Many brick kilns at Harinakundu upazila in Jhenaidah do not follow the rules as they use firewood for fuel. Some of the brick kilns have sawmills on the yard or beside brick kilns, defying the ban on using fuel woods.
All these brick kilns at Dakhalpur village of Harinakundu upazila in Jhenidah are violating the rules. Local administration said they would take action in this regard.
Random use of fuel woods sparked reaction among the environment activists and they demanded exemplary punishment for the brick kiln owners quickly.
On the other hand, the brick kiln owners claimed that the timber merchants have established those sawmills near their kilns and they (kiln owners) were only purchasing necessary fuel woods from them.
When the correspondent visited Bojoli Bricks, Stone Bricks and Royal Bricks (kilns) at Dakhalpur village, it was witnessed that separate sawmills were established near the brick kilns and huge wooden logs were stacked on both sides of the kilns.
Locals said Bojoli Bricks and Stone Bricks usually manufacture about one crore of bricks every season, where around one lakh mounds of fuel wood is burnt as fuel. Newly established Royal Bricks might require the same quantity of fuel to manufacture their bricks. As they do not use any coal in their kilns, wood is their only fuel, they said.
According to the villagers, as the brick kiln owners are so influential in the locality, common people cannot protest the burning of wood and degrading environment. Although, the local administration had demolished Stone Bricks’ sawmill it resumed after a few weeks.
Stone Bricks’ owner Makbul Hossain said they did not establish the sawmill. A mill owner established it and they have been collecting wood from this sawmill. He admitted the demolishing of his saw mills by the administration. Royal Bricks owner Farooque Hossain admitted the burning of wood in his kiln instead of coal.
Jhenidah Bio-diversity Conservation Committee’s President Masud Ahmed Sanju said he could not understand why the local administration is not taking legal action against the law violators. They should be tried under the existing law he added.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Harinakundu Syeda Nafis Sultana said she would take legal steps against the dishonest brick kiln owners as early as possible.
