File Photo

DHAKA, Jan 12, 2025 (BSS) - The High Court (HC) today ordered the authorities concerned to take effective steps to stop air pollution within seven days and implement the nine directives issued by the court to this end.

The High Court division bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debasish Roy Chowdhury passed the order after holding hearing on a petition. It also asked to submit compliance report in this regard on January 26.

Senior advocate Manzill Murshid moved the plea for rights body Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), while Deputy Attorney General Tanim Khan argued for the state.

"HRPB filed the writ petition in 2019. After holding hearing on that plea, the High Court had issued a rule and ordered to take effective steps to stop air pollution in and around the capital. HRPB later filed a supplementary plea as the concerned authorities failed to take effective steps and the court subsequently issued the nine directives," advocate Manzill Murshid told newsmen.

The nine directives were - covering goods in trucks and other vehicles transporting soil, sand, waste in Dhaka city, covering soil, sand, cement, stones, construction materials in areas under construction, sprinkling water on the roads by city corporation, ensuring compliance with tender conditions for road, culvert, carpeting, and pit works, seizing vehicles emitting black smoke, determining the time limit for movement of vehicles as per the Road Transport Act and stop the movement of such vehicles after the expiry of the time limit, closing illegal brick kilns, closing all types of factories operating without environmental licenses, and taking steps by the city corporation to ensure that daily waste bags are filled in markets and shops and their removal.

"In spite of these directives, as the concerned authorities have taken very few steps in this regard, Dhaka has topped the list of cities with most polluted air recently," advocate Murshid added.