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The High Court on Tuesday ordered that prior permission must be obtained from the relevant authorities before felling trees.
The HC bench, consisting of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Mubina Asaf, passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed on the matter.
The court also instructed the Senior Secretary of the Public Administration Ministry to form a committee within seven days to grant permission for cutting trees at the district level, UNB reports.
The committee should include an environmentalist, environmental experts, and professors from the Department of Environmental Science at Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University. Additionally, the committee should comprise Deputy Commissioners, District Environment Officers, professors from government colleges, social workers, environmentalists, the president or general secretary of the District Bar Association, and District Civil Surgeons.
At the upazila level, the court also directed the Senior Secretary of the Public Administration Ministry to issue another circular to the Deputy Commissioners to form a similar committee within seven days, including Upazila Nirbahi Officers, professors from government colleges, social workers, environmentalists, Social Welfare Officers, Assistant Commissioners (Land), and Executive Engineers of the LGED.
Furthermore, under the Social Forestry Rules of 2004, trees planted under this program cannot be cut down. Instead, an amount equivalent to the value of the trees must be paid to the owner of the plants.
The court also instructed the necessary amendments to the Social Forestry Rules.
In its observation, the court emphasised that as temperatures continue to rise in the country, it is crucial to preserve more trees.
Widespread deforestation would disrupt the environmental balance, undermining our right to live.
The court further stated that Bangladesh does not have the sufficient number of trees required to maintain environmental balance, and protecting these trees is critically important for the environment.
On May 5, 2024, a rights organization named Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a writ petition seeking measures to stop pollution.
On May 7, last year, the High Court issued a rule asking the government to explain why tree cutting in the two cities of Dhaka, at the district and upazila levels, should not be declared contradictory to human rights, and why a seven-member committee should not be formed at all levels to grant permission for cutting trees.