A Chattogram court fined three former office-bearers of Prabartak Sangha Tk 2 lakh each for illegally cutting a hill to construct structures in the city.
Judge Farzana Yasmin of the Chattogram Environment Court delivered the verdict on Monday.
Alauuddin, bench assistant of the court, and Muhit Mohammad Mohiuddin, lawyer for the convicts, confirmed the verdict to The Daily Star.
The convicts are Subhash Chandra Lala, former president of the organisation’s managing committee; Ranjit Kumar Dey, former vice-president; and Tinkari Chakrabortty, former general secretary.
According to court records, a hill belonging to Prabartak Sangha in the Prabartak intersection area of Panchlaish in Chattogram was cut for construction purposes. The Department of Environment (DoE) inspected the site and found preliminary evidence of hill cutting. It filed the case in 2016 through its then assistant director, Sanjukta Dasgupta.
Alauuddin said the court fined each of the three Tk 2 lakh for violating Section 6 (kha) of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995. They will each face one year in jail if they fail to pay the fine, he added.
The verdict was delivered after the court examined three witnesses, he said.
Mohiuddin said his clients would appeal against the verdict.
None of the three convicts was present in court when the verdict was announced.
Alauuddin said that, under the Environment Conservation Act, the convicts must pay their fines before filing appeals.