Stop sand lifting from Kirtonkhola river, HC asks govt

A view of Kirtonkhola river in Barisal.

The High Court today asked the government to immediately stop sand extraction from Kirtonkhola river in Barisal for the next six months.
In response to a writ petition, the court issued a rule upon asking the government to explain on why it should not be directed to protect the river from the encroachment and erosion.
In the rule, the court also the government’s explanation as to why the piles of sand at the river bank at Dopdopiya point in Barisal Sadar Upazila should not be declared illegal.
The HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal came up with the orders and rule following the writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela) on Sunday.
The organisation, in the petition, said Hasan Hossain Enterprise, a private company, has been extracting sand illegally from Kirtonkhola river, causing serious erosion in the river and hampering free flow of water.
In the petition, Iqbal Kabir Lytton, a counsel for Bela, prayed to the court to pass necessary order on the government to stop sand extraction and to protect the river.