Bela for restricting import of formalin

Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association (Bela) yesterday served a legal notice on the authorities to amend laws to stop blanket imports of formalin and beef up monitoring to rein in use of the deadly chemical in food items.
The move aims to limit the import rights to Trading Corporation of Bangladesh, take steps to stop illegal imports of the chemical through ports and set up equipments there to detect formalin in imported food items, said Bela in a statement.
Several ministry secretaries, city corporation mayors and customs house commissioners, among others, have been made respondents to the public interest litigation.
In another legal notice, Bela, Ain O Salish Kendra, Association for Land Reform and Development, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust and Nijera Kori urged the authorities to withdraw the approval given to Ashiyan Homes Ltd for the first phase of its Ashiyan City project in the capital's outskirts.
They demanded that the government take legal action against the company for implementing the project without any legal approval. Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, managing director of Ashiyan Homes and some ministry secretaries, among others, have been made respondents to the notice.