Different real estate companies and some local influential people have grabbed over 400 acres of reserve forestland in Kuakata of the district.

On the other hand, they continued giving threat to the staff of the local forest office, said Ajit Kumer Rudhro, divisional forest officer in Patuakhali.

A section of realtors hung signboards there claiming ownership of the vast areas of land while the local forest office sent a list of 106 grabbers to the district administration to take stern action against the

offenders.

Divisional forest office sources said there are 3,503.80 acres of reserve forestland in two moujas under Gangamoti and Latachapli. Of them, 115.25 acres were grabbed in Gangamoti and 297 acres in Latachapli.

Out of 30 lakh different species of trees in the forest areas, karai, tamarind, geoa and akashmoni are remarkable.

During a recent visit, this correspondent found some real estate companies like Kuakata Assets Ltd, Sunrise Beach Resort, Basudha Builder Ltd and some influential people placed their signboards at

different points in the areas.

Of them, Kuakata Assets Ltd hung a signboard on 125 acres of land claiming its ownership in Kawer Char area under Gangamoti, about six kilometres in the east from Kuakata zero point.

Another real estate company Sunrise Beach Resort also set up a signboard in the same area by felling at least 720 trees, alleged locals.

Under social forestation project, 1.25 lakh different species of trees were planted on 125 acres of land in 2015-16 fiscal year, Md Jafor Ullah, officer-in-charge of Gangamoti forest camp, said,

adding that a real estate company hung signboard there to grab the forestland.

Basudha Builder Ltd, a real estate company, also grabbed a piece of forestland.

Raja Nasir Uddin Khan, administrative officer of Basudha Builder Ltd, said, "After buying58.65 acres of land from Kuakata Assets Ltd in 2011, we hung a signboard of the company. We learnt of the matter when a letter from the deputy commissioner's office reached us."

Later, three cases were filed with the court against Kuakata Assets Ltd, he said.

Abdur Rahman, director of

Sunrise Beach Resort, said, "We hung signboard on our own land. We sold our land to Basudha Builder Ltd."

Divisional Forest Officer Ajit Kumar said they sent a list of 106 land grabbers to the DC on February 16 this year to take action to save the forestland. Another letter was also sent to them on March 15 in 2016.

The men of land grabbers are giving threats continuously to the staff of local forest office, he said.

Contacted, Patuakhali DC AKM Shamimul Haq Siddiqee said they have started eviction drive in Kuakata area.