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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday alleged massive irregularities in tree planting under the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar railway project, claiming only around 200,000 trees were planted despite official records showing 700,000.
Speaking at the inauguration of World Environment Day and Environment Fair 2026 and the National Tree Plantation Campaign and Tree Fair 2026 in Dhaka, he said he had personally verified the plantation and found the official figures to be grossly inflated.
Calling the discrepancy “deeply regrettable”, the prime minister also announced a nationwide programme to plant 250 million trees over the next five years as part of the government’s climate resilience strategy.
He urged the planting of native species instead of environmentally harmful varieties such as eucalyptus and acacia, and announced plans to excavate and re-excavate 20,000 kilometres of rivers and canals to help tackle the impacts of climate change.
Rahman also stressed the need for responsible waste management and greater public awareness to protect biodiversity, saying development and environmental conservation must go hand in hand.
