Metropolitan
Stop hill cutting in 5 dists, HC asks
govt
The High Court yesterday directed the government to stop all
kinds of hill cutting in five districts, currently taking place without
environmental clearance certificate.
Delivering judgement on a writ petition, the court ordered the
authorities concerned of the government to take effective steps immediately to
protect the hills in Chittagong
It also asked the authorities to take appropriate legal action
against those involved in cutting hills without securing environmental
clearance certificates from the Department of Environment (DoE).
The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and
Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim delivered the verdict following the petition,
filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) on August 23 last
year.
The petition said some people were cuttings hills in the five
districts without having environmental clearance and damaging the environment
of the areas.
The HC on that day issued a rule upon the government to explain
why it should not be directed to stop hill cutting and take legal action
against those involved.
After holding hearing on the rule yesterday, the HC delivered
the verdict.
Advocate Iqbal Kabir Lytton appeared for Bela, while Assistant
Attorney General Yeadia Zaman represented the state.
Following another petition by Bela seeking restriction on
cutting hills at Shahjalal Upashahar and six upazilas of Sylhet, the same bench
on March 1 directed the government to take steps in this regard. The upazilas
are Sylhet Sadar, Gowainghat, Beanibazar, Companyganj, Jaintapur and Golapganj.
Front Page
Khagrachhari
8 held for hill cutting
Police yesterday detained eight day labourers for cutting of a
hill in Manikchhari upazila of Khagrachhari and fined them.
The detainees were identified as Mohammad Kabir Hossain, 75,
Anamul Haque, 40, Anis Mia, 28, Joynal Abadin, 25, Suman Mia, 20, Mohammad
Dalim, 20, Sujan Mia, 20, and Mohammad Gias Uddin, 18.
On secret information, a police team raided the spot in Gabamara
area around 1:30pm and arrested the
workers red handed while they were cutting a hill indiscriminately, said
Officer-in-Charge of Manikchhari Police Station Keshab Chakraborty.
He said the labourers were yet to disclose the name of the
person who hired them for the job.
Later in the evening, a mobile court fined the workers Tk 8,000
each.
However, local inhabitants Abdul Sattar, Kanchan and Abu
Siddique blamed an official of Khagrachhari public health department, Sohrab
Hossain, for the hill cutting. He has an orchard in Osmanpolli area adjacent to
Gabamara.
Sohrab was levelling the hill for the last three days to channel
water from a nearby lake to his orchard for irrigation, alleged the locals.
This correspondent tried several times to speak to Sohrab over
phone for comments, but his number was found switched off.
Contacted, Jafar Alam, Manikchhari upazila nirbahi officer, said
legal action would be taken against the person if the allegation was proved in
investigation.
The High Court on March 19 this year directed the government to
stop all kinds of hill cutting in five districts including Khagrachhari. It
also asked the authorities concerned to take appropriate legal action against
those involved in cutting hills without securing environmental clearance
certificates from the Department of Environment (DoE).
Front Page
Stop hill cutting for industry
DoE asks KEPZ
authorities that claims to have govt nod
The Department of
Environment (DoE) yesterday stopped the slicing away of this hill at the KEPZ
in Anwara area of Chittagong
The Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday directed the
Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) authorities to stop cutting hills in its
project areas under Anwara and Patia upazilas in Chittagong
Acting on a tip-off, a team of DoE conducted a drive in KEPZ
project areas and found that the authorities had levelled around 40 to 60 feet
high hills at three different sites to make industrial plots.
The DoE team also directed the KEPZ authorities to plant trees
and dig ponds to revive the ecology of the hilly areas and protect their
biodiversity.
“No one can level hills indiscriminately in the name of land
development,” said DoE Director Munir Chowdhury, who led the drive.
Any development work should take place in line with protecting
the hills, instead of destroying them, he added.
However, Brig Gen (retd) Hasan Nasir, in-charge of the KEPZ
project areas, claimed that necessary permission from the DoE to develop the
plots had been obtained.
The DoE in its letter directed the KEPZ to preserve 60 percent
of hilly regions and construct plots in the remaining areas, he said.
“We will never exceed the 40 percent limit to construct plots as
per our proposed plan,” Brig Gen Hasan said.
The DoE team without checking any document arrested a security
guard and a driver stationed in the project area, he said.
