High Court halts Cox's Bazar beach road construction

The High Court of Bangladesh has issued an eight-week injunction to halt road construction activities involving the filling of sand dunes at Sugandha Beach in Cox's Bazar. The order applies to a project spanning from Sugandha Point to Hotel Saymon, an area designated as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) and a ‘no development zone’.

The legal action was initiated by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) due to concerns that the construction violates environmental laws and threatens the region's biodiversity and natural defenses against storm surges and coastal erosion. The project, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and managed by the Cox's Bazar Municipality, involves building a road and a coastal protection embankment.

In addition to the injunction, the court has issued a rule asking why the construction should not be declared illegal and why parts of the already completed road should not be removed to restore the beach and its biodiversity. The court also postponed hearings regarding a contempt of court application filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) against several officials, including the Deputy Commissioner and the project director.