The aggrieved common people have started a movement to get protection from the unplanned auto-rice mills of Dinajpur.
Toxic smoke, waste, dust, and ash from these auto-rice mills and huts are spreading in the residential areas. They are causing environmental catastrophe. Roads and ghats are blown away by smoke and ashes, houses have become dark. Trees, ponds, ponds, drains are being destroyed.
Due to toxic smoke and ash, people have become unable to move on the road. The people of the area have been affected by various diseases including eye diseases, shortness of breath and asthma. Residents of the affected areas have also staged protests and human chains. But these had no effect.
There are about two thousand rice mills in 13 upazilas of Dinajpur. Of these, about 200 are auto-rice mills and hot flu mills. Besides, the rest are major mill and husking mill.
It has been seen on the ground that auto-rice mills are supposed to have a certain amount of high chimneys but most of the mills do not have chimneys. As there is no chimney, the ashes of the mill are blown away and the houses in the vicinity are destroyed, just as the eyes of the pedestrians are destroyed. Along with that road accidents are happening.
Mosaddek Hossain, president of Dinajpur Rice Mill Owners Group, said that besides the rice mills, there are more than three thousand boilers and huts for various processes including boiling and drying of paddy.
On an average, about 25,000 MT of rice is produced there every day. As there is a huge demand for rice produced here, it is also exported to meet the demand of the country.
Therefore, industrialization is needed for the development of the country. As houses have been built in the industrial area, there is no designated place for industrialization. However, we are now building rice mills with the environment in mind.
The accused rice mill owner Md Ahidul Islam said that the protests of the locals was unreasonable. The rice mill under construction is modernized. The mill will not pollute the air and water in any way.
Md Mizanur Rahman, Assistant Director, Department of Environment, Dinajpur, said that he had allegations that several rice mill wastes, toxic black smoke, chaff and ash had caused environmental disasters. So he informed his superiors to stop those rice mills.
It has been observed on the ground that the illegal auto-rice mills and boiler rice mills that have sprung up in the settlements without heeding the regulations have been exposed to toxic waste and black smoke, and the environment has been threatened. Therefore, the locals have started a movement in protest. Environmentalists and ordinary people are expecting the concerned authorities to intervene quickly in this regard.