But the team soon released them when the KEPZ officials showed
them necessary approval from the DoE, he added.
The DoE team during the drive found that the KEPZ authorities
were cutting hills beyond the permitted limit, said Munir Chowdhury.
Therefore, it asked the KEPZ officials concerned to come to its Dhaka office and show their
necessary documents of approval today, the DoE director added.
Front Page
Hill cutting, tree felling increase
risks
A hectic search for the
bodies of the victims continues at Khulshi Firozshah Colony in Chittagong city
yesterday.A landslide hit the area Tuesday night turning there sidential area
into a chaos of mud and bodies. Photo Anurup Kanti Das
Indiscriminate deforestation, hill cutting and unplanned human
settlements are causing the series of landslides in Chittagong
All along the hilly districts of Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Cox's
Bazar and Rangamati trees are felled at random, instantly turning the soft soil
of the hills extremely vulnerable to slides. The extent of deforestation has
reached such a critical stage that many big and small trees have disappeared
presenting denuded look of the hills.
On top of that, unabated hill cutting, despite stringent laws
forbidding that, and the shelter scarcity of a large population also play key
roles behind the mind boggling number of casualties in landslides.
Over the last five years, mudslide buried several hundred people
alive across the Chittagong
He said during a visit he found that the hills along the roads
were devoid of trees. “To minimise the risk we must plant trees on the hills so
that tree roots can retain the soil,” said Prof Jahangir, adding, “We also have
to make the hill owners construct retaining walls where the hills have been
cut.”
Zafar Alam, director of the Department of Environment in Chittagong Chittagong
Alam also said most of the mudslide victims were from the plains
and unaware of the perils of the hills.
unday,
July 15, 2012
Front Page
Hill cutting and land grabbing goes
on...
While people die in
mudslides at the foot of the hills in Chittagong Chittagong
Front Page
Stop hill cutting
HC says environmental
assessment is a must
The High Court (HC) yesterday directed the government not to cut
hills without obtaining environment clearance certificate from the Department
of Environment (DoE).
The court ruled that the environmental impact assessment is
essential in order to preserve the nature which is whyobtaining the certificate
is mandatory before cutting any hill in the country.
A bench comprising Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and
Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim gave the verdict following a writ petition and
directed the government to be careful so that no hills are cut without the
DoE's clearance.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) filed the
petition on November 24 last year seeking restriction on cutting hills at
Shahjalal Upashahar and six upazilas of Sylhet.
The upazilas are Sylhet Sadar, Gowainghat, Beanibazar,
Companyganj, Jaintapur and Golapganj.
On November 27 last year, the HC had asked the government to
take steps to prevent cutting of hills in those areas and also issued a rule
upon it to explain why the hill cutting should not be declared illegal.
Advocate Iqbal Kabir Lytton appeared for Bela, while Assistant
Attorney General Yeadia Zaman represented the government.
HC orders end to hill cutting in 5
dists
File photo
The High Court on
Monday directed the government to stop all kinds of hill cutting in five
districts without environmental clearance certificate.
The districts are Chittagong
Delivering a judgement
on a writ petition, the court directed the authorities concerned of the
government to take appropriate legal action against those involved with cutting
hill without collecting environmental clearance certificates from the
Department of Environment.
A HC bench of Justice
AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim came up with
the verdict following the writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental
Lawyers Association.
The organisation filed
the petition on August 23 last year saying that the hills were being cut in the
five districts without the clearance certificates damaging the environment of
the areas.
The HC on that day
issued a rule upon the government to explain why it should not be directed to
stop hill cutting and to take legal action against those involve in cutting
hill illegally.
After holding hearing
on the rule, the HC on Monday delivered the verdict.
Front Page
One fined for hill cutting
The Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday fined the owner of
Brindartila at Debpur area of Sylhet Tk13 lakh for illegal hill cutting.
DoE Director Mohammad Munir Chowdhury asked Ratan Moni Mohanta
to refill the earth and plant fruit and timber trees on the said area within
March 27.
The offender yesterday deposited Tk 10 lakh and was allowed to
deposit the rest Tk 3 lakh within a week, said DoE officials.
On February 23, a DoE team headed by Munir Chowdhury in a drive
filed a case against Ratan. They found that Ratan owned 60 decimal land of the
hillock.
