Staff Reporter
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, stated that district administrations, city corporations, and the Department of Environment will  strengthen  joint mobile courts to combat hill cutting, air pollution, and the use of banned polythene.
She made these remarks as the chief guest at a discussion meeting on “Preventing the Use of Banned Polythene in Chattogram and Reducing Plastic Pollution” held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on December 22.
The Advisor emphasized 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.
She further added that a list of polythene manufacturers would be prepared to initiate legal actions against them. She highlighted the necessity of mandatory barcodes on packaging and urged for mobile court operations in markets and supermarkets. She also stressed the importance of intercepting trucks carrying polythene.
The meeting was addressed by 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, the Chairman of Chattogram Development Authority, and other officials.

Representatives from government and non-government organizations, environmental groups, business leaders, and media professionals of Chattogram were attended virtually in the meeting. They called for stricter enforcement of laws and increased awareness to stop the use of banned polythene.