During an inspection, officials found visible signs of the hill being cut and levelled.
Officials inspected the site in Kathalgaon, East Nasirabad, on 7 September following reports of hill cutting. Photo: TBS
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Officials inspected the site in Kathalgaon, East Nasirabad, on 7 September following reports of hill cutting. Photo: TBS
The Department of Environment (DoE) has filed a case against two individuals for allegedly cutting around 40,000 cubic feet of a hill in the Ruposhi Housing Society area of Khulshi in Chattogram city.
The accused are Md Abu Bakar Siddique, 57, and Md Chaber, 47. The case was filed under relevant sections of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995 (amended in 2010).
Md Omar Faruk, senior technician at the DoE’s Chattogram metropolitan office, filed the case with Khulshi Police Station yesterday (8 September). The case number is 14.
According to the case statement and the DoE’s preliminary investigation report, officials inspected the site in Kathalgaon, East Nasirabad, around 11am on 7 September following reports of hill cutting.
During the inspection, officials found visible signs of the hill being cut and levelled.
The cut section was approximately 50 feet long, 40 feet wide and 20 feet high. Based on these measurements, the DoE initially estimated that around 40,000 cubic feet of the hill had been cut.
The investigation report said officials asked people present at the site about the ownership of the hill or plot and whether there was authorisation for the hill cutting, but they could not provide specific information.
The DoE later verified the ownership and other relevant information with the assistance of the local land office.
In its preliminary investigation, the DoE said the unauthorised hill cutting was adversely affecting the local environment and ecosystem. It recommended legal action against those responsible.
“Based on the complaint of hill cutting, we inspected the site and found initial evidence of the violation. A case has been filed against two people for allegedly violating the Environment Conservation Act,” case complainant Omar Faruk told The Business Standard.
Speaking to TBS this morning (9 September), Khulshi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Abdur Rahim said, “The Department of Environment submitted a case statement yesterday. We have accepted it as a regular case. The matter is being investigated and legal proceedings are ongoing.”
The inspection was conducted in the presence of Ruposhi Housing Society President Salauddin, Khulshi Land Office Deputy Assistant Land Officer Mohammad Mostafiz Billah and the caretaker concerned.
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