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Industrial waste purification plant will be duty-free in next budget |
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January 21, 2001
Dhaka--(UNB) – Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria yesterday (Saturday) said import of industrial waste purification plant would be declared duty-free in the next national budget. “I hope to bring a revolutionary change in the (next) budget to protect environment,” he said addressing the inaugural session of the 17th biennial general meeting of the Forum of Environmental Journalists of Bangladesh (FEJB). FEJB chairman Quamrul Islam Chowdhury chaired the session held at the Jatiya Press Club while general secretary Mofizur Rahman gave vote of thanks. Kibria suggested the environmental journalists to list the industries with waste purification plant and give them exposure to encourage other industrialists who are yet to commission such purification plant. An industry with the facility of purifying wastes would be popular in the locality and gain long term benefit to grow permanently, he said. On the other hand, he felt, an industry not purifying their wastes would be treated as enemy of the people in the locality. The finance minister said basically, budgetary allocations are made with the main objective of economic growth and the issue of environment protection was not considered. “The present government has taken it as one of the main targets.” He said allocation in the next budget would be considered for research on use of pesticides in agriculture to determine any long-term negative impact. “Environment-related allocations will be made on the FEJB’s recommendation,” assured the minister. Referring to the government steps towards environment protection so far, he emphasised on finding out how two-stroke engines entered into the country despite a ban. “We like to keep the ban…if necessary, we may arrange loans to convert the existing two-stroke engines into CNG-operated engines,” he said. Kibria suggested the FEJB to organise two seminars on industrial pollution — one with industrialists, specialists and academics, and another with civil society, political leaders and senior journalists. About default loans, the Finance Minister said he expects to bring down such loans to 15-16 per cent by fiscal 2002-03. The default loans would come down below 25 per cent in the next fiscal (2001-2002) compared to nearly 30 per cent at present, he added. |