Officials said the move targeted the remaining parts of Nagin Hill in the Lalabag area, which has long been under threat from alleged illegal hill cutting.
The Nagin hill is widely known in the area as a historic site and is also linked to local folklore. Photo: TBS
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The Nagin hill is widely known in the area as a historic site and is also linked to local folklore. Photo: TBS
An attempt to cut a historic hill in Chattogram’s Bayezid Bostami area during the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday has been thwarted after the Department of Environment (DoE) intervened following a tip-off and halted preparations at the site today (20 March).
Officials said the move targeted the remaining parts of Nagin Hill in the Lalabag area, which has long been under threat from alleged illegal hill cutting.
Confirming the matter, Rubaiyat Tahreem Sourav, senior chemist at the DoE’s Chattogram Metropolitan office, told The Business Standard that a group has been trying to cut the hill for years.
“A syndicate has been attempting to cut Nagin Hill for a long time. We filed two separate cases last year and the year before over similar allegations. Taking advantage of the Eid holidays, they again prepared to cut the remaining parts of the hill,” he said.
He added that a team led by DoE inspector Rumpa Sikder visited the site in the morning after receiving information and found clear evidence of preparations for hill cutting.
“We have stopped all activities and served notices to the landowners and those involved,” he said.
Locals, however, alleged that attempts to cut the hill resumed under the cover of darkness. The hill is widely known in the area as a historic site and is also linked to local folklore.
Residents claimed that a person identifying himself as a journalist, Mohammad Mohiuddin, also known as Arif, is behind the repeated attempts to cut the hill. They alleged that despite two cases filed over hill cutting, he remains out of reach.
According to locals, the land has around 26 to 27 owners. In earlier drives, the district administration demolished structures at the site and installed signboards restricting activity, but those signboards were later removed at night.
Police also intervened on Wednesday night after being informed and temporarily halted the activities, with locals claiming that around 200 workers fled the scene during the raid.
They further alleged that preparations were underway to mobilise a large number of workers from Thursday night and that two trucks of bricks had already been brought to the site to construct a boundary wall.
Attempts to contact Mohammad Mohiuddin over the allegations were unsuccessful as he did not respond.
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