Thousands of trees have allegedly been felled from the hilly forests of Dineshpur in Maheshkhali, Cox's Bazar, under the pretext of an auction following Cyclone Hamoon, that struck the upazila in October 2023.

Local groups, reportedly in collaboration with members of the Coastal Afforestation Department, are accused of clearing the forest beyond the authorised scope of the auction.

Environmental activists claim this auction provided an opportunity for widespread deforestation.

The Coastal Forest Department had auctioned 920 cyclone-damaged trees around four months ago.

Rakib Hasan, an environmental activist and student representative from Shaplapur, said, "Dineshpur forest was once a natural forest rich in biodiversity. The forest department destroyed that biodiversity by planting acacia trees. Now, under the guise of auctioning cyclone-damaged trees, they have allowed the plundering of thousands of trees."

He alleged that forest department staff were complicit in the irregularities and demanded punishment for those involved.

Activists also reported that the group responsible for the tree felling constructed an unpaved road, approximately 2.5 to 3km long, by cutting through hills to transport the felled trees.

"They could have left the forest to recover naturally, but instead, they created a way to loot the forest," Rakib said.

Journalist and environmental activist Faruq Azam claimed that tree felling has been ongoing for over a month. "We saw many unmarked tree roots where tree leaves were dumped to conceal the scale of the felling," he said, adding that the construction of the road further deformed the hills.

Assistant Conservator of Forests Sheikh Abul Kalam Azad said the department had auctioned 920 marked acacia trees to prevent locals from stealing fallen trees for firewood.

"We have sent a team to investigate the allegations. If the beat officer and auction owners are found guilty, action will be taken," he said.

Shefayet Ullah, one of the four tender owners, denied any wrongdoing, saying that they only felled marked trees and levelled the water stream for transport rather than building a new road.