Over Tk 25 Crore in Fines, 687 Brick Kilns Shut Down, and Nearly 200,000 Kgs of Polythene Seized in Special Anti-Pollution Drives

Dhaka, 15 May 2025 – At the initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Department of Environment (DoE) has carried out 919 mobile court operations across Bangladesh between 2 January and 15 May 2025. These enforcement drives targeted a range of environmental violations, including black smoke-emitting vehicles, illegal brick kilns, air-polluting steel mills, noise pollution, unsafe waste disposal, unauthorised lead and battery recycling plants, wetland encroachment, tyre pyrolysis units, charcoal factories, and the open storage of construction materials contributing to air pollution.

During this period, 2,136 cases were filed, resulting in fines totalling Tk 25,06,93,200 (approximately Tk 25 crore). As part of the enforcement, 471 brick kilns had their chimneys demolished and were completely shut down, while a further 216 kilns were ordered to cease operations. Raw bricks from 130 kilns were also destroyed. In addition, electricity and utility connections were disconnected from four establishments, one individual received a one-month simple imprisonment sentence, and eight truckloads of lead/battery melting equipment were confiscated from six factories, which were subsequently closed.

Furthermore, between 3 November 2024 and 15 May 2025, a total of 396 mobile courts were conducted across the country in relation to the illegal production, sale, and distribution of banned polythene. These efforts resulted in fines amounting to Tk 59,83,300 being imposed on 738 establishments, while approximately 196,515 kilograms of polythene were seized.

On 15 May 2025 alone, four mobile courts were deployed in the Adabor and Mohammadpur areas of Dhaka, as well as in the Rajbari and Jhalokathi districts, under the Air Pollution (Control) Rules 2022. These drives targeted air pollution caused by the use of wood in coal production, leading to four cases and Tk 2,22,000 in fines.

That same day in Faridpur, another mobile court filed two cases against illegal brick kilns, collecting fines of Tk 2,00,000. Meanwhile, in Dhaka’s Mirpur-1 area, a separate operation led to four cases relating to black smoke emissions, with fines totalling Tk 11,000.

In Gazipur, a mobile court filed nine cases under Section 6(Kha) of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995 (as amended in 2010), for the unauthorised manufacture, sale, and distribution of banned polythene. Authorities seized 35 kilograms of polythene during the raid. Awareness messages were also disseminated to super shops, shopkeepers, and the general public.

The Department of Environment has confirmed that such anti-pollution drives will continue. Public awareness and cooperation remain crucial to the ongoing protection and preservation of the environment.