The High Court on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to stop land grabbing, earth filling and construction of structures immediately on Arial Beel in Munshiganj.
The Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police of Munshiganj, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Srinagar and Director (enforcement) of the Department of Environment (DoE) have been asked to comply with the direction.
The respondents have also been asked to submit compliance reports to the court in three months.
The High Court bench of Justice J B M Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order following a writ petition filed by rights organisation 'Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB)' seeking its directives on the authorities concerned to save Arial Beel from encroachments and illegal earth filling and constructions of structures there.
The court also asked the authorities concerned to submit a satellite map of the Arial Beel starting from 2010 to 2022.
The HC bench also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain as to why their inaction to protect Arial Beel should not be declared illegal.
In the rule, the HC also wanted to know from the respondents as to why they should not be ordered to remove the structures already constructed at the water body and to remove the soil which has been used to fill it.
Environment Secretary, Housing Secretary, Rajuk Chairman, National Housing Authority's Chairman, Director General of the Department of Environment, Director (enforcement) of the Department of Environment, Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Munshiganj, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Srinagar and others have been made respondents in the rule.
The HRPB submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the HC on August 13 based on some reports published recently in different media.
Lawyer Manzill Murshid appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the HRPB, while Deputy Attorney General Kazi Mainul Hasan represented the state.
Later Mr Manzil Murshid said that encroachment and earth filling and construction of structures at any water-body are punishable offences under the Natural Water Reservoir Conservation Act 2000 and the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995.
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