Anti-polythene drive comes under attack in Chattogram

The Chattogram metropolitan office of the Department of Environment filed a case on Friday against 62, including 12 named and 50 unnamed, on charges of hoarding banned polythene and obstructing a drive by the department. Those named in the case include the president and general secretary of the Riazuddin Bazar Banik Kalyan Samity.

"The Bangladesh Environment Protection Act has been violated by storing polythene and obstructing a drive to recover them, which the government has restricted. It is a punishable offence. So, a case has been filed against them," Assistant Director of the environment department metropolitan office Abdullah Al Matin told The Business Standard.  

It was mentioned in the case statement that Assistant Director of the DoE Chattogram metropolitan office Abdullah Al Matin conducted an operation against storing and marketing polythene on Thursday at noon at Golam Rasul Market of Riazuddin Bazar. On a tip-off, the team raided a shop named "Allahr Daan" on the 4th floor of the market.

Sensing the presence of the DoE team, an employee of the shop Sajib moved the banned polythene to another place when the police arrested him. Approximately three tonnes of polythene were available in that shop. 

But, the owner of the shop along with other shopkeepers obstructed them from seizing the polythene there after they had seized one tonne of polythene and entered another shop. About 50 people attacked their vans and snatched 500kg of the seized polythene. An additional police force brought the situation under control.

Kotwali Model Thana Acting Officer-in-Charge Zahedul Kabir told TBS that the case was being probed by the environment department and the police would extend all-out support to them in this connection.