Contempt charge against govt

A contempt of court notice was served on the government yesterday for not constituting a national river protection commission according to the High Court verdict in order to protect and preserve the country's rivers.
The notice also asked the government to constitute the commission consisting of experts concerned within next seven days.
The judgment was delivered upon a public interest writ petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).
Since the government did not constitute the commission as per the HC verdict, HRPB president advocate Manzill Murshid yesterday issued the contempt of court notice against the secretaries of the ministries of planning, finance, forest and environment, LGRD and Cooperatives, shipping, communications and water resources.
In the notice, he said a contempt of court case will be filed against the secretaries if they do not constitute the commission by the next seven days.
The HC in a verdict in June last year issued a few directives upon the government for taking effective steps including formation of a national river protection commission within three months.
The court also urged the government to make long-term and short-term plans to protect and preserve the rivers based on the commission's recommendations.
The full text of the verdict was delivered on June 25 and was published on July 15.
Maznill Musrhid told The Daily Star that more than five months have passed after the full text of the HC verdict had been released.
"The High Court deadline for constituting the commission expired about three months ago, but the government did not yet inform the court about its steps regarding the formation of the commission," he said.
But the government implemented a directive of the court by completing surveys on four rivers -- Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya around the capital -- to demarcate their original boundaries, said the lawyer.
He also said he would move for necessary HC directions for removing illegal structures and encroachments in the rivers, since the government in its survey reports said there are thousands of illegal structures on the rivers.