HC bans earth-filling, all other activities by three housing companies in Savar

The High Court on Sunday imposed a ban on all activities, including earth-filling, by three housing companies - Zam Zam Noor City, SA Housing and Sugandha Housing - for their unapproved housing projects near Bamni Khal (a canal) at Savar in Dhaka.

The bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah came up with this directive along with a rule following a writ petition filed by six rights organisations and Prof Adil Muhammad Khan, an urban planner.

The other six organisations are Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Nijrea Kori, Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD), Manobadhikar Sangskriti Foundation (MSF), Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST).

The court ordered the authorities concerned to submit a report on the extent of land-filling in the canal, which flows through Chandunia, Konda and Kandiboliarpur mouzas in Savar.

The chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), director generals of the Department of Environment (DoE) and Water Development Board and deputy commissioner of Dhaka have been asked to prepare the report.

The HC also issued a rule asking the officials concerned of the government to explain as to why their failure to protect Bamni Khal and its adjacent water-bodies and farmlands from the earth-filling by Zam Zam Noor City, SA Housing, and Sugandha Housing for unapproved housing projects should not declared illegal and detrimental to public interest.

The DoE had fined Zam Zam Noor City Tk 2.3 million on October 21, 2021, and Rajuk had imposed on it a fine of Tk 0.5 million on September 20 last year. Despite these fines, the company continued its activities, the petitioners said in the petition.

Lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan, assisted by lawyer Shamima Nasrin, appeared for the petitioners, while Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state during the hearing of the petition.

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