HC fines 54 illegal brick kiln owners Tk4 lakh each in Ctg hill tracts

The High Court today (6 March) fined 54 owners of illegal brick kilns in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, imposing a penalty of Tk4 lakh each for operating without licenses and destroying hills.

A HC bench of Justice Fatema Najib and Justice Shikder Mahmudur Razi issued the order in response to a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in 2022 in the public interest, seeking the closure of illegal brick kilns for environmental protection.

The court has ordered them to deposit the fines within 30 days.

Speaking to the media, lawyer Manzil Morshed, representing the petitioners, said despite previous HC bans, several illegal brick kilns continued to operate, with frequent media reports exposing their activities.

"Some kiln owners even forged court orders, which HC took note of, directing legal action against those involved in fraud and fined 54 kiln owners Tk4 lakh each," he added.

Among the 54 brick kiln owners include Mohammad Waliullah, Mozammel Haque, Obaidul Kabir, Shamima Akter, Gias Uddin, Enamul Haque, Nasir Ul Alam, Mohammad Islam, Biplob Kanti, and Abdul Kader.

According to the case document, following previous court directives, some kiln owners had filed counter-petitions to maintain operations. However, after legal proceedings, the HC dismissed their petitions and upheld the environmental protection measures.

In June 2023, the Appellate Division instructed the HC to resolve the brick kiln owners' applications within two weeks. However, some owners concealed previous case details and filed new petitions, prompting the HRPB to submit a supplementary appeal.