Akij fined for dumping cigar ash on highway
Monday, 17 September 2012
FE Report
A mobile court fined Akij Bidi Group Tk 0.5 million on charge of dumping harmful cigarette ash at different points of Dhaka-Aricha highway illegally, disrupting traffic movement and also causing pollution of environment.
Magistrate Nazrul Islam of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) fined the group according to the Motor Vehicles Act on the spot while visiting the highway with the motorcade of Communications Minister Obaidul Quader Sunday.
The magistrate said the verdict was given finding health and environmentally hazardous wastage dumped on the busy highway occupying a good portion of its risky points which are known as death traps for occurrence of frequent accidents.
The minister visited the highway Sunday to see for himself the expansion work of its 11 risky points and stopped at different points to find anomalies including fake driving documents of highway transports.
However on his way toward Dhaleswari point, he got down at three points noticing a large quantity of tobacco ash dumped on the roadside.
Local people said the factory officials have been dumping the ash in small quantities over the last few days, but threw a considerable quantity of ash overnight Friday.
"A large quantity of cigar ash carried in at least 10 trucks was dumped overnight Friday, " said an elderly people of Dhaleshwari point adding that due to a recent fire incident at a godown of Akij Bidi factory, a large quantity of tobacco was damaged which the factory people tried to dump illegally at different places.
The minister talked with the district administration on the spot and informed the department of environment to take action against the factory.
BRTA magistrate Nazrul Islam said summon on the Akij Bidi Group will be served within a day.
Though the magistrate pronounced a week-long imprisonment for a driver who was caught red handed from one of the spots while unloading garbage on the highway, the driver was later released on request from the communications minister for having less possibility of his link with dumping.
The minister also ordered the local administration to remove the garbage from the highway within 48 hours and informed the director of environment of the matter to take action.
However, the FE correspondent tried to talk with Akij Group for comments but could not get anyone until filing of the report in the evening.
A mobile court fined Akij Bidi Group Tk 0.5 million on charge of dumping harmful cigarette ash at different points of Dhaka-Aricha highway illegally, disrupting traffic movement and also causing pollution of environment.
Magistrate Nazrul Islam of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) fined the group according to the Motor Vehicles Act on the spot while visiting the highway with the motorcade of Communications Minister Obaidul Quader Sunday.
The magistrate said the verdict was given finding health and environmentally hazardous wastage dumped on the busy highway occupying a good portion of its risky points which are known as death traps for occurrence of frequent accidents.
The minister visited the highway Sunday to see for himself the expansion work of its 11 risky points and stopped at different points to find anomalies including fake driving documents of highway transports.
However on his way toward Dhaleswari point, he got down at three points noticing a large quantity of tobacco ash dumped on the roadside.
Local people said the factory officials have been dumping the ash in small quantities over the last few days, but threw a considerable quantity of ash overnight Friday.
"A large quantity of cigar ash carried in at least 10 trucks was dumped overnight Friday, " said an elderly people of Dhaleshwari point adding that due to a recent fire incident at a godown of Akij Bidi factory, a large quantity of tobacco was damaged which the factory people tried to dump illegally at different places.
The minister talked with the district administration on the spot and informed the department of environment to take action against the factory.
BRTA magistrate Nazrul Islam said summon on the Akij Bidi Group will be served within a day.
Though the magistrate pronounced a week-long imprisonment for a driver who was caught red handed from one of the spots while unloading garbage on the highway, the driver was later released on request from the communications minister for having less possibility of his link with dumping.
The minister also ordered the local administration to remove the garbage from the highway within 48 hours and informed the director of environment of the matter to take action.
However, the FE correspondent tried to talk with Akij Group for comments but could not get anyone until filing of the report in the evening.