Kutupalong Rohingya camp
Govt allocates 3,000 acres of Forest Dept land
STAFF REPORTER
The government has allocated more than 3,000 acres of land belonging to the Department of Forests (DoF) in the Kutupalong area of Coxs Bazar for accommodating Rohingya refugees. This will not create any adverse impact on the environment, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, the minister for disaster management and relief, claimed yesterday (Thursday). The land is owned by the forest department, but its not a jungle. Its true that some of the plants will be damaged due to the housing, but there would not be any adverse impact on the environment of the area, the minister said while replying to a query during a press briefing at the Secretariat.
When contacted, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Coxs Bazar, Ali Kabir, told this correspondent that they are assessing the number of trees that would be allocated for the Rohingyas.
We are yet to demarcate the area. It is a huge area. There are gardens in some places. So, cutting trees for housing the Rohingya people would definitely create an environmental impact, he said in reply to a query.
Mofazzal Hossain said the government has allocated 1,000 acres for construction of shelters for the Rohingyas, in addition to the 2,000 acres given earlier.
Around 1.5 lakh housing sheds will be constructed to accommodate Rohingyas, who have entered Bangladesh after being forcibly displaced by the Myanmar government.
The ministrys secretary, Md. Shah Kamal, and other senior officials also attended the briefing.
The minister said the government has started building around 84,000 sheds to accommodate around 4.20 lakh displaced Rohingya people. The authorities have already built 75,000 sheds there. But the number of displaced people is increasing day by day, Maya added.
Considering the situation as humanitarian, the government has decided to build around 1.5 lakh housing sheds, he said.
Regarding the exact number of Rohingyas who have crossed the border recently, the minister said: On an average, 7,0008,000 forcibly displaced Rohingyas are being registered each day. The process would gather pace soon. Finally, around two to three months would be required to complete the registration process. Until the registration process is completed, the exact number cannot be known. But the number is claimed to be 5.25 lakh.
He also said the government has decided to accommodate all Rohingyas together. As part of the decision, the Rohingyas, who entered earlier and were sheltered in different camps, including Khagrachhari, are being shifted to Kutupalong Rohingya camps in Coxs Bazar to maintain security and law and order.
Initially, the entire Rohingya camp was divided into 20 blocks. Each of the blocks will be turned into a camp later. The necessary number of godowns was built in every block and adequate manpower deployed for proper distribution of food and ensuring security for the people, the minister said.
At present 120 tonnes of rice are needed for feeding the Rohingyas each day.
The World Food Programme (WFP) under the United Nations is providing food support for the displaced people. They will continue the support till February next year for six lakh Rohingya people, Mofazzal Hossain said. The government is trying to increase the support for the Rohingyas, he added.
He also claimed that there is no shortage of food in the country now and there will be no food crisis for the Rohingyas.
Till now, nobody has died there for food crisis or medical problems and nobody will die in future, he said.
He also urged parties not to play politics with the Rohingya issue.
