Justice demanded for labourers' deaths while cutting hills

Hundreds of people formed a human chain in front of the Department of Environment in Chattogram's Akbarshah area on Sunday to protest the deaths of labourers while cutting hills and filling canals.

The protesters, who included representatives from several organisations such as the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) and Amara Akbarshah, accused Zahurul Alam Jasim, a ward councillor of Chattogram City Corporation, and his accomplices of murder and demanded punishment.

After the protest, the representatives of the organisations gave a memorandum to the Director (Metropolitan) of the Department of Environment Hillol Biswas, highlighting their concerns. 

The speakers at the event talked about how the natural environment of Akbarshah Hill-Chhara-Khal was maintained ten years ago but with the direct participation of the local representative councillor Jasim and his accomplices and with the cooperation of some dishonest administration officials, countless hills have been wiped off.

The speakers also pointed out that Jasim was disobeying the orders of the High Court, the District Administration, and the Department of Environment and was involved in environmentally destructive misdeeds. 

They mentioned that people's settlements were being built in the hills with illegal electricity and water connections, which led to the tragic death of four members of the same family last year during the construction of the settlement by cutting the hill. 

The administration investigated and found evidence of Jasim's involvement, but no action was taken.

Furthermore, the speakers accused Jasim of recruiting youths to form terrorist organisations to silence people of opposing views. 

Joint convener of the anti-drug terrorism and environmental protection movement Sarwar Morshed Kochi, Bela Chattogram Chief Munira Ruba, joint convener of the movement Md Lokman Ali, Advocate Jamal Uddin, Kazi Altaf Hossain, Ershad Mamun, Female Councillor Nurjahan Begum Ruby, and others spoke at the event.