HC asks govt to conduct survey Kaptai Lake boundaries

The High Court on Sunday directed the government to conduct a survey of the boundaries of Kaptai Lake in Rangamati and submit a report before it identifying the owners of illegal structures occupying the lake area.

The HC bench comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan ordered the Rangamati deputy commissioner and the director general of the Department of Survey to carry out the survey based on the original map of Kaptai Lake and submit their report on January 6 next year.

The HC bench came up with the orders after hearing a supplementary petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) in this regard.

The petition was filed following reports that parts of the lake were being illegally occupied and polluted.

In response to a petition, the HC bench had on October 17 in 2022 issued a rule and directed the authorities to survey the lake and evict illegal occupants.
However, during subsequent eviction drives, the authorities reportedly faced difficulties identifying encroachers, as many occupants claimed ownership of the land.