Huge, long-lived trees inside Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) are being chopped down for the university’s infrastructure development. Recently, the trunk of an old black cherry tree covered with red blooms was felled in order to create a state-of-the-art lab for the university’s department of microbiology and hygiene. Because of this, the university’s environmental advocacy group, Green Voice, has created a human chain to express disapproval of the needless felling of trees for the sake of development.
On Friday, May 3, in the evening, the human chain was held in front of Veterinary Faculty Building-3. There were about fifty students there, including those from BAU Branch Green Voice.
The five claims made in the human chain are as follows: adopt green policies and immediately halt unplanned deforestation; Three months prior to felling a tree, ten replacement trees should be planted, ensuring their protection, and ten times the quantity of trees that were felled should be planted; The trees have to be halted because of the haphazard pruning of enormous university trees; If it is absolutely necessary to chop trees for infrastructure development, as determined by concerned environmentalists and university student organizations, a notice outlining the revised planting plan and its implementation should be given; No more trees should be cut down in order to build infrastructure, roads, and electricity lines in the future.
The human chain’s speakers stated that the institution is conducting a number of developmental projects in addition to the tree-cutting celebration. Though development is essential, why cut down trees? Is it impossible to come up with a substitute without chopping down the tree? The university’s beautifying tree was the Krishnandudra tree, whose branches were removed. The tree’s trunk has been chopped in order to bring the tree down. The university’s whole student body is demonstrating against the removal of this tree.
Also mentioned by speakers was the recent removal of thirteen large trees from the institution. However, there was no prior example of planting trees appropriately. What does the university’s department of environmental science do if it does not provide practical instruction? Why don’t they try to preserve the natural equilibrium of the environment? We oppose this development that involves tree-cutting. And ten times more trees should be planted beforehand if the tree needs to be chopped down. The tree then has to be chopped. It is everyone’s duty to protect the environment. Because the negative impacts of the environment affect everyone. The heat is on now.The problem will get worse over time. We have seen ups and downs in the destruction of trees, and we need to concentrate on afforestation.
Professor Dr. Md. Haroon-or-Rashid, the university’s advisor on student affairs, stated that it is a positive thing that students are conscious of the need to safeguard the environment. However, I never heard from anyone at Green Voice personally. It is untrue to say that the institution does not plant trees. Everyone witnesses the cutting down of a tree. However, there is no formal announcement made when a tree is planted. Students believe that the institution is solely cutting trees because of this. In actuality, the university has far more trees than are necessary.