Submit report on Patukahali river encroachers: HC
The High Court today directed the government to submit a report before it by November 5 on encroachers who grabbed land of the Shibbaria river in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali.
Following the HC directive, the deputy commissioner of Patuakhali and Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Kalapara will have to submit the report including a name list of the encroachers.
In response to a writ petition, the HC issued a rule upon the government to explain in four weeks what action were taken against the land grabbers and why it should not be directed to evict them the grabbers from the Shibbaria River (locally known as Khaprabhanga river).
The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal came up with the order and rule after hearing the writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela).
The organisation filed the petition with the HC yesterday saying that around 650 structures have been built over the last two years at Mohipur, Alipur and Laxmibazar points of the upazila while more are under construction on the 20-km river, which falls into the Bay of Bengal in Kuakata.
But no action has been taken to prevent the land grabbing, the organisation said in the petition.
With the writ petition, Bela annexed a report published on The Daily Star on February 5 on the encroachment of the river.
In the petition, the organisation prayed to the court to pass necessary order on the government to stop encroachment land of this river.
Iqbal Kabir Lytton, a lawyer of Bela, placed arguments today on the behalf of the writ petitioner.
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