The High Court has issued a rule asking the authorities concerned with the government to explain in four weeks why they should not be directed to take necessary steps to prevent the smuggling of brass, collected from ships at different ship-breaking yards in the country.
In the rule, the court also asked the respondents to show causes as to why they should not be ordered to ensure that no person under the age of 18 years is employed at the ship-breaking yard, and to take proper insurance, and health and safety measures in the yards in order to protect the labours from any unwarranted casualties.
Secretaries at the ministries of industries; commerce; home affairs; labour and employment and health and family welfare; director general of Bangladesh Ship Breaking Recycling Board under the industries ministry; chairman of National Board of Revenue (NBR); chairman of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC); chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority; and chief controller of imports and exports under commerce ministry have been made respondents to the rule.
In response to a writ petition, the HC also ordered the director general of the Bangladesh Ship Breaking Recycling Board to submit a report on the inventory of brass collected from each ship at the ship-breaking yards before this court in three months.
The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil issued the rule and order following a writ petition filed as a public interest litigation by the rights organization Law and Life Foundation Trust last month seeking necessary directives.
During the hearing of the petition yesterday, the petitioner’s lawyer Mohammad Humaun Kabir Pallob told the HC that a huge quantity of brass collected from the ships at the ship-breaking yards has reportedly been smuggled to different countries by a syndicate and therefore, the cost of brass is increasing in the country day by day.
Smuggling of brass must be stopped in order to protect, develop and flourish the domestic industries, he argued. Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy and Assistant Attorney General Farhana Bithi represented the state during hearing of the petition.
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