The New Nation - Internet Edition

AN esteemed vernacular daily from Chittagong has reported that the Chittagong Division Environment office appears to be in a shambles with the 19 law suits it has lodged against different public and private bodies and individuals on charge of degrading the environment by cutting hills. The director of the office has frustratingly admitted that due to unavailability of qualified and able officers law suits had to be filed by petty employees as plaintiffs who have no knowledge of law and procedure. Efficient lawyers are also not available to conduct the suits. The environment office needs to rely only on PPs and APPs who have little time to give for the environment-related suits. The director has disclosed that the responsible individuals and corporate bodies are strong in manpower, money and legal support. The environment office thus feels helpless with the cases.

There have always been many human actions in Chittagong that are harmful to the environment. Among such actions, hill cutting is the worst which brought disaster in June 2007 killing many people and destroying countless homesteads in landslides. The cause of the slide in hills was indiscriminate cutting of their bases. After the June incident of 2007 the local environment office prepared a list of 134 individuals and organisations responsible for cutting of the hills. In that list Chittagong City Corporation came out as a leading accused. The acting Mayor of the city has told newsmen that the environment office in its law suit has not given enough instances of hill cutting by the corporation. Such a situation is wholly unacceptable. The Environment Ministry should enable the Department of Environment to effectively pursue law suits against violators of environmental law and rules.