Why govt should not be asked to repair cyclone-hit dams: HC

The High Court today asked the government to explain in four weeks as to why it should not be directed to repair the dams which were damaged due to cyclones Sidr and Aila in four southern districts of the country.

In a rule, the court asked the government to show cause why its inaction to reconstruct the damaged dams in Barguna, Bagerhat, Patuakhali and Pirojpur district should not be declared illegal.

The court also ordered the government to submit a report before it in three months on how many dams were damaged in the cyclones.

The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Md Izarul Haque Akondo came up with the rule and the order following a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

The organisation in the petition said the water of southern coastal areas of the country have become saline as the dams were damaged when Sidr and Aila hit the country.

Therefore thousands of people of those areas are using saline water which is harmful for health and livelihood, petitioner’s lawyer said in the plea.

The government has not taken any effective step to reconstruction of the damaged dams, he mentioned.

During the hearing, petitioner’s counsel Manzill Murshid prayed to the court to pass necessary order on the authorities concerned of the government to take steps for reconstructing the dams.