Recommendations to prevent landslide tragedies largely ignored
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19/08/2008
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New Age (Bangladesh)
The authorities concerned have done little to translate into reality the recommendations made by the probe bodies last year after the catastrophic landslide in Chittagong city that killed 126 people, said sources.
Residents blamed the government for not taking effective steps to protect the port city from landslide tragedies.
Consequently another landslide tragedy, the latest of its kind, hit the city's Motijarna slum in Lalkhan Bazaar on Monday, killing 11 sleeping residents, they said.
The two probe bodies formed last year put forward 36 recommendations that mainly included tough punishment of the hill cutters, restriction on dwellings within five km and installation of brickfields within 10 km around the hills, massive afforestation of the hills, construction of boundary walls around major hills in the city and proper maintenance of hills to avert landslide disasters, said administration sources.
SM Jamal Uddin, chairman of Brihattar Chattagram Unnoyan Sangram Committee (Greater Chittagong Development Action Committee), said that no pragmatic measures have been taken by the government to prevent further landslides in Chittagong.