A mobile court yesterday penalised five vehicles in the capital's Agargaon area and realised Tk 18,000 in fine for polluting the environment by emitting black fumes.
The Department of Environment (DoE) along with Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and traffic police conducted the drive led by DoE Executive Magistrate Md Kamruzzaman.
The court inspected 25 vehicles and penalised three diesel-driven and two CNG-run vehicles under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance, 1983, and the Environment Conservation Act, 1995 which was amended in 2010.
Magistrate Kamruzzaman said under the act, a vehicle owner can be sentenced to one-year imprisonment or fined up to Tk5000 for emitting black fumes.
The mobile court measured the level of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon in the air with emission analyser before penalising the lawbreakers.
According to the Environment Conservation Act, the permissible level of carbon monoxide for a CNG-driven motor vehicle is one percent while hydrocarbon is 1200 PPM (parts per million), said a DoE official.
The primary aim of the drive is to create public awareness about the environmental and motor vehicle laws, he said.
“However, we cannot make them follow the rules stringently by conducting regular drives due to our lack of manpower and logistic support,” said DoE Director (planning) Quazi Sarwar Imtiaz Hashmi.
The BRTA and traffic police checked driving licenses, route permits, and registration and fitness certificates of the vehicles.
BRTA Motor Vehicle Inspector Mohammad Abdul Alim Chowdhruy who was present during the drive said no document-related anomalies were found during the drive.