The High Court has issued a rule asking why the failure to frame an environment-friendly policy on planting and felling trees, and the authorities' inaction in controlling the heatwave, should not be declared illegal. Those concerned have been asked to reply to the rule within four weeks.

A bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque passed the order on Monday, 6 May, after a preliminary hearing on a writ petition filed on the matter.

Advocate Tanvir Ahmed argued in court. Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta appeared for the state.

Advocate Tanvir Ahmed said the writ was filed seeking necessary directions, attaching media reports on the felling of several thousand trees under social forestry in Kushtia district and on the heatwave. A legal notice had been sent to those concerned demanding an environment-friendly policy on planting and felling trees. "Since those concerned took no necessary steps, we filed the writ," he said.

He said several thousand trees were planted 10 years ago along a 20-kilometre stretch in Kushtia under a social forestry project. Of those, 10,000 were cut down last year, and recently a move was made to cut down another 3,000. Media reports on the issue came to their attention.

The lawyer said there is no policy on planting and felling trees in Bangladesh. Citing the example of Finland, he said there is a rule there that three trees must be planted for every tree cut. The secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the chief conservator of forests and the director general of the Department of Environment are among those named as respondents in the writ.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.