M K Alam; Dhaka – The High Court has issued an injunction on all activities related to the construction of a Secondary Transfer Station (STS) for waste management within Bhawal National Park and its adjacent reserved forest areas.
The court also directed the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) to immediately stop dumping waste in and around the park area.
A High Court division bench, comprising Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Justice Abdur Rahman, passed the order on Monday following a preliminary hearing.
The Ruling and Compensation
Alongside the interim injunction, the court issued a rule asking why the failure of authorities to stop unauthorized STS construction and waste dumping should not be declared illegal and against public interest.
The court further questioned why Gazipur City Corporation should not be ordered to pay compensation for the environmental and ecological damage caused to the park and the forest land.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the Forest Department have been asked to explain why they should not be directed to:
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Demarcate the boundaries of the park and forest land.
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Restore natural forests and wildlife habitats.
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Regulate tourism and implement technology-based surveillance systems.
Legal Action by BELA
The order came after a public interest litigation (No. 5098/2026) was filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA). Advocate Minhajul Haque Chowdhury moved the petition for BELA, assisted by Advocate Rumana Sharmin and Touhidul Alam.
The respondents in the case include the Secretaries of the Local Government Division and the Ministry of Environment, the Director General of the Department of Environment, the Chief Conservator of Forests, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Gazipur, and the Administrator of Gazipur City Corporation.
Background of the Dispute
The petition stated that Gazipur City Corporation has long been dumping collected waste near the main gate and along the boundary walls of the park.
This practice has severely damaged the environment, ecosystem, and wildlife habitats of the national park, while also creating public suffering by spreading waste onto the highways.
Previously, waste dumping was briefly halted in 2024 and 2025 due to intervention by the Forest Department.
However, the practice recently resumed, alongside efforts to build an unauthorized STS on reserved forest land and private property.
Despite requests from the Environment Ministry to refrain from such construction, the city corporation reportedly ignored the warnings, prompting BELA to seek judicial intervention to protect the park’s biodiversity.