Polluters must be punished: Rizwana

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has warned against irregularities in environmental clearances and stressed strict enforcement of laws to protect the environment, saying, “Polluters must be punished.”

Speaking as chief guest at the closing ceremony of a three-day training titled “Strengthening Environmental Regulatory and Enforcement Capacity for a Sustainable Bangladesh” in Sreepur, Gazipur, on Saturday, organised by the World Bank, she said law enforcement must go beyond fines and include transparency, alternatives, and public involvement.

She urged strong measures against major polluters such as dyeing factories, cement plants, and brick kilns, and called for publicly naming polluters. She criticised permits for waste dumping in ecologically sensitive areas, terming them “illegal and irresponsible,” and said officials must resist political pressure or step aside.

She further demanded transparency in environmental clearance processes, including publishing all Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) of red-category industries on the Department of Environment’s website for public feedback.

Highlighting that even polluting companies have received national awards, she stressed that “polluters must be punished, not rewarded.” She also emphasized digitalizing grievance redress, introducing mobile apps for complaint tracking, and strengthening coordination with local administrations.

World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Jean Pesme, former Anti-Corruption Commission Director General Mohammad Munir Chowdhury, Gazipur DC Nafisa Arefin, BEST Project Director AKM Rafiqul Islam, and World Bank environmental specialist Bushra Nishat also spoke at the event.