HC declares two firms  of Noor Ali illegal

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday declared two companies, Unique Property Development Ltd (UPDL) and Sonargaon Economic Zone (SEZ) of Md Noor Ali, illegal for grabbing and filling up crop fields, lowland and water bodies in six mouzas of Sonargaon upazila in Narayanganj. The HC ordered the Department of Environment (DoE) and local administrations of Sonargaon and Narayanganj to take necessary steps to restore the farmland and wetland there in six months.
The court said Sonargaon Economic Zone can only operate provided the DoE and National River Conservation Commission give clearance to the project of the UPDL. The HC bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil delivered the verdict disposing of a writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) in 2014 challenging the legality of the project.
The HC observed that UPDL and SEZ grabbing farmland and wetland located at six moujas in Sonargaon area near the bank of Meghna River in violation of the relevant laws and directives issued by the HC and Appellate Division of the Supreme Court at different times.