Staff Reporter:
Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury yesterday urged all to stand together against banned polythene asking the authorities concerned to execute the existing laws properly to stop its usages.
“The law should not just remain on the books, its effective implementation must be ensured in the field to stop the use of banned polythene,” he said.
The home adviser made the remarks while distributing anti-polythene leaflets among the people, shop-keepers and traders in the Mohammadpur Krishi Market area as part of the awareness campaign about the harmful effects of illegal polythene use.
He said they have already instructed the law enforcement agencies to intensify the anti-polythene cam-paign.
The home adviser also said that intelligence activities are on to bring unscrupulous traders to book.
Although the production, marketing and use of polythene bags were banned in 2002 by the then gov-ernment considering its serious harmful effects on the environment and public health, its use has not stopped, he said.
In recent times, he said the use of polythene has increased at an alarming rate.
Some unscrupulous traders are secretly manufacturing and marketing the banned polythene, he added.
“As a result, the environment and public health are facing increasing threats. The use of polythene is causing havoc in maintaining the balance of the environment,” he continued.
However, only public awareness can make this work long-lasting and effective, he opined.
Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Additional IGP AKM Shahidur Rahman, among oth-ers, was present.
The home adviser also said that since polythene is an imperishable substance, it remains in the environ-ment for hundreds of years, reduces soil fertility, obstructs water flow in drainage system and causes severe waterlogging in urban areas.
“Not only that, it is a serious threat to biodiversity,” he said.
In this context, the law enforcement agencies and the Department of Environment have jointly undertak-en various activities to protect the environment, he added.
As part of these activities, people are being informed about the harmful aspects of using banned poly-thene through leaflet distribution across the country and are being encouraged to use environment friend-ly alternatives, he said.
Public awareness leaflets have been distributed in various places in the country including Karwan Bazar, Gulshan, Mirpur, Keraniganj, Uttara, Tongi and Cox’s Bazar in Dhaka and criminals have been brought under punishment and fines through mobile courts, he said
All concerned are being informed about what environment friendly products can be used instead of using banned polythene and the provisions of punishment for violating the law, he continued.
The home adviser said, “I firmly believe that if every person in our country becomes cautious along with the cooperation of the media, this awareness message can be spread to all the people.”
“The program will be successful if we can involve the people in preventing the production, marketing and using of illegal polythene to build a long-term and environment friendly society”, he stated.
In addition, the law enforcement agencies will continue their regular patrols, intelligence surveillance and campaign activities to suppress any kind of terrorist activities and other criminal activities to main-tain the law and order situation in the country, he said.
