Kurigram DC, three others apologise over tree felling

8 January 2012, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Kurigram Deputy Commissioner (DC) and three others unconditionally apologised to the High Court yesterday for not taking action against those responsible for cutting trees on Char Bhurungamari High School premises. The four are DC Habibur Rahman, Bhurungamari Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO) Hamidul Huq, Bhurungamari Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Kafil Uddin and the school Headmaster Sadrul Alam. After the apology, during the hearing of a writ petition, the HC bench asked the DC, TNO and OC to submit a report to it within a month on what steps they took to stop the cutting of trees. The four were also exempted by the bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim from personal appearance before it in connection with the petition, said Deputy Attorney General ABM Altaf Hossain. The petition was filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh saying that a vested quarter had cut the trees and damaged the environment on August 2011. The court issued a rule upon the four on December 11 last year to explain why their failure to take action against the people responsible for cutting the trees should not be declared illegal. On January 5, the court fixed January 8 (yesterday) for them to appear and explain. Petitioner's counsel Manzill Murshid said one, Enamul Islam Khokon, submitted an application on behalf of the locals to the DC, TNO and OC to take action against the vested quarters. But instead, the TNO harassed Khokon in different ways. Advocate Nurul Islam Sujan appeared for the four.