They made the recovery during a five-hour drive that began at 10:00am.

The illegal occupants were using those lands for more than five years for shrimp and salt farming, clearing mangrove forests, local forest department officials said.

Illegal occupation of government land and indiscriminate destruction of forests have become an order of the day in Cox's Bazar coastal areas, mainly for shrimp cultivation, they mentioned.

Many more forestlands in Sadar and Moheshkhali upazilas of the district occupied by land grabbers in the last five years are still to be recovered.

The grabbed lands are in Gomatoli, Pokkhali, Chawfaldandi, Varuakhali, Tetaya, Khuruskhul and Zhilanga in Sadar upazila and Baro Moheshkhali, Kalamarchhara, Hetalia Ghona, Jhapua, Panirchhara, Kutubzum, Gorok Ghata, Kali Gong, Hoanok, Hariar Chara, Thakur Tala, Fakira Ghona, North Nolbila, Dhal Ghata, Amabayshya Khali, Matar Bari, Sonadia and Ghati Bhanga in Moheshkhali upazila.

Forest officials said they have so far filed 461 cases against 1,843 encroachers.

The courts at different times ordered recovery of 912 acres of forestland-- 320 acres in Dhalghata, 200 in Charandip, 10 in Matarbari, 350 in Siradia and 32 acres in Lemshikhali. But the matter virtually ended there.

"We are still filing cases but there has been little progress either in recovery of the lands or taking steps against the encroachers," a forest official said.

Encroachment on forestland continues in different coastal areas including Goldia island.

"We got copies of court verdicts for recovery of Goldia island but we cannot take any action. We are threatened by the grabbers. The encroachment is going on and we are also filing cases," the official said looking frustrated.

When contacted, Advocate Faridul Alam, legal adviser to Chittagong Coastal Forest Department, alleged that a section of government high officials help political leaders and other influential people in illegal occupation of forestland.

The local administration does not go for effective steps to recover the lands as some high officials up to the rank of secretary are allegedly involved in the process of so-called lease of lands by the forest ministry and the land ministry, he said.

The 'powerful' land grabbers, most of them political leaders, collect papers showing lease of land and then clear the forests for setting up shrimp enclosures. In some areas, mangrove forests have been destroyed this way, he mentioned.

The land grabbers whose illegal occupation was put to an end yesterday include former local lawmaker Alamgir Mohammed Mahfuz Ullah Farid-130 acres, Abdul Gafur-250 acres, Nurul Alam -75, Amin Sharif-90, Mohammed Ullah-100, Farruq Ahamed-20, Jalal Ahamed-20 , Habib Ullah-280, Mostafa Kamal-120, Aklas Mia-80, Amjad Hossain-80, Siraj Mia-5, Abdus Sukur-40, Nurul Amin-31 and Mohammed Syed-120 acres.