Home ›› 02 Jul 2022 ›› Nation
The widespread hill cutting for the purpose of razing and extracting soil for sale is going unchecked by the authorities concerned in Moulvibazar.
In addition to breaking environmental laws, illegal soil cutting increases the possibility of landslides and endangers the local wildlife.
On the hilltops that have been levelled, some people are constructing homes, while others are constructing resorts or recreation areas.
The administration occasionally makes half-hearted raids, but the hill cutting goes on as usual.
Despite the fact that the extracted soil is openly sold, the district administration maintains that it is unaware of any illegal hill cutting taking place nearby.
The illegal acts did not stop even after four people recently died in landslides.
According to local sources, hills in Karimpur Tea Garden in Rajnagar upazila, Khaser Tila in Judurbul of Uttarbhag union, Kalenga in Kamolganj upazila, Kormodha in Kulaura upazila, Bhatera, Baramchal and Mohajerabad in Sreemangal are being razed.
Other places include Sagarnal, Goalbari, Jamkandi, Kachurgul, Lathitila, Bhajitila, of Juri upazila, Athangiri of Moulvibazar Sadar upazila, and Dimai area of Barlekha upazila.
In many places, hotels and resorts are being built on the land afterwards.
A recent visit to Karimpur tea garden in Rajnagar upazila showed that the extracted soil from the hillocks is being transported by trucks to be sold.
Some settlements have been built on the half-cut hills where many families live with a constant risk of landslides.
According to the locals, the owner of Karimpur tea garden, Rajnagar Upazila Vice-Chairman Alal Mia is behind hill razing and was sued for this reason.
The hilly residential area in the Upper Kagabala Union of Sadar upazila hillocks is being razed on a daily basis. There are settlements on some of the half-cut hills that stand at a landslide risk.
There are government and privately owned hills among the ones being cut. The locals worry that all the hills in the area will be levelled soon if this keeps going on.
Occasionally, the administration carries out raids, and the cutting stops for a day or two, only to begin again.
Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mir Nahid Ahsan denied having any knowledge of hill soil being cut and sold. “We will take action after looking into the matter.”
According to the locals, hill cutting goes on during the dry season every year, which leads to the loss of lives and property due to landslides in the rainy season.
On June 18, a man died when a hill collapsed at Ayeshabagh Tea Garden in the Uttar Shahbazpur Union of Barlekha Upazila.
In a separate incident on the same day, several people were injured in a landslide at Kecharigul village in Barlekha Sadar Union.
Earlier, on March 26, three children died when a hill collapsed at Bhatera in Kulaura. Many others have died in similar landslides in the area in recent years.
DC Ahsan said, “We have been campaigning for the last week to evacuate those who are living by the hills to minimise the risk.”
Environmentalist Nurul Mohaimeen Milton said the biodiversity and ecological balance are being disturbed and the topography is changing because of the hill cutting. Immediate action should be taken to save the environment and wildlife.
According to the Department of Environment (DoE), there is no provision to cut any government or privately owned hill. In the interest of the public, the Environment Ministry, and Forest and Climate Change hold the authority to approve hill cutting.
Razing hills is a punishable offence under Section B of the Environmental Protection Act 1995 (Amended 2010). There is a provision for both jail time and a fine as punishment in this regard.
Moulvibazar DoE Assistant Director Md Badrul Huda said, “We conduct raids if informed of such illegal acts and file cases.”
He added that a legal notice has been issued against the owner of Karimpur tea garden for illegally cutting hills, but the hearing was postponed due to the flood situation in the region.
