Nearly 50 trees felled without approval at JU

Nearly 50 trees have been felled on the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus without prior permission, sparking outrage among students and environmental activists.

The trees were felled on Monday morning using an excavator in front of the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) building to make way for an extension under the Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

The work is part of the university's Tk 1,445 crore "Further Development Project."

However, the action appears to violate earlier commitments made by the JU administration, which assured that no construction involving tree felling would proceed without a visible development of a campus masterplan.

"We didn't give permission to cut these trees. The construction company did this without our approval," said Md Nasir Uddin, director of the Further Development Project.

Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan visited the site around noon and expressed shock over the incident.

"I wasn't informed about the removal of so many trees. This was done without my consent. I don't understand how the project director claims he too was unaware," he said.

Reiterating the administration's earlier commitment, the VC added, "We had clearly said no construction would proceed without the visual development of a masterplan. That process is still ongoing. We will soon invite a tender for it."

When students questioned how an excavator could enter the campus and destroy dozens of trees without either the VC or the project director noticing, the VC said, "This appears to be a conspiracy against the university. We will call an urgent administrative meeting to investigate the matter and ensure those responsible face appropriate consequences."

Students, however, expressed disappointment and criticised what they called the administration's "hypocrisy".

Many pointed out that members of the current administration -- including the VC -- had previously opposed similar construction projects involving tree felling under past administrations.

"The current administration is repeating the same heinous work as the previous one. The VC himself promised that no construction would take place without a visual development of the masterplan. Now, after the trees have been felled, he claims he had no idea," said Imran Hossain Shuvo, an undergraduate student from the Anthropology department.

"With no biodiversity assessment conducted beforehand, the administration ignored the wildlife living in this area. This has dealt a massive blow to campus biodiversity. We demand a fair investigation and exemplary punishment for those responsible," he added.

Auritro Sattar, a wildlife photographer and Environmental Sciences student, said, "Even two months ago, foxes were seen raising their young in this area in front of the CSE building. Rare species like jungle cats and fishing cats were also spotted. In a city as crowded as this, such green spaces are vital for wildlife. Now, that refuge is gone."

The trees were reportedly uprooted by workers from the contractor firm Mahbub Brothers.

Speaking to The Daily Star over the phone recently, the firm's manager, Abdul Aziz, said, "Yesterday [Sunday] afternoon, Abu Rumman, a student of the Mathematics Department and the Vice President of the Mathematics Students' Council, came with around 50 students and said that all issues had been resolved, and we could now send our workers to begin construction. Based on that, we sent our workers today [Monday]."

When asked whether the work had begun without approval from the project director or the university vice-chancellor, he replied, "We gave importance to what the students of the Mathematics Department said."

Regarding the matter, Abu Rumman said, "Our department is facing a severe shortage of classrooms and labs. Teachers don't even have proper office space, and there's not enough room for students to move around. A new academic building is essential to keep our academic activities running smoothly."

"We've had several meetings with the administration, but no effective solution has come from those discussions. In a meeting held on March 23, the vice-chancellor verbally gave consent to begin the work. So, having no other option, yesterday afternoon, we met with the manager of Mahbub Brothers along with about 400 students and requested him to start the construction."

However, when asked whether a student has the authority to instruct a contractor to begin work without formal permission from the administration, Rumman did not give a direct response.

He said, "I don't think they began the construction solely based on our request."

Asked whether the department's chairperson, Nazrul Islam, was aware of the incident, Rumman replied, "I don't know whether any teacher was informed about it."

When contacted, Nazrul Islam, the math department chairperson, denied any knowledge of the tree felling.

Meanwhile, the university administration has formed a five-member investigation committee to probe the incident.  The committee has been asked to submit its recommendations within five working days.