Illegal Housing
TIB slates legalisation
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday condemned the government’s decision to legalise some illegal housing schemes defying a High Court directive and ignoring environmental impacts.
Expressing deep concern over the decision by an inter-ministerial body to “provisionally’ approve the projects, the anti-graft watchdog urged the government to cancel the decision immediately and refrain from doing the same. The HC in June last year had declared the projects illegal.
“The decision is as regrettable, illegal and unacceptable as it is damaging for the reputation of the government. It raises questions about the government’s commitment to the rule of law, public interest and environmental justice,” Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, said in a statement.
The government decision not only defies the court directive to take action against illegal schemes in wetlands and farmland, but also undermines its credibility in terms of its commitment to environmental sustainability, he added.
It is common knowledge for all including the Department of Environment that the project areas are part of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha’s Detailed Area Plan (DAP) and the schemes have been declared illegal particularly for their adverse environmental implications, mentioned the TIB official.
Such moves, he noted, are bound to damage the credibility of the government and raise doubts about the moral and ethical basis of its high-sounding commitment to fight environmental degradation and climate change.
-With UNB/The Daily Star input
