The High Court
yesterday issued a contempt rule against 14 top government officials and the
president of Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association for not implementing its
directive on forming a committee for impartial supervision of ship breaking
activities.
The court also
asked them to explain why proceedings should not be initiated against them and
why they should not be punished for deliberately and persistently ignoring
safety of workers and protection of environment in gross violation of its March
2009 judgment.
The HC bench of
Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice AKM Shahidul Huq came up with
the rule following a contempt petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental
Lawyers Association (Bela).
The HC in March
2009 had directed the respondents to form a committee to ensure impartial
supervision of ship breaking activities, according to a Bela press release.
The court in 2011
ordered them to submit a report to it on whether the ship breaking yards were
operating in compliance with its directives, conditions of environmental
certificate and related laws.
As the committee is
yet to be formed, accidents at ship breaking yards have been causing deaths.
Ninety-three workers have died and the Department of Environment (DoE) has
fined seven ship breaking yards for not complying with the conditions of
environmental certificate since the HC delivered the directives in 2009, the
press release said.
Environment and
Forest Secretary Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Industries Secretary Mosharraf Hossain
Bhuiyan, Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar, Shipping Secretary
Shafique Alam Mehedi, Director General of the Department of Shipping Commodore
M Zakiur Rahman Bhuiyan and DoE Director General Raisul Alam Mondal are among
the government officials who have been made respondents to the contempt rule.
Fida M Kamal, Syeda
Rizwana Hassan and M Shafiul Alam appeared for Bela.
Source: the
daily star. 12 April 2016
http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/14-govt-high-officials-face-contempt-rule-1208011
No comments:
Post a Comment