Notice to Unique Properties
DoE order to remove earth within 30 days
The Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday sent a notice to Unique Properties Ltd asking it to remove the earth the company used to fill 2.65 lakh square feet of Meghna river within 30 days, starting from tomorrow.
In a separate drive yesterday, DoE fined and realised Tk six lakh from Dishari Real Estate Development Ltd for filling up a swamp in the city's Uttarkhan area for an illegal housing project.
DoE officials said earth-filling by Unique Properties Ltd on the river near Meghnaghat area in Vatiband and Char Bhabnathpur mauza is obstructing the river's natural flow.
DoE would seize the mentioned earth and auction it if the company failed to comply with the notice, they added.
On December 23, DoE fined and realised Tk 50 lakh from the company for the earth-filling and asked it to remove the earth. But the company did not comply and appealed to the Ministry of Environment and Forests against the order.
In a hearing on January 12, the ministry directed the company to comply with the DoE order.
On the other hand, Dishari Real Estate Development Ltd was fined after the DoE monitoring and enforcement team led by DoE Director Mohammed Munir Chowdhury conducted a drive in Uttarkhan.
The team also arrested the company's Managing Director Mahbubul Hussain Bhuiyan and stopped the housing project.
A DoE press release said the company earth-filled 50 to 60 bighas of wetland, used by the locals to cultivate boro rice during the winter and for fish cultivation, for the housing project.
The locals said the wetland, locally known as Sinedy canal, is connected to Noligang canal which merges with the Balu river and earth-filling could inundate the surrounding areas during the monsoon.
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