The High Court has directed authorities to take immediate steps to prevent the operation of illegal brick kilns in the hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari.

The Deputy Commissioners of these three districts have been instructed to take action within one week of receiving the order.

The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Debashish Roy Chowdhury passed the order on Sunday.

They have also been asked to submit a report on their actions within two weeks.

Senior Advocate Manzil Morshed, along with Advocates Sanjay Mondal, Eklas Uddin Bhuiyan, Nasrin Sultana, and Selim Reza, represented the petitioners. Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Md Tanim Khan appeared for the state.

9 illegal brick kilns shut down, fined Tk 47 lakh in Sirajganj

In 2022, Advocate Md. Sarwar Ahad Chowdhury, representing Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), filed a writ petition in the public interest to halt the operation of unlicensed and illegal brick kilns in the three hill districts.

The respondents in the case include 24 individuals, including officials from the Ministry of Forests and Environment.

Following the petition, the court issued a rule to stop the illegal brick kiln operations. However, since no appropriate action had been taken or progress reported by the defendants, HRPB filed another application seeking urgent intervention.

The application highlighted the approaching brick production season (October 2024 to April 2025), during which illegal kilns are expected to resume operations. The petition argued that these unlicensed brick kilns pose a significant environmental threat.

DCs asked to take steps to close illegal brick kilns, stop use of disposable plastic

Advocate Manzil Morshed told reporters that if illegal brick kilns are allowed to operate, they will cause severe harm to the environment and public health.

He said that preventing their operation is crucial to safeguarding both.