Chattogram officials let illegal brick kilns run through 6 years of court shutdown orders
On 14 December 2020 Bangladesh's High Court, on a petition by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), directed authorities to shut all illegal brick kilns in Chattogram district; after a contempt application, a then deputy commissioner apologised to the court on 13 June 2021 and pledged to close the remaining kilns. Many closed kilns later resumed, and on 23 November 2025 the High Court ordered eight officials, including the deputy commissioner, police superintendent and the Department of Environment's district director, to close them within 15 days; the petitioner's lawyer said they operated 'under the very nose of the administration'. A November 2025 report found 37 of 38 kilns in Lohagara upazila running without licences. On 10 March 2026 HRPB's lawyer served a contempt notice on Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia, saying hundreds of illegal kilns were still operating. Nationally, the environment adviser said in September 2024 that 3,491 kilns were running without environmental clearance and would be closed.
A newspaper report published on 14 November revealed that 37 out of 38 kilns in Lohagara upazila were operating without licences.
The illegal brick kilns are operating under the very nose of the administration, yet no action is being taken
the 3,491 currently operating without environmental clearance will also be closed
summoned to explain their failure to take effective action against illegal brick kilns and the use of wood as fuel
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No outcome recorded yet.