The district administration has ordered the removal of an aircraft-shaped temporary structure built at Sugandha Point on Cox’s Bazar beach after reports of the construction appeared in the media.
Removal work began on Thursday afternoon following instructions from the Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner, officials said.
A private company, Brand Solution Limited, had built the temporary structure at Sugandha Point in violation of a High Court ban and existing environmental restrictions. The structure stood on the sand dunes within the ecologically critical area (ECA) of the beach.
The district administration said the company was asked to dismantle the structure as it breached court directives and imposed conditions.
Brand Solution Limited director Irshadul Haque confirmed the removal. “We had no option. When the administration asked us to remove it, we complied,” he said.
Environmentalists welcomed the move. Ibrahim Khalil Mamun, chief executive of Youth Environment Society (YES), said the law clearly prohibits any permanent or temporary structure in the ECA zone of the beach. He praised the administration’s action and urged stricter monitoring to prevent similar violations in the future.
The government declared 10,465 hectares of the Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf coastal belt an ecologically critical area in 1999 to protect biodiversity, marine life, and the natural ecosystem.
Under the directive, the 120-kilometre coastline from Nazirartek in Cox’s Bazar municipality to Badar Mokam in Teknaf includes a 300-metre no-development zone and a 500-metre protected area. All forms of construction and infrastructure development remain prohibited within these zones.
A High Court order enforcing these restrictions is also currently in force.
