Savar UNO summoned over river encroachment

The Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Savar has been summoned to the court to explain his role in the non-submission of report concerning illegal occupation and encroachments in the Bongshi river, violating the court order.

The High Court (HC) bench of justice JBM Hassan and justice Razik-Al-Jalil passed the order on Tuesday. Advocate Mohammad Bakir Hossain stood for the petitioner, reports UNB.

The HC asked the Savar UNO to submit a report after freeing Bongshi River in Savar from illegal encroachments, said Bakir Hossain.

“We filed a contempt of court petition as the UNO failed to submit a report,” he said.

 On 28 October 2019, a report was published in a daily vernacular with the title of 'Pollution kills Bongshi River’.

According to the report, 65 persons and organisations were illegally occupying Bongshi river along the outskirts of Dhaka in Savar, and a vast tract of the river is under the occupation of influential persons. The local authorities remained silent. As a result, nearly four million residents of Savar upazila are suffering.

Barrister Mohammad Bakir Hossain Mridha, a resident of the area, filed a writ petition, attaching the report. On 2 December 2019, the HC asked to stop filling the river, constructing illegal establishments and to free it from pollution.

The HC also asked for a list of the names of those illegally occupying the river, with their addresses within 60 days.

The Water Development Board, Rajuk, Director General of the Department of Environment, Savar UNO, Savar upazila land officer, Superintendent of Dhaka and officer-in-charge of Savar Police Station were tasked with submitting the report.

As the authorities concerned did not pay any heed to the court order, a contempt of court petition was filed in this regard.

On 21 November, 2021, the HC issued a rule asking the government to explain why directives should not be given to issue contempt of court rule against those who did not comply with the court order given in 2019. The river meanwhile remains occupied by the land grabbers.