A writ petition was on Sunday filed in public interest, seeking directive to the authorities concerned to form committees at the district and upazila levels to prevent tree felling across the country indiscriminately.
Lawyer Manzill Murshid filed the petition on behalf of the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, seeking the directives as festival of tree felling was going on across the country amid the severe heat wave aggravating people.
Manzill said that the petition would be moved for hearing by the bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice KM Zahid Sarwar Monday.
HRPB sought a directive on the ministry of environment, forest and climate change to form in seven days a seven members committee comprising environmentalists, environmental scientists, and professors of environment science of the Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University, who will take decision if there is any necessary to cut trees.
The HRBP also prayed for a HC directive on the public administration ministry for issuing a circular in seven days to form district-wise committees, headed by the deputy commissioners, so that a tree could not be felled without the permission of the committee.
Other members of the proposed committee include the district environment officer, the principal of the local government college, social workers, environmentalists, the president or secretary of the district bar association and the civil surgeon.
The HRPB sought another directive to the public administration ministry to issue a circular in seven days for forming upazila-level committees, headed by the upazila nirbahi officers, to prevent tree felling without permission from the committee.
The proposed upazila level committee members include the principal of local college, social workers, the social welfare officer, assistant commissioner of land and the executive engineer of local government and engineering division.
HRPB said that before forming the committee, the environment department would seek instructions from their higher authorities to prevent tree felling.聽
The HRPB sought a rule on the authorities to explain why their failure to prevent tree felling would not be declared illegal.
HRPB sought another directive on the government authorities to explain why they would not be asked to include a provision in the social forestation rules, 2004 to provide payment for tree plantation.
