A joint operation involving various agencies and forces has begun to evict illegal hotels and resorts in Cox's Bazar.
On the first day of the operation, a four-storey resort building was demolished.
The building's owner claims it was constructed at a cost of around Tk 60 million.
Today, Monday afternoon, the operation was conducted at the building located in the Inani Beach area of Ukhiya, 26 kilometers away from Cox's Bazar town.
The operation, led by the Cox's Bazar Development Authority (CDA), involved the district administration, police, SRB, fire service, Department of Environment, and the Ansar force.
On the eastern side of the Navy jetty at Inani in the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive stands the star hotel Royal Tulip. On the northern side is another star hotel, Bay Watch. The four-story resort building is situated between the two star hotels.
Around 11 AM, excavation machinery (excavators) was brought in front of the resort building for the eviction operation. Workers also arrived. As the news spread, residents from nearby areas began to gather. By noon, 10-12 shops located below and on both sides of the building were demolished.
Then the glass windows of the four-story building were broken. The demolition of the main building's pillars then commenced.
During the operation, officials from the Cox's Bazar Development Authority (CDA) stated that the resort building was constructed illegally, and the owner was given four notices to demolish it on their own. However, no action was taken following the notices, leading to the demolition.
Shahidul Haque, the owner of the resort building present at the site, mentioned that the construction began in 2014 with permission from the union parishad.
Recently, several shops were prepared on the ground floor, a restaurant on the second floor, and several rooms on the third and fourth floors for tourists. The building, built at a cost of approximately Tk 60 million, was supposed to be inaugurated soon. However, it was demolished before that.
When asked about not responding to the notices, Shahidul Haque said, "I responded to all four notices. I have the paperwork about the building's construction, but no one is considering it."
On 17 October, a fire at the three-storey Tuptup Resort on Patuartek Beach in Marine Drive led to the deaths of 10 tourists. Following this incident, the issue of illegally establishing hotels and resorts without CDA approval along Marine Drive came to attention. Subsequently, a decision was made to start an operation to evict illegal structures.
CDA Chairman Engineer Muhammad Jasim Uddin said there are about 200 resorts, cottages, and restaurants on the 80-kilometer Marine Drive, mostly made of wood and bamboo without approval. Recently, notices were sent from CDA to remove these illegal structures. A joint operation is being conducted as these illegal structures have not been removed despite repeated notices. No illegal structures will be allowed on Marine Drive.
Muhammad Jasim Uddin stated that since the establishment of CDA in 2016, about 1,700 designs for building construction have been approved in various areas of Cox's Bazar district, including the municipality.
Construction on both sides of the 80-kilometer Marine Drive is prohibited. Nevertheless, around 2,500 structures have already been built, including approximately 200 hotels, resorts, and cottages, most of which lack legal approval except for a few star-rated ones.
Deputy Commissioner Md A Mannan told Prothom Alo that many illegal structures have been built on both sides of the 80-kilometer Marine Drive. Construction of structures, including resorts and cottages, is prohibited within 500 yards of the seashore in the environmentally critical area (ECA) and within 300 yards in urban areas. As a result, over a hundred resorts, cottages, and restaurants on Marine Drive have not received CDA approval.
The district commissioner said, "Without CDA approval, fire service, Department of Environment, and other government departments do not grant permissions. To ensure tourist safety, we are verifying the documents of various establishments, including illegal resorts and cottages. We are also conducting joint eviction operations against illegally established establishments."
In response to a question, the district commissioner mentioned that business owners have proposed setting up a one-stop service to expedite the approval process for establishments with some documents while lacking others, and their proposal is being considered seriously.
Regarding the eviction operation, Mukim Khan, General Secretary of the Cox's Bazar Marine Drive Resort Owners Association, said, "Several resorts and cottages have popped up like mushrooms on Marine Drive. We also want illegal hotels and resorts to be brought under the law because the tragic incident of tourists losing their lives in the Tuptup Resort fire has tarnished Cox's Bazar's reputation."
Khondaker Mahmud Pasha, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment in Cox's Bazar, said that 26 resorts and 10 restaurants were recently issued notices for operating without environmental clearance in the areas adjacent to Marine Drive. Fines have been imposed on 14 resorts, and cases filed against two resorts for not responding to the notices. The government declared the areas adjacent to the Marine Drive beach as environmentally critical (ECA) in 1999.
Abul Kashem Sikder, President of the Cox's Bazar Hotel and Guesthouse Owners Association, stated that their association has 187 members. Many of the hotels and guesthouses listed with the association have approvals, but he was not sure about the paperwork of the rest.