A ruling party lawmaker has allegedly threatened an official of the Department of Environment (DoE) with an ultimatum of 15 days to leave Cumilla or face dire consequences.

Awami League MP from Cumilla-6 constituency AKM Bahauddin Bahar came down heavily on Shawkat Ara Koli, a Deputy Director of DoE Cumilla office, after she inspected a hill-cutting project by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) and prepared an inspection report on charge of hill-cutting against the lawmaker-backed two contractor firms – Hasan Techno Builders Limited and Ms. Haque Enterprise.

He also hurled threatening words at her during the two-minute-long heated talks over mobile phone on Wednesday. It is alleged that the DoE official was asked as to how she dared to prepare the inspection report without consulting him even though the inspection was done in presence of representatives from the contractor firms.

"You have seen the good side of me and yet to see the bad. I will lock up the DoE office. Nonsense! Have you got so much power? How dare you prepare inspection report without me, as I am part of it? Come to my office within ten minutes!" the lawmaker was heard saying in the recorded phone call aimed at the aggrieved government official.

MP Bahar also continued to charge her about why she chose to issue notice to him instead of issuing it to the RHD. The DoE official, however, said she issued notices to the two contractor firms as per the rules and did not issue any notice to the lawmaker.

Later, the DoE deputy director was served an ultimatum to leave Cumilla within 15 days.

Asked, the terrified DoE deputy director did not make any comment. The accused member of the Parliament was not available either for comments despite repeated attempts by this correspondent to reach him.

However, the DoE report shows that a total of 1,14,330 cubic feet of hill was found to have been flattened in Boro Dharmopur Schoolpara area under Sadar (south) upazila to expand an existing road under a project of the RHD without obtaining any NOC (no objection certificate) from the DoE.

HM