Human chain in Ctg demands cancellation of road projects through natural forests, elephant corridors
They claimed that a nearly five-kilometre paved road has been proposed through the Khutakhali-Medhakachhapia elephant corridor
Environmental activists, academics, researchers and concerned citizens formed a human chain in Chattogram today (29 June), demanding the cancellation of planned road construction projects through natural forests and elephant corridors in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.
The demonstration was held in front of the Chattogram Press Club as part of a nationwide protest.
Speakers alleged that the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), with funding from Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), is planning to construct roads through the Madhushia Garjan Forest in Chakaria and the Boitoroni Reserved Forest in Satkania, threatening biodiversity and the habitats of endangered Asian elephants.
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They claimed that a nearly five-kilometre paved road has been proposed through the Khutakhali-Medhakachhapia elephant corridor, identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and alleged that project activities had advanced without approval from the Forest Department, in violation of forest conservation laws.
The speakers called for environmentally sustainable development and urged the government to explore alternative road alignments instead of destroying natural forests.
They also placed five demands, including scrapping the road project through Madhushia Garjan Forest, providing legal protection to elephant corridors, conducting an independent environmental impact assessment, selecting alternative road routes, and ensuring the conservation of the remaining natural forests across the Chattogram region.
