Defying an order of the Department of Environment (DoE), a pond is being filled up in Brahmanbaria.
According to locals, Asad Ullah had begun fill up the pond near Eidgah Field in Brahmanbaria's Kazipara.
On November 6 last year, the DoE had issued an order asking Asad not to fill the pond as the environment law prohibits such an action without first obtaining relevant permission.
According to the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995 and the Wetland Preservation Law of 2000, filling any pond or wetland is a punishable crime.
Earlier, locals had submitted an application to the DoE seeking a ban on filling of the pond.
Asad Ullah, however, recently began the filling process, although he informed the DoE he would excavate the filled pond after the DoE order.
Saef Ullah Talukdar, a deputy director at the DoE in Brahmanbaria, said they issued another order, asking Asad to stop the pond filling on on February 22.
On that day, police went to the spot and stopped the process.
In talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Asad Ullah, however, denied the allegation of defying the DoE order.
“The land where the pond is located is my property. I began filling some parts of it to make a pathway,” he said.
“I stopped the work right after an order from the environment department,” he added.