HC orders to halt felling 4,000 trees in Manikganj

The High Court (HC) on Tuesday directed the authorities concerned to maintain the status quo on felling 4,000 trees by the Singair-Manikganj road in Manikganj district, reports UNB.

A HC bench of justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and justice Md Iqbal Kabir passed the order after hearing a writ petition.

The court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why their decision to cut down the trees should not be declared illegal.

In the rule, it wanted to know why directives should not be given to preserve the trees after revising the road construction plan.

Road transport and bridges, and environment secretaries, deputy director of the department of environment, chief engineer of Roads and Highways Division, deputy commissioner of Manikganj and the officer-in-charge of Singair police station were asked to respond to the rule within four weeks.

HC lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua filed the writ petition attaching a report published on a Bangla daily on 25 January over felling 4,000 trees by the Singair-Manikganj road.