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Download PDF Regional leaders of a political party illegally razed two hills and axed down over three thousand trees to make way for housing plots for their ward unit leaders and activists in the remote area of Keyangghat under Mohalchhari upazila in Khagrachhari.
The practice is continuing under supervision of the cadres of that political party flouting a ban on hill cutting imposed by the authorities concerned, sources said.
An influential local political leader is the kingpin of the hill cutters, who damaged at least 50 acres of hills in Maidda Karallachhari area for making space for at least 70 new housing plots, the sources said.
An ex-chairman of Keyangghat union parishad is directly helping the political leader in cutting down the hills, said a local resident requesting anonymity. The Daily Star correspondent during a visit to the area in the early hours of January 8 found labourers there cutting down the hills.
Local sources said the political leader, who is responsible for the wanton destruction of the already endangered hilly landscape, has been carrying out the atrocities with blessings from his central leaders.
The project was designed in fiscal year 2005-06 for making spaces for the party’s ward level leaders and activist in an effort to strengthen the influence and muscle of the party in the area by keeping its foot soldiers close to each other, the sources claimed.
The local political leader in question also forced local residents to work for free while building a road by cutting down hills. If anybody refused to obey his or his cadres’ orders they would beat the defiant, some indigenous people of the area claimed.
A labourer, who was busy cutting a hill, said they were cutting it down to build another road.
The hill cutting syndicate employs a number of day labourers for the purpose in different areas of the district while they also use hill cutting equipment of Khagrachhari Municipality, Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board, and of Local Government Engineering Department in exchange for bribes, said Pradip Chowdhury, district coordinator of the Centre for Sustainable Development.
Moreover, the gang use the pretext of building extensions of places of worship to rationalise their wholesale hill cutting, Pradip said.
Local political leaders, groups of influential people, and unscrupulous businessmen are involved in the illegal act, said Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil, secretary of the local chapter of Paribesh Andolon Forum.
The syndicate supplies soil from the hills to construction companies, who fill up canals and low lands with them for building houses and markets in different areas of the district, Mariam Akter Rumu, a member of Paribesh Andolon Forum alleged.
When asked, the accused political leader acknowledged the incidents of hill cutting, but said it is necessary because they had decided to establish places of worship for the local people. It has nothing to do with flexing muscle, he added. He also said there is no need to take permission for hill cutting from the local administration if the purpose is to establish places of worship.
When asked, if it was really necessary to level 50 acres of hills and to cut down a few thousand trees to establish places of worship, he said, “It is necessary to cut those down for getting the blessings and kindness of god.”
Executive Magistrate of Khagrachhari Abul Amin also acknowledged that hills are being razed, and told The Daily Star that they already visited many areas, and filed at lest 13 cases in connection with the illegal acts.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Tareq Ahmed said, “Our position is very clear, if we are informed we take necessary actions against hill cutters.”
Cutting of hills is a common sight in many other areas of the district including in Sabujbagh, Shalban, Comilla Tila, Khagrapur, T&T Building area, New Police Line area, Panch Mile, DC Hills, Jail Hills, Roads and Highway Rest House Hills, Boalkhali, Tetultala, and at No 1 Kadamtali.
Hill cutting is going on in full swing in all eight upazilas of the district.
Although local environmental activists filed several general diaries with police stations in connection with illegal hill cutting, the administration however has yet to take any effective step to protect the hills.
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