The task of cutting hills, openly or secretly, is going on in the hilly areas of the country and the thing is getting serious as its connected to some corrupted people, as well as creating bad impact on the environment.

For example, let’s look at the incident like this in Pahartali of Chattogram. The people of Chattogram talk about a counselor, Jahurul Alam, alias Jasim, who is known to them as ‘Hill-eater.’ They think none can stop him from the task of hill cutting. Jasim was just a supervisor of a private company in 2007. Locally hills have turned to him as the ‘Lamp of Aladin.’ Huge money coming from cutting the hills worked for him to become a counselor and subsequently become the owner of Tk of hundreds of crore. At least 10 cases have been filed against him in different police stations of the city.

About the allegations against him, Jahurul Alam said, “The high court has suspended the case against me and there’s no case against me at right now. There’s no validity of complaints against me.”

From the investigation, it has been revealed that there are three hills according to the government record in 178 mark of Pahartali mouja in Akbar Shah area of the city. Councilor Jasim and his wife Taslima is the owner of just 12 shatak land in the hills. Based on this 12 shatak of land, the councilor and his men sold plots after cutting the hills upon occupying it. Besides selling the plots, he has also established a cow-farm there. In the same way, cutting a hill of three acres in Beltalighona area, he has established a school after the name of his father, in addition to creating plots. Moreover, he also constructed private office and cow-firm after cutting the hill of 177 mark in the same area. The directorate of environment has filed cases against Jasim and his wife on the on charge of cutting the hills in these three areas.

Locals complain that Jasim and his syndicate have created hundreds of plots by cutting the hills of Pahartali area. The plots are of three and five kathas of land. He sold each plot at the rate of 7 to 15 lakhs. Thus, Jasim became the owner of hundreds of crores of rupees by cutting the hill and selling the plots. After being elected as a councillor, he became reckless as no one stopped him. In the name of his wife and syndicate members, he is occupying the hill and selling it continuously. There are many allegations against him, including cutting and selling plots in Pahartali and Akbar Shah areas, occupying more than 150 shops in Kaivalyadham housing estate and encroaching graveyards in World Bank Colony area.

@The report was published in Bengali on print and online versions of The Bangladesh Pratidin on April 10 and rewritten in English by Lutful Hoque