Md. Nazmul Hossain Imon, Chattogram

The Bangladesh Army has officially commenced road construction operations in the infamous and topographically challenging terrain of Jungle Salimpur in Chittagong.

Aimed at developing communication channels, establishing security, and reinforcing administrative control in this highly crime-prone area, an initiative has been taken to initially construct four strategic roads.

The 26 Engineer Construction Battalion, operating under the 34 Engineer Construction Brigade of the Bangladesh Army, formally inaugurated the infrastructure project today. Following an onsite inspection of the ongoing work in the hilly areas located on the eastern flank of Alinagar in Jungle Salimpur, Lieutenant Colonel Md. Kamrul Al Masud, PSC, Commander of the 26 ECB, briefed journalists regarding the development roadmap.

According to the commander, the infrastructure roadmap includes a road connecting the Chhinnamul slum area directly to the Alinagar High School. Additionally, a major artery will stretch from Alinagar through the Textile area to connect with the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, while another bypass will connect Alinagar to the Chittagong-Khagrachhari Highway, running parallel to the Bangladesh Military Academy. The plan also encompasses a fourth internal bypass road to facilitate smooth connectivity inside the heart of Jungle Salimpur.

Lieutenant Colonel Kamrul Al Masud noted that while a specific budget has not yet been formally approved for the project, execution has begun on an emergency basis under high-level government directives. He expressed confidence that the Army would expedite the project by leveraging its extensive historical experience in executing engineering works across complex and mountainous terrains.

Situated under Sitakunda Upazila, Jungle Salimpur has historically been categorized as one of the country's most inaccessible and volatile crime sanctuaries. For decades, the forest-and-hill-locked enclave has been plagued by deep-rooted allegations of illegal land grabbing, illicit land trading, and organized terrorist syndicates. The crisis dates back to the 1990s when an individual named Ali Akkas occupied government-owned Khas land to establish a settlement. Later, under the guise of a fictitious "Chhinnamul Rehabilitation" project, an illegal land-plotting business thrived through the illicit sale of plots using non-judicial stamps.

The area recently grabbed national headlines on January 19, when a specialized raid by the Rapid Action Battalion was ambushed by local terrorists, resulting in the tragic death of RAB Deputy Assistant Director Nayeb Subedar Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan. In a massive retaliatory crackdown on March 9, a joint task force consisting of nearly 4,000 personnel from the Army, Police, RAB, BGB, and APBn launched a sweeping combing operation in Jungle Salimpur, subsequently setting up a permanent joint security camp to maintain law and order.

维护 (Despite these measures), tension remains palpable as armed miscreants launched a daring late-night assault on a joint forces camp on May 24, retreating only after police and RAB units fiercely retaliated with gunfire. Prior to that gunfight, the criminals used a bulldozer to demolish an under-construction security post and dug up an entire road to cut off law enforcement access.

Local authorities and policymakers believe that the successful completion of these military-led road networks will critically boost administrative accessibility, permanently dismantle criminal safe havens, and significantly ease the daily commuting struggles of ordinary residents.