CHT dev essential for BD's overall dev: Advisor

International Mountain Day celebrated

FE Team | Published: December 13, 2025 00:15:13

CHT Advisor Supradip Chakma speaking at the programme.

Supradip Chakma, Advisor to the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs, stated that the development of the CHT region is essential for the overall development of Bangladesh, said a press release.
"Our main goal is to protect the natural resources of this diverse region and improve the quality of life for its people while ensuring a sustainable future," he added.
The advisor said these during his keynote address at a discussion, held at the Hill Tracts Complex on Bailey Road in the capital on Thursday, organised in celebration of the International Mountain Day with the theme "Glaciers matter for water, food and livelihoods in mountains and beyond".
Supradip Chakma noted that it is not possible to adapt everything to the environment of the CHT region in line with the 61 districts of Bangladesh. Historically, the adaptation of the hill people to climate change was resilient. However, problems arise when artificial elements are introduced there instead of natural ones.
The advisor recalled the landslide that occurred in 2017, and stated that no one has the right to ruin eco-tourism. He attributed the degradation of Kaptai Lake's beauty to negligence and carelessness.
The United Nations declared December 11 as the International Mountain Day in 2003 to improve the quality of life for the people of the hill areas and to promote a sustainable future. Bangla- desh also observed the day.
The event was chaired by CHT Ministry Secretary Md. Abdul Khalek, with a welcoming speech by its Additional Secretary Dr. Rashida Ferdous.
The panel discussion featured speeches from Md. Monirul Islam, Additional Secretary of the CHT Ministry; Dr. Mohammad Farooq Azam, Senior Intervention Manager of the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development; Khondoker Morshed Millat, Sustainable Finance and Sustainability Specialist at the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM); and Dr. Fahmida Khanam, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.