Owners and workers from multiple brick kilns, which were closed down during government crackdowns, staged a protest on the Dhaka–Aricha highway in the Boliarpur Bhanga Bridge vicinity today. They demanded authorization to recommence kiln operations, leading to a two-hour blockade that commenced at 10:00 am. The blockade caused extensive traffic congestion on both sides of the highway until law enforcement officials intervened and dispersed the demonstrators by noon.
According to the protesters, the Department of Environment (DoE) conducted recent raids in Savar, imposing fines on kilns, demolishing chimneys, and halting production activities. Frustrated with these actions, they took to occupying and obstructing the highway to urge an end to the crackdowns and seek approval to resume brick manufacturing.
Around 11:00 am, travelers were observed abandoning buses and opting to walk to their destinations, resulting in a two-kilometer traffic backlog. Efforts by army and police personnel to engage with the protesters, who were vocalizing demands for the kilns to be reopened, were witnessed during the demonstration.
Worker Shafiullah expressed, “We only labor at the brick kiln for six months. What’s the purpose if it remains shut? We won’t disperse until permission is granted to restart kiln operations.” Md Jahangir, the proprietor of ABM Bricks, voiced concerns, stating, “DoE is shutting down kilns extensively. Provide us a grace period of at least six months; otherwise, numerous workers will face starvation.”
Saleh Ahmed, the Officer-in-Charge of Savar Highway Police Station, mentioned that authorities urged the protesters to clear the highway, subsequently dispersing them when they declined. He stated, “They obstructed the road from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Traffic flow is now returning to normal.”
The crackdowns followed the DoE’s designation of Savar upazila as a “degraded airshed” in August, prompted by continuous monitoring revealing air quality levels almost three times higher than the national standard. Under this decree, brick manufacturing, except in tunnel and hybrid Hoffman kilns, along with other pollution-emitting activities, are banned until further notice.
A source from the DoE disclosed that out of the 107 brick kilns in Savar, only two comply with environmental regulations. Mobile court operations against the kilns commenced in September, as part of the department’s enforcement initiatives.
Elias Ahmed, deputy director at the DoE’s Dhaka district office, affirmed, “Since the declaration of Savar as a degraded airshed, we have been actively conducting inspections to ensure no environmentally detrimental establishments operate in the area.”