A Narayanganj court today (July 21) fined four directors of seven brick kilns Tk 21 lakhs for operating in municipality area flouting rules and not having required environmental clearance.

Judge Md Kausar Alam, senior judicial magistrate (environment special magistrate) in Narayanganj, passed the order in presence of the accused this noon, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.

The accused are: Alim Uddin, director of ARB 1, ARB 2 and BRB Bricks Field in Tarail area of Rupganj; Panir Hossain of BRB-2, also councilor of Ward-1 in Kanchan municipality; Delwar Molla, director of MM Bricks and PRB Bricks; and Ilias Zakaria, director of KBM Brick Field.

The plaintiiff's lawyer Md Solaiman Mia Parul said the court came up with the order in a case filed by his client Alamgir Hossain, a resident of Kanchan municipality under Rupganj, on May 9 in this connection.

Despite ban on brick fields in municipality area, the seven brick kilns have been operating in Kanchan municipality without necessary clearance and causing environmental pollution, the lawyer said citing the case statement.

The four accused gave confessional statements in the case. The brick kilns did not have environmental clearance, were set up in municipality area, and used water and soil from the nearby river to produce bricks, they said in their statements.

The accused also pledged not to run brick kilns in future, the plaintiff's lawyer also said.

After hearing the statements of witnesses and analyzing evidences, the court gave the order today, he said.

The four accused were released after they cleared the fine, the lawyer said.

The court also ordered the closure of all seven brick kilns and directed deputy director of environment department in Narayanganj to oversee that the order is complied with and submit a report in this regard, Solaiman added.