Form committees to monitor utility lines in Dhaka : HC

Staff Reporter :
The High Court on Tuesday ordered the authorities concerned to form a seven-member monitoring committee in every ward of the two city corporations in Dhaka, consisting of experts from the relevant departments, to regularly monitor the sewerage and gas lines of every establishment and building for the sake of the safe living of the residents of the capital city.
Chairman of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk), Managing Director of the Titas Gas Transmission & Distribution Company Limited, Managing Director of the Dhaka Wasa, Chief Executive Officers of Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations have been asked to form these committees within seven days. The respondents have also been asked to take necessary actions to repair the sewerage and gas lines if any defect is found during the monitoring of the committees. The court has also asked the respondents to submit a compliance report after every eight weeks regarding the issue.
The High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Ahmed Sohel passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed in this regard.
It also issued a rule asking the respondents to explain as to why their inaction and failure to regularly monitor the sewerage and gas lines of every establishment and building in every ward of the two city corporations in Dhaka for the sake of safe living of the residents should not be declared illegal.
In the rule it also wanted to know as to why the respondents should not be directed to take necessary actions to ensure the safety of the Dhaka city dwellers.
Housing and Public works Secretary, Energy Secretary, Local Government Secretary, Rajuk Chairman, Managing Directors of Titas Gas and Dhaka Wasa, Chief Executive Officers of the Dhaka North and Dhaka South City Corporations and others have been asked to comply with the rule.
The court fixed May 16 for passing further order on the issue.
In the context of recent explosions in Science Lab and Siddique Bazar areas in the capital, two Supreme Court lawyers on behalf of a rights organization, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), filed the writ petition on March 12 this year.
Lawyer Manzill Murshid appeared in the court hearing on behalf of the writ petitioners, while Assistant Attorney General Modaccher Ali Khan represented the state.
Later Manzill Murshid said, “Negligence of the concerned authorities was identified as the main cause in the recent explosions of Science Lab and Siddique Bazar areas. There are thousands of establishments and buildings with sewerage and gas lines in Dhaka city.
Although there is a system to maintain those sewerage and gas lines, the authorities are not active in this regard. Their inaction has thrown thousands of people of the city into the death risk. So it is important to take appropriate steps in this regard. On this sense, we filed this writ petition as a public interest litigation.”