A notice of contempt of court has been served on the Chittagong Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia over allegations of failing to comply with High Court directives regarding the closure of illegal brick kilns.
Senior lawyer Manzill Murshid sent the notice by post on Tuesday.
Speaking later, the lawyer said that Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a writ petition in the public interest in 2020 after media reports highlighted that hundreds of illegal brick kilns were operating in various upazilas of Chittagong district, causing severe environmental damage.
Following a hearing on the writ petition, the High Courton December 14 of the same year issued a rule directing authorities to shut down illegal brick kilns.
As all illegal brick kilns were not closed in line with the directive, HRPB filed a supplementary application in 2021 bringing allegations of contempt of court against the district administration.
After the order, nearly a hundred illegal brick kilns were demolished and a report was submitted to the court. On June 13, 2021, the then deputy commissioner of Chittagong sought an apology from the court and pledged to shut down the remaining brick kilns.
Manzill Murshid added that despite repeated court directives, media reports recently indicated that many brick kilns previously shut down in different upazilas of Chittagong have resumed operations.
According to media reports, the district administration had not taken any steps to implement the court’s directives. A newspaper report published on November 14 stated that 37 out of 38 brick kilns in Lohagara upazila did not have licenses. In addition, hundreds of brick kilns in Satkania, Raozan, Fatikchhari, Patiya and Anwara upazilas are reportedly operating in violation of the court’s directives.
Following the publication of the report, a notice of contempt of court was sent to the current Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong, Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia, requesting that all brick kilns be shut down within seven days in accordance with the High Court’s directives.
Otherwise, a contempt of court petition will be filed against him with the High Court, the lawyer added.
