Protection of Atrai river: Bela serves legal notice to 15 authorities
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) has served a legal notice to 15 authorities concerned for failing to protect the Atrai river in Pabna from encroachment and pollution.
The recipients of the notice included secretaries of five ministries and the chairman of the River Protection Commission.
The legal notice was served on October 2, but The Daily Star could obtain its copy today.
In the notice, Bela said the river, which originated from the Ichamati river of Nondonpur in Pabna's Santhia upazila, is flowing over Santhia, Bera and Sujanagar upazilas and plays a vital role in the lifestyle of people, our Pabna correspondent reports.
Around one kilometre to one-and-a-half kilometre area of the 47-kilometre Atrai river at Kashinathpur Bazar in Shanthia has been encroached and polluted, said Bela in the notice.
A number of structures, buildings and establishments have been built on both sides of the river while rampant dumping of waste polluting it, Bela added.
Following reports published in media, a Bela team visited the scene and found the allegations true.
The entire environment, agriculture, fisheries, communication are badly affected around the river due to illegal activities, the notice added.
It blamed the concerned authorities for their failure to protect the river and demanded that the authorities concerned save the river and take action against the encroachers and polluters.
In the notice, S Hasanul Banna, lawyer of the Supreme Court, asked the authorities concerned to inform Bela about the steps they have taken in seven days after the serving date of the legal notice.
The respondents to the notice are secretaries of the Ministry of Land, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, ministry of environment, ministry of water resource, ministry of local government, chairman of the National River Protection Commission, Director General of the Department of Environment, Director General of Water Development Board, deputy commissioner of Pabna, Superintendent of police in Pabna, Superintending Engineer of Water Development Board, Director of Department of Environment of Rajshahi Division, Deputy Director of DoE in Pabna, Santhia Upazila Nirbahi Officer in Pabna, Assistant Commissioner (land) in Pabna's Santhia.
The Daily Star earlier published an article titled "Atrai held hostage to greed" on April 26.
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