Army starts road construction in Jungle Salimpur as development plan advances
Four roads planned to improve access in the long-disputed area
The Bangladesh Army has started construction of four roads in Jungle Salimpur, a remote hilly and forested area in Sitakunda upazila near Chattogram city, as part of wider efforts to strengthen development, security and administrative control in the locality.
The work formally began around 12:30pm today (8 June) under the 26 Engineering Construction Battalion (ECB) of the Army's 34 Engineer Construction Brigade. Before the launch, 26 ECB Commanding Officer Lt Col Md Kamrul Al Masud visited the project area.
He said the first phase would include a road from Chhinnamul area to Alinagar High School, a connecting road from Alinagar through the Textile area to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, another road linking Alinagar with the Chattogram-Khagrachhari Highway via the Bangladesh Military Academy area, and another road to improve internal communication within the locality. Kamrul said the project aims to ease movement for residents of Jungle Salimpur.
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"The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is preparing the detailed plan and estimate for the project.
However, considering national interest and the convenience of local residents, the army has started work following verbal instructions," he said. He said around 10km of roads are planned to improve communication in the area.
"As this is a hilly area, several culverts and at least three bridges are also planned alongside the roads," he said.
Kamrul said adequate drainage and necessary protective structures would be built considering risks such as landslides.
"The army is carrying out the work with security support from police, RAB, BGB and other law enforcement agencies," he added. Although no specific budget has yet been approved for the project, work has started on an urgent basis following high-level government instructions, he said.
The initiative is being implemented in an area spanning around 3,100 acres of government land and forest land, where authorities have launched development and security measures to address long-standing concerns over illegal occupation, settlements and criminal activities.
Earlier this year, authorities began a series of administrative and security measures in Jungle Salimpur. On 9 March, joint forces carried out a major operation in the area to curb criminal activities and arrest offenders.
At a press briefing the following day, Chattogram Divisional Commissioner Md Ziauddin said the government would work to improve the living standards of residents in Jungle Salimpur. He said infrastructure development, coordinated administrative oversight and stronger security measures could help restore order and normalcy in the long-unregulated area.
On 11 March, a 29-member high-level body named the Jungle Salimpur Development Coordination Committee was formed with the Chattogram deputy commissioner as its chair following a decision by the Chattogram Divisional Core Committee.
According to the district administration, the committee is responsible for strengthening security, coordinating government infrastructure projects and overseeing development activities in the area.
At its first meeting in March, the committee decided to establish police and RAB camps to improve law and order. It also adopted plans to facilitate development projects by various government agencies on recovered government land.
The committee includes representatives from the Army, police, RAB, BGB, DGFI and NSI, alongside officials from the Department of Environment, the Department of Agricultural Extension, the Public Works Department and the LGED.
According to local residents and allegations raised over the years, hill cutting, settlement expansion and occupation of government land began in Jungle Salimpur in the 1990s. Several reports have alleged that an informal land trade later developed in the area, with government land being sold at nominal prices through non-judicial stamp documents under the name of "Chhinnamul Samabay Samiti".
Ali Akkas, who allegedly first built a settlement by occupying hilly land, was later killed in a reported gunfight with RAB following disputes over money and influence, according to previous claims.
