HC forms committee to assess ‘damage by Lafarge Surma’

The High Court yesterday formed a three-member committee to assess alleged environmental damage on croplands caused by Lafarge Surma Cement factory in Chhatak of Sunamgaj.

The committee will be headed by the director general (DG) of department of environment (DoE) while its two other members will be the director of DoE in Sylhet and the deputy commissioner of Sunamganj.

The committee has been asked to submit its assessment report to the HC in 90 days.

The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal issued the order after hearing a writ petition seeking necessary order on the authorities concerned to save the environment and croplands from damages caused by the Surma cement plant in Chhatak.

Rights organisation Civic Environment and Youth Welfare Forum filed the petition.

The court also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain in four weeks as to why they should not be directed to take steps to stop damaging the environment and croplands surrounding the cement plant.

Secretaries to the ministries of forests and environment and power and mineral resources, the DG of DoE, the director of DoE (Sylhet), the DC of Sunamganj, the upazila nirbahi officer of Chhatak, officer-in-charge of Chhatak Police Station and Lafarge Surma Cement factory were made respondents to the rule, petitioner’s lawyer Advocate Rafsan Al-Alvi told The Daily Star.