Department of Environment (DoE) fined an individual with Tk6 lakh for razing hills in Chittagong city.
Md Nurullah Noori, DoE Director (Chittagong Metro) slapped the fine on the errant individual identified as Riten Kumar Saha following a hearing at his office on Wednesday.
Tipped off, DoE Deputy Director Mia Mahmudul Hoque visited Chandranagar area under Bayezid police station on May 10 and found evidence of hill razing.
During the hearing, Riten Kumar Saha confessed that he razed 6,000sqft hill in the area.
As per the Environment Conservation (Amendment) Act 2010, hill cutting is a cognizable offence and no government, semi-government, or autonomous organization is allowed to cut or raze hills without prior permission from the authorities concerned.
Under the terms of Building Construction Rules 1996, clearance certificates must be obtained from the Department of Environment for razing or cutting any hill.
According to urban planners, hills are mainly razed for building construction, developing residential areas and road networks.
The hills of the country are basically composed of unconsolidated sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, siltstone, shale and conglomerate.
The hills of the port city were formed in the early Cenozoic Era.