High Court has suspended the order for allocation of 700 acres of forest land for construction of a training academy for government officials in Cox's Bazar for the next three months.
At the same time, the High Court has issued a rule asking why the order for allocation of land will not be declared illegal.
The Cabinet Secretary, Environment and Forest Secretary, Land Secretary and Public Administration Secretary have been asked to reply to the rule within the next four weeks making them respondents.
A High Court bench comprising Justice Mojibur Rahman Mia and Justice Md Quamrul Hossain Molla passed the order on Monday after hearing on a writ petition.
Advocate Sheikh Md Moniruzzaman Kabir held a hearing on a writ petition at the court.
During the hearing, he told the court that the Department of Forest is the owner of 700 acres of forest land in Cox's Bazar. Ignoring the objection of the Department of Forest, the Ministry of Land has allocated the huge land area in Jhilong mouza of Cox's Bazar to the Ministry of Public Administration. But, the Ministry of Land is not the owner of the land. The country's highest court has a judgement for protection of the environmentally critical areas. In such a situation, a government department has allocated 700 acres of land for construction of a training academy. If the proposed training academy is built on the land, it will bring environmental disaster in the area.
On September 5 last, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Environment, Forest and Climate Change ministry opposed the construction of the training academy for government officials on 700 acres of forest land in Cox's Bazar.
The committee recommended the ministry not to give the final clearance for the project. The committee said they are not against the construction of the training academy. However, it could not be done in a reserved forest area.
There is no scope of allocating a reserved forest land. However, the Ministry of Land allocated 700 acres of reserved forest land in Jhliong mouza in Cox's Bazar to the Public Administration Ministry in June last year.
The Forest Department has claimed that the 700 acres of reserved forest land under Jhliong mouza in Cox's Bazar belongs to it. But, the Ministry of Public Administration took the allocation of land from the Ministry of Land. According to the environment protection act, no structure can be built on such a piece of forest land which is very critical to maintain ecological balance in the area.
later, Advocate Sheikh Md Moniruzzaman submitted a writ to the High Court attaching the report for public interest.
