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The ’gobbling up’ culture

Kazi S.M. Khasrul Alam Quddusi
CHITTAGONG University hit the national headlines the other day following the feasting on a trapped antelope by a university teacher. A local daily printed the story under the title "Teacher as a tiger."
Following that barbaric incident, the Chittagong University authority temporarily suspended a university employee directly involved in the affair, and formed an investigation committee to ascertain the teacher's involvement. The investigation committee found the teacher guilty, and the teacher, too, confessed to his offence.
To put it bluntly, my respected colleague did a clever thing by not trying to deny his involvement. In response, the university syndicate removed the teacher from the position of the chairman of his department. The Wildlife Conservation Act, however, provides for specific and strict sentences for such offenses.
Under no circumstances, however, can such an act of ruthlessness be condoned,
and more so because it was ordered by a teacher of the highest seat of learning. Being a member of the community as well as the university I, thus, beg unconditional apology from the readers for this unseemly act.
Though it might seem to be an isolated affair, it is, I think, a reflection of an escalating "gobbling up" culture in our society. If we go deeper, we can easily comprehend that such a morbid tendency has kind of gripped the society. Admittedly, some people have become reckless and restless for eating up whatever comes their way.
Psychologists may, however, be able to establish whether it is a mental malady on top of avarice. Yes, nothing seems to be safe in our hands. Nothing, such as a deer descending from the hills, birds visiting the region for safe abode for a while, minnows moving around the water bodies and so on, escapes our marauding and insatiable gluttony.
Though the poor are resorting to such activities due mainly to want, those activ-ities by the rich and educated ones are simply outrageous. The objective media of the country has been doing an outstanding job of raising social awareness through stories and pictures of encroachment of water bodies such as rivers and aqueducts in and around Dhaka. The message of the campaign is simple: to save the Dhaka city and its inhabitants from an impending disaster.
By now it is public knowledge that Dhaka city will soon die unless such selfdestructive activities are halted. In fact, such a looming disaster awaits other big cities as well, especially the second largest city of the country and pon city, Chittagong, from where I am writing the piece.
Yes, the lifeline of Chittagong city, the Chaktai Khal (canal) is dying, following illegal encroachment of a large portion by the land gobblers and unabated pollution of its water by toxic wastes and chemicals drained out by various industries. The condition of the inhabitants of the canal, especially the endangered fish, is inonceivable.
Most of the aqueducts, too, have been filled up and blocked, which causes inundation of most of the city with chest-deep water after a prolonged drizzle. The condition of the Karnaphuli river is not good as its navigation too has become a matter of serious concern as a result of lack of dredging and encroachments of its banks
by the illegal yet powerful grabbers urn-it
Meanwhile, the only natural fish breeding center in the world, Halda in Chitagong, has lost much of its grandeur owing to indiscriminate encroachment of the area essential for breeding activity. Imagine how thoughtless we are that we are on the verge of losing a God gifted natural fish breeding centre due to the mindless activities of a few greedy people!
Some individuals and pro-environment organisations have long been fighting for saving the environment from unabated deterioration due largely to illegal encroachments. Naturally, however, they are finding it difficult to cope up with the mightily powerful illegal land grabbers and their political masters.
A recent High court injunction is a landmark verdict. Unfortunately, however, status quo orders, in some cases, have proved to be awfully counterproductive. Though individual and organisational movements have buoyed up the cause so far. unfailing governmental intervention brooks no delay wherever our life-saving environment and biodiversity are wresting with the senseless grabbers and gobblers for mere existence.
Kazi S.M. Khasru; Alam Quddusi is Assisiani Professor. Department of Public Administration, University of Chittagong E-mai: khasru74@yahoo.com.