Staff Correspondent

Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan today said district administrations, city corporations and the Department of Environment (DoE) will strengthen joint drives to combat hill cutting, air pollution, and use of banned polythene.

She said this speaking as the chief guest at a discussion on "Preventing the Use of Banned Polythene in Chattogram and Reducing Plastic Pollution" at Bangladesh Secretariat here.

The environment adviser emphasised installing warning signboards on hills, increasing patrols, and issuing letters to hill owners to prevent hill cutting.

She warned that strict legal actions would be taken against those violating the law.

Rizwana said a list of polythene manufacturers would be prepared to initiate legal actions against them.

She highlighted the necessity of mandatory barcodes on packaging and called for mobile court drives in markets and supermarkets.

The environment adviser stressed intercepting trucks carrying polythene.

Dr. Shahadat Hossain, Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation, Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change; Md. Nazrul Islam, Secretary of the Local Government Division; and Engineer Md Nurul Karim, chairman of Chattogram Development Authority, also spoke at the meeting, among others.

Representatives from government and non-government organisations, environmental bodies, business leaders and media professionals of Chattogram joined the meeting virtually.

They called for stricter enforcement of laws and increasing awareness to check the use of banned polythene.