Numerous hillocks cut, flattened in Sylhet over three to four decades

Numerous hillocks, known as Tila in Bangla, in Sylhet were cut and flattened over the last three to four decades, triggering concerns over destruction of biodiversity.

Six Upazilas of the district had 1,025 hillocks, according to a 1956 land survey. Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, or BELA, said at least 100 of these hillocks have been partially or completely destroyed over time as residential areas and modern buildings now occupy these spaces by altering the land category.

The Department of Environment could not provide specific details about the total number of hillocks in Sylhet or their current status.

Mohammad Emran Hossain, a director at the DoE in Sylhet, said the land office has an estimate of the number of hillocks.

According to him, they conduct regular drives to stop Tila cutting as the Sylhet DoE follows a zero-tolerance policy to prevent the cutting of hillocks. “As soon as we receive complaints, we take immediate and necessary actions.”

Environmental activists allege that a significant number of hillocks have been unlawfully cut in the city and on its outskirts. They also point out the exploitation of legal loopholes.

According to section 6 (b) of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995, cutting or removing hills and hillocks owned or occupied by government, semi-government, or autonomous institutions is prohibited, unless it is for essential national interest with clearance from the department.

Mohammad Obaidur Rahman, the zonal settlement officer of Sylhet, said that during a survey in 2000, many privately owned hillocks in the Sylhet region had undergone changes, and some have been recorded as 'Tila Houses'.

Shah Shaheda Akter, the Sylhet divisional coordinator of BELA, said these hillocks were cut by altering their category.

RAPID HOUSING EXPANSION

The population of Sylhet City Corporation has increased to over 532,000 from approximately 479,000 in 2011. With the growing population, there has been a demand for more housing in the city.

Consequently, residential areas have been developed on most of the hillocks demolished in the city. Some government structures were also built by cutting these hillocks.

Environmentalists alleged that these hillocks had been cut in cooperation with the land office, environment department office, government officials, and local influential people for a long time.

Over the past two decades, residential areas have emerged in Akhalia, Brahmanshasan, Karerpara, Green City, Duski, Jahangir Nagar, Baluchar, and Bargul regions of the city through the hillock cutting.

The Shantiniketan residential area was built by cutting the Majumdar Tila in ward-8.

On Monday, a visit to Hauldarpara in the Kalibari area of the city revealed the presence of substantial structures built on the hillock called Majumdar Tila.

A significant portion of the hillock has been cut, including the middle part, and construction of houses is currently underway.

According to locals, the most prominent hillock in the city was sold as plots several years ago. Since then, the hillock has been discreetly cut. Shops have also been built around the hillock and are currently being rented out.

Environmentalists have tried to prevent the cutting of the hillock through protests and media coverage, but their efforts have been unsuccessful.

Abdul Karim Kim, the general secretary of the Sylhet chapter of Bangladesh Poribesh Bachao Andolon or BAPA, a civic movement to protect Bangladesh's environment, pointed out the inaction of the DoE as one of the main reasons for the hillock destruction in Sylhet.

 “The repeated imposition of fines for cutting the same hillock was a staged drama.”

 “The locals perceive the occupiers as influential people, so there is no united protest against them. The local community should come together to safeguard the hills.”

Subrata Majumdar, the owner of Majumdar Tila, resides in Sweden. People in Bangladesh sold the plots on the hillock on his behalf.

The customers include officials of government departments, private companies and banks.

However, those who have bought plots or constructed buildings on the site are not willing to speak publicly about their involvement.

According to some residents, when the hillock was sold as plots, they were assured that the soil would be removed and buildings would be constructed.

Ashraful Kabir, the coordinator of Bhumi Santan Bangladesh, an environment and animal rights organisation, believes the authorities' inaction led to Sylhet's environmental degradation in the name of development. “This couldn’t have happened if the authorities were alert.”

MONSOON, A SEASON OF FEAR FOR LOCALS

Anxiety grips residents in the Kalibari, Haldarpara and Brahmanshason neighbourhoods in the city as soon as monsoon arrives every year.

When interviewed for this article, some residents in these three neighbourhoods categorically said a cartel of hill-cutters uses the season to their advantage to cut hills.

 “Every year during monsoon, we see hundreds of people each evening, taking advantage of the soft soil that’s been soaked by the rain, razing the hillocks around the neighbourhood until the next morning. From morning to the evening, there was no activity, which suggests whatever was going on, wasn’t fully legal,” said a mid-aged resident of Brahmanshason, who did not want to reveal his identity.

According to the man, the dug-up soil was later used in urbanisation works like building and road construction projects.

In Haldarpara, the Majumdar Hillock, which covered over 4 hectares of area, almost ceased to exist due to rampant hill cutting.

Some new buildings have already been constructed in the area.

 “Sometimes, we see an area has been cordoned off so that no one can see what’s happening within the proximity. Sometimes, at night, we saw hill-cutters working in concert so that the authorities couldn't detect it,” said a resident of Haldarpara, who did not want to identify himself either.

When approached about these allegations, Sylhet DoE Director Emran said his office had conducted over 100 raids to stop hill cutting in the last two years and fined the offenders at least Tk 20 million.

An environmental activist, who sought anonymity, said these raids and fines were insufficient to deter the influential people involved in these illegal activities.

He shared an anecdote to explain why.

 “Back in 2018, the authorities of a renowned tea estate within Sylhet city were fined almost Tk 1 million after the DoE found solid evidence of the tea estate’s involvement in erasing the hillocks. That’s it. The hill-cutting business is still going in that tea estate,” he alleged.

 ‘RISK OF EARTHQUAKE DEVASTATION’

Professor Dr Mushtaq Ahmed of civil and environmental engineering department at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, said continuous hill cutting may pose a grave threat if an earthquake ever hits the area.

The greater Sylhet region is an earthquake-prone zone.

 “The balance of a hill’s structure is ruined if we erase it. Moreover, if the balance is lost, the hill will lose structural integrity during an earthquake and may come crashing down on the locality underneath it, which is why hills or hillocks should not be erased under any circumstances,” he said.

 “Moreover, the hills act as water reservoirs during the dry season. In the monsoon, hills soak enough water to keep the status quo of the surrounding biodiversity. If we erase hills, that biodiversity will be lost.”

The senior environment expert also discussed the correlation of hill cutting with the city’s waterlogging problem.

 “You see, in the last few years, we have seen Sylhet city waterlogged even if it rains a little more than normal. Why? Because the hill cutting squandered the natural drainage system in the city.”

Sheikh Russel Hasan, the newly appointed deputy commissioner of the district, pledged to take legal action against hill-cutting offenders.

 “I have just joined here. I will assess the situation first and start acting accordingly,” he said.