'Halt construction of ship breaking yard at Sonaichuri'

Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (Bela) yesterday served legal notices to three ministries, including environment and forest and several other government departments, and demanded immediate halt to the construction of ship breaking yard, causing deforestation in the coastal areas of Sonaichori Mouza at Sitakunda.
The notice was also served to the ministries of industry, land and navigation, chief conservator of forest, director, department of environment, department of shipping, commissioner, Chittagong division, deputy commissioner, Chittagong, police super, Chittagong, divisional forest officer, coastal forest division, UNO, Sitakunda; assistant commissioner (land), Sitakunda, Chittagong; Chairman, No. 8 Sonaichori union parishad; chairman, Bangladesh ship breakers association and owners of ship breaking yards.
Local law implementing agencies are found reluctant even though forest department has filed FIR in local police stations, the notice mentioned.
The notice said the existing laws and regulations of the country prohibit destruction of trees in green belt regions for the purpose of constructing ship breaking yards. Therefore, initiatives taken by the public and private sectors in this regard are totally illegal.
It is mandatory to get the environmental clearance certificate to construct the ship breaking yard. Such mandate has not been followed for constructing the yard at Sonaichori which is a punishable offence, the notice added.
Bela members called on the concerned authorities to take proper steps immediately to stop construction of such ship breaking yard at Sonaichori.
They demanded compensation for destruction of the trees in the green belt of the coastal region.