DoE serves notice to mill owner, tenant fined
The Department of Environment (DoE) yesterday served notice to the owner of City Rice Mill and its adjacent chatal (yard for drying), where over a hundred birds of different species were poisoned to death on Saturday, to explain why the mill is running without valid document.
Earlier on Saturday night, a mobile court fined Tk 50,000 to Manik Miah, the tenant of the rice mill at Aponpara in Lalmonirhat’s Kulaghat Road, for his involvement in killing the birds.
Manik, a resident of Mahendranagar village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, has been running City Rice Mill along with its chatal after renting it from owner Abul Kashem a few years ago.
Mihir Lal Sarder, assistant director of DoE in Rangpur, told this correspondent, “I visited City Rice Mill on Monday afternoon and found that it continued running without valid document for the last nine years.”
“Notice has been served to mill owner Abul Kashem to explain why it is running without valid document. If no reply comes within seven days, DoE will fine the owner or seal off the rice mill,” he said.
DoE did not file case against renter Manik Miah, who was responsible for killing the birds, as he was fined by a mobile court, the official added.
Over a hundred birds of different species, including pigeons and sparrows, were poisoned to death by Manik Miah when these birds came to eat paddy on the chatal on Saturday morning.
Local pople strongly protested the cruel act.
A mobile court led by Executive Magistrate TM Rahsin Kabir fined Manik Miah Tk 50 thousand in presence of police and locals, and the fine money was realised on the spot.
Contacted, City Rice Mill owner Abul Kashem declined to talk to journalists about the notice served by DoE.
Azizar Rahman, a local at Aponpara in Lalmonirhat town, said, “We were hurt to see the birds that had fallen dead due to poisoning. We demand that such bird killers be given exemplary punishment, not only fine.”
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