wants replantation as early as possible.

Sat Masjid Road Tree Protection Movement Committee, consisting of environment activists of the country, arranged a press conference on Monday to formally denounce the cutting of hundreds of trees by Dhaka South City Corporation on the night of 1 May.

"The trees, which were in no way a threat to the road and civil safety, were torn down in the dead of the night. However, it was possible to widen the road without removing the trees," said Aminur Razi, the coordinator of the movement.

"When we asked the contractors to show the official permission to cut trees on Sat Masjid road, they presented us with the city corporation's letter of instruction issued to start widening the road dividers with no such direction on tree cutting.  

"Hence, It can be said that these trees have been cut illegally," he said.

The press conference moderated by Aminur Razi was attended by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) President Sultana Kamal, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) Director Syeda Rizwana Haque, theatre personality Mamunur Rashid, writer Pavel Parth, urbanist Amin Mohammad Khan and others

Sultana Kamal said the committee has been formed to press home a one-point demand which is to stop cutting the remaining trees on this road and plant new ones.

"At present, there are 30 trees on Sat Masjid road. We are keeping watch at night to protect the remaining trees which are the heritage of the road," she said.

The activists at the press conference called to replace the fallen trees with local varieties of trees and put an end to the practice of cutting them off following the plantation.

They also demanded to formulate a regulation aiming at urban afforestation, tree protection and cutting.