High Court suspends 9 sand quarry leases in Cox's Bazar
In its ruling, the court issued a rule asking why the listing of these nine quarries for lease should not be declared illegal
The High Court has suspended the leases of nine sand quarries in Cox's Bazar, situated within or near reserved forest areas in the Chakaria, Ramu, and Ukhiya upazilas.
The court also ordered the authorities concerned to submit a list of individuals and leaseholders involved in the sand extraction within three months.
The High Court bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua passed the order today (8 August), following a writ petition filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela).
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In its ruling, the court issued a rule asking why the listing of these nine quarries for lease should not be declared illegal. It also asked why it should not order the dissolution of the sand quarries and their removal from the list of leasable sites to protect the forests from the "harmful and destructive effects of sand extraction."
The court further directed the authorities to prepare a report within three months assessing the damage caused by the extraction and to outline why the culprits should not be compelled to pay compensation.
The secretaries of the land ministry and the environment ministry, along with various district-level officials and the heads of the forest department, have been asked to respond to the rule.
The writ petition for Bela was handled by Barrister Mohammad Ashraf Ali, while Deputy Attorney General Md Golam Rahman Bhuiyan represented the state.
