GURUDASPUR, NATORE, Dec 30: A mobile court here on Sunday conducted a drive against illegal brick kilns operating on agricultural lands in Gurudaspur Upazila of the district and imposed fines totalling Tk 28 lakh.
The drive led by Gurudaspur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Salma Akter conducted from 10 am to 3 pm, targeted nine brick kilns violating environmental regulations.
UNO Salma said that these brick kilns were established on farmland, disrupting agricultural production and causing environmental damage. The action was taken under the Brick Kiln Control Act. The kiln owners were instructed to relocate their operations from the agricultural land immediately. Additionally, they were provided guidance on exploring alternative business opportunities.
The fined brick kilns are: SAR Bricks, MBP Bricks, AMB Bricks, AKB Bricks, MZB Bricks, HKB Bricks, HRB Bricks, HBB Bricks, and Molla Super Bricks. Each of those was fined from Tk 3 lakh to 4 lakh.
The operation was carried out with the support of the Department of Environment officials including its Inspector Md Borhan Uddin and Assistant Director Md Rafiqul Islam along with Army Captain Md Arafat Rahman and Gurudaspur Police Station Sub-Inspector Md Masud Rana.
The Upazila administration stated that such drives would continue in the future to preserve the environment and safeguard agricultural productivity.
