Govt stops Ctg housing project after landslides

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A view of the Lake City Housing Project designed to build homes cutting hills in the port city's Pahartali area. Adviser MA Matin Thursday directed to stop the project. — FocusBangla Photo

CHITTAGONG, June 14: Communications Adviser MA Matin Thursday stopped a housing project, which was designed to build homes cutting hills in Chittagong city, report agencies.
The government has taken a step to remove and rehabilitate some 8,000 families, living in hillside slums in the port city, on an emergency basis.
Meanwhile, two committees were formed in a meeting to estimate the extent of loss, caused by the landslide, and to identify those involved in hill cutting that caused the disaster.
The acting city mayor informed the Adviser that the extent of damage due to the landslide could go up to Tk 5.0 billion (500 crore). On the other hand in a statement, CCCI informed that the businessmen of the city incurred a loss of about Tk 2.0 billion (200 crore) owing to the landslides.
In the meantime, another body of a victim of Monday's landslides in the port city was recovered Thursday, raising the death toll to 125.
The housing project- the Lake City Housing Project- was taken up by the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) to build houses in Pahartali area.
The adviser also directed the authorities concerned to take steps to stop cutting hills for all housing projects.
Matin said he was surprised to see indiscriminate hill-cutting for the sake of the project sprawling over 30 acres.
Experts say hill-cutting was one of the main reasons for the recent landslides that killed more than 100 people in the port city.
Md Manzur Alam, acting mayor of CCC, divisional commissioner Mokhlesur Rahman and CDA chairman Shah Akhter Uddin accompanied the adviser to the scene.
Earlier in the day, the adviser visited Chaktai Khal and told reporters that the government would move to revive the Tk 10.0 billion (1,000 crore) UNDP Chaktai Canal renovation project.
Action would be taken to free 19 canals from grabbers said Matin, who was supervising the rescue operation in the port city. He was talking to the high officials of the administration at a meeting at the Circuit House Wednesday night.
The meeting also decided to form a national-level committee to suggest from time to time steps to prevent such natural disasters.
Among others, Divisional Commissioner Muklesur Rahman, Deputy Commissioner Ashraf Shamim and Chittagong Port Authority Chairman Faruk Ahmed were present.
Meanwhile, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) sought government's support in evicting the illegal establishments on the riverbanks and other water bodies to solve the water stagnancy problem in the city.
CCCI president Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, in a statement also urged the government to identify the people involved in hill cutting immediately.
He said the businessmen of the city incurred a loss of about Tk 2.0 billion (200 crore) owing to the landslides.
The CCCI president also urged the commercial banks to come forward with soft term loans for the affected businessmen in the present crucial moment.