Mohiuddin Jewel, Chattogram
Despite authorities’ sincere efforts to evict illegal inhabitants from hillside areas in Chattogram, many of the inhabitants return to resettle under influence of local political leaders who make money illegally renting out the spaces.
Such eviction drives are made to prevent people from dying or being injured in land-slide incidents which are very common during the monsoon. Scores died in landslides incidents in last decade.
Fifty-five-year Monwar Ali is one such inhabitant who said he had been repeatedly evicted but returns because he has strong support of the local political leaders to arrange his settlements.
Ali, a day laborer, lived in a hut on the hillside of Link Road in Bayezid-Faujdarhat, Chattogram for 16 years. For this, he has to pay 5,000 a month to a local influential person. The district administration demolished his house in an eviction drive on the hill on June 14 last along with 370 houses.
However, three days after the incident, Monwar Ali was found rebuilding a makeshift house at the same place again. He told this correspondent that the administration had demolished the house once in 2019 as well. “This is the second time. But where do I go leaving this place?”
All the inhabitants of the hills of Chattogram city like Monwar are similar victims. In the last 10 years in Chattogram, 20 evictions were carried out to prevent the risky settlements in the hills. After a while almost all returns and rebuilds their homes.
The number of risky settlements in the hills has almost doubled compared to 2019.
According to the administration, the number of risky settlements in the hills of Chattogram city in 2019 was 835. It was informed at a meeting of the hill management committee on June 9 that the number of settlements in the hills has more than doubled to 1,870.
Of these, 700 families are in Motijharna Batali Hill and about 500 families are in Akbar Shah area, Chattogram.
According to the investigation, the district administration conducts a campaign for 2-3 months every year when the monsoon starts. The remaining 9-10 months are spent secretly cutting down hills and setting up illegal settlements.
Risky settlements are constantly growing in the city's Bayezid, Jungle Salimpur, Motijharna, Batali Hill, Akbarshah, Fay's Lake, Amin Colony hills.
Atikur Rahman, land officer of Bakalia Circle, Chattogram said that at least 1,00,000 people were living in risk in Batali Hill and Motijharna areas.
According to the sources, 350 people have died in the last 14 years due to landslides. The highest number of deaths was 127 recorded in 2007, while 158 people died in landslides in five districts of Chattogram in 2017.
Contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) of Chattogram and member secretary of the hill management committee Nazmul Ahsan said, “We work day and night to evict inhabitants prior to onset of the monsoon every year. In fact, the hill owners - Railways, (Ctg) WASA, Public Works, City Corporation and some others cannot occupy these places after eviction.”
