HC asks local admin to save Habiganj hills from cutting

Declaring the cutting of Mirertila hill at Dinarpur   in Habiganj illegal, the High Court yesterday directed the local administration to take effective steps to protect and maintain all the hills, including Mirertila hill, in the district.

The HC bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo came up with the verdict after final hearing on a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh in 2015.

Following the petition, the HC December 14, 2015 ordered the government to stop cutting hills at Dinarpur and issued a rule asking it to explain why cutting hills should not be declared illegal.

Yesterday, petitioner's counsel Manzill Murshid told The Daily Star that the HC delivered the verdict as the government has not replied to its rule.