The High Court on Wednesday issued a rule and asked for the satellite aerial map of Arial Beel, a wetland located in Srinagar of Munshiganj, after hearing a writ petition brought in public interest to stop its encroachment.
A High Court Division Bench consisting of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik Al Jalil issued the rule asking why there will be no ban on soil filling by various individuals and housing companies occupying the wetland, and why the inaction of the administration to stop the encroachment should not be declared illegal.
The court also asked the authorities concerned to submit a progress report to the court within the next three months.
Home and Public Works Secretary, and Chairman of the National Housing Authority were directed to submit the actual map of the bill.
The court also asked the Munshiganj District Commissioner (DC), Superintendent of Police (SP), Srinagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Environment Enforcement Director to ensure that nobody carries out soil filling, construction work and encroachment activities in the Arial Beel any longer.
After a report was published about the occupation of Arial Beel in the media, the writ was filed on August 13 by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), seeking direction to preserve and free the wetland, which is immensely important for the environment of its geological features, from all sorts of encroachment.
Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Secretary of Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), Chairman of National Housing Authority, Director General (DG) of Directorate of Environment (DoE), its Director (Enforcement), DC and SP of Munshiganj, UNO of Srinagar were made respondents in the writ.
