Hill cutting

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THE hills that once were part of Chittagong's scenic beauty and 'pride possession' have been vanishing quickly. But surely Chittagong is not alone to have lost its hills and natural environment, because of human encroachment. Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari -- all in the Chittagong Hill Tracts area outside the main Chittagong zone -- and Comilla have witnessed similar or even worse demise or destruction of hills at the hands of a section of influential people. The famous Comilla's Lalmai Hills are no more there. The same way some hills in Sitakunda, Satkania and other places have, or are being, disappeared quickly.

With too much interference in its system, nature hits back often with violent force. Landslide has been taking away lives for years. The last year's toll was the greatest so far. Indiscriminate hill-cutting has also been responsible for unprecedented waterlogging in the port city for the past several years. These are all man-made disasters.

After the landslide in Chittagong last year, the concerned government officials promised that effective action would be taken to stop the recurrence of such events and to deal with the man-made causes responsible for the same. The persons responsible for it would be punished. But we are yet to see any meaningful step to redeem the promise. From now on, the law should be applied strictly in case of any violation so that it is seen to be a deterrent by all concerned. Large-scale plunder of hills or other natural resources can result in serious consequences for us. Landslides may be a localised event but their cumulative force can be disastrous for the entire city.

M M Sekandar

Raojan

Chittagong