A hill is allegedly being illegally cut down to make way for a rubber factory and its staff quarters in Bandarban’s Naikhangchhari upazila.
The hill has been being cut down in the middle of the residential area to the eastern side of the road adjacent to Dhabankhali Marma Parha for 20 days, locals.
Residents Mongkiu Master, Md Ali, Abdul Haq and Belal Uddin of Dhabankhali Marma Parha said the hill cutting would put over 50 houses at the risk of collapse during the next rainy season.
They questioned the role of the administration apparently for not taking any action against the hill cutting which is totally banned in all three Chittagong Hill Tracts.
They explained that the administration kept silent last year, when the same rubber company cut down another hill for building a rubber factory here.
When Manager Jamal Hossain of the AG Lutfar Rahman Rubber Garden was asked about the hill cutting, he said they were cutting down this hill just a little bit and it should not affect any house nearby.
To make it clear that there is no ownership dispute over this hilly land, he himself said this land belonged to nobody but the company.
When Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Shafayed Md Shahidul Islam was asked about this, he spoke for launching a drive against hill cutting in the upazila.