100 trees felled at JU without permission

Nearly a hundred trees were felled on Jahangirnagar University campus, sparking protest among students.

The Institute of Business Administration cut down the trees near Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall early yesterday and removed those from the spot, alleged JU Deputy Registrar (Estate) Abdur Rahman Babul.

"No one took any permission from us for felling trees. We came to know this in the morning. We heard this was done by IBA, and later informed the administration," he said.

The university authorities in 2018 allocated 20 bighas of land to construct an academic building there. The IBA-JU authorities said the company which is constructing the buildings cut down the trees.

"We don't need permission to cut trees. We don't even need to ask... The construction company cut the trees," said KM Zahidul Islam, director of IBA-JU.

A group of JU students yesterday brought out a rally and besieged the administrative building, before planting new trees at the place.

JU Proctor ASM Firoz-ul-Hasan said IBA authorities asked him several times for felling the trees, but he did not comply with it. The Daily Star could not get in touch with the construction company for comments.

Mahfuzur Rahman, former president of Deep Ecology and Snake Rescue Foundation, also a student of the university, said, "Buildings are being built one after another by destroying biodiversity on JU campus without taking the opinions of stakeholders. The area selected for the IBA building has a high density of trees. The place is inhabited by a lot of animals and birds."