Hills being flattened in Sylhet

Maintaining solidity of hills is crucial for preserving environmental balance and biodiversity. Protecting these natural formations is also vital for development of a country's natural heritage and tourism industry. However, in Bangladesh, hills are indiscriminately destroyed.
Hills are being cut down, and their soil is transported to brick kilns or used to fill swamps. Trees worth hundreds of crores of taka are being felled annually. Various syndicates have emerged to capitalise on this decimation.
Those tasked with protecting hills have to give in for various reasons, resulting in a surge of hill cutting. According to a recent news report, hills are being destroyed in Jaintapur, Sylhet, particularly in Horni village of Ward No. 6 of Nijpat Union. Despite the continuous cutting of hills day and night, the administration turns a blind eye to it.
Wanton destruction of hills is also reported from areas like Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, and Sunamganj. Even within Sylhet city, hill cutting is going on unabated. The Department of Environment cites insufficient manpower to take decisive action. However, there are allegations that no hill is cut without the Department being 'managed.' Similar accusations are directed at the local land office. Reports suggest that many influential locals, including politicians and public representatives, are either directly involved in or regularly bribed to overlook these activities.
Media reports indicate that 30 per cent of the hills in Greater Sylhet have been cleared in the past two years. Hill cutting occurs day and night, with some operations continuing under the cover of darkness. Environmentalists warn that if this continues, the hills of Greater Sylhet division could vanish within a few decades.

Jasim Uddin
Student
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Sylhet
[email protected]