Remove illegal structures

The High Court yesterday directed the government to demolish all unauthorised structures on the St Martin's Island within 60 days.
In response to a writ petition, the court also ordered the government to formulate necessary rules and guidelines in six months to prevent exploitative commercial activities at St Martin's Island and to protect eco-tourism there.
Petitioner's counsel Iqbal Kabir Lyton told The Daily Star that some 75 unauthorised structures have been built on the island that was declared an ecologically risky area in 1999.
The government will have to demolish these structures in 60 days from receiving the copy of the verdict, he added.
The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain gave the ruling after hearing the petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela).
Bela filed the petition as a public interest litigation on October 18, 2009, seeking directives on the government to regulate commercial tourism in the ecologically fragile island and to prevent the indiscriminate and unauthorised constructions of hotels, motels, restaurants etc. there.