Brick shortage hits development works in Bandarban, warning of protest
Sohel Kanti Nath, Bandarban
The decision to close brick kilns in Bandarban has led to hamper construction of border roads and other public and private projects.
Structural development has been adversely affected. Due to the shortage of bricks, all local development activities have largely come to a standstill.
As the employment of working people has decreased due to the closure of brick kilns, criminal activities like robbery, theft and robbery have suddenly increased in the district. Nearly lakhs of working people involved in various sectors including transportation, energy, food supply, etc. involved in brick kilns have faced economic losses. The victims have warned of going on a strike if the problem is not resolved immediately.
According to the information of the concerned, 11 brick kilns were built in Bandarban Sadar Upazila to meet the demand for bricks for local road construction and private infrastructure development. As the demand increased, 60 more brick kilns were built in other upazilas including Rowangchhari, Ruma and Thanchi Upazilas. After the change of government on August 5, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate of the interim government, gave instructions that the illegal brick kilns in the country should be closed and environmentally friendly block bricks should be produced. It was also informed that no brick kilns would be allowed in the hill districts. But no alternative to bricks has been developed yet.
If all the brick kilns are closed due to such a decision, all the ongoing and planned government and private development works worth thousands of crores of taka in the district, including the border road construction work, will come to a halt. This will also have an impact on the economy of the entire Bandarban district.
Many, including local development contractors Humayun and Reza Selim, have complained that such a decision in the name of protecting the environment will bring about new disasters. Along with the local economic recession, all kinds of development activities will come to a halt due to the lack of bricks. If necessary, to prevent environmental damage, the establishment of new brick kilns can be completely stopped and some restrictions can be imposed to keep the old ones running. I demand that the government officials keep the old brick kilns running based on demand, considering the situation.
KSMong, a member of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council and central joint secretary of the Jana Sanghati Samiti, said that bricks are needed for the sake of development. Without brick kilns, this region will lag further behind. If hundreds of brick kilns can operate on both sides of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, Bandarban will also have to be kept open. The government must consider the matter. Otherwise, all of them across the country will have to be closed.
Chairman of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Citizens' Council, Kazi Mujibur Rahman, said that the people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts are already victims of discrimination. The people of the hills are angry at the hasty decision to close brick kilns in three hill districts including Bandarban to deprive the hill people of development. Thousands of families have lost employment in the hills due to such a decision. As a result, criminal activities like robbery, theft and robbery have also increased. I will demand from the government to impose strict restrictions on the construction of new brick kilns in the public interest and to keep the old brick kilns running.
Local Brickyard Owners Association President Abdul Quddus and brickyard owners Mohammad Islam and Rajeswar Das Biplob said, "We closed the brickyard last year due to the government's decision. Even after paying VAT tax as per the rules to the government treasury, our investment of hundreds of crores of taka has gone to waste. We have suffered serious economic losses due to this. This time too, the government is pressuring us to close the brickyard. On the other hand, unemployed workers and development contractors are demanding that the brickyard be reopened. They are warning of taking to the streets to protest if the brickyard is not reopened."
Meanwhile, Bandarban Hill District Council Chairman Professor Thanjama Lusai has sent a written letter to the Hill Advisor to take necessary measures to launch brick kiln activities in the interest of employment of workers, use of bricks in projects in his district, and smooth implementation of government-private development activities.
Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ara Rini said, the government has decided that no brick kilns will operate in Bandarban district. Six brick kilns have already been demolished in Phaitong Union under the court's directive. To implement the government's decision, a campaign is underway to close the brick kilns in coordination with the administration and other concerned parties.
