The High Court Monday issued a rule seeking an explanation as to why the government should not be stopped from setting up a coal-fired power plant at Matarbari of Moheshkhali Upazila in Cox's Bazar district.
It also wanted to know why the plant should not be declared unconstitutional.
The High Court bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the order after the preliminary hearing on a writ petition jointly lodged by three citizens of Moheshkhali.
The Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Secretary, Environment and Forests Secretary, Land Secretary, Director General of the Department of Environment (DoE), Chairman of Bangladesh Power Development Board, Managing Director and Secretary of Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL) and four others were made respondents to reply to the rule by two weeks.
Supreme Court lawyer Shaikh Mohammad Zakir Hossain, assisted by Advocate Mirza Al Mahmud and JR Khan Robbin, contended for the petitioners – Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, Abul Hashem and Altaf Hossain – who had filed the plea on October 6.
Zakir told the court that the plan will be detrimental to the biodiversity of the area and very harmful for the people.
However, Deputy Attorney General Al-Amin Sarker said the Environment Department gave clearance certificate for the plant as it would not affect the environment rather would be helpful for adding electricity.