Stories of cutting hills or ravaging forests and other natural resources by powerful individuals are so frequently published that they do not surprise us anymore. It is well-known that these people often operate with some kind of work order issued by the local administration and, importantly, with the blessings of the local political power. As a result, they remain outside the dragnet of the laws even when they do something horrible.

One such story has now come from Cox's Bazaar with details of how a wildlife sanctuary, surrounding agricultural lands and two canals are being decimated by a syndicate having links with the ruling party. According to the Youth Environment Society (YES), a Cox's Bazar-based environmental organisation, the forestland and croplands belonging to locals were excavated 30 feet deep, turning an estimated 300 acres of arable land and forestland into veritable ponds.

The story says that after damaging two canals by building dams and extracting sand, the syndicate is tearing apart the forest by scooping out sand from it and topsoil from adjacent arable land in Dulahazara union of Chakaria upazila, Cox's Bazar. Reportedly, the canals, both marked as ecologically sensitive, have been leased out to a local influential group. And as expected, they have been making hefty money out of it paying no heed at all to the environmental damage caused.

Once an eye-catching locale with pristine trees, the whole area was a sanctuary for birds and wild animals. The Fasiakhali forest, which serves as a habitat for the critically endangered Asian Elephants, is now at risk because of these activities. The extensive damage done to the entire locality has also been mentioned in a report of the Department of Environment. It found out that about 4,000 square feet of the two canals were damaged as a result of sand and soil extraction by the leaseholders. These people are well-known, just as the official response, especially from the divisional forest officer of Cox's Bazar (north), is predictably lax.

We have noticed a pattern of such irresponsible and inadequate responses from the district officials in case of such acts of destruction of the environment and overstepping legal bounds by the perpetrators. This cannot be the norm. The higher authorities must take a firm stance to save our forests and other natural resources and ensure local officers and administration take appropriate measures.