Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday ordered the department of environment to give environmental clearance to the three companies to set up LPG bottling plant in the ecological critical area (ECA) of Sundarbans.
The three companies are Thengamara Mohila Sabuj Sangha (TMSS), Baraka LPG Limited and Delta LPG Limited.
At the same time the court said its order would not be an obstacle in case of the government’s step to shut down the newly set up industries in that area.
The court observed also it is fully government’s jurisdiction to determine how many factories and what kind of factories will be in that area.
The High Court bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and KM Kamrul Kader delivered this judgement after hearing three writ petitions filed by the three companies challenging the inaction of the department of environment in giving environmental clearance to them for establishing factories.
Barrister Shafiq Ahmed, Barrister Mahbub Shafiq and Barrister Muniruzzaman took part in the hearing on behalf of writ petitions while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Deputy Attorney General ABM Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar stood for the state.
ABM Abdullah-Al-Mahmud Bashar said, “Three companies filed the petitions seeking permission to set up factories near the Sundarbans as 152 other companies had previously been given permission.”
Sources said, TMSS applied to the department of environment for environmental clearance to set up a LPG factory in the ecological critical area (ECA) of Sundarbans in 2016. But the application has not yet been disposed of.
Finally they filed a writ petition with the High Court in October 2018. Later two other LPG companies, Baraka LPG Limited and Delta LPG Limited, filed writ petitions on the same ground.
After hearing the High Court issued a rule upon the respondents including the department of environment to explain as to why their inaction in disposing of their application for issuing environmental clearance certificate for establishing LPG bottling plant at Mongla industrial area should not be declared illegal.
After hearing the rule, the court delivered the judgement yesterday.
