The Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday fined a total of 42 businesses in the region worth Tk24.80 lakh for damaging the environment.
A total of 38 brick kilns of the district’s Fatikchhari upazila were fined Tk20.10 lakh for not renewing their environment clearance certificates.
Two brick kilns in Comilla and Chandpur were also fined Tk30,000 and Tk1.20 lakh respectively on the same charge.
The two errant brick kilns were identified as AK Bricks Manufacturing and M/S Nirman Bricks Manufacturing.
In Chittagong, Navana Batteries Ltd was fined Tk1.20 lakh for not having an environment clearance certificate.
Sujan Barua, a resident of Cox's Bazar district was fined Tk2 lakh for illegally cutting hills.
Moazzam Hossain, DoE director for the Chittagong region, imposed the fines on the guilty companies following a hearing held yesterday at the DoE offices.
"They [the errant businesses] were warned that further steps will be taken against them for not complying with environmental rules," said Muktadir Hasan, assistant director of DoE.
