The Supreme Court yesterday cleared the way for demolishing illegal structures including the jetties set up by City Group of Industries on the bank of river Shitalakhya, rejecting a petition filed by the company seeking a stay on a High Court order.
The HC on February 23 summarily rejected a writ petition filed by the company's Managing Director Fazlur Rahman challenging a government notice that asked the company to remove their structures, including three jetties from the river.
A three-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, however, permitted the company to file a regular appeal with this court against the HC order yesterday.
Advocate Manzill Murshid, a lawyer concerned of this case, told The Daily Star yesterday that there remains no bar to demolishing the illegal structures and jetties on Shitalakkhya at Rupganj following the SC order.
On January 24 this year, the HC directed the government to start within a month demolition of all illegal structures built within the boundaries of four rivers--Buriganga, Balu, Shitalakkhya and Turag--around the capital.
It issued the directive upon a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, an organisation for protecting human rights and the environment.
Following the court order, the Narayanganj DC on February 9 served a notice to Fazlur Rahman to remove the structures and jetties by February 20.
Fazlur Rahman then filed the writ petition with the HC challenging the notice.