Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today warned that old and outdated buses polluting air in Dhaka will be scrapped.
“People in Dhaka will continue to suffer and die from air pollution but old buses will keep running on city streets polluting air, which will not be tolerated,” she told reporters after a meeting.
The meeting was held at Bidyut Bhaban in the capital, which focused on strengthening discipline in the transport sector, reducing traffic congestion, and checking air pollution in Dhaka.
Rizwana said the interests of a few cannot come at the cost of the health of the entire city’s population, so bus owners must take immediate action to this end.
She said a taskforce has been formed to monitor air pollution and it will work to control dust on Dhaka’s streets and monitor repair of roads.
Efforts will also be made to reduce pollution caused by dust, black smoke, brick kilns, and factories, the environment adviser said.
She emphasised that all actions would align with the Air Quality Management Plan.
Rizwana said the government is planning to declare Ashulia a no-brick-kiln zone to control air pollution in Dhaka.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been requested to reduce taxes on air purifiers, she said, stressing the need for making footpaths free from illegal encroachments.
Chaired by Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, the meeting was attended, among others, by Labour and Employment Adviser Brigadier General (Retd) Dr M Sakhawat Hossain and Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan.
