The High Court today directed the authorities concerned to constitute an expert committee at every ward of Dhaka city corporations to monitor the structures and buildings and their sewerage and gas lines for ensuring the safety of citizens.

The chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), managing directors of Titas Gas and Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, and chief executive officers of Dhaka north and south city corporations have been ordered to form the committees in seven days after receiving the court order.

In response to a writ petition, the HC ordered the officials to take necessary steps to repair the faults in the structures and their sewerage and gas lines if the monitoring committee identifies those and to submit progress reports in this regard to the HC in eight weeks.

At the same time, the HC issued a rule asking the respondents to explain in four weeks why their inaction to ensure the safety of citizens in the capital should not be declared illegal and why they should not be directed to ensure the safety of citizens.

Secretary at the ministry of housing and public works; senior secretary at the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources; secretaries at the ministry of local government, rural development and co-operatives and local government division; Rajuk chairman; Dhaka Wasa MD; chief executive officers of Dhaka north and south city corporations; Dhaka metropolitan police commissioner and Titas Gas MD have been made respondents to the rule.

The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel passed the order and issued the rule following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, seeking necessary directives.

The rights organisation submitted the writ petition as a public interest litigation on March 12 following the incidents of explosions in the buildings at Siddique Bazar in the capital's Gulistan area on March 7.

Senior advocate Manzill Murshid appeared for the writ petitioner during hearing of the petition.