Ukhiya, Aug 28 (V7N) – In broad daylight, hill cutting in a protected forest area of Ukhiya's Rajapalong Union continues openly, with truckloads of soil being extracted and transported without any visible resistance from authorities.
 
A large-scale and illegal hill-cutting operation is underway beside the Baytun Noor Al-Islamiya Madrasa in Madhurchhara, Rajapalong Union of Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. Despite the area being under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department, soil is being excavated daily and transported in one dump truck after another — reportedly through routes inside Rohingya refugee camps.
 
On-site observations reveal an ongoing operation where soil is dug out from the hillside, loaded onto dump trucks, and sold elsewhere. The cycle repeats throughout the day without interruption. Eyewitnesses report that the trucks move through the interior roads of the Rohingya camps, raising questions about oversight and enforcement.
 
The individuals behind the operation remain unidentified. However, a Rohingya laborer named Rahman Mia, who was working at the site, confirmed he was hired for Tk 600 per day to assist in digging but claimed he did not know who was directing the operation. He also stated that he had been working there for several consecutive days and had not faced any resistance from forest officials or local authorities.
 
Local resident Habib Hossain of Baraitoli village said, “I don’t know exactly who is cutting the hills, but every day, trucks are taking away loads of soil. Clearly, it’s being sold.”
 
When contacted, Ukhiya Range Officer Abdul Mannan said he was unaware of the hill-cutting activities but would send a team to investigate. Md. Monirul Islam, the Assistant Forest Conservator (South) of Cox’s Bazar, stated that action is being taken regarding the matter.
 
Despite these assurances, the ongoing and unchallenged hill cutting raises serious concerns about environmental degradation, land misuse, and weak enforcement of conservation laws in a region already under pressure due to the Rohingya refugee crisis.
 
END/SIU/SMA/