Yet again, we hear of complete indifference to the sanctity of our surroundings by a group of greedy and selfish people. How else can we describe the felling of 12 thousand trees in an area spanning 24 acres of land just eight days after a nursery for medicinal plants was inaugurated there by the Minister for Environment. And that too in an area owned by the forest department. So naturally when the news came to his attention, the minister wanted to know how it happened and called an inter-ministerial meeting. The outcome of that meeting was even more revealing.

Apparently, the Deputy Commissioner of Gazipur leased the land to two private companies showing that the plot was actually owned by the land ministry! Can anything else be more confusing than this? But there doesn't seem to be any confusion in our mind that greed could have played a major role in the whole process. We hope the authority would follow up on the preliminary findings to get to the bottom of how the DC could lease out the land without informing the forest ministry. The government has to ensure punishment to those found guilty of the misdeed.

We would like to take the opportunity of commending environment minister, Shahjahan Siraj for recognising the wrong-doing and taking a quick and immediate step to set things right. But the episode was jarring enough to make one sit up and take note. But many a smaller incident is taking place surreptitiously. Maybe the minister can take a cue from this and be on guard against other possible encroachments on wooded areas, big or small. Frustratingly, in defiance of government orders and directives felling of trees has been resorted to by the vested quarters. This pathological apathy to environmental norms will have to be overcome not by exhortation but by deterrent legal measures.