The Department of Environment (DoE) has filed a case against seven officials of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), including three engineers and a local ward councillor, for cutting hills in the Akbar Shah Thana area of the port city.
DoE Assistant Director Hasan Ahmed filed the case with Akbar Shah Police Station on Tuesday night, said DoE Deputy Director Mia Mahmudul Haq.
The accused are – CCC Executive Engineer and Project Director Abu Sadat Mohammad Tayab, Executive Engineer and Deputy Director Jashim Uddin, Senior Sub Assistant Engineer (Civil) Wali Ahmed, contractor firm AB-Haq Brothers’ Omar Farooq and Takia Begum, Ward Councillor Jahurul Alam Jasim and his associate Mohammad Ismail.
Mia Mahmudul Haq said, “Contractor firm AB-Haque Brothers of Bahaddarhat area had signed an agreement for the construction of a road in North Pahartali area under Akbar Shah Police Station.
“No department concerned was informed about whether any hill will be cut during the construction of the road, how much will be cut, whether any guide wall or retention wall will be constructed to prevent landslides while cutting the hill and the approval was not taken.”
CCC constructed the road by cutting about 50,000 feet of hilly areas without permission, he added.
According to the case statement, the engineering department of CCC was involved in the execution of this project and CCC authorised AB-Haq Brothers to build the road.
On April 07, a worker named Mojibur Rahman Khoka, 45, was killed and four other people were injured in a landslide while constructing a road by cutting a hill in Akbar Shah area. Mujibur’s wife filed a case at Akbar Shah Police Station as the plaintiff.
An inquiry committee led by the additional deputy commissioner was formed. DoE stated that any other people or organisations will be included in the case if they are found involved in hill cutting, once the investigating committee presents its report.
On December 26, 2022, the DoE issued a hearing notice to Councillor Zahurul Alam Jasim and the Chittagong Development Authority for cutting approximately 13,300 cubic feet of hills for the purpose of building a road.
Meanwhile, in January 2023, when Agrani Bank Officers Cooperative Housing Society Ltd filed a written complaint to stop the hill cutting, the DoE gave a notice to attend the hearing again.
At that time, Jasim was present in the hearing, but CCC's project director and no official of Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) came to the hearing. Earlier, the administration arrested one person on the charge of cutting the same mountain.
Jasim had previously faced numerous charges related to the hill cutting case. The councillor serves as the chair of the Disaster Management Standing Committee of CCC. Despite having a charge sheet against him for cutting hills, this council was never arrested.
