Shahzadpur (Sirajganj) Correspondent

More than half a hundred brick kilns have been built in different places of Raiganj upazila of Sirajganj.But most of the brick kilns do not have any environmental clearance.

There are no official documents of any kind.Some claimed to have all kinds of government documents but could not show them.Because the brick kilns are running without environmental clearance, they do not know the rules and regulations mentioned in the environmental clearance.So the brick kilns are going through all the activities that pollute the environment.Among the brick kilns of Raiganj, Surma brick kiln has been unplanned in Deulmura village of Pangasi union of the upazila.

Going to the surface, it can be seen that Surma brickyard has been built in Deulmura village of Pangasi union, adjacent to Sirajganj-Rayganj regional road.Surma brickyard stands in the middle of paddy, corn and sugarcane fields surrounded by three crops.Crops are being damaged by the harmful smoke of brick kilns, raw bricks.The owner of the kiln, Alhaj Danez Ali, applied to the Department of Environment for setting up the kiln here.

But the officials of the Department of Environment came to investigate and found that there are three crop lands on both sides of the densely populated area and the applied brick kiln, so they did not give the environmental clearance.However, the owner of the kiln, Alhaj Danez Ali Sarkar, showing a thumbs up to the Department of Environment, is operating the Surma brick kiln illegally by using his son Zahid's name as a government official without environmental clearance.He is doing part-time work with child laborers because the day attendance of big workers is more.

On (March 11 ), this correspondent went to the brickyard and found child laborers Farz (12) and Ramzan (10) son of Mojirr of Deulmura village, Tanjid (10) son of Alam, Khokon (12) son of Mannan, Rashid son of Islampur village. 10-12 children including Sohail Rana (11) are doing raw brick making and drying as child labourers.

Local farmers complain that we cannot harvest crops properly due to Surma brick kilns.The crop production of the land closest to the low tide is less than that of other lands.Due to the houses on the east side of the low tide, the mango buds are falling in the storm.

Moreover, the soil-filled trucks and Mahendra trucks used for bringing soil to the brick kilns are causing damage to the cropland and narrow roads, and the locals are complaining that the brick kilns are cutting the soil of the crops of the innocent farmers under the umbrella of the influential people.

Alhaj Danez Uddin, the owner of Surma brickworks, said, "I applied for environmental clearance from Bogra Department of Environment 5 years ago.But the environment department did not give me the clearance for the flood.

I am running the kiln without environmental clearance for the sake of doing business.

In this regard, Raiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tripti Kona Mandal said, "I was not aware of Surma brickyard's environmental clearance and child labor.We will take measures to close the Surma brick kiln without the permission of the Department of Environment after investigation.