Submit report on ‘Kajla Beel encroachment’ in 7 days: HC

The High Court today directed the forest and environment secretary to visit Kajla Beel area under Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj and submit a report on the alleged damage of its environment and land grabbing to this court in seven days.

The court also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain in two weeks why their inaction to protect the lands, ponds and canals of the Beel should not be declared illegal.

Secretaries to the ministries of land, home, and forest and environment, chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), director general of Department of Environment and its deputy director (enforcement), deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Narayanganj and five others concerned have been made respondents to the rule.

The HC bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Ataur Rahman Khan came up with the order and rule today after hearing a writ petition seeking necessary order from it to protect the Kajla Beel from encroachment.

Four locals including one Badsha Miah have submitted the writ petition to the HC following a report published recently on a national daily under a headline “Rupganje Krishi Jamite Abason Prokolpo (housing project on agricultural land in Rupganj)”.

According to the report, a housing project has been grabbing lands of farmers and a government canal in Kajla Beel and also filling up earth in the lands and canal.

The hired terrorists of the housing project have been threatening the farmers and therefore, they cannot dare to protect their lands, the report said, adding that cultivation of paddy on hundreds of acres of land is being hampered as water cannot be pumped out due to encroachment of the canal.

Advocate Taimur Alam Khandker appeared for the petitioners, while Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder stood for the state.