Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday issued a contempt of court ruling against the managing director of Titas Gas Transmission & Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) and Chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREC) for not complying with its order.
In the ruling the court wanted to know from the officials to explain as to why a contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them as their organizations has restored electric and gas connection to the industries those are polluting water of the Buriganga river violating a court order.
The respondents have been asked to comply with the ruling within two weeks.
The High Court bench of Justice Gobinda Chandra Tagore and Justice Mohammad Ullah passed the order after holding hearing on writ petition filed in this regard by a rights organization, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
Advocate Manzill Murshid took part in the hearing on behalf of HRPB, while advocate Amatul Karim represented the environment department.
Mr Murhsid said, the electricity and gas connections of the industries were cut off following the direction of the High Court as those were operating without the permission of the environment. But later their electricity and gas connections were restored and the factories were polluting the river again.
In this circumstance a contempt of court petition were placed before the court against the managing director of Titas Gas Transmission & Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) and chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREC).
After hearing the court passed order and issued ruling against the officials.
Meanwhile, the court also ordered the director general of the environment department to take appropriate action against the accused owners of the industries within seven days in the cases filed by the environment department and to submit a report in the court in affidavit.
Following a petition the High Court on January three this year directed the concerned bodies of the government to file cases against 30 washing plants those are responsible for polluting water of the Buriganga River near Keraniganj area.
Dhaka district office of the environment department had been asked to file the cases within 30 days against the accused organizations.
But the environment department filed only 3 cases with the Keraniganj Police Station on February 1 this year, said advocate Manzill Murshid.
