The electricity and gas connections to 20 industrial factories operating without effluent treatment plants along the banks of the Sitalakhya River in Narayanganj have been disconnected following a High Court order.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority submitted a report to the High Court bench of Justice Fahmida Quader and Justice Md Asif Hasan recentlyafter the step was taken to implement the court directive.
On March 5, the High Court ordered the authorities to disconnect the electricity and gas connections to the 20 factories operating without ETPs after hearing a supplementary application filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh, a rights organisation.
The court also asked the authorities to submit a compliance report.
After the hearing, HRPB lawyer Manzill Murshid told reporters that the BIWTA had implemented the court order and disconnected the electricity and gas connections to the 20 factories mentioned in the report.
The court accepted the report and kept it on record.
Earlier, on April 24, 2025, three lawyers on behalf of the HRPB filed a writ petition, seeking court directives to stop pollution in the Sitalakhya River and take action against polluting industries.
Following a preliminary hearing on May 6 past year, the High Court issued a rule along with interim directives.
