RHD plan to expand Ctg-Cox's Bazar highway through Chunati sanctuary raises alarm

The ongoing conflict over the expansion of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway through the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary reveals a deep-seated disconnect within the government agencies. The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is reportedly pushing a plan that, in the name of development, would inflict irreversible damage on one of the country's most vital ecosystems. This short-sighted approach must be re-evaluated.

The RHD's proposal to widen a 63km section of the highway into a six-lane behemoth is a direct threat to the sanctuary, which is home to 372 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, including several endangered species. It also serves as a crucial elephant corridor. Forest officials and environmentalists rightly warn that a wider road will make it "nearly impossible" for wild animals to cross, leading to a surge in roadkill and permanent habitat fragmentation. The existing two-lane highway, along with the recently constructed Chattogram-Cox's Bazar railway line, already poses a mortal danger to wildlife. An expanded highway will amplify this peril.

While we recognise the project's aim to accommodate rising traffic and leverage the Matarbari Deep Sea Port, this also embodies the fallacy of choice that prioritises economic progress at the expense of ecological integrity. Such pursuits cannot be used as an excuse to neglect critical conservation needs. The Forest Department's recommendation to build a 10km flyover over the sanctuary, along with additional overpasses and underpasses, is seemingly a responsible path forward. While RHD officials deem this financially unviable, their alternative -- a mere 700-metre flyover and a few scattered underpasses -- is a woefully inadequate compromise that will do little to mitigate the harm the project would cause.

The government's previous actions, such as revoking the protected status of forestland for the railway line and felling 240,000 trees as part of that undertaking, already set a dangerous precedent. The promise of "sufficient" underpasses for the railway was broken, with only three structures built, one of which remains unusable. This record of negligence and unfulfilled promises shows a tendency to place infrastructure projects above the protection of natural heritage. The RHD must not be allowed to repeat this mistake.

The delay in a survey by the Japan International Cooperation Agency due to a lack of consensus provides a useful window of opportunity. Rather than simply haggling over the length of a flyover, all stakeholders -- RHD, the Forest Department, and international partners -- must re-evaluate the project in its entirety. An alternative route or plan of action should be seriously considered as a way to achieve connectivity goals without sacrificing the sanctuary.

The government must make genuine efforts to protect the Chunati Wildlife Sanctuary. The survival of Asian elephants and other endangered species in this region depends on the government making the right choice. True progress is not measured by the number of lanes on a highway, but by our ability to coexist with nature. This is not just a plea for elephants, though that is vital; it is a call to preserve the ecological foundation upon which our future depends.