Hills destroyed in Chittagong for land business

The nearly 40 feet high Ruposhi Hill in the western Khulshi area of Chattogram city has been cut along its ridges and foothills and at least eight plots have been developed there.

The plots have been divided by constructing pillars of steel rods and cement, with brick walls that are 3-4 feet high.

From the top of the hill, one can see vegetable fields, while the middle of the hill has been cut flat.

Ruposhi Hill is located in the Boroibagan and Kathalbagan areas of western Khulshi. In the Boroibagan area, temporary structures have been erected at various spots along the hill’s ridges and foothills, where owners or their people reside. One of them said that plots are being created here and sold, with ownership constantly changing.

In the past one year (up to June), the department of environment in Chittagong has filed 12 cases against hill cutting. In the previous year (2022-23), there were 22 such cases, and over the last 20 years, more than a hundred cases have been filed. Hills have been cut in areas like Akbarshah, Bayezid, Khulshi, and Beltali Ghona. Many cases of hill cutting remain unnoticed.

Even as the plot trade continues in the Boroibagan area of Rupshi Hill, it seems as if no one is paying attention. Hill cutting has been going on here since before the political shift on 5 August. Construction work for dividing plots with boundary walls on the cut hills continued until just a few days ago. However, no one was seen working on the site during a recent field visit.

A road about 20 feet wide has been constructed at the foot of the hill. As a result, the price of plots has increased, according to locals.
They said that plots are sold for Tk 2 million to Tk 3 million per katha. However, locals are reluctant to speak about who is creating or selling these plots.

One of the workers, Shahidul Islam, was working on the fields at the top of the hill. He said, "There are many owners here. The ownership changes every day." He was unable to name the current owners of the hill or the plots.

The department of environment recently issued a notice to another structure not far away from the western Khulshi where plots are being created.

A signboard for an institution called 'ITSS Buddhist Monastery and Bhavana Centre' was displayed in a fenced area made of tin, located on the hillside. A notice was issued to this institution.

When asked, senior chemist at the Department of Environment, Rubayet Tahreem Saurav, said that a complaint had been received regarding this institution. The notice was issued after the inspection.

He also noticed the creation of plots at the foothills of the mountain.

He said, "We have initially learned that these areas are classified as 'shankhola' (barren land). If the land is classified as hill or hillock, we can take immediate action. In the case of shankhola, we inform the land office."

Sources said that there is no provision under environmental law to take action in areas classified as shankhola. However, there is a scope of verbal directives for action to be taken in case of visible hills.

The plot trading and hill cutting is not limited to just Boroibagan. Similar activities are ongoing in various parts of western Khulshi, including Kathalbagan, Boroibagan, and Mazar Road. Hills are being cut, and boundary walls are being erected to create plots. Residential colonies such as Krishnachura Residential Area, Paharika Residential Area, and Mukti Joddha Residential Area have been developed in these areas.

When asked, Monira Parveen, the coordinator of the Chattogram unit of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), said, "We have been receiving complaints about hill cutting in several parts of the city. Whenever we receive such complaints, we conduct field inspections and inform the administration. For instance, we held a meeting with the owners in the Akbarshah area last Monday to discuss stopping hill cutting. A similar meeting is planned in western Khulshi."

A study by professor Sirajul Haque, titled 'Hill Cutting in and Around Chittagong City' shows that in 2000, the area of hill cutting in Chattogram city was 679 hectares. After a decade, this had increased to 1,295 hectares. The research analyzed Google Earth images from 2000 and 2012.

Over the last 45 years, the largest amount of hill destruction has occurred in the Bayezid and Pahartali (now divided into Akbarshah) areas. In Sirajul Haque's 2012 research, it was noted that in 1976, there were 32.37 square kilometers of hills across five police stations of the city. By 2008, this had decreased to just 14.02 square kilometers. The Bayezid and Pahartali areas saw the most hill cutting, with 5 square kilometers cut in Bayezid and 4 square kilometers in Pahartali during this period.

The cutting of hills involves powerful people, including politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, police officers, and government and private officials.

Despite repeated cases being filed, these activities have not been stopped. Residential buildings are being constructed by cutting hills, and these buildings are often built through legal loopholes, where land classifications are altered.