Writ petition against brick kilns, saw mills in reserved forest area

Our Correspondent CHITTAGONG, Dec 15: The High Court has ordered suspension of production at 22 brick kilns and 20 saw mills subject to investigation on alleged violation of forest protection laws at the government reserved forest at Lohagara in the district The bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khorshed Alam Sarkar issued the interim order today in a writ petition filed by the BELA (Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association). The court also instructed Deputy Commissioner, Police Super, Director of Environment, Chittagong region, Divisional Forest Officer and Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Lohagara to ensure implementation of the court order within 48 hours and directed the DC to submit the report in 72 hours. The court has also wanted to know why orders will not be passed to permanently close the brick kilns and saw mills and the installations and activities of those kilns and saw mills should not be declared illegal. The High Court has sanctioned three weeks time to the Secretaries of Environment, Land and Industries, Chief Conservator of Forests and seven others to explain why and how the illegal structures were raised in the government reserved forest. Advocate Iqbal Kabir Liton and Deputy Attorney General Al Amin Sarkar participated on behalf of the petitioner and the government respectively in the case. A lawyer of BELA told the local media that set up of brick kiln in three kilometres and saw mill in 10 kilometres of the government reserved forest is clear violation of the Forest Law 1927 and Saw Mills Law 1998. A national daily carried a report in this regard on December 12 last.