Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin has told the parliament that five air-polluting cement factories have received environmental clearances in the Mongla Port industrial areas near the Sundarbands.
Although the government declared 10-kilometer areas surrounding the Sundarbans Reserve Forest as an ecologically-critical area, the approved factories are located only six kilometres away from the mangrove forest, reports UNB.
They are: Meghna Cement Mills Ltd, Bashundhara Cement Mills Ltd, Mongla Cement Mills Ltd, Dubai-Bangla Cement Mills Ltd, and Holcim (Bangladesh) Ltd, the minister said.
"These air-polluting cement factories were given environment clearance certificates in the Mongla port industrial areas under Bagerhat district," he told Parliament, on Saturday.
He said the Department of Environment regularly monitors the factories and provides suggestions to their entrepreneurs so that the industrial units cannot pollute environment.
