UNB, Dhaka :
The High Court on Monday asked the government to immediately take effective measures to stop within 24 hours the earth filling and dam construction works in the Gomti River in Muradnagar upazila in Comilla.
An HC bench comprising Justice Kazi Reza-Ul Huq and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman passed the order upon a preliminary hearing on a public interest litigation.
The court also ordered the authorities concerned to take legal action against the responsible people within
72 hours as per the Water Bodies Preservation Act.
It also asked the Deputy Commissioner of the district to submit a compliance report within the next seven days and the Upazila Nirbahi Officer and the officer-in-charge to report by May 25 on the measures taken against the offenders.
The High Court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why’ indifference of the local administration’ in stopping earth-filling in the Gomti River would not be declared illegal.
The Water Resources Secretary, Environment Secretary, director general of Water Development Board, DG of Environment Directorate, chief engineer of Water Development Board (Gomti), DC of Comilla, Muradnagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Muradnagar thana officer-in-charge were asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.
Some residents of Muradnagar upazila filed the writ petition following a report published in a national daily on Sunday, headlined ‘Gomti River being filled using hundreds of trucks’.
Lawyer Manzil Morshed stood for the petitioners while deputy attorney general Tapash Kumar Biswas appeared for the state.
