Corruption uncovered in Tk1,500-crore ‘SUFOL’ project

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has found evidence of corruption in the Forest Department’s Tk1,500-crore “SUFOL” project.

The commission has seized documents related to embezzlement, withdrawal of money using fake papers, transfer trading, and various other irregularities in the project.

The ACC has stated that after analyzing the documents, it will take action against those involved.

It is known that 25 percent forest coverage is required to maintain the country’s environmental balance. To achieve this goal, the Forest Department launched the “Sustainable Forests and Livelihoods (SUFOL)” project in 2018 to improve the country’s forest resources.

This project, worth nearly Tk1,500 crore, is the largest under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and irregularities have occurred at every level of field operations.

By showing fake work records in the SUFOL project, afforestation projects, and allocations under the revenue sector, officials embezzled thousands of crores of taka. Similarly, hundreds of crores were taken through a syndicated transfer-and-posting business.

According to ACC sources, in 2018, the then Awami League government undertook the SUFOL project at a cost of Tk1,502 crore for sustainable afforestation. The project duration was fixed from July 1, 2018, to June 2023. However, even after the deadline, most of the project work has not been completed.

Under the project, there was a plan to establish 872 hectares of nurseries and afforestation in the last two fiscal years, but a significant portion of this work was not done. In some areas, a small number of saplings were planted merely to mark boundaries.

For example, in the Joarianala Beat area of Ramu Upazila, although allocations were made in the 2022–23 fiscal year for the creation of 510 hectares of new plantations, in reality, only 160 hectares were afforested. Similarly, irregularities were also found in the 362-hectare afforestation project for FY 2023–24. It was discovered that most of the project funds for afforestation were misappropriated by Forest Department officials and people involved with the project without doing any actual work.

Md. Akhtarul Islam, Deputy Director (Public Relations) of the ACC, told this reporter that after the raid, the ACC team submitted a report. “Based on that report, the Commission will take the next legal steps,” he said. On February 24, the ACC conducted a raid at the Forest Department following allegations of irregularities in the project.

According to Forest Department information, under the SUFOL project, 103,960 hectares of land were brought under afforestation. Of this, 20,136 hectares were in Cox’s Bazar, and the remaining 83,824 hectares were in 23 other districts under the Forest Department. From the start of the project to its end in June this year, the following areas reportedly saw plantation activities:

Dhaka Forest Division: 2,810 hectares

Chattogram North Forest Division: 9,273 hectares

Chattogram South Forest Division: 8,670 hectares

Chattogram Division: 9,210 hectares

Bhola: 8,420 hectares

Patuakhali: 8,320 hectares

Social Forest Division Rajshahi: 177 hectares

Dinajpur: 2,030 hectares

Wildlife Management & Nature Conservation Division, Moulvibazar: 290 hectares

Wildlife Management & Nature Conservation Division, Chattogram: 2,620 hectares

Cox’s Bazar North Forest Division: 8,468 hectares

Cox’s Bazar South Forest Division: 11,668 hectares

Mymensingh: 4,443 hectares

Tangail: 2,713 hectares

Coastal Forest Division, Noakhali: 19,990 hectares (the highest)

Sylhet Forest Division: 4,648 hectares

Wildlife Management & Nature Conservation, Dhaka Division: 205 hectares

However, an on-site investigation in the Rangtia Range area near the Nakshi border outpost in Sherpur found that only one Chapalish tree had survived in the plantation. Although other trees were also present, there were no signs of wild elephant attacks anywhere in the forest. Each tree was intact and healthy, with fresh branches spread wide.