The Appellate Division on Monday asked Rajdhani Unnayan Kartiripakkha to
maintain status quo on the land development or monetary work for
Purbachal housing project in Gazipur.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Md. Muzammel Hossain passed
the order after hearing a petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental
Lawyers Association seeking withdrawal of its previous order that had
stayed a High Court order suspending development of the project.
The Appellate Division also assigned a High Court bench, headed by
Justice M Moazzam Husain, to dispose of the writ petition involving
Purbachal case in next three months.
Rajuk’s lawyer Motaher Hossain Sazu told reporters that the developer
had filled up 80 percent of the project land estimated about 1,600 acres
at Bakurta and Parabartha of Kaliganj in Gazipur but the court’s order
on Monday would suspend the rest of the work until disposal of the
matter from the High Court.
On August 1, the High Court following the writ petition in public
interest, filed by BELA, Ain O Salish Kendra and five other rights
organisations, stayed all kind of earth-filling and construction works
under the project.
The court had issued a rule on Rajuk asking it to explain in four weeks
why the layout plan of the Purbachal New Town Project should not be
declared illegal, arbitrary and against public interest.
The court had also asked the authorities and Rajuk to explain why they
should not be directed to protect and conserve the unique ecology and
forest, wetland and cultivable land.
On August 20, the Appellate Division vacation chamber judge, in response
to a petition filed by Rajuk, stayed the High Court order and directed
Rajuk to file a regular petition in two weeks seeking permission to
appeal against the High Court order.
Failing to file the regular petition by the time, the stay order will automatically be vacated, the Appellate Division said.
Writ petitioners’ lawyer Fida M Kamal submitted that the project, which
had no environmental clearance from the environment department, should
be declared illegal, arbitrary and against public interest. (source)