The High Court on Tuesday gave the government two months to submit a report on the progress of setting up effluent treatment plants by factories in Dhaka, Gazipur, Savar and Tangail.
The government was asked to submit another report on the total amount realised as fines from factories for not setting up ETP and violating Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995.
The HC bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the orders upon a writ petition filed by Motiur Rahman, general manager of Pakiza Dyeing and Printing Company.
The petition was filed on September 22 questioning the imposition of Tk15.1m fine on Pakiza Dyeing by Mohammad Alamgir, enforcement director of the environment department.
The company was fined as the ETP in its factory had not been functioning properly. The court stayed the imposition of fine for three months and issued a rule asking the environment department to explain why the imposition of fine should not be declared illegal.
The department has to respond to the rule within two weeks.
Abdul Halim, lawyer of the petitioner, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had sought the court order for the sake of proper proliferation of industrialisation.
He alleged that the environment department took bribes to spare many companies who did not have any ETP at all.
