The High Court today directed the Election Commission not to allow any person accused of grabbing river land to contest any election including local government and parliamentary polls.
The court also ordered Bangladesh Bank to take steps so that any person accused of grabbing river land cannot get bank loan.
Delivering judgment on a writ petition, the High Court asked the education ministry to take steps so that an hour-long class is taken each a week in two months at all government and private academic institutions including schools, college, universities and madrasahs each a week in two months for building awareness over the rivers.
The court asked the industries ministry to take a step so that meetings are held for one hour a day in two months each for building consciousness for protecting the river among the labourers of the mills and factories across the country.
The government has been ordered to amend the National River Protection Commission Act 2013 for making the National River Protection Commission effective and independent and submit a report after complying with the order before this court in six months.
The High Court ordered the commission to take necessary development measures and protection for all the rivers of the country.
The court declared Turag River as “legal and juristic person” and a living entity and asked the authorities concerned to remove all structures from it in the next 30 days.
The High Court bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal expressed special thanks to The Daily Star and its reporter concerned to run a report on a High Court observation.
The HC on Thursday observed that playing blind man's buff (kanamachhi) over protection of rivers must stop, as grabbers return to occupy river banks even after their eviction.
Grabbing river land and eviction of land grabbers will go on until the National River Protection Commission (NRPC) can take effective actions to this end, it said.
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