Bid to Save Lohagara Forest
HC orders to stop operations of 22 brickfields, 20 sawmills
The High Court yesterday directed the authorities to immediately stop the operations of 22 brickfields and 20 sawmills in the reserved forest area of Lohagara upazila in Chittagong in order to save the forest, environment, and biodiversity.
The court declared operation of those brick kilns and sawmills illegal and directed the government to find out if there were any other brickfields and sawmills operating illegally in the reserved forest area.
Delivering verdict on a writ petition, the HC observed that the ministries of environment and forest, and local government and rural development (LGRD) should be more cautious in issuing licences and clearance certificates for establishing brickfields and sawmills.
The relevant law and rules should be implemented properly to save the environment from degradation and pollution, it observed.
The HC bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar came up with the verdict after hearing the writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela).
Bela filed the petition with the HC on December 12, 2011 seeking its directives on the government to stop the operations of the brickfields and sawmills to save the forest, environment, and biodiversity.
According to the Bela petition, the brickfields and sawmills, which were established violating the Forest Act 1927 and Sawmill Rules 1998, have been destroying the reserved forest and environment in the area.
Advocate Iqbal Kabir Lytton appeared for Bela, while Advocate Md Mostafa stood for the owners of the brickfields and sawmills.
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