The High Court has ruled that permission from expert committees is mandatory for felling trees in Dhaka, other city areas, and along roadsides across the country.
A High Court bench, comprising Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Asif Hasan, delivered the verdict following a review hearing.
The court has formed committees to determine the necessity of tree felling.
Advocate Manzill Murshid, representing the petitioner, confirmed that trees in Dhaka, as well as in district and upazila towns and along roads, can only be cut following approval from these committees.
The court initially ruled that this directive would not apply to government projects. However, a review application was filed on 17 July last year seeking to amend and reconsider this exemption.
On Thursday, the court granted the review, meaning government projects now also require permission before trees can be felled.
The ruling follows a 2024 writ petition filed by the human rights and environmental organisation Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) to curb rising temperatures and environmental pollution.
On 7 May 2024, the court issued a rule asking why tree felling in Dhaka and in various districts and upazilas should not be declared contrary to human rights and the environment.
The court observed that more trees must be preserved as temperatures continue to rise, noting that widespread felling disrupts environmental balance and undermines the right to life. The judgment highlighted that Bangladesh lacks the necessary tree cover required for environmental stability.
The court also directed the Department of Environment (DoE) to form a committee for Dhaka within seven days, consisting of environmentalists, experts, and professors from the Environmental Science departments of Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University.
For district-level oversight, the Ministry of Public Administration was ordered to issue a circular within seven days to form committees comprising the Deputy Commissioner (DC), District Environment Officer, Government College Principal, social workers, environmentalists, the President or General Secretary of the District Bar Association, and the Civil Surgeon.
At the upazila level, DCs must issue circulars to form committees including the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), College Principal, social workers, environmentalists, Social Welfare Officer, and LGED Executive Engineer.
Regarding the Social Forestry Rules 2004, the court directed that trees planted under this programme cannot be cut. Instead, the individuals who planted them must be paid the equivalent market value of the trees. The court ordered amendments to the Social Forestry Rules to reflect this change.
Advocate Manzill Murshid moved the plea for the petitioner, while Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Muhammad Shafiqur Rahman represented the state. The respondents in the writ included 15 officials, including the Cabinet Secretary and the Public Administration Secretary.
