Dhaka, Feb. 18 -- Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, Climate Change, and Water Resources, on Tuesday issued clear directives to the Deputy Commissioners to ensure the protection of the country's rivers, hills, and forests.

She instructed strict legal action against those responsible for hill cutting, emphasizing the importance of demarcating the Madhupur Sal Forest, eliminating illegal encroachments, and updating official records to protect reserved forests, rivers, and wetlands.

During a session of the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) conference, the adviser ordered the cancellation of the Cox's Bazar District Administration's 51-acre housing project, which was planned on a protected forest area along a hill...