Violating law as well as posing serious threat to environment and public health, at least 130 brick kilns are continuing illegal business in Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati, three districts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
The High Court has directed the government to demolish all the illegal brick kilns in the CHT to curb the environment pollution. The higher court also asked the authorities concerned to submit compliance reports before it in six weeks.
The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Fatema Najib issued the order on Monday (March 24) during hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
The writ petition was filed seeking necessary directives from the High Court to protect the environment of the CHT area.
The court also ordered the deputy commissioners of the three CHT districts to take appropriate legal action including filing of cases against the owners of 130 illegal brick kilns in three days.
Advocate Manzill Murshid stood for the petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state.
Earlier in the day, the deputy commissioners (DCs) of three CHT districts submitted three separate reports through the Deputy Attorney General, saying that there are 130 brick kilns running illegally in the three districts.
Among those, a total of 25 illegal brick kilns are running operation in Rangamati, while 35 are in Khagrachhari and 70 are in Bandarban.
The local administration, however, has closed down a total of 64 brick kilns in the hilly districts. The Rangamati district administration shut down 25 illegal brick kilns, while 34 kilns in Khagrachari and two in Bandarban.
Writ petitioner’s lawyer Manzill Murshid said that the maximum punishment for operating illegal brick kilns is two years’ imprisonment under the Brick Kilns Control Act, 2013.
According to Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) Act, 2013, no brickkiln without a license can operate in the country and the owners can be jailed for two years for violating the law.
Despite the law, many run unauthorised brick kilns across the country, polluting environment.
Moreover, Section-5 of the law prohibits the use of hill cut soil in brick kilns but the authorities concerned unable to prevent the use of this soil as raw materials.
Advocate Manzil Morshed said that hill tracts are being destroyed as the illegal kilns causing serious threat to environment and public health.
