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The government has realised Tk 250 million in fines from raids conducted across the country against brick kilns, factories and business entities that violated environmental regulations.
A high official at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said on Friday that the mobile teams of the Department of Environment (DoE) during drives from January 2 to July 10, 2025 filed 2,846 cases and realised the said amount of money.
He said that drives were conducted nationwide against vehicles for emitting black smoke, brick kilns and steel mills, hazardous waste discharge, poor solid waste management, illegal lead-acid battery recycling plants, wetland encroachment, tyre pyrolysis units and charcoal factories for causing air pollution.
The official added that during the drives 483 illegal brick kilns were completely shut down by demolishing chimneys while orders were issued to close 216 more kilns, and raw bricks of 132 were destroyed.
The mobile courts fined 904 business entities and realised over Tk 6.0 million (Tk 67,40,400) and seized around 0.2 million (2,45,707) kilograms of polythene during the mentioned period.
Besides, electricity supply to 91 business establishments was halted, two individuals were sentenced to one month's jail, and six lead-acid battery recycling units were shut down. The ministry official further said that two mobile courts realised Tk 6,500 in six cases for sound pollution at Mirpur in the capital and in Kishoreganj district on Friday.
One the same day, Tk 13,000 was realised in fine in a case filed under Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995 (Amended -2010) in Kishoreganj and 27.4 kg polythene was also seized.
Two enforcement teams of the DoE stopped utility services of two entities in Narayanganj and Pabna for violation of environmental compliance.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com