Staff Correspondent :
The Department of Environment has shut down the operations of three illegal brick kilns during an anti–air pollution drive in the Pagla Nandlalpur and Dapa Shailkura areas of Fatullah in Narayanganj Sadar upazila. A total fine of Tk 15 lakh was also collected from the kilns. The operation was conducted on Sunday (21 December) under the leadership of Fayzunnesa Akhter, Executive Magistrate and Senior Assistant Secretary of the Monitoring and Enforcement Wing of the Department of Environment.
The drive was carried out with the participation of Narayanganj District Police, RAB-11, Fire Service, the power distribution authority (DPDC), and officials from the district office of the Department of Environment. The prosecution was led by Md. Russell Mahmud, Assistant Director of the Department of Environment’s Narayanganj district office. Legal action was taken against the three illegal brick kilns under the Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) Act, 2013 (amended in 2019). Electricity connections to the kilns were disconnected and meters removed. Bricks and structures were demolished using excavators, and the chimneys were partially dismantled. With assistance from the Fire Service, water was sprayed to render the raw bricks unusable. The fined brick kilns are: Abdullah Bricks Suppliers-2 (Tk 500,000), Messrs MSB Bricks (Tk 500,000), and Messrs SUA Bricks (Tk 500,000). The Department of Environment stated that such enforcement drives against illegal brick kilns and air-polluting factories and projects will continue regularly in Narayanganj and other parts of the country.
