After 5 August 2024, BNP and Jamaat activists were accused of encroaching about 4,000 acres of mangrove forest and creating more than 45 shrimp farms. At present, there are a total of 82 shrimp farms in 7,000 acres. Although High Court directions ordered removal of these illegal farms, they have not been implemented.
According to the case documents, about one and a half years ago, Alamgir Chaudhary of Qutubjom Union, general secretary of BNP Union, had destroyed the mangrove forest in the western part of Sonadia and constructed a shrimp farm. In the eastern part, large shrimp farms were built by local residents Abul Kalam and Mohammed Hussain. Nearby, several other farms have reportedly been constructed by union council member Ekram Mia and residents Imtiaz Uddin, Abdul Manaf and Azizul Haq.
However, Alamgir Chaudhary denied the allegation of mangrove destruction. “I am not involved in building shrimp farms. But we have a 20-acre old shrimp farm called Tziakata, which I inherited from my father,” he claimed. Similarly, UP member Ekram Mia also rejected the allegation of mangrove destruction.
On October 23 last year, the high court ordered a halt to mangrove destruction and eviction of illegal shrimp farms in Sonadia and surrounding areas including Ghotibhanga, Tajiakata and Hamidhar Dia. But the order was not implemented. Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) lawyer Zakia Sultana said ignoring clear court orders and continuing to build shrimp enclosures on mangrove land is contempt of court.