Staff Reporter:
The use of environment-friendly blocks will be gradually increased, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo said yesterday.
He made this comment at a meeting held to review the progress of increasing the use of envi-ronment-friendly construction materials and the use of blocks in government construction work.
The minister said it is important to increase the use of environment-friendly construction mate-rials to protect the fertile soil of agricultural land, check air pollution and carbon emissions, and establish a sustainable construction system.
All the concerned ministries, government departments, manufacturing institutions and other stakeholders will have to work together, keeping in harmony between environmental protection and the real needs of the construction sector, he said.
Today, two separate meetings were held in the meeting room of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to increase the use of environment-friendly construction materials, review the progress of using blocks in government construction work, and issues related to the brick industry.
Special guest at the meeting, Dr. Md. Saimum Parvez, special assistant to the Prime Minister on Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is in favour of increasing investment by protecting the environment.
So, he said, brick kiln owners should adopt environment-friendly technology as soon as possible.
In the first meeting, ensuring the use of environment-friendly blocks in government construc-tion, repair and renovation work and reviewing its progress were discussed, a ministry press re-lease said.
Representatives from various ministries and divisions, government engineering departments, Department of Environment, Housing and Building Research Institute, Bangladesh Concrete Block Manufacturers Owners Association, and relevant stakeholders participated in it.
To increase the production and use of eco-friendly blocks, rationalisation of import duties and taxes on raw materials, reduction of VAT at the production stage, rebate of VAT on purchase of raw materials and incentives for recycling of industrial waste and construction waste were re-viewed.
Emphasis was placed on discussions with the National Board of Revenue on these issues.
The meeting discussed involving the Housing and Building Research Institute as well as the Pub-lic Works Department and other government engineering departments in quality control and monitoring activities to ensure the quality of the blocks and providing necessary training to en-gineers, technicians and masons.
In the second meeting, views were exchanged with representatives of the Bangladesh Bricks Manufacturing Owners Association and Bangladesh Auto Brick Manufacturers Association on various issues related to the brick industry.
Representatives of the brick industry presented their views and proposals on the problems, pro-spects, and necessary policy support of the sector.
Chaired by acting secretary of the ministry, Dr. Fahmida Khanam, the meeting was attended by Mohammad Navid Shafiullah, Additional Secretary of the Climate Change Division, and repre-sentatives of the Bangladesh Concrete Block Manufacturers Owners Association, Bangladesh Bricks Manufacturing Owners Association, and Bangladesh Auto Brick Manufacturers Associa-tion.
