A four-storey resort was demolished and 8 to 10 nearby shops were evicted at Inani in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya today (26 October) as part of a drive against unauthorised structures along Marine Drive.
The drive began around 11am under the leadership of the Cox’s Bazar Development Authority (CDA), in coordination with the district administration. The first structure demolished was Bay Hilton Resort, located south of Sea-Pearl Hotel.
The operation came nine days after a fire at TupTup Resort in Ukhiya’s Patuartek area killed 10 people, prompting questions about building approvals and safety measures at hotels and resorts along Marine Drive.
Cox’s Bazar Additional District Magistrate Tasnim Jahan led the operation, assisted by officials from the district and upazila administrations, the CDA, and more than 100 personnel from the Rapid Action Battalion, police, ansar, the Department of Environment and Fire Service.
CDA officer Fazle Rabbi said Bay Hilton Resort was being built without approval. The owner was served a notice on 26 September asking why the building should not be declared risky but failed to produce the required documents, he said.
The resort’s owner, Shahidul Haque, however, claimed construction began in 2014 with permission from the union parishad. He said around Tk6 crore had been spent on the building, which was due to open soon. He also claimed he had responded to four notices and possessed documents supporting the construction.
According to the CDA, around 250 resorts along the roughly 80-kilometre Marine Drive stretch from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf were built without its approval. The authority said it would continue action against unauthorised structures in the area.
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