HC orders to stop encroachment in Panchagarh’s Talma river

The High Court today ordered the authorities concerned of the government to take necessary steps to stop the encroachment of the Talma river in Panchagarh in the next 72-hours.

The court also ordered to stop construction of structures and filling up the river. The upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Panchagarh Sadar and officer-in-charge (OC) of Sadar police station were asked to take the steps and to submit separate reports in two weeks after complying with the directive.

In response to a writ petition, the HC directed the deputy commissioner of Panchagarh to prepare a list of grabbers of Talma river in line with the Cadastral Survey (CS) and Revisional Survey (RS) records and to submit the list in six months.

The court also issued a rule asking authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why they should not be ordered to take steps to protect the river.

The HC bench of Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim came up with the order and rule following the petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a rights organisation, seeking necessary directives on the authorities to protect the river.

The HRPB submitted the petition as a public interest litigation on November 10 to the HC following a report published on a Bangla daily on November 3 on the encroachment on the river.