Rural Electrification Board (REB) authorities have cut down 12 old Mahogany trees in Bailla area in Tangail town in the last two days to make room for a new control room.

Meanwhile, Tangail Power Development Board (PDB) authorities yesterday stopped the tree felling, claiming the ownership of the land and the trees.

Executive Engineer Mohammad Shajahan Ali of REB in Tangail said as part of ensuring 100 percent electricity coverage by 2018 they have been constructing three sub-stations in Porabari, Elenga and Kalihati areas of the district.

Shajahan said the project financed by Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) been making room for a one-storey control room adjacent to the grid-substation of Power Grid Corporation of Bangladesh (PGCB) in order to distribute source lines for bay breaker extension.

"Usually, PGCB implements such projects, which takes time. That's why REB is implementing the project through contractor firm Power Pack Engineering, taking approval from PGCB," he added.

Shajahan said taking PGCB's permission, they decided to cut 13 trees at the construction site after conducting necessary survey.

Several CBA leaders of PDB yesterday came to the site and stopped the tree felling, he alleged.

Seeking anonymity, a number of CBA leaders, however, said REB authorities could not avoid accountability of felling 15 to 20-year-old trees as there is more open land abandoned nearby.

PDB Superintendent Engineer Mohammad Nazrul Islam (direction and preservation) in Tangail said the government allotted some eight acres of land to PGCB and another six acres to PDB authorities of the 14 acres compound but is yet make its demarcations. 

As the REB authorities did not tell them anything about the tree felling, he told them to stop cutting trees till the demarcation is done, he said.