The High Court on Sunday directed authorities to take immediate steps to prevent the operation of illegal brick kilns in the hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari.
The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury passed the order.
The deputy commissioners of these three districts have been instructed to take action within one week of receiving the order.
They have also been asked to submit a report on their actions within two weeks.
In 2022, Advocate Md Sarwar Ahad Chowdhury, representing Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), filed a writ petition in the public interest to halt the operation of unlicensed and illegal brick kilns in the three hill districts.
The respondents in the case include 24 individuals, including officials from the Ministry of Forests and Environment.
Following the petition, the court issued a rule to stop the illegal brick kiln operations.
However, since no appropriate action had been taken or progress reported by the defendants, HRPB filed another application seeking urgent intervention.
The application highlighted the approaching brick production season (October 2024 to April 2025), during which illegal kilns are expected to resume operations.
The petition argued that these unlicensed brick kilns pose a significant environmental threat.
Senior Advocate Manzil Morshed told reporters that if illegal brick kilns are allowed to operate, they will cause severe harm to the environment and public health.
He said that preventing their operation is crucial to safeguarding both.