Councilor vows to tackle threat of polythene and hill cutting

The government will intensify joint roving hearing campaigns to tackle illegal hill cutting, air pollution and use of banned polythene, environment advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan said yesterday.

Speaking at a discussion titled ‘Preventing the use of banned polyethylene in chattograms and reducing plastic pollution’, held at the Secretariat, Rizwana highlighted key measures to tackle environmental violations.

The discussion brought together officials, environmental experts and business leaders to develop strategic solutions to today’s ecological challenges.

“District administrations, municipalities and the Department of Environment (DoE) will collaborate to scale up the operations of mobile courts,” the advisor said.

She stressed the need for immediate action to safeguard the environment, including the installation of warning signs on hills, increased patrols and official guidelines to hill owners to prevent illegal hill cutting.

“Strict legal action will be taken against those who violate environmental laws,” she warned, reiterating the government’s zero-tolerance stance towards such infractions.

The advisor also announced his intention to create a list of polyethylene manufacturers to facilitate legal proceedings.

She stressed the importance of mandatory barcodes on packaging and advocated roving judicial operations in markets and supermarkets.

Chattogram City Corporation Mayor Dr Shahadat Hossain, Environment Secretary Dr Farhina Ahmed, Local Government Division Secretary Md Nazrul Islam and officials of Chattogram Development Authority also spoke during the meeting.

Speakers highlighted the need for stricter law enforcement and increased public awareness to combat environmental degradation. Representatives from government and NGOs, environmental groups and media participated virtually in the discussion.