200 hills have been lost in Chattogram over last 50 years

Despite judicial prohibitions, hill cutting in Chattogram continues unabated. According to multiple research studies and surveys, around 200 hills, both large and small, have vanished from the district over the past 50 years.

It has been found that three key government agencies bear primary responsibility for the destruction of these hills. Flawed surveys, building approvals on hilly land, and a lack of exemplary punishment for violators have failed to stem the ongoing wave of hill collapses.

Among the agencies held responsible for hill destruction, the Department of Land Records and Surveys (under the Ministry of Land) and local land offices rank chief. The other two main entities are the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) and the Department of Environment (DoE). Additional indifference from entities like the District Administration, Bangladesh Railway, WASA, Public Works Department, and the City Corporation has also exacerbated the situation.

The Department of Land Records and Surveys contributed to the root of the problem by misclassifying over a hundred hills in Chittagong as ponds, homesteads, gardens, straw fields, or arable land in the BS (Bangladesh Survey) records. The CDA faces severe allegations of approving building designs on hilly terrain and cut through 16 hills itself to construct the Bayezid Link Road. Meanwhile, enforcement measures by the Department of Environment—such as issuing fines and filing cases—have proven insufficient to deter hill destruction.

Acknowledging the decline in hill numbers, Chattogram Divisional Commissioner and Hill Management Committee Convener Md. Ziauddin stated that hills are disappearing due to various factors. He noted that while flawed land surveys are a major issue, other factors are also at play, adding that efforts are currently underway to amend and correct these survey records.

Building Approvals on Hilly Land

In the West Khulshi Jalalabad area along Garden Housing Society Road No. 1, a multi-story building named "Central Homes" is currently under construction on land classified as a hillock (tila) under the Khulshi mouza. Although the Department of Environment fined the property owners for hill cutting, the CDA granted land-use clearance for the proposed structure in 2024. The no-objection certificate signed by CDA Urban Planner Md. Abu Esa Ansari noted that since the site was categorized as a hillock, clearance from the Department of Environment was required. Despite the Department of Environment withholding approval, the CDA sanctioned the building plans for a nine-story structure in December of that year. Physical inspections confirm the building has now reached its third floor.

In 2024, Hillol Biswas, then-director of the Department of Environment, issued a letter to the CDA stating that the authority was granting construction permits on land classified as hills, hillocks, or ponds in violation of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995 (amended in 2010).

The letter highlighted several examples of unauthorized approvals:

2016: An eight-story building design approved on hillock-classified land (BS plot 110-partial) in Pahartali mouza.

2023: A six-story building approved on hillock land (BS plot 25-partial) in Khulshi mouza.

2004–2020: Six building plans approved on hillock land (BS plot 281-partial) in East Nasirabad mouza.

2020: A 14-story building plan approved at the foothills of Grindlays Bank Hill in the Askar Dighi area.
The Divisional Commissioner stated, "Previously, the CDA approved building designs in many hilly areas. I don't think they will do so anymore, as they have been strictly instructed to physically inspect sites and grant approvals in full compliance with the law."

When asked about the matter, CDA Authorized Officer-1 Kazi Kader Newaj said that designs on land classified as hillocks (tila) are approved conditionally on obtaining environmental clearance, but approvals are not granted for hilly land.

Hills Omitted in Survey Records

The Bangladesh Survey (BS) commenced after independence and concluded in 1985. During this survey, several hills were misclassified as arable land, straw fields, fallow land, or homesteads—loopholes that land encroachers subsequently exploited.

In 2024–25, the district administration identified areas containing actual hills and hillocks that were missing from official survey records. The most significant discrepancies within the city were found in the Khulshi mouza under the Kattali Land Circle, where 82.14 acres of hilly land were recorded as straw fields. Taking advantage of this, developers converted more than half of these hilly lands in Khulshi into residential areas. Flawed surveys were also identified across nearly 13 acres in East Nasirabad and 13.5 acres in West Pahartali within the same circle.

Outside the city, the BS survey altered the land classification of nearly 1,200 acres of hills and hillocks, along with 89 acres in Sitakunda.

The Department of Land Records and Surveys handles survey operations through the District Settlement Office. When questioned, Md. Kamrul Hasan, Acting Officer of the Chattogram Zonal Settlement Office, stated that classification errors occurred during the BS survey 40 years ago. He added that correcting these records no longer falls under the survey department's authority and must be resolved through the courts.

Divisional Commissioner Md. Ziauddin remarked that the district administration had previously submitted a preliminary list in haste. He noted that before proceeding with survey corrections, authorities have requested updated lists from all relevant agencies to determine the next course of action.

Belated Interventions by the Department of Environment

The Green Valley Residential Area was established by cutting down portions of Nagin Hill in East Nasirabad mouza over two decades ago, resulting in the construction of nearly 50 buildings. In 2019—twenty years after construction began—the Department of Environment fined 29 of these buildings as compensation for hill cutting.

Didarul Alam, General Secretary of the residential association, stated that the buildings were constructed with CDA approval two decades ago, and the Department of Environment penalised them only once.

Similarly, the Department of Environment imposed a fine of 2.8 million BDT during the cutting of Grindlays Bank Hill near Askar Dighi, but failed to preserve the hill.

Since 2024, the Department of Environment has imposed fines totaling 4.875 million BDT on various individuals for illegal hill cutting and filed 19 cases. Meanwhile, Rupsi Hill in Khulshi has undergone continuous hill cutting for nearly three years. Sonia Sultana, Director of the Department of Environment, explained that Rupsi Hill is classified as a straw field in official records. She noted that while cases have been filed and enforcement drives conducted, protecting the city's hills remains difficult without survey corrections and coordinated inter-agency efforts.

Disappearance of 200 Hills

According to a 2012 study titled Hill Cutting In and Around Chittagong City by Professor Sirajul Haq, former faculty member of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science at Chittagong University, 88 hills were completely flattened and 95 were partially cut between independence and 2008. In total, more than 200 hills have ceased to exist. In 1976, hilly terrain across five police station jurisdictions in the city covered 32.37 square kilometers. By 2008, this area shrank to 14.02 square kilometers, representing a loss of 18.35 square kilometers of hilly land over 33 years.