High Court issued Rule upon the Govt. to take steps for protection of agricultural land
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Several reports were published in cÖ_g Av‡jv Zvs- 26/09/2012, ˆ`wbK BbwKjve, Zvs-11/10/2012 Ges ewbK evZ©v Zvs-02/12/2013 that every year hundreds of acres agricultural land are being used for the purposes other than agricultural purposes, which ultimately cause to reduction of rice production and may hamper the sufficient food supply for the citizens of Bangladesh.
 

Human Rights And Peace For Bangladesh (HRPB), a humanitarian and environmentalist organization filed a Writ Petition on 09.04.14 for immediate steps to stop reduction of agricultural land.


Today after hearing the parties, a Division Bench comprising of Ms. Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Mr. Justice Md. Habibul Goni was pleased to issue Rule calling upon the respondents to show cause as to why the inaction/failure of the respondents to take steps for protection of agricultural land and to take steps for effective law in order to implement the purpose and objectives of the National Land Use Policy 2001 for the better interest of the citizens of Bangladesh, should not be declared illegal and without lawful authority. The Hon’ble High Court further directed the respondents Nos: 4-7 to form an expert committee to formulate policy to stop reduction of agricultural land and its uses for non-agricultural purposes and submit a report before this Hon’ble Court within 90 (ninety) days.

During the hearing, the Counsel for the petitioner, Advocate Manzill Murshid submitted that right to life is guaranteed in our Constitution and food is the vital component/need for life and its existence. He also submitted that if day by day agricultural land is reduced in the manner as reported in the news paper, there would be severe food crisis in the near future. He also submitted that though there is a policy named: National Land Use Policy 2001, wherein several steps were mentioned to protect the agricultural land, but Govt. did not pass any appropriate law for that purpose.

 
The petitioner is Advocate Asaduzzaman Siddique and the Respondents are the Secretary, Cabinet Division; the Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office; the Secretary, Legislative and Drafting Wing, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; the Secretary, Ministry of Land; the Secretary, Ministry of Planning; the Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and the Secretary, Ministry of Food, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka.


The Writ Petition was moved by Advocate Manzill Murshid.
 
Sender:
Manzill Murshid.
Advocate