SHARIATPUR, Jan 2: There are 30 brick-fields in six upazilas of the district are burning bricks, but most of the brick-fields have no environment certificate and valid licence from the authority concerned.
These unlicensed brickfields are allegedly using wood for burning bricks and damaging crops.
The owners of the brick-fields said, they have to use wood due to highly cost and shortage of brick-burning coils. Meanwhile, one brick-field named MRB at Haturia under Gosairhat and another brick-field at Atong under Sadar upazila have been closed due to shortage of coil, Manager Tapon Shil and Ramchandra of the brick-fields alleged.
It is learnt that the owners of most of the brick kilns in six upazilas of Shariatpur district have been running their business without valid licence or no licence for a long time.
According to a reliable source, there are 30 brickfields in the district which most of them have no valid licence. The owners of these brick kilns are also using fire wood for burning bricks under the very nose of the law enforcers ignoring environment rules. Besides, they have set up their brick kilns illegally in the residential areas and on agricultural based lands causing serious health hazards and polluting environment.
The owners are allegedly felling different fruit bearing, wooden trees and medicinal trees to procure fire wood for burning bricks.
There are some brickfields at village Haturia under Gosairhat upazila, Berachaki and Char Sensus under Bhedarganj upazila, Kartikpur under Naria upazila, Kazirhat area under Jajira upazila which were set up on agricultural lands and have no government approved 120-feet fixed kilns. The brickfields have damaged the agro-products in these areas, some local farmers said.
Mojid Nai, Mohon Miah and Shahid Dhali of village Haturia under Gosairhat upazila said, after setting up of the bricks kilns in their village, they failed to cultivate the agro-based land and did not get sufficient crops.
Md Abul Kashem, Hossain Ali, Abdul Motaleb, Anower Bala and Siraz Miah, farmers of village Berachaki under Bhedarganj upazila complained that they had got a half of crops from the agricultural lands which they cultivated last year because of setting up brickfields on agricultural land in these areas. They complained it to the local administration but no action has been taken against the illegal brickfields' owners from the concerned authority.
According to section-5 of the Brick Burning Act-1989, no licence would be given if a brickfield is set up within three kilometres of a residential area.
The act also enjoins that the brickfield owners use at least 120-foot fixed kiln for burning bricks. But most of the brickfield owners in the district are violating the act. A brick field named KRN under Metco company at village Berachaki in Bhedarganj upazila and another brickfield at village Haturia under Gosairhat upazila of the district, have started to burn bricks by only 20 to 25 feet fixed height kilns which made by tin.
The owners of the brick fields Nazmul Kabir, Md. Majharul Islam and Murad Sarder admitted this fact and told this correspondent that they will build 120-feet fixed kilns by the next year.
The brick kiln owners, in collaboration with a section of dishonest officials, are running their business without valid license, it is alleged.
While visiting some brickfields at village Haturia under Gosairhat upazila, Atong, Monohar bazar, Kotapara villages under Sadar upazila and Berachaki, Narsinghpur under Bhedarganj upazila, Kazirhat and Bilashpur under Janjira upazila of the district, this correspondent saw huge wood stockpiled in front of the brickfields to be used for burning raw bricks.
According to sources in the district administration, there are 30 brickfields in six upazilas of the district. Of them, some 15 or 20 have valid licences for running brick business.
The sources said these illegal brickfield owners are yet to submit any applications to the district administration for license even 5 years after putting their brick kilns into operation.
Professor Liakot Ali Talukder of village Angaria in Sadar upazila, a noted environmentalist and professor of Chemistry told this correspondent that at least 25 per cent of forest resources was needed for the maintenance of environment. But use of wood in the brickfields has decreased it to 8 to 10 per cent on an average in the district, he said
adding that carbon monoxide, chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) and sulfur dioxide created by burning bricks are toxic and dangerous for the environment and even for human life.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Shariatpur Md. Mahmudul Hossain Khan told the local journalists that the district administration would take steps against those unlicensed brickfields' owners if found guilty by inquiry.
