PM’s award for planting trees: "Manipulation" in nominating Hathazari Upazila Parishad?  

Hathazari Upazila Parishad, a local government body, has been nominated for the Prime Minister's National Award for Tree Plantation-2020, despite neither planting any tree nor applying for the award.

Allegations have been raised that concerned officials tampered application papers to include the name of the upazila parishad for the award to facilitate the institution, depriving individual applicants.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on May 26 announced the award in ten categories, scheduled to be conferred on World Environment Day, June 5.

Mohammad Ruhul Amin and his wife Farzana Sharmin Mousumi applied from Hathazari upazila for the award as they planted 2,600 various types of trees including medicinal, herbal and beatification trees – spending their own money in the upazila, where Ruhul served as Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) in 2020.

Ruhul alleged that Mozammel Haque Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of Chattogram Forest Division (north), who also served as member secretary of the district level committee to finalise application for the award, submitted a forged document to the district level that is different from the resolution decided with the Forest Department.

The Daily Star obtained copies of both the resolution which were found to be different.

Documents show that the local committee – comprised of Hathazari upazila administration and Hathazari Range office of Forest Department – held a meeting on January 13, 2021 recommending three individuals in two categories: Ruhul Amin and Farzana Sharmin Mousumi in Category 'Ka'; and Ruzina Yeasmin, owner of Foteyabad Nursery, in Category 'Cha'. There was no mention of any application from Hathazari Upazila Parishad.

Two months later on March 11, the district level committee – of which deputy commissioner of Chattogram is president and divisional forest officer of Chattogram Divisional Forest Office (north) is member secretary – omitted the application of Ruhul Amin and Farzana Sharmin Mousumi and instead added the name of Hathazari Upazila Parishad as applicant and sent it to the divisional committee.

Pointing at the differences in the documents, Ruhul Amin said he and his wife applied under Category 'Ka' as individuals, but in the resolution Hathazari Upazila Parishad was included in place of them in Category 'Ga' as institution. 

"If I had applied on behalf of the upazila parishad then why is the name of my wife included in the original resolution? I wrote the name of my wife as we both applied in individual category. The resolution possessed by Forest Department showed the upazila parishad applying under the category as institution. Also, my wife's signature is still there. This is clear proof that the documents have been forged," he said.

He also said in original resolution he did not write down his full name, but the tampered resolution has his full name.

Denying the allegation of forgery, Mozammel Haque Chowdhury said he had forwarded the resolution exactly as he received from the upazila committee led by the UNO.

"He (Ruhul Amin) must prove that it is forgery. There is no chance of such tampering of document as alleged by him. Also, he would know better why his wife's name is in the document," he said. 

Contacted, SM Rashedul Alam, upazila chairman of Hathazari Upazila Parishad, told The Daily Star that he did not apply for any award on behalf of the parishad.

"One day I got a phone call from Forest Department that Hathazari Upazila Parishad was nominated for Prime Minister's National Award for Tree Plantation 2020," he said.

Asked whether his name was recommended by the UNO, he said he does not know about it in details.

Farhina Ahmed, secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, told The Daily Star that the then UNO on behalf of Hathazari Upazila Parishad applied to the district level committee.

When she was informed about the resolution, she said they will send a detailed response about it through the public relations officer to the press.