Hill cutting in Ctg continues secretly at night

Hill cutting in the port city of Chattogram continues discreetly despite concerns raised by environmentalists and measures taken by local authorities.

Acting on a tip-off, officials from the Department of Environment (DoE) and Chattogram district administration conducted a drive at Bangla Bazar in the Bayazid Police Station area of the city recently and found that hill razing activities were taking place at night, inside tall tin fences.

An estimated 15,000 square feet of the hill area had already been cut, said officials.

Inspector Monir Hossain from DoE said two influential locals, Helal bin Manzoor Tamim and Ariful Islam, were found to be involved in it. They have been summoned to appear before DoE on 24 August.

Legal measures will be taken against them following a hearing, he said.

Chattogram City Corporation has identified 30 hazardous hills, which could put 4,625 structures at risk of landslides. Furthermore, 28 schools and 15 health centres are situated within these vulnerable areas.

Local residents, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the administration's inaction in perennial hill destruction.

Over the past 30 years, approximately 10 residential areas have sprung up in the area, each carved out by illegally cutting the hills.

Atiqur Rahman, general secretary of the environmental advocacy group People's Voice, told TBS, "The administration has neglected to implement any of the 37 points demanded to safeguard Chattogram's hills. At this rate, Chittagong might lose all its hills within a decade."

He urged the authorities to take strong action against people involved in hill-cutting activities.