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OIL SPILL in SUNDARBANS

Fund crunch hits recovery

Staff Correspondent
Foresters have yet to receive a grant from the government even a week after an oil tanker sank and spilled around 3.56 lakh litres of furnace oil in the Shela river in the Sundarbans.
Officials at the local Chandpai forest station said they had been "managing the expenses locally". But scores of hired workers alleged they had got only a partial payment, while some claimed they did not get any payment at all.
However, the divisional forest officer at Chandpai said the environment and forest ministry had allocated funds to handle the disaster.
"We have got Tk 2 lakh to pay for the workers and other costs. We have got clearance papers at our Bagerhat forest office," said Divisional Forest Officer Amir Hossain Chowdhury of Chandpai Range in the Sundarbans.
An existing fund crunch has so far been affecting the oil cleaning efforts taken by the Department of Forest.
The workers alleged they were working upon verbal assurance from the local foresters but not getting the payment accordingly.
"Though we were supposed to get Tk 500 per day they only paid Tk 250," said a worker, identifying himself as Kamal Khan.
Another worker, Md Sohel Rana, said he was supposed to getTk 1,000 for a boat and Tk 500 for each worker. "We have stopped working for the forest department as they have given us only half of that amount. “
Several workers, who initially joined the clean-up operation spontaneously, did not continue for not getting any payment at all.
Asked, Belayet Hossain, assistant forest conservator of Chandpai Range, said some workers had worked only half day and were paid accordingly. A number of fishermen alleged the foresters had asked them to work without payment and assured that they would be given a waiver next time they sought fishing permit.
The foresters were seen trying to clean mangrove plants and roots using a hosepipe yesterday and the day before as locals were reluctant to come forward.
"Actually, it was done on a trial basis as an alternative. But we have found it really hard to clean the sticky furnace oil from the grass and plants with water. So, we ditched the plan,” said Amir Hossain Chowdhury.
Workers who have been collecting oil have meanwhile complained of sickness due to their involvement in the task.
"I vomited twice since I started boiling the oil to take out dirt from it yesterday morning. I could not eat since yesterday noon," said Bizli Gain of Jaymuni as she was collecting oil from the bank of the Pashur river.
She also complained of feeling a burning sensation in her eyes at night. Similar complaints were made by Dulal Mandal.
Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) held a press conference at Jaymuni after visiting the Shela yesterday morning.
"From the way the situation is being handled, it seems the government is unable to comprehend the possible outcome of the disaster," said Sharif Jamil, joint secretary of the Bapa.
Bapa coordinators Noor Alam of Mongla, Abdul Karim Kim of Sylhet andTofazzal Hossain of Habiganj, among others, spoke at the press briefing.