Hill Cutting: CDA Contractor Fined Tk 5.23Cr

The Ministry of Environment (DoE) on Wednesday fined a construction firm of the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) Tk 5.23 crore for illegally cutting hills during the building of a lane.

Md Moazzem Hossain, Regional Director of DoE, placed a penalty on Spectra Engineers Limited after a trial.

He said the CDA contractor had destroyed the hills more than anticipated. "It has killed habitat and endangered public life," he added.

Earlier, the DoE fined CDA around Tk 10.5 crore on January 29 for the same offense.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Robiul Alam, manager of the construction project, represented Spectra.

According to the complaint, on behalf of the CDA, Spectra constructed a road connection from Dhaka Trunk Road to Bayezid District. At the end of the project, the DoE noticed evidence of illegal mountain cutting.

The DoE said that Spectra had illegally cut 69,219,702 square feet of hills to execute the scheme. The hills were cut at an angle of 90 degrees and are thus on the verge of caving, which can lead to loss of life and property.

Source: UNB