The High Court on Wednesday asked the authorities to submit a detailed report on the death of a 32-year-old woman, Faria Tasnim Jyoti, who fell into an uncovered manhole in Tongi in Gazipur and died on July 27, within 90 days.
The High Court bench of justices Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury and justice Faiz Ahmed issued the rule asking the authorities to explain why the negligence should not be considered illegal and a violation of the constitutional rights to life, said a press release issued by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust.
The court also issued three directives to the authorities.
It directed the authorities to investigate the failure in maintenance of the uncovered manhole and the death of Jyoti, and submit a detailed report with recommendations within 90 days.
The court also directed the authorities that all uncovered manholes must be covered with protective barriers installed, and warning signs displayed to prevent future accidents.
It further directed the authorities to publish the investigation results and the taken safety measures and made them available to the public.
BLAST and Ain o Salish Kendra jointly filed the public interest litigation on August 24.聽聽聽
The release stated that BLAST鈥檚 investigation found that the manhole had remained uncovered for a long time without any protective barriers or warning signs.
It also revealed that another woman had fallen into the same manhole before Jyoti, but was rescued by local residents.
The investigation also found negligence and a lack of coordination among the authorities responsible for maintaining the manholes.