The High Court has issued a rule and ordered an immediate halt to all illegal sand extraction from erosion-prone areas of the Tentulia River in Bauphal, Patuakhali.
A bench comprising Justice Ahmed Sohel and Justice Iftekhar Uddin Mahmud passed the order on Sunday after hearing a writ petition.
The court also issued a rule asking why the authorities’ failure and inaction in preventing illegal sand extraction from the erosion-affected areas of the river should not be declared unlawful.
It also sought an explanation as to why sand-mining notices issued without a hydrographic survey, in violation of Section 9(1)(b) of the Balumahal and Soil Management Act, 2010, should not be declared without legal authority.
The court ordered that all illegal sand extraction in the erosion-prone areas remain suspended until disposal of the rule.
The High Court also directed the authorities to correct records in government offices where the area has been recorded under incorrect or outdated names, such as the “Bura Gauranga” River, and identify it by its proper name, the Tentulia River.
It ordered the formation of a committee to take necessary steps in this regard and submit a report to the court within 60 days.
Advocate Muzahedul Islam Shahin appeared for the writ petitioner.
The writ petition named the secretaries of the ministries of Land and Water Resources, the BIWTA chairman, the divisional commissioner of Barisal, the deputy commissioner of Patuakhali, the Bauphal upazila nirbahi officer, the assistant commissioner (land), the officer-in-charge of Bauphal police station and the BIWTA deputy director in Patuakhali as respondents.