TDS Desk

A total of 199 mobile court drives have been conducted across the country to implement the ban on polythene shopping bags since November 3.

These operations have resulted in fines totaling Tk25,72,300 imposed on 414 establishments, and 50,556 kilograms of polythene shopping bags have been seized.

Additional Secretary Tapan Kumar Biswas shared these details while briefing journalists following a monitoring operation at Karwan Bazar in Dhaka today to curb the use of polythene shopping bags.

Tapan Kumar Biswas, also the Chairman of the Monitoring Committee formed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, said, “Alongside raising public awareness about the use of eco-friendly bags, enforcement of the law will be made stricter.”

The chairman emphasised that the use of polythene bags has been banned to protect the environment and prevent plastic pollution. He highlighted the ministry’s comprehensive efforts to make this initiative successful, including intensified monitoring operations nationwide. He urged all stakeholders to support this government initiative for the sake of environmental protection.

During the monitoring drive, shopkeepers and customers were encouraged to use jute bags, cloth bags, and wax-coated brown paper bags as alternatives. Various environmentally friendly bag options were displayed at several shops. Officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, as well as the Department of Environment, were present during the operation.