Dhaka: Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has announced a crackdown on polythene manufacturers and businessmen, stating that those involved in the production and marketing of banned polythene will no longer be spared. ‘With the support of joint forces, strict drives will be launched against those who are involved with such illegal activities,’ Hasan declared during a view exchange meeting at the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Bangladesh Secretariat.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the meeting, presided over by Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, resolved to undertake rigorous operations targeting the production, import, marketing, sale, display for sale, storage, distribution, and commercial transportation of banned polythene shopping bags. The environment advisor underlined the necessity of a collective effort to safeguard the environment, proposing a coordinated and uninterrupted action plan involving the administration, law enforcement agencies, local government bodies, and the public.
High-ranking officials present at the meeting included Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Nasimul Ghani, Additional Secretary Khandaker Mahbubur Rahman, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Environment Dr. Fahmida Khanom, Director General of the Department of Environment Md. Kamruzzaman, and other senior law enforcement and city corporation officials. Their participation signals a high-level commitment to addressing the issue of illegal polythene activities.
In a related development, a mobile court in Kishoreganj filed a case and seized polythene bags, while a raid in Araihazar Upazila of Narayanganj resulted in the shutdown of a polythene manufacturing unit, with electricity connections being cut and the electric meter seized. These actions mark the beginning of the strict enforcement measures discussed at the meeting.