The Bangladesh High Court (BHC) has allowed setting up of factories near the Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) of Sundarbans.

The court in an order asked the Bangladesh government to provideenvironmental clearance to three companies for setting up LPG bottling plants.

The plants are to be set up in Mongla industrial area near theSundarbans.

The High Court in its order said that the number of industriesthat can be set up in the ECA will be decided by the government.

Several industries have been set-up over the last few years inSundarbans although an area of 10 km radius was declared ecologically criticalin 1999.

It may be mentioned that, Sundarbans is the world's largestmangrove area which spread over 10 thousand square kilometers.

60 percent of the total area of Sundarbans falls in Bangladeshwhile 40 percent area is in India.