High Court bans three housing projects in Savar

The High Court has imposed an injunction on all development activities including earth-filling of Bamni canal by three housing projects in Dhaka’s Savar.

A HC bench of Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam and Justice Md Atabullah issued the directive and after hearing a writ.

The three housing companies are Zam Zam Noor City, SA Housing and Sugandha Housing.

The court asked the authorities concerned to submit a report as to how much land of Bamni canal, which flows through Chandulia, Konda and Kandi Boliarpur mouzas, have already been filled by these three housing projects.

Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), director general of environment department (DoE), director general of water development board and deputy commissioner of Dhaka have been asked to prepare the report.

The writ was filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA); Nijrea Kori, Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD); Manobadhikar Sangskriti Foundation (MSF); Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK); Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and urban planner Adil Mohammad Khan.

Lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan represented the petitioners while lawyers Shamima Nasrin and S Hasanul Banna assisted her. Deputy attorney general Tushar Kanti Roy represented the state in the hearing.

The petitioners said the housing projects are operating without any approval and clearance of relevant authorities and have been filling up Bamni canal and its adjacent areas that are marked as waterbodies in Detailed Area Plan (DAP) and the agricultural land.

They further said Zam Zam Noor City was fined Tk 2.3 million by DoE on 21 October in 2021 and Tk 500,000 by RAJUK on 20 September in 2023. Yet the company continued its activities.