District administration and the Department of Environment have demolished the fixed chimney of Sheikh Bricks, an unauthorised brick kiln operating in Jamalpur’s Melandah. The chimney was torn down in a joint operation carried out at midday Wednesday in the Fulchenna area of Melandah municipality.
The operation was led by district administration executive magistrate and assistant commissioner Imon Hossain, with district Department of Environment assistant director A K M Samiul Alam Kursi also present. Melandah police station and members of the fire service and civil defence assisted with the operation.
Relevant sources said Sheikh Bricks had been operating illegally under the Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act, 2013, and the Environment Conservation Act. The kiln was found inactive during the raid, and the owner was not present at the site, so no fine was imposed at the time. However, as part of enforcing the law against illegal brick kilns, the kiln’s fixed chimney was demolished.
District Department of Environment assistant director A K M Samiul Alam Kursi said: “Under the Brick Manufacturing and Kiln Establishment (Control) Act, 2013, this is a completely illegal brick kiln. The fixed chimney here has been banned since 2010.” He said the operation was carried out as part of a nationwide master plan to eliminate fixed and drum chimneys, and that operations by the administration and the Department of Environment against environmentally harmful and illegal brick kilns would continue.