Environmental activists and citizens in Chattogram staged a sit-in demanding authorities cancel a proposed private hospital project in CRB, warning it threatens biodiversity, hills, forests and the city’s green future.
A peaceful sit-in programme titled “Save CRB” was held at the Satrasta intersection in Chattogram, a major port city in southeastern Bangladesh, on Friday, as protesters demanded authorities scrap plans to build a private hospital in the ecologically sensitive CRB area.
The programme was organised by Boshoti and attended by conscious citizens, youths and environmental activists who expressed concern over the possible destruction of the area’s natural environment.
Speakers at the event said they were not opposed to development but stressed that any initiative must be environmentally friendly and sustainable. They argued that despite the availability of sufficient unused land under the Railway Ministry in Chattogram city, selecting CRB, a historic railway and green hillside area, for a private hospital project reflected an environmentally destructive approach.
The protesters described CRB, known for its scenic beauty and biodiversity, as the “lungs” of the port city and warned that damaging its hills and forests would undermine efforts to build a greener urban environment.
They also said Chattogram City Corporation’s vision of developing a “Green City” could never be achieved by harming the natural environment of CRB.
The demonstrators urged the authorities concerned to withdraw from the proposed project and called on people from all walks of life to unite in protecting the hills, forests and natural environment of the CRB area.
