Dhaka, June 29 (UNB) – BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday alleged that the incidents of landslide in Chittagong and its adjoining districts are taking place every year due to failure of the government to take action against those destroying hills.

“Such incident has become a yearly phenomenon in the region taking a heavy toll on human lives as the government is not taking action against those destroying the hills,” he said.

Mirza Fakhrul was talking to reporters after placing wreaths at the grave of his party founder late president Ziaur Rahman along with BNP's Education Affairs Secretary Khairul Kabir Khokan, just released from jail.

Arrested on May 17 during the BNP-sponsored hartal, Khokan was released from the Dhaka Central Jail on Jun 22.

Fakrul conveyed his deep sympathy to the family members of the victims of recent hill slides in Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Bandarban districts, and urged the government to take stern action against those flouting the environmental laws to stop the recurrence of such tragic incidents.

Turing to the caretaker government issue, Fakhrul invited the ruling Awami League to test its popularity in the general election under a non-party government.

“Why are you so scared of elections under a non-party caretaker government (CG)?…Restore the CG system and then hold the election to test your popularity,” he asked the government.

The BNP spokesman said the current movement for the restoration of the caretaker government cannot be stopped by killing the opposition leaders and workers and making them disappeared.

He, however, hoped that good sense will prevail upon the government and it will restore the caretaker system to end the present political stalemate.