Dhaka, Feb 19 – A High Court bench Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction for not taking effective step to curb the mosquito menace in the capital city of Dhaka.
“You (city corporation lawyer) are not taking effective step to curb the mosquito menace in the city. People are going hospital following the mosquito’s bite,” the HC bench comprising Justice FRM Nazmul
Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader came up with the observation while hearing on a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) seeking its directive on air pollution in capital
Dhaka.
Advocate Manzill Murshid, counsel for the petitioner, told The Independent that the HC bench asked the city corporation authority to take effective measure to curb the mosquito menace in the city.
Earlier on January, the same bench of the HC ordered the Department of Environment (DoE) to conduct mobile court drives twice a week to take legal action against those responsible for air pollution in the
capital.
The HC bench also asked the authorities concerned to take steps to surround areas undergoing development and repair works within the next 15 days to prevent the spread of dust. It ordered to spray water in ‘dusk-prone’ areas twice a day.
The mayors of the two city corporations, executive officers and the DoE director general have been asked to submit a report within the next two weeks on implementation of the court order.
They have submitted reports before the HC bench yesterday saying that the city corporations authorities have taken steps to curb the air pollution in line with the HC order.
However, the HC bench asked them to submit further report before it by March 5 over the matter. The HC bench kept the matter on March 5 for the next hearing on it.
The HRPB had on January 27 filed the writ petition with the HC attaching the news and reports on air pollution in capital Dhaka.
Dhaka was ranked third on the World Health Organisation’s 2019 list of most polluted cities. – Staff Reporter
