The High Court on Monday directed the government to take steps to fix the economic life of different vehicles as per Section 36 of Road Transport Act-2018 and prohibit those vehicles having no economic life to run on the roads.
The court also directed the government bodies to seize the vehicles plying on Dhaka city by way of emitting black smoke exceeding limit.
The HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a rights organisation, seeking a necessary order.
In its order, the court also directed the respondents to take appropriate steps in one month to stop burning of different tiers without having environment licence and also to stop vehicle battery-recycling at any place without approval of the environment department.
The court directed the authorities of the two city corporations of Dhaka to take steps to ensure that all the market owners keep their daily garbage in a safe bag and during closing down those will be dumped at a designated area.
It directed the respondents to spray water in the morning and evening every day in the area which has not been covered till today by the two city corporations and to ensure that all trucks plying on roads in Dhaka city with sand or mud or waste must use covering.
The court directed to shut down the rest of the illegal brickfields of Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Gazipur and Manikganj immediately and submit a compliance report within two months.
Director General (DG) of the Department of Environment has been asked to appear in the court on February 02, 2020 to explain air quality of Dhaka city area. The court fixed March 01, 2020 for further order on the case. Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared in the court on behalf of the writ petition, Advocate Sayeed Ahmed Raja appeared for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Barrister Toufiq Inam Tipu appeared for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Deputy Attorney General Barrister ABM Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar stood for the state.
Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh filed the writ petition on January 27, 2019 seeking necessary order from the High Court to prevent air pollution.
After hearing the same, the High Court bench on January 29, 2019 issued a rule upon the respondents to explain in four weeks as to why the inaction of the respondents to stop air pollution in Dhaka city area should not be declared illegal.
Subsequently the High Court on November 26, 2019 ordered the government to constitute a high-powered committee headed by environment secretary in order to formulate a guideline to reduce air pollution in and around Dhaka city.
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