BSS
  12 Feb 2024, 17:47

Seven brick kilns fined Tk 21 lakh in Khulna

KHULNA, Feb 12, 2024(BSS)- A mobile court here in a daylong drive on Sunday 
fined Taka 21 lakh from seven brick kilns at Dumuria upazila in Khulna for 
violating the High Court's order and flouting rules of brick kilns control 
law.
 
The court led by Momtaz Begum, executive magistrate of the Department of 
Environment (DoE) of Khulna Division, conducted drives at several brick kilns 
in Kharnia and Sholgatia areas under the upazila and imposed the fine.
 
The court fined Taka three lakh for each of the seven brick kiln proprietors. 
The seven brick kilns are-- Nurjahan brick kiln of Shajahan Jamadder, KB-2 
brick kiln of Humayun Kabir Bulu, JB brick kiln of Abdul Latif Jamadder, Luin 
brick kiln of Rafiqul Islam, Setu brick kiln of Gazi Abdul Haque, Stone brick 
kiln of Iqbal Jamadder and Saimum brick kiln of Zahidul Islam.
 
Some of those (brick kilns) were built at the bank of rivers Bhadra and Hori 
in Kharnia and Sholgatia areas through grabbing some parts of Char Bharatia's 
land. Some of the brick kilns are running illegally in the area as the 
license of the DoE has been expired two years back, the DoE sources said.
 
Last year, a High Court Bench directed to Khulna district administration to 
take effective steps to evict 14 illegal brick kilns for grabbing land on the 
bank of two rivers while a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for 
Bangladesh, an organisation of Human Rights.
 
On February 2, 2022, Khulna District Administration evicted six brick kilns 
and sealed off 8 brick kilns following the order of the court, Pulak Kumar 
Mondal, ADC (General) of Khulna confirmed.
 
District administration and the DoE conducted the drives in cooperation with 
Police and Fire Service and Civil Defence, he added.