Bandarban Correspondent
The government’s decision to close brick kilns in Bandarban has brought a serious standstill to public and private infrastructure development activities, including border road construction.The shortage of bricks has almost brought all kinds of development activities locally to a standstill.As a result,on the one hand,there has been a decline in investment.On the other hand,due to the decrease in employment of working people,there has been a sudden increase in criminal activities including robbery,theft and robbery.
According to relevant sources,to meet the needs of the district,locals have set up 11 brick kilns in Sadar Upazila and about 60 more in various upazilas including Rowangchhari,Ruma,Thanchi.But after the change government’s on August 5,Syeda Rizwana Hasan,advisor to the Ministry of Environment,Forests and Climate of the interim government,announced that illegal brick kilns must be closed and environmentally friendly block bricks introduced across the country.In addition,brick kilns must be closed in the hill districts by any means.
However,as alternative systems have not yet been developed a major crisis has arisen in the implementation of development projects worth thousands of crores of taka in the district.Contractors said that a solution could be found by stopping the establishment of new brick kilns and keeping the old ones running under certain conditions.
K.S.Mong a member of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council,said that bricks are needed for development.Rural township development activities worth Tk 1,300 crore are underway in three hill districts with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).He Added,Development activities are being hampered by a brick shortage due to the closure of brick kilns in Bandarban.
He also said that under the pretext of the closure of brick kilns, roads are being constructed by extracting stones from the Jhirijharna waterfalls in remote areas.As a result,biodiversity is facing disaster.People in the hills are facing a severe shortage of clean water during the dry season.On the other hand, if hundreds of brick kilns can operate along the Dhaka-Chittagong highway,the old kilns in Bandarban should also be allowed to operate under certain conditions.
Bandarban brick kiln owners Abdul kuddus, Mohammad Islam and Rajeswar Das (Biplob) said that despite paying VAT tax as per the rules,their investment worth hundreds of crores of taka has been lost. The workers have also become unemployed.Unemployed local residents say they will be forced to join the movement if a quick solution is not found.
Professor Thanjama Lusai,Chairman of the Bandarban Hill District Council,has already sent a written letter to the Hill Advisor on July 13 demanding the launch of brick kiln activities in the interest of employment of workers and implementation of development projects.In this regard, Bandarban Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ara Rini said, “As per the government’s decision, no brick kilns will operate in the district.” Six kilns have already been demolished in Phaitong Union.The drive to implement the court’s directive is ongoing.