Hills being razed after stone looting in Sylhet

Walking along a half-paved road, a high hill comes into view at the end. The top is covered with green trees. At the base are a few tin-roofed houses. A closer look reveals clear signs of cutting the hill. Freshly cut red soil is exposed. The houses create a cover, so from a distance one cannot understand what is happening at the base.

This scene is from Khandimpara, Chararpar area on the outskirts of Sylhet city. On Monday evening, going behind one of the houses set up as cover, a tractor-trolley was seen standing. Two workers with shovels and spades were cutting soil from the hill and loading it onto the tractor. Once loaded, the driver left with the trolley. Soon after, another tractor came and was loaded in the same way.

Not only the hill in Chararpar but hills in nine locations across the city and district were found being cut openly in similar fashion. In addition to these, clear signs of hill cutting were found in at least 25 more locations on Monday and Tuesday. About 70 per cent of these hills are privately owned, the rest government khas land.

According to Section 6(b) of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995, no individual or institution may cut or remove hills or hillocks under the ownership or possession of the government, semi-government, autonomous institutions, or private ownership.

Abdul Karim Chowdhury (Kim), Member Secretary of Dhoritry Rokkhay Amra (DHORA), said that after stone looting, now hills in Sylhet are also being indiscriminately cut down. He said the amount of hill cutting in the past year is several times more than before. Earlier it was done secretly at night. Now it is happening openly during the day. But the local administration remains silent.

Most hill cutting is taking place in Khadimpara Union of Sadar Upazila, where over a hundred small and large hills are located. Visiting Uttar Mokamer Gul, Mokamer Gul, Tikorpara, Hazrat Shah Sundar Mazar Road, Pirerchak, Charagang Tea Estate, Chararpar, and Golla areas of this union on Monday afternoon and evening, people were seen cutting 10 hills. Locals complained that hill cutting is ongoing in at least 15 other areas including Khunirchak, Daspara, Chakgram, Doloipara, Molai Tila, Jalalnagar.

A resident of Khadimpara union said that owners of private hills hire a local influential group for a fixed fee to level and remove soil from their hills.

Opposite the Shah Sundar Mokamer Gul Jame Mosque is a large hill known locally as “Mama Khondkar’s Hill,” about one and a half acres in size. Once covered with trees, this scenic hill was mostly razed a few months ago. Hill cutting has been stopped for the past one and a half months. However, cutting the top of the hill has created numerous channels, so rain causes soil erosion.

The hill’s owner is Khondkar Anwar Hossain. Multiple calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.

On Monday afternoon in Jaintiapur Upazila, evidence of hill cutting was found in Gauri, Sarigul, Bonpara, Thubang, Chandghat, Shikhar Khan, and Umanpur villages. The next day, Tuesday, visits around Sylhet city revealed hills being cut and levelled in Karipara, Brahmanshasan, Duski, Hawladarpara, Nalia, Dolia, Akhalia, Mohammedia, Goabari, Borgaul, Major Tila. On 20 August, hill cutting was also observed in a privately owned hill in Ramnagar village of Gowainghat Upazila.

Locals said that hill cutting is going on in Bahubal, Osmani Muktijoddha Adarsha Guchhogram, Bahar Colony, Sirajnagar, Sabujnagar, indigenous Kulibosti, Fatemanagar, Jahanpur, Syedpur, Chamelibagh, and Baluchar areas of the city. Alongside privately owned hills, most hills here are also included in government khas khatians (land records).

Regarding this, Khoshnur Rubaiyat, UNO of Sadar Upazila, said, “No hill can be cut, whether government or private. Raids will be conducted and legal action will be taken.”

No government agency has specific statistics on how many hills Sylhet had. However, the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) has reported that there were 1,025 small and large hills in the district, covering 251 acres in the city and in Sadar, Gowainghat, Companiganj, Beanibazar, Golapganj, Jaintiapur, and Fenchuganj upazilas. Hill cutting is ongoing in all these areas.

Environmental organisations reported that at least 30 per cent of Sylhet’s hills were razed in the two and a half decades prior to 2024. After the fall of the government on 5 August 2024, the administration, police, and Department of Environment remained largely ‘inactive’ for several months. Taking advantage of this, hill cutting went unchecked. During this period, at least 15 per cent of hills were partially or completely cut. Before and after 2024, 45 per cent of Sylhet’s hills have been fully or partially razed.

Shah Saheda Akhter, divisional coordinator of BELA Sylhet, said that recently hill destruction has accelerated rapidly. Effective action is not being taken against it.

According to BELA, hill collapses have killed 15 people and injured over 50 others in Sylhet since 2022. In addition, 10,000–15,000 families are living in risky conditions in semi-pucca and muddy houses built at the base of hills, according to district administration and local sources.

Environmentalists say the negative impacts of hill cutting are already being felt in Sylhet. It is increasing soil erosion. Rainfall is irregular—absent when needed, excessive when not. Biodiversity and the natural environment are being destroyed. Therefore, the hills that still remains intact need to be protected.

Environmentalists said that there have been extensive allegations against government and non-government institutions, influential individuals, housing developers, and politicians for cutting hills in Sylhet for two and a half decades. But no local dares to say publicly or privately who is involved.

Looking into some cases filed by the Department of Environment reveals the names and identities of some of those involved. According to the agency, on 29 April in Jahangirnagar village of Sadar Upazila, six people were accused for hill cutting. Among the accused were Abdur Razzak Khan, Legal Affairs Secretary of Sadar Upazila BNP; Aziz Khan Sajib, Joint Convener of Sylhet Metropolitan Swechchhasebak Dal; and Md. Hafizur Rahman, Ward-6 member of Tuker Bazar Union Parishad.

The day after the case was filed, 30 April, Prothom Alo spoke with accused Abdur Razzak. He denied the allegation, claiming none of the accused were involved in hill cutting, and that the case was based on false information.

On 26 January, the Department of Environment filed a case against 40 people for cutting Shah Arefin Hill in Companiganj Upazila. The prime accused was Mohammad Ali Jinnah of Kathal Bari village, known as a BNP supporter. Others accused included Monir Mia, Abdul Karim, Abdur Rashid, Ayub Ali, Anju Mia, Sohorab Ali, Taib Ali, Botullah Mia, among others. They are known as BNP and Awami League workers and supporters, but none hold party positions.

Md Ferdous Anwar, Director of the Department of Environment in Sylhet, said that hill cutting increased somewhat after 5 August last year, but due to raids, cases, and various actions, the situation has now stabilised compared to before.

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md Sarwar Alam told Prothom Alo there will be no compromise in protecting Sylhet’s nature and environment, and drives will soon be conducted against those involved in hill cutting.