In Naogaon, wood is being burnt illegally in brick kilns without heeding the law

 

Nuruzzaman Liton, Naogaon District Representative

  In Sapahar upazila of Naogaon district, the owners of brick kilns have set up several unlicensed brick kilns near educational institutions and on wide crop lands without heeding the government regulations.

These tides have no clearance from the Department of Environment. Due to the sudden increase in the price of coal, the local administration is managing and burning bricks with firewood. As a result, crop lands are under serious threat. Besides, the natural balance is being disturbed as all the forests of the country are being encroached upon.

The Brick Making and Kiln Installation (Control) Act 2013 states that in the interest of conservation and development of environment and biodiversity, brick kilns of modern technology such as Zigzag Clean, Hybrid Hoffman Clean, Vertical Shaft Clean, Tunnel Clean or similar technology should be installed.

The brick kiln cannot be started without clearance from the Department of Environment, approval of the Deputy Commissioner or license. There is a provision of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Tk 10 lakh for violating this law. In order to supervise these brickfields, there is a provision to take action against the violators of law in collaboration with the forest department and local upazila administration under the direction of the deputy commissioner. But due to their mysterious silence, most of the brick kiln owners in Sapahar continue to carry out their illegal activities by managing the people concerned without heeding these laws.

The kiln owners have finished the topsoil of the crop land by making bricks from the soil around the kiln. At present, they are buying bricks in different areas of the upazila, cutting the soil with Vicu machine and bringing it down with drum truck to make bricks. As a result, the roads in the area are under threat.

Visiting Messrs. Haque Brix (Prof. Naimul Haque Monirul) and Messrs. Satata Brix of Sapahar Upazila on the spot, it was seen that there are two brickfields on the side of Shimul Danga road. The chalk burning festival is going on inside just by name (Hawa Bhata).

Thousands of firewood have been stored around these unlicensed brick kilns. As a result of burning wood at low tide, brick chimneys and drum chimneys are emitting smoke at high speed. And that smoke is causing huge damage to the surrounding crops.

When asked how it goes, they said that the low tide is managed by managing every sector starting from the upazila administration, deputy commissioner and forest department.

The way things are going all over Bangladesh, the way the tides are being managed, the way the tides are being run this year as well.

Sapahar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Abdullah Al Mamun said that no brick kiln operation has been conducted in Sapahar so far in 2022. Necessary action will be taken against these ebbs through search operations.

In this regard, Naogaon Deputy Commissioner Khalid Mehedi (PAA) said, necessary action will be taken against these ebbs through a search operation.