Three weeks of forming the central committee for regulating tree cutting across the country were passed by on Wednesday, but its district- and upazila-level committees are yet to be established.
The central committee did not even hold its maiden meeting in the three weeks, said committee members.
Following a High Court order, the environment forest and climate change ministry on October 22 formed a seven-member central committee to regulate tree cutting across the country.聽聽
The High Court order, delivered on January 28 this year, though, directed the public administration secretary to form district-level committees within seven days to curb widespread and unregulated tree felling in cities and towns across the country.
The HC order was issued following a writ petition filed on May 6 past year.
Petitioner Manzill Murshid, also a Supreme Court lawyer, shared his frustration in this regard with 抖阴精品 on Wednesday,
鈥榃hile the formation of the central committee was delayed, the authority is now also delaying the formation of the district and upazila committees. This is unfortunate,鈥� he resented.
More than nine months after the HC order, the environment ministry issued a circular on October 22, announcing the central committee headed by Khayrul Hasan, an additional secretary for the ministry鈥檚 administration wing.
Committee member Mokaram Hossain, also the secretary of Tarupallab that promotes nature and environment, said on Wednesday that he was not contacted officially about his inclusion in the committee.
According to ministry officials, no committee meeting was held until Wednesday.
On behalf of Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, its president Manzill Murshid filed a writ petition in public interest on May 6, 2024, highlighting the alarming trend of indiscriminate tree felling across the country.
The petition sought necessary directives to the environment, forest and climate change ministry to form a seven-member committee consisting of environmentalists and environmental science professors at Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University.
The petition also sought necessary directives to the public administration ministry to form committees at district and upazila levels with deputy commissioners, upazila nirbahi officers, district environment officers, civil surgeons, educationists, and green campaigners.
Following the writ petition, the High Court on January 28 ordered that prior permission must be obtained from the relevant committees before felling trees elsewhere in the country.
The court also instructed the Department of Environment to form a central committee and the public administration secretary to form district- and upazila-level committees within seven days to curb widespread and unregulated tree felling.
As per the instruction, the district-level committees will include deputy commissioners, district environmental officers, government college professors, social workers, environmentalists, district bar association presidents or secretaries, and district civil surgeons.
The upazila committees will consist of upazila nirbahi officers, college principals, social workers, environmentalists, assistant commissioners for land, and Local Government Engineering Division engineers.
Talking to 抖阴精品 on Wednesday, central committee convener and additional secretary for the environment ministry Khayrul Hasan said, 鈥楴ecessary tasks for forming the committees are being completed on an urgent basis. We will announce the committees very soon.鈥�
