Hillock cutting: Excavator, truck seized in Sylhet city

A team of Department of Environment seized an excavator and a truck from the spot where a hillock was being cut and the soil was being transported elsewhere at night in Sylhet city.

The team conducted the drive in Jherjheripara area around 12:30am today, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

Md Bodrul Huda, assistant director of the DoE in Sylhet, said, "The excavator and truck have been kept in the custody of the local ward councillor, and legal action will be taken after the Eid vacation."

He, however, said they could not arrest anybody.

According to section 6(B) of the Environment Conservation Act-1995, hillock cutting without prior permission is a punishable offence.

Abdul Karim Kim, a member of the central convening committee of Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA), an environmental organisation, said, "Knowing that the offices of government and media will remain closed during the Eid holiday, the hillock was being cut at night."

He said, "Activities harming the environment in the heart of the city must be stopped, and the Sylhet City Corporation and the Department of Environment should take effective measures in this regard."