Saving the hills from the greedy ones
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Fahmida Akhter
Chittagong, with its hills is among a few regions of Bangladesh that different from the rest of the flat country. It is quite important to development Chittagong and other hilly areas by preserving their hilly features, breaking the monotony of the otherwise flat country. The green hills sooth the eyes. They were the tourists. Much of the scenic beauty of Chittagong has been spoilt by mindless human intervention. Many of its hills have bed denuded of their trees and vegetation by greedy traders. Local people also cut the trees to get firewood.
Media reports exposed last year's hill-cutting of a great magnitude. A short-sighted plan to settle people from other districts degraded the hills. The people, who were allowed to settle on the hills, fell the trees and cut down shrubs, and dangerously, sliced the hills for cultivation and other purposes. The many shaved and cut down hills suddenly collapsed during heavy rains burying many the unfortunate settlers.
Short-sighted planning led to settling people there giving them a free hand to mutilate the hills as they liked. No wonder that mother nature took her revenge by burying hundreds under the weight of the land slides.
Hill cutting became an occupation for the local people. How greedy contractors and developers, in need of earth for raising depressed land all over the country, targeted the hills of Chittagong, was in media spot light. Earth, in massive quantity were removed for good profit to many construction sites across the country by hill-cutting. The press showed time and again how the beautiful hills of Chittagong disappeared due to the greed of profit seeking contractors. But the exposures failed to stop the destruction of the hills or the trees on them. The usual concern was expressed after the tragedy struck. But could it not be averted long before, with appropriate policies and action?
The hill cutters could be so reckless due to the ambiguity in laws or a legal vacuum facilitated them. This government should lose no time to streamline the laws against hill-cutting. More significant would be enforcement of the laws. Vigilance must be put in peace throughout the hills to detect and prevent every attempt at hill cutting. The guilty will have to be duly brought under the laws so that the potential offenders in the future are discouraged. The policy of carelessly settling people from other areas on or around the hills must be abandoned for good. The cutting of trees and plants in the hilly region should also be likewise prohibited.
Chittagong, with its hills is among a few regions of Bangladesh that different from the rest of the flat country. It is quite important to development Chittagong and other hilly areas by preserving their hilly features, breaking the monotony of the otherwise flat country. The green hills sooth the eyes. They were the tourists. Much of the scenic beauty of Chittagong has been spoilt by mindless human intervention. Many of its hills have bed denuded of their trees and vegetation by greedy traders. Local people also cut the trees to get firewood.
Media reports exposed last year's hill-cutting of a great magnitude. A short-sighted plan to settle people from other districts degraded the hills. The people, who were allowed to settle on the hills, fell the trees and cut down shrubs, and dangerously, sliced the hills for cultivation and other purposes. The many shaved and cut down hills suddenly collapsed during heavy rains burying many the unfortunate settlers.
Short-sighted planning led to settling people there giving them a free hand to mutilate the hills as they liked. No wonder that mother nature took her revenge by burying hundreds under the weight of the land slides.
Hill cutting became an occupation for the local people. How greedy contractors and developers, in need of earth for raising depressed land all over the country, targeted the hills of Chittagong, was in media spot light. Earth, in massive quantity were removed for good profit to many construction sites across the country by hill-cutting. The press showed time and again how the beautiful hills of Chittagong disappeared due to the greed of profit seeking contractors. But the exposures failed to stop the destruction of the hills or the trees on them. The usual concern was expressed after the tragedy struck. But could it not be averted long before, with appropriate policies and action?
The hill cutters could be so reckless due to the ambiguity in laws or a legal vacuum facilitated them. This government should lose no time to streamline the laws against hill-cutting. More significant would be enforcement of the laws. Vigilance must be put in peace throughout the hills to detect and prevent every attempt at hill cutting. The guilty will have to be duly brought under the laws so that the potential offenders in the future are discouraged. The policy of carelessly settling people from other areas on or around the hills must be abandoned for good. The cutting of trees and plants in the hilly region should also be likewise prohibited.