The government has decided to prohibit the establishment of new industrial units and projects within 10 kilometres of the Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) surrounding the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change will soon issue a gazette notification in this regard, officials said on Monday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Environment and Climate Change Committee at the Secretariat with Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan in the chair.
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A neutral panel of experts will assess the environmental impact of existing industrial units within the 10km ECA zone.
Based on these assessments and existing court orders, further decisions will be made regarding those establishments.
The meeting also approved amendments to the Climate Change Trust Rules allowing joint project proposals from government, private organisations, and NGOs.
It was also decided that all ministries will be consulted to formulate the next action plan to tackle noise pollution.
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Proposals were also made to increase the enforcement budget of the Environment Ministry and to introduce and enhance risk allowances for Forest Department personnel.
Besides, a target was set to ensure that at least 30 percent of bricks used in public and private construction by 2025 are concrete blocks.
A coordination meeting at the secretary level will be held in May to follow up on the implementation.