A total of 61 lakh cubic feet earth had been cut from the
hillock, the officials informed.
However DoE informed the district administration and asked them
to take measures against the said landowner.
Metropolitan
Stop hill cutting in 6 Sylhet UZs: HC
The High Court yesterday asked the government to take steps to
prevent the cutting of hills in six upazilas of Sylhet for the next six months.
The upazilas are Sylhet Sadar, Goainghat, Beanibazar,
Companyganj, Jaintpur and Golapganj.
The court also issued a rule upon the government in response to
a writ petition to explain in three weeks why the hill cutting should not be
declared illegal.
It also asked the government to explain why it should not be
directed to rehabilitate the people living at the basement of the hills to
other places.
Bangladesh Environment Lawyers' Association (Bela) filed the writ
petition on November 24, saying that different individuals have been cutting
hills and tilas in the upazilas and damaging the environment.
The rights organisation prayed to the court to pass the
necessary directives on the government to stop cutting hills and tilas in the
upazilas.
Bela filed the petition as public interest litigation after
several reports were published in The Daily Star, the daily Prothom Alo and the
daily Ittefaq over the issue.
The bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice
Jahangir Hossain came up with the orders and rule after holding hearings on the
petition yesterday.
Advocate Iqbal Kabir Lytton appeared for Bela, while Deputy
Attorney General ABM Altaf Hossain represented the government.
hursday,
January 26, 2012
Front Page
KEPZ denies illegal hill cutting
Authorities of the Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ)
yesterday denied the allegation of cutting hills in its project area at Anowara
in the port city.
Brig Gen (retd) Mohammad Hasan Nasir, a KEPZ advisor, made the
claims at a press conference at its office when General Manager of KEPZ
Engineer Md Shahjahan, advisor Engineer AAM Zia Hussain and senior officials
were present.
Nasir said though they have secured necessary permission from
the government as well as the Department of Environment (DoE) to prepare the
project's land, a DoE team in a drive on January 22 directed them to stop
cutting hills.
On enquiry from The Daily Star, he claimed that they maintained
the hill height at 22-metre level after a technical body of the DoE had earlier
allowed them to keep the height between 18 and 20 metres from mid sea level
(MSL).
“The government permitted us to use 60 percent land of the area
and we've prepared only 40 percent for industries. It is a land of hillocks
with an uneven undulation. If anyone wants to set up industry here, the land
has to be prepared,” he said and added that they have been preparing the land
following the government direction.
KEPZ officials said it might be a communication gap among the
offices within the DoE.
He said when the KEPZ will be operational it will be a workplace
for around 3.50 lakh people which demands a strong and healthy environment.
Considering this, about 16 lakh trees have been planted and 17 lakes dug in the
project area.
They also urged the government that if decisions like this are
imposed again and again they would stop the development work which will not be
a good example for the country's economy.
However, as The Daily Star reached DoE Director Munir Chowdhury
over phone yesterday for his comments about the claims, he said his department
did not give the KEPZ any permission to cut the hills.
"KEPZ authority has not yet submitted to us their land
development plan," he added.
The DoE director spoke of indiscriminate hill cutting without
even demarcating the land area of the project and said, "The DoE will take
legal action after assessing the extent of environmental damages caused due to
such hill cutting."
Stop hill cuttingDoE asks KEPZ→ Staff Correspondent
A notice to this effect was issued on Sunday after a DoE team led by its Director (Enforcement) Munir Chowdhury conducted a drive after receiving information about destruction of hills there.
DoE Chittagong Deputy Director Golam Ahmed Bhuiyan, members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the upazila land administration assisted the team during the drive.
The team revealed that several 40- or 60-foot hills were being levelled by bulldozer and excavator and around 47 kathas of land were levelled in the KEPZ area.
However, the KEPZ authorities have earlier obtained prior permission, tagged with conditions, from DoE to level the hills for developing the plots.
In this regard, Munir Chowdhury said the KEPZ authorities are levelling the hills taking advantage of loopholes of the conditions.
Levelling the hills completely would threaten biodiversity and also result in soil erosion, he said.
“We directed the KEPZ authorities to submit the related documents within
KEPZ Managing Director Lt Col (retd) Mohammad Shahjahan told reporters that they are developing the plots after obtaining prior permission from the DoE.
He also claimed that no conditions of DoE are being violated during the development work.
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