Act against illegal polythene bag producers: Green activists

Voicing worry over the growing use of polythene bags despite a ban on it, green activists in the city Thursday demanded immediate enforcement of related laws to stop its use to protect the environment and check human health hazards, reports UNB.
They came up with the call at a human chain programme, jointly organised by Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), Environment and Social Development Organisation (ESDO) and Search Skating Club in front of the National Press Club in the city Thursday, marking the World Polythene Bag Free Day -2014.
The green activists urged the government to punish those who illegally produce polythene bags under the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act -1995 (amended in 2002) and the Bangladesh Environment Court Act-2000 (amended in 2002).
They also called upon the government to encourage people to use jute, fabric and paper bags instead of plastic or polythene shopping bags.
Mentioning that capital Dhaka had been announced polythene free in 2002 and entire Bangladesh in 2003, the environmentalists alleged that polythene production again marked a sharp rise in 2005 and the situation has now taken a devastating turn as in the past.
They said more than 1,000 factories, mainly situated in different areas of the capital, including in old Dhaka, Karwan Bazar, Tejgoan, Tongi, Jatrabari, Kamrangirchar, and Mirpur, are illegally producing polythene bags.
The green activists alleged that the government could not check the polythene production as this business was being controlled by strong syndicates.
They also suggested imposing a high tax on the raw materials used for producing polythene bags and plastic shopping bags.  Executive General Secretary of Poba Abdus Sobhan, Research Assistant of ESDO Engineer Abdus Sobahan, green activists Kamal Ataur Rahman and Kausar Uddin, among others, spoke at the programme.