The Ministry of Textile and Jute conducted drives in the capital yesterday to enforce usage of jute sacks for transporting paddy, rice, corn, sugar, wheat, fertiliser, etc.
The drive, led by State Minister for Textile and Jute Mirza Azam, started around 12:30pm in the capital’s Karwan Bazar and ended in Old Dhaka’s Badamtoli area.
Executive Magistrate Mohammad Moshiur Rahman, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation Chairman Brig Gen (Retd) Hossain Khaled and Jute Department Director General Moazzem Hossain also participated in the drives.
During the drive, a businessman was fined Tk5,000 for not using jute bags. The state minister then urged all businessmen in the area to use jute bags or sacks instead of polythene bags to keep the environment clean.
He also told reporters that such drives were being conducted in all levels across the country in accordance with a law passed in 2010 which made the use of jute bags mandatory.
The state minister said the drives will continue for six more days.
He further said: “Primarily we are conducting the drives to keep check on the usage of 50kg capacity plastic or polythene sacks used for transporting goods on trucks, pick-up vans, etc.”
Later, the team went to Badamtoli and were pleased to see the situation as around 90% businessmen were using jute bags.
