Brigadier General Mohammed Taslim Uddin, director of Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH), yesterday admitted to cutting down a hill in the port city to build a burn unit without obtaining permission.

"We applied for permission to cut a hill to build a burn unit. We started cutting down the hill in the meantime, although we have yet to receive permission from the Department of Environment. However, we have stopped construction work after getting direction from the higher authority," he said during a stakeholder meeting at CMCH.

He said they were working to prevent landslides by cutting the hill's slope.

"We will construct a building on flat land and are focusing on retaining structures to prevent landslides," said the CMCH director.

The DoE issued a notice to CMCH for a hearing scheduled on January 13, after obtaining evidence of hill cutting.

"We found evidence of hill cutting. After the hearing, the DoE will take legal action against those responsible," said Urmi Sarker, assistant director of the DoE (Chattogram metro unit).

During a visit to the site, this correspondent observed that the hill's slope had been levelled. Two excavators were seen at the spot.

"We are installing cement blocks on the slope," said a worker, speaking anonymously.

According to Forest Department data, the CMCH authority only had permission to cut trees on flat land.

"We approved tree cutting on level land, but CMCH cut many trees on the hill without permission," said Jaynal Abedin, assistant conservator of Forest Department, Chattogram North Forest Division.

The National Economic Council approved a Tk 284 crore project on May 9 to construct the specialised burn and plastic surgery unit.

The new 150-bed unit will include outpatient and indoor departments, an emergency department, 10 ICU beds, 20 HDU beds for adult patients, and five HDU beds for children.

The project, funded jointly by Bangladesh and China with contributions of Tk 104.93 crore and Tk 179.83 crore, respectively, is set to be completed by June 2026.