The High Court on Sunday banned all activities of construction of tissue culture lab by Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) by filling a waterbody marked in DAP (Detailed Area Plan) in Goidartek area of Mirpur in Dhaka.
After the primary hearing of a writ filed in the form of public interest litigation (PIL), a High Court bench of Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Md Ali Reza came up with the order.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) filed the writ.
The court directed the BADC chairman and the project director of Central Tissue Culture and Seed Health Laboratory of BADC to refrain from refilling the soil and constructing any kind of structure in the waterbody area under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
At the same time, DNCC mayor, chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and chairman of BADC and director general of Department of Environment (DoE) have been asked to submit a report to the court regarding the implementation of the order.
The court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned why the failure of the respondents should not be declared illegal, unauthorized, without legal authority and against public interest.
Along with this, an explanation has been sought to know why the order to restore the filled part of the waterbody mentioned in the issued rule and bring it back to its original condition and maintain it as a reservoir should not be given.
The defendants in the case included- secretaries of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change; Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, DNCC mayor, chairman of BADC, chairman of Rajuk, deputy commissioner of Dhaka District and superintendent of police of Dhaka.
Barrister Mohammad Ashraf Ali stood for the case on behalf of Bela and he was assisted by Advocate S Hasanul Banna.
DNCC had been using the 117-acre waterbody as water regulating pond which is marked in the DAP of Rajuk. BADC almost filled 12 acres of the 117-acre waterbody for a four-storey building for their project.
BADC filled the 12 acre area of the mentioned waterbody ignoring the letter given by Rajuk and DNCC and without any approval from the concerned authorities.
