Uttara trees being cut down 'for improving roads' but city authorities unaware

Trees in Dhaka's Uttara are being cut down again by authorities who claim to be developing the neighbourhood.

A local ward councillor claims it is part of a project to improve road conditions but officials of the Dhaka North City Corporation say they are unaware of the work.

Labourers were felling trees that used to line the roads in parts of Sector-1 and Sector-3.

Several yards where trees stood on Road 7 to Road 13 of Sector-1 are now bare. Uttara is known for being greener than other neighbourhoods in Dhaka.

"Cutting trees is not a problem. It's normal to cut them once they grow," Ward Councillor Afsar Uddin told bdnews24.com on Wednesday.

"They are working to improve the roads and pavements. So trees are being cut down. We will plant trees there again if necessary."

Uttara Residential Project is part of the Dhaka North City Corporation's Zone-1, whose executive official Khalid Ahmed said his office was unaware of any tree-felling project.

"I don’t know anything about a plan to cut trees in Uttara. I am supposed to know if something like that happens," he told bdnews24.com.