Rajuk boss, four secretaries face contempt rule

The High Court yesterday issued a contempt-of-court rule on four secretaries and the Rajdhani Unnayan  Kartripakkha (Rajuk) chairman asking them to explain in two weeks  why proceedings should not be drawn against them for not implementing  its directives.

An HC bench comprising Justice M Ashfaqul Islam and Justice M Ashraful Kamal passed the order following a petition filed by  Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, and Safety and Rights  Society on May 27, reports UNB.

The four bureaucrats facing the contempt rule are secretaries to the ministries of housing and public works, labour and employment, industries, and forests and environment. 

Following a writ petition, the HC on October 13, 2010 issued a five-point directive on the government.

It directed the government to establish the ‘National Building Code Enforcement Authority’ within a year or designate the existing real  estate regulatory organisations as code enforcing agency with  respective areas of jurisdiction for enforcement of the Bangladesh  National Building Code 2006 throughout the country.

The HC also asked the government to designate, in the meantime, Rajuk and respective development authority of all other municipal corporations as the respective code enforcing agency (authority) for enforcement of the code within three months from the date of receipt of the judgment, and to submit reports on the progress in this regard in every three months to the court.

Barrister Tanim Hussain Shawon assisted by Barrister Arafat Hosen Khan stood for the petitioners on Tuesday.