Hill ‘being razed’ for resort in Sitakunda

DoE finds evidence; company denies allegation

A hill in Khillapara area of Bhatiari union in Chattogram’s Sitakunda upazila is allegedly being razed by Mir Group to build a resort, despite previous action by the Department of Environment (DoE) over hill cutting in the area.

A recent DoE inspection found that an estimated 1,750 cubic feet of soil had been removed over the past several days, said Ashraf Uddin, assistant director of the DoE’s Chattogram district office.

On September 5, 2024, the DoE fined Mir Bricks Industries, a brick kiln owned by Mir Group beside the hill, Tk 2 lakh for hill cutting. A mobile court also sentenced a person to three days in jail, according to DoE records.

The hill is located near a protected forest area.

Ashraful Islam, deputy ranger of the Faujdar Beat under the Kumira Range of the Chattogram North Forest Division, said the hill was privately owned but adjacent to forest land. The Forest Department had warned those involved against entering the forest and informed the DoE for legal action.

Abdullah Ibn Zaid is allegedly supervising the resort construction on the instructions of Mir Group Managing Director Mohammad Abdus Salam.

Contacted, Salam denied cutting the hill without permission.

“We are building a resort there because of the natural beauty of the hilly area. Construction work is underway, but no hill is being cut. The DoE has made false claims,” he said.

He also disputed the earlier action against the brick kiln, claiming its workers had been engaged in agricultural activities, not hill cutting.

DoE Chattogram Regional Director Zamir Uddin rejected the allegations, saying the department had acted in accordance with the law after examining documents and evidence.

He said legal action would be taken against those responsible.

Under Sections 6(kha) and 12 of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995, cutting hills on private or public land without DoE permission is punishable by imprisonment and fines.

A study by Prof Edris Alam of the Department of Geography and Environment at Chittagong University found that Chattogram had lost more than 120 hills over the past 40 years.