SC clears way to shut down illegal brick kilns in Chattogram

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld a High Court directive that asked the government authorities to shut down all brick kilns without valid licenses in Chattogram.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division of the SC headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order rejecting a petition filed by the owners of 18 brick kilns, seeking a stay on the HC directive.

Newly-elected president of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and senior lawyer Abdul Matin Khasru, who appeared for the brick kiln owners, told the court that his clients have invested crores of taka for running the brick kilns where thousands of people are working.

If the brickfields shut down, they will face huge losses, the lawyer said.

Lawyer Matin Khasru prayed to the Appellate Division to stay the HC order and allow his clients to operate for the next two months.

Writ petitioner's lawyer Manzil Murshid opposed the petition saying that brick kilns, which have no valid license, cannot run as per the provisions of relevant laws.

The owners of brick kilns have moved several petitions before this court earlier to stop shutting down their operations in Chattogram.

Manzil Murshid told The Daily Star that, following the apex court order, there is no bar to shut down the brick kilns running illegally.

The local administration has started shutting down the illegal brick kilns following the HC's January 31 order, he added.

Following a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for  Bangladesh, the HC on January 31, directed authorities concerned  of the government to immediately shut down all the illegal brick kilns  in Chattogram and submit a report after complying with the directive to it.