The Bangladesh High Court on Thursday observed that any notified forest area cannot be allocated or leased for any purpose that damages the country’s forest.
The HC said that government should refrain from allocating forest areas no matter whether it is declared reserved forest or not, for any purpose if it affects the forest.
The high court declared illegal a lease agreement under which the deputy commissioner of Chattogram issued the lease of 7.1 acre notified forest area at Uttar Salimpur in Shitakunda to BBC Steel on March 21 last year, Daily Star reported.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (Bela), an HC bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandakar Diliruzzaman cancelled the lease agreement.
After getting the lease, the company cut some trees there and built road in order to establish a ship-breaking yard.
On April 28 last year, Bela filed a writ petition with the HC challenging the legality of the lease agreement.