Mobile courts in Habiganj fined illegal lead smelting and farmland excavation operations Tk 7 lakh, enforcing environmental laws to curb pollution, protect communities, and safeguard fertile agricultural land nationwide efforts.
Local authorities in northeastern Bangladesh have fined offenders a total of Tk 7 lakh, about USD 6,400, following mobile court operations targeting illegal lead smelting from used lead-acid batteries and the destruction of agricultural land, officials said on Tuesday.
The day-long operations were carried out in Nabiganj Upazila of Habiganj district and were led by Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Pratyay Hashem.
During an afternoon raid near Bijnar Bridge in Debpara union, officials discovered an unlicensed factory engaged in the informal recycling of used lead-acid batteries. The factory was smelting lead without environmental clearance or safety approval, creating serious lead pollution risks for surrounding communities and the environment.
Under the Environment Conservation Act, the factory manager, Ohiduzzaman Limon, was fined Tk 4 lakh for producing and selling hazardous lead and for operating industrial activities without mandatory environmental approval.
Earlier in the day, authorities conducted separate mobile court drives in the Farm Bazar area and Chaitanyapur village under Aushkandi union, where fertile farmland was being excavated using heavy machinery without government permission. Jamal Shah of Harinagar village and Mainul Haque of Jalalpur village were each fined Tk 1.5 lakh for illegally extracting soil from agricultural land.
Officials said the enforcement actions aim to curb environmental degradation, prevent lead pollution linked to unsafe battery recycling and protect agricultural land in climate-vulnerable regions of the country.
Executive Magistrate Pratyay Hashem said a total of Tk 7 lakh was realised from the three operations and added that mobile court actions against environmental violations would continue.
