Stop cutting hill for journalists’ housing in Cox’s Bazar: HC

The High Court (HC) has put an injunction on all activities of land allotment for housing journalists in Jhilongjha mouza of Cox's Bazar, which fall under the hill category, to preserve the natural environment there and protect the city from environmental disasters.

The HC bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakraborty and Justice Md Ali Reza passed the order on Sunday after hearing a writ petition filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) in the public interest.

The court asked the director general of the Department of Environment, the director of the Department of Environment in Cox's Bazar, the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Cox's Bazar to submit a report on the current condition of 49.97 acres of land in hill category in BS-17070 in Jhilongjha mouza which is on record in favour of the Cox's Bazar deputy commissioner.

Apart from the interim order, the court also issued a ruling asking why the failure and inaction to protect the hill should not be declared illegal, why the remaining hill should not be protected and the culprits should not be punished, said Bela.

Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change; secretary of Ministry of Lands; director general of Department of Environment; chief conservator of Forests of Department of Forests; divisional commissioner of Chattogram; deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar; superintendent of police of Cox's Bazar; director of Department of Environment (Cox's Bazar) have been asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.

Advocate Minhajul Haque Chowdhury handled the case on behalf of Bela and was assisted by Advocate S Hasanul Banna.

It has been stated in the writ petition that the government declared the 10,465 hectares area of Cox's Bazar district as an environmentally endangered area in 1999 to maintain the natural balance of Cox's Bazar and to protect the city from environmental disasters. Jhilongjha mouza is among the other mouzas in Cox's Bazar District the government declared as environmentally critical areas.

Except for any national unavoidable interest, prevailing laws prohibit mountain cutting without environmental clearance. The allotment of land to journalists is not of such interest.

Media reported the deaths of many people in landslides caused by hill cutting in Chattogram.