HC orders status quo over power plant on Buriganga

The High Court has ordered maintaining the status quo on the construction of the fuel oil-based power plant of Orion Group on the bank of Buriganga River as well as on its infrastructural works. The court on Wednesday also summoned the chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the director general of the Department of Environment (DoE) to appear before it on April 8 to explain their failures in taking actions against river encroachment. An HC bench comprising Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Md Ashraful Kamal came up with the orders after hearing a supplementary appeal on a contempt of court rule issued earlier. The supplementary appeal was filed on Wednesday attaching a report titled, “Orion power plant in Fatulla grabbing Buriganga”, published in a national daily newspaper on March 3. Digital Power and Associates Limited, a sister concern of Orion Group, is constructing the power plant following an agreement signed with Bangladesh Power Development Board on August 1, 2012. Following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, the High Court on June 25, 2009, ordered the protection of four rivers surrounding Dhaka city, said Advocate Manzill Murshid who stood for the petitioner. The HC also issued a contempt of court rule on July 12, 2011 against several people concerned, including the BIWTA chairman and the DoE DG following their failures to implement the court directives, according to UNB.