The High Court has summoned the deputy commissioners (DCs) of five districts, and the director general (DG) of Department of Environment (DoE) for disobeying its orders on curbing air pollution.
The districts are Dhaka, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Narayanganj and Narsingdi.
The bench consisting of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim also ordered the individuals to appear before them on May 17, to explain why illegal brick kilns are still operating in the districts, despite issuing directives repeatedly.
The court passed the order in response to a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in public interest.
Also Read - Dhaka tops list of most polluted cities again
Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared before the court on behalf of the HRPB, while Deputy Attorney General Kazi Mainul Hasan and Assistant Attorney General Nasim Islam Raju represented the state.
Earlier, the court gave several directives to close the illegal brick kilns and prevent air pollution in Dhaka and the other districts, said the lawyer.
Also Read - Bangladesh’s air quality stays worst as world fails WHO level
“However, as the DCs of the five districts and the DG of DoE did not implement the court’s orders, a contempt of court case was filed against them,” he added.
The High Court directives were keeping soil/sand/waste covered, dispensing water on roads by the city corporations, seizing vehicles that emit black smoke and closing down illegal brick kilns.
However, as the instructions were not implemented, a supplementary application was filed on January 30.
The petition was accompanied by a four-point directive seeking media coverage of current air pollution in Dhaka and the illegal brick kilns.
Also Read - WHO: Nearly 99% of world population breathes poor-quality air
On March 14, High Court asked the government to demolish 130 unregistered brick kilns and related establishments in the three hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari to curb air pollution.
According to Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) Act, 2013, no brick kiln without a license can operate in the country and the owners can be jailed for two years for violating the law.
Despite the law, many run unauthorized brick kilns across the country, polluting the environment.
