Illegal Brick Kiln: Ex-UZ chair jailed for 10 years

A special court of environment department yesterday awarded a former chairman of Bandarban Sadar upazila with 10 years’ imprisonment and Tk 17 lakh fine for illegally establishing a brick kiln near the country’s highest peak Tazing Dong.

Samiul Alam Qursy, chief of Bandarban’s Department of Environment, said Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Abdullah-Al-Mamun passed the order against convicted Abdul Kuddus.

On September 23, locals of Tazing Dong submitted an application to the deputy commissioner of the district to stop operations of the illegal brick kiln in the area.

Meanwhile, bus service from Bandarban to other parts of the country remained suspended for around two hours as transport workers’ protested arrest of Kuddus, who was once the president of Bandarban Bus Owners and Sramik Oikkyo Parisad.

Zumlian Amlai, chairperson (Bandarban chapter) of the Parbatya Chattogram Forest and Land Rights Protection, said other kiln owners should also be brought under such exemplary punishment.