Influential locals build shanties on govt hills

Various quarters, enjoying the backing of various political parties, are behind the illegal seizure of hills – land grabbing in local parlance – in Chittagong city. The authorities concerned allegedly paying little or no attention have worsened the scenario. Chittagong district administration says a list of hill grabbers was prepared by an intelligence agency in 2015. The report, sent to the prime minister, contained names of some public representatives – both incumbent and former – as the hill grabbers. The report was forwarded to district administration from the Prime Minister's Office. It was later forwarded to police asking them to take necessary action against the illegal occupiers. No visible action has so far been taken against the influential cliques. Chittagong Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) Abdul Jalil recently said godfathers were behind the encroachment of the hills in the city. “We are always trying our level best to avert the loss of lives from landslides. We conduct eviction drives on a regular basis and sever the utility service connection to the residents of landslide-prone hills. But the evicted slum dwellers return to the risky hill slopes after a few days,” he added. “It is really an uphill task to conduct drives around the year for the local administration because of a shortage of executive magistrates,” Jalil said. “Hills that are mostly owned by different government agencies can easily do the task as they have their own executive magistrates.” Landslide-related casualties triggered by heavy rain have become a regular phenomenon during monsoon in and around Chittagong City. A total of 227 people have been killed in the last decade in landslides in Chittagong – 127 of them lost their lives on June 11, 2007. Tuesday's landslide killed 144 in Rangamati, Bandarban, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar. The death toll in Chittagong was 33. “Land encroachers blessed with political influence construct slums grabbing government land and rent out to the people from low-income background,” said Sharif Chowhan, an environmental activist. “The administration should find the hill grabbers who constructed the houses illegally on the slopes and take severe action against them instead of evacuating the residents,” Sharif added. Recent spot visits by this reporter found that a large number of illegal houses were built on the pockets, peaks, flanks, ravines and slopes of different hills – thanks to the callousness of the authorities concerned and their sheer indifference towards enforcing the environment laws. The slum dwellers also manage to get illegal utility connections with the help of a section of dishonest officials of Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Ltd, Bangladesh Power Development Board and Wasa. The Divisional Hill Management Committee has so far identified 30 landslide-prone hills in the city owned by different government, autonomous, private organisations and individuals including Bangladesh Railway, Public Works Department, Chittagong Wasa, Chittagong City Corporation. “People from low-income group are mostly apparel workers, rickshaw pullers, autorickshaw drivers and day labourers live here as the rent is low, ranging from Tk1,500-Tk6,000,” said Md Alamgir, who lives in a shanty at Tankir Pahar in Motijharna area. “We are aware that these areas are prone to landslide but we have nowhere to go. We cannot afford to live in other areas given our financial difficulty,” said Alamgir, an auto-rickshaw driver. The Environment Conservation (amendment) Act 2010 stipulates that no-one can cut or raze hills. As per the law, no government, semi-government or autonomous organisation or person can cut or raze hills without prior approval of the authorities concerned. According to the law, hill cutting is a cognisable offence and the punishment for cutting or razing hills is severe. The person or organisation shall face two years’ imprisonment or be fined with Tk2 lakh or both. If the offence is repeated, the person or organisation shall face 10-year imprisonment or be fined with Tk10 lakh or both.