Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin announced that the government is committed to taking strict action against plastic and polythene producers.
Mobile courts have been established to combat the production, transportation, marketing, and storage of banned polythene bags.
The minister disclosed this information at the opening ceremony of the World Environment Day, Environment Fair 2023 and National Tree Planting Campaign and National Tree Fair 2023 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka on Monday.
He said that the process of taking such measures will continue in the coming days.
Between January 2019 to February 2023, a total of 2,198 raids were conducted and 3,617 cases were filed. In this regard, 169 persons were sentenced to various terms of imprisonment and 1,745 tons of polythene, grains and raw materials were seized.
Addressing the audience, the minister urged everyone to participate in tree planting campaigns and cultivate trees in unused and vacant areas. He highlighted the ongoing three-month tree planting campaign and tree fairs at the national, divisional, district, and upazila levels, where seedlings can be obtained.
Minister of Information and Broadcasting Dr Hasan Mahmud attended the event as the chief guest.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Deputy Minister Habibun Nahar and Md Saber Hossain Chowdhury, President of the Standing Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, were present as special guests.
Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry Dr Farhina Ahmed, Director General of Department of Environment Dr Abdul Hamid and Chief Conservator of Forests of Department of Forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury were also present.
Bangabandhu Award for Wildlife Conservation, National Environment Award and Prime Minister's National Award for Plantation on World Environment Day were distributed during the event.
Besides, beneficiary check was given to 10 beneficiaries who had received maximum share in social forestry. Tk56,28,727 were given to five male beneficiaries and Tk18,69,116 to five female beneficiaries.
After the inauguration ceremony, the guests visited the fairgrounds in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
The environment fair will run from June 5-11. The tree fair will run from June 5 to July 12, 2023.
The fair will run from 9am to 8pm every day.