Don't lease sand quarries without clearance: HC

The High Court (HC) yesterday barred the government from leasing out any silica sand quarry without relevant environmental clearance.

The court also declared leases of 19 sand quarries in Moulavibazar illegal for not obtaining environmental clearance certificates and environmental impact assessment certificates.

The bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice AKM Zahirul Hoque issued  the directive following a writ petition by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), challenging the legality of the leases issued to the sand quarries.

Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Advocate Sayeed Ahmed Kabir appeared for the petitioner.

A gazette notification was issued on June 2013 declaring 51 hill streams as silica sand quarry area.

Among those, 19 were leased out without ensuring any relevant clearance certificates.