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HC bans road construction through reserved forest land
Published : Thursday, 6 August, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Observer Online Report
The High Court has imposed a two-month ban on road construction through reserved forest land in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox’s Bazar and issued a rule in this regard.
A High Court bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Asif Hasan passed the order on Thursday (August 6) following the preliminary hearing of a public interest litigation filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA).
According to the case documents, 18,286.40 acres of land in Pahar Mouza No. 12 of Maheshkhali was transferred to the Forest Department for 100 years in 1954. The area was declared reserved forest through a gazette notification in 1957.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) has undertaken a 4.880-kilometre road project under the South Chittagong Regional Development Project (SCRDP), with 3.70 kilometres planned through the reserved forest.
BELA alleged that the road construction was undertaken without approval from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and despite objections from the Forest Department. It also alleged that trees and hills in the reserved forest had already been cleared for parts of the road.
The court asked why the LGED initiative to construct the road without the ministry’s approval should not be declared illegal and without lawful authority.
It also asked why the proposed 3.70-kilometre road project should not be cancelled, the paved section already constructed should not be removed, and necessary measures should not be taken to protect the reserved forest and its biodiversity.
Advocates Minhajul Haque Chowdhury and Rumana Sharmin Shanta represented BELA, while Attorney General Ruhul Quddus Kajal represented the government.
BELA’s Chittagong divisional coordinator Monira Parveen said the petition was filed to protect the reserved forest and biodiversity, warning that road construction there could cause deforestation, destroy wildlife habitats and threaten biodiversity.
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
