HC orders clearing Gulshan Lake of grabbers in 7 days

The High Court yesterday ordered the government to take appropriate legal action in seven days against persons responsible for encroaching upon Gulshan Lake in the capital's Shahjadpur area by filling it with earth and constructing structures on it.

The government authorities concerned have to also submit in three weeks a compliance report and in four weeks an explanation on why they should not be ordered to stop all forms of encroachment and temporary and permanent structures within the lake's area.

The HC bench of Justice Zinat Ara and Justice JN Deb Choudhury came up with the order and rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh on Sunday seeking necessary orders.

Petitioner's lawyer Manzill Murshid told the court that some people are engaged in the malpractice in the lake's area, damaging the environment.

Changing natural characteristics of water bodies, rivers and canals is prohibited under environment laws, he added.

Meanwhile, another HC bench hearing a separate petition ordered the authorities concerned to immediately stop the dumping and discharge of waste into the Karatoa river in Bogra and Gaibandha, reports our Bogra correspondent.

It issued a rule asking the authorities to explain in four weeks why they should not be ordered to take necessary steps to protect the river from encroachment and pollution and restore its natural flow.

It also directed the government to submit within a reasonable period an environmental impact assessment report on a sluice gate in Khulshi at Gaibandha's Gobindaganj after taking comments of the public.

In the rule, it also sought an explanation from the authorities, including the land secretary and Bogra mayor, why they should not be directed to demarcate the river as per a survey of 1940-49 to protect its 116-kilometre area.

It also sought an explanation on why they should not remove the sluice gate to ensure the natural flow at all times and not bar encroachment and dumping and discharging of waste from all sources.

The bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque came up with the order and rule after hearing the petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) on June 18 seeking necessary orders.