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The transport authority has been asked to provide a list of public buses with over 20 years’ economic life in an effort to control air pollution in Dhaka city, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said on Sunday, reiterating the government’s commitment that Dhaka city buses older than 20 years must, exceeding their economic life, be withdrawn to prevent air pollution.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) will send the list of such buses by April 8, and then the Transport Owners Association will provide a plan to withdraw those buses by April 20, he said at a discussion in the ministry on the control of air pollution caused by black smoke from public transport and not keeping construction materials in the open and burning of biomass waste.
“There will be no compromise in the larger national interest,” he warned.
Mr Chowdhury said that the budget allocation for pollution control in government development activities should be spent on the implementation of pollution control activities.
Titus Gas, Electricity Department, WASA, City Corporation will coordinate the development plan related to road excavation. Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation has to stop importing diesel with sulphur, he said.
The city corporation shall take necessary measures to ensure that waste is not burnt in the open. RAJUK, city corporation, police department will ensure covering of construction materials during construction, the environment minister said.
Vehicles beyond their service life must be scrapped in full compliance with the rules. If any company fails to comply with the relevant conditions of environmental pollution control of RAJUK, the permission of the related construction activities will be cancelled, he emphasised.
Vehicles beyond their service life must be dismantled in strict accordance with regulations. Companies that fail to meet RAJUK's environmental pollution control conditions will see their construction activity permissions revoked, he emphasised.
Md Nabirul Islam, secretary of Ministry of Housing & Public Works; Iqbal Abdullah Harun, additional secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Nur Mohammad Mazumder, chairman of BRTA; government officials concerned; and passenger welfare asocial representatives, among others, were present.