Students protest tree felling in 'protected area' of JU campus
Students of Jahangirnagar University on Wednesday staged protest rallies over the university authorities chopping down trees on the campus defying their outcry.
The chopping down of 43 trees, including Sal and Pride of India (Jarul) trees, in the early hours of Wednesday in the "Sundarban" area to build a new academic building for the Institute of Business Institutions (IBA), has drawn widespread criticism.
The agitated students brought out a procession from the Sundarban area carrying the pieces of the felled trees.
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After parading through several streets on the campus, they gathered in front of the administrative building, where they criticised the authorities' disregard for the ecosystem.
"They are felling trees and erecting structures without any master plan," one student said.
The students have called for another protest march tomorrow under the banner of "Jahangirnagar Bachao Andolon" at 11:00am from the university's transport yard.
They will continue their protest until the administration takes any necessary steps.
Meanwhile, the university unit of Bangladesh Students Union has planted some trees protesting the chopping down of trees.
Alif Mahmud, convenor of BSU JU unit, told The Business Standard that cutting down trees was very common for construction, but the chosen site was not suitable for constructing academic buildings; it was a reserved area.
"Not only does the Sundarban area have hundreds of different trees and bushes, but it is also a habitat to many animals, birds and reptiles. The ecosystem will suffer greatly," he said.
Prof KM Zahidul Islam, director of IBA-JU, told TBS that the construction of a new IBA building was a dire need.
"We have classroom crises as well as teachers' room crises. We've been urging the administration to do this for quite a while. We were finally given this place in 2018. We have had no choice.
"We've tested the soil there. We've already spent Tk1 crore. The contractor company knows better about the tree felling. They cut down the tree this morning after consulting with the estate office, as per what I know."
However, Abdur Rahman, deputy registrar of the estate department of the university, said, "I know nothing regarding the tree felling in the Sundarban area. No one contacted me, and I have no idea where the trees were stored after they were chopped down."
JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Nurul Alam could not be contacted over the phone despite several attempts.
On 23 May, the IBA-JU inaugurated the foundation of its new academic building in the Sundarban area.
