The High Court has directed the authorities concerned to remove all plastic waste from the banks of the Buriganga River in Islampur area under Lalbagh and Kamrangirchar police stations and submit a report on the matter.
 
The court also directed the authorities to take necessary measures to prevent anyone from dumping plastic waste in the area in the future and set 14 December as the deadline for submitting the report.
 
A High Court bench comprising Justice Ahmed Sohel and Justice SM Iftekhar Uddin Mahmud issued the directive on Sunday.
 
In 2010, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) filed a writ petition seeking to stop pollution of the river. Following the petition, the High Court issued several directives.Bangladesh news updates
 
Later, acting on a supplementary application filed by the petitioner, the court on September 2 ordered the removal of plastic and other waste from the riverbank in Islampur.
 
On Sunday, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) submitted a report in compliance with the court’s directive. The report stated that approximately 300 tonnes of waste had been removed. However, it did not specify whether all the waste had been cleared.Bangladesh news updates
 
The court’s directive required the complete removal of waste from the riverbank and instructed the authorities to inform the court of the measures taken to prevent further dumping of plastic waste in the area.
 
During the hearing, lawyers representing HRPB argued that the report did not clarify whether all the waste had been removed in accordance with the court’s order. It also contained no information about measures taken to prevent future dumping. Therefore, they argued, the submitted report was unacceptable.
 
After the hearing, the court ordered that the respondents’ report be kept on record but not accepted.
 
The respondents include the secretaries of the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the managing director of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA), the chairman of BIWTA, the director general of the Department of Environment, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner and the Dhaka deputy commissioner, among others.
 
Lawyer Manzill Murshid represented the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General Khan Ziaur Rahman appeared for the state.