CCC razes part of hill without approval

A portion of a hill in Chattogram's Bayezid Bostami area has been razed by the Chattogram City Corporation without obtaining permission from the relevant authorities.

Around 5,000 cubic feet of soil have already been cleared from the hill to make way for a road, as part of the development of a new dumping zone.

According to CCC data, the state agency is developing a waste dumping zone on a piece of government land located behind the hills. To facilitate access to the site, the CCC began cutting through the hill to construct a road.

As part of the plan, the city authorities are reportedly set to cut through two privately-owned hills and another hill under government ownership.

Under the Bangladesh Environment Preservation Act 1995 (amended in 2000), cutting a hill without the approval of the Department of Environment (DoE) is deemed illegal. First-time violators may face penalties of up to two years' imprisonment, or a fine of Tk 2 lakh, or both. Subsequent offences may lead to punishments of up to ten years' imprisonment, or a fine of Tk 10 lakh, or both.

A team from the DoE intervened and halted the environmental destruction after finding evidence of hill cutting.

"A team from the Department of Environment visited the site on Tuesday (May 20) and found that a section of the hill had already been razed. The team promptly intervened to stop the hill-cutting activities," said Muktadir Hasan, assistant director of the DoE's Chattogram Metropolitan unit.

When asked whether any legal action would be taken over the illegal hill cutting, Muktadir Hasan said, "According to the law, no hill can be cut without permission. Since the hill has been cut, we will file a case against those involved in the offence."

"We have already issued a notice to the owner of the hill and also summoned the city corporation authorities to hear their explanation," he added.

When asked why the hill was being cut without prior permission, Sheikh Muhammad Touhidul Islam, chief executive officer of the CCC, said, "We need to develop a new dumping zone to manage the waste generated by city residents. For that, we are constructing an access road."

"As the road is being constructed for public-related activities, we sought permission from the owner of the hill to use a portion of it for the project. He has given us written consent," the CEO added.

He said the CCC has already applied to the DoE for approval to build the road through the hill, citing public necessity as the reason.