The High Court yesterday directed the government to maintain status quo for ten days on cutting trees at both sides of the road from Jhanjail Bazar to Durgapur upazila in Netrakona.
The court passed the order following a writ petition filed by Liton Mrong, general secretary of Garo Baptist Convention Bangladesh (GBCB), seeking status quo order in respect of cutting of the trees.
Petitioner's counsel Khurshid Alam khan told The Daily Star that the government cannot cut down the trees from both side of the road till further order, following the HC order.
He said the district council on July 27 issued a tender notification for selling 249 trees, which were planted by Garo communities around 100 to 150 years ago, without informing the Garo communities.
Liton filed the petition with the HC on Sunday also challenging the tender notification.
The HC bench of Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice Hassan Arif ordered the petitioner and the Netrokona district council authorities to inform the position of the tress and its land to this court within ten days.
During hearing of the petition, Khurshid Alam Khan told the court that the district council has illegally issued the tender notification for selling the trees.
The district council started cutting down the trees yesterday, he added.