The Department of Environment fined Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation Tk9.6 lakh for illegally cutting 9,600 cubic feet of hill in Chattogram and ordered restoration of the damaged site.
The Department of Environment (DoE) has fined state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) Tk9.6 lakh after finding evidence of illegal hill cutting in Chattogram’s Jamal Khan area.
The order was issued on Tuesday (24 February) following a hearing held at the DoE’s Chattogram Metropolitan Office, Sonia Sultana, director of the office, confirmed in a press release in the afternoon.
She said the penalty was imposed based on findings from an on-site inspection.
“According to the field inspection report, the allegation of hill cutting at the listed site has been proven,” she said. “The inspection found visible excavation measuring around 150 feet in length, 8 feet in width and 8 feet in height, amounting to an estimated 9,600 cubic feet of hill cutting.”
She added that the environmental damage assessment was conducted under Section 6(b) of the Environment Conservation Act, 1995 (amended in 2010), with compensation determined under Section 7 for harm caused to the environment and ecosystem.
“At a rate of Tk100 per cubic foot, compensation for cutting 9,600 cubic feet of hill has been set at Tk9.6 lakh,” she said.
The DoE has also directed BPC to restore the excavated area to its previous condition and warned the authorities concerned against carrying out any hill or mound cutting without prior approval in the future.
During the hearing, BPC was represented by Deputy General Manager SM Zobayer Hossain and LDA Md Shihab Uddin. Representing the prosecution were DoE Metropolitan Office Inspector Muhammad Ashfakur Rahman and Senior Technician Md Omar Faruk.
Officials reviewed the inspection report, written statements from the accused party and supporting documents before issuing the order.
