The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has leveled nine hills in the Ramgarh–Sitakunda reserve forest area in Chattogram to widen a road, bypassing the need for official approval. This hill cutting initiative, initiated in May 2023, has resulted in the removal of approximately 10.14 lakh cubic feet of soil.
Jamir Uddin, the Director of the Department of Environment’s regional office in Chattogram, stated that the project team proceeded with hill cutting and construction without the necessary authorization, having only obtained approval for the Terms of Reference (ToR) to draft the Environmental Impact Assessment report.
Significantly, the Forest Department had previously estimated that around 4,630 mature trees would need to be cut down, and about 15,500 saplings relocated from the Ramgarh-Sitakunda Reserve Forest for this development. Additionally, the RHD utilized 90 acres of reserve forest land for the road expansion project.
The ongoing project involves widening the 38-kilometer road from Baraiyarhat to Ramgarh from 18 feet to 38 feet. It also includes the construction of nine bridges and 24 culverts, with a total budget of Tk 1,107 crore. The anticipated completion date for this expansion, intended to facilitate the transportation of goods from Chattogram port to India via the newly established Ramgarh land port in Khagrachhari, is set for December 2025.
The Ramgarh-Sitakunda reserve forest accommodates a diverse ecosystem, comprising 25 mammal species, 123 bird species, eight reptile species, and 25 tree species, as reported by the Forest Department.
Despite receiving preliminary approval for the Environmental Impact Assessment report, the project team initiated construction activities without completing the full EIA process, as per an internal report by the DoE’s Chattogram office. When questioned about the unauthorized hill cutting, Zahid Hossain, the project director and RHD’s superintendent engineer in Chattogram, evaded a direct response, citing the necessity to expand the road and ongoing discussions with the Department of Environment.
A recent observation revealed extensive hill cutting at multiple locations along the route from Baraiyarhat to Heyanko, with construction underway at six of these sites. Kamal Hossain, a supernumerary professor at the Institute of Forestry and Environmental Science at Chittagong University, emphasized the adverse impacts of unregulated hill cutting on soil stability and forest ecosystems in the Ramgarh-Sitakunda Reserve Forest.
The unauthorized hill cutting violates key sections of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995, including Sections 6(a) and 12. The DoE’s report recommended legal action and environmental compensations against both the project authority and the contractor for breaching environmental regulations, particularly highlighting the extensive hill cutting at the Gheramara location.
DoE Director Jamir Uddin confirmed a hearing had taken place regarding the unauthorized hill cutting, expressing the intent to conduct a field visit to address disagreements with the RHD and ensure compliance with legal procedures. He asserted that necessary actions would be taken following the completion of due processes in accordance with the law.