Govt takes legal action against 458 brick kilns, 209 fully shut down

Desk Report

Publisted at 7:59 PM, Tue Mar 12th, 2024

Government has taken legal actions against 458 unauthorized brick kilns, with 209 of them being fully shut down.

The Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Ministry executed this plan as part of its 100-day working action plan until 10 March.

Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury disclosed this information during a meeting held at the Bangladesh Secretariat to review the implementation progress of the plan.

Saber Hossain stated that the campaign against pollution caused by brick kilns would persist to combat air pollution across the country, including Dhaka city, through the use of a brick kiln tracker.

He emphasized that the use of technology would prevent officials from arbitrarily selecting brick kilns.

The environment minister directed concerned officials to continue taking legal measures against construction firms, transport, and factories that are polluting the environment.

He also urged officials to announce a revised roadmap for the 100 percent utilization of blocks in government construction and to take necessary steps, including coordinating with relevant departments, to provide financial incentives to entrepreneurs producing blocks.

During the meeting, Saber Hossain inquired about the progress of various initiatives, including the declaration of single-use plastic-free zones, online monitoring of Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), guidelines for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and the formulation of the National Waste Management Framework.

Environment Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Administration) of the ministry Iqbal Abdullah Harun, Additional Secretary (Environment) Dr Fahmida Khanom, Director General of the Department of Environment (DoE) Dr Abdul Hamid and Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hosain Chowdhury were, among others, present at the meeting.

 

 

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