Environment ministry not playing due role
Speakers tell seminar
Ignoring main business of protecting the country's environment, officials of the environment and forests ministry are mainly engaged in implementation of development projects, traveling abroad and devouring forest resources, said speakers at a seminar yesterday.
The speakers demanded of the government to reform the ministry thoroughly. They proposed the ministry's new name to be the 'Ministry of Environment Management' to protect environment.
There are at least 15 ministries responsible to protect environment and ecology either directly or indirectly but these ministries do not play their due role, said the speakers.
They made the observation at a seminar on 'ecology and environmental management: role of ministries' held at Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Even, "Rules of Business" and "Allocation of Business" formulated for different ministries do not contain the business of protecting environment, they said.
Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) organised the seminar while its chairman Abu Naser Khan and former secretary of the government Sohel Ahmed Chowdhury presented two papers.
Mujibul Haq Chunnu, Prof Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed, Prof Nurzahan Sarkar of University of Dhaka also spoke at the event.
Only a few influential people, some private and government organisations are mainly responsible for environment pollution and degradation though the government can control these bad practices.
The industries are polluting water, air and soils, which industries and environment and forests ministries failed to control ultimately posing a great threat to public health.
The speakers demanded of the government to implement the environmental laws for sake of a sound environment.
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