A new attempt has reportedly been made to grant environmental clearance to a proposed mosquito coil factory in Nayapur, a residential area in Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj, despite the project having faced suspension on nine occasions. Local residents have demanded that the proposed factory be stopped, alleging that the Department of Environment is taking steps to facilitate its approval.
After nine separate investigations established that the area is residential, the location clearance for the factory was cancelled. However, it has been alleged that an attempt is now being made to grant clearance again to the mosquito coil factory, named Sharmin Chemical, through a hearing before the appellate authority scheduled for August 6.
These allegations were made at a recent press conference held at the National Press Club. Speaking on behalf of the mosque committee of Nayapur village was Md. Mainuddin Molla, while Sadhan Saha represented the temple committee. Journalist Shahnaz Munni also spoke at the press conference. Poet and environmental activist Shahel Kayes was present at the event.
Journalist Shahnaz Munni, who is a resident of the area, said, “Since 2023, we have been fighting to remove this mosquito coil factory. The factory was established without complying with the rules, regulations and conditions required for setting up a mosquito coil manufacturing plant.”
She said a madrasa and a temple are each located only about 20 metres from the proposed factory, while the factory itself is situated in the middle of a residential area, putting the health and safety of local residents at risk.
The press conference was informed that an initiative had been taken to establish a mosquito coil factory under the name Sharmin Chemicals in the densely populated area of Nayapur village in Sonargaon, adjacent to a mosque, a temple and a women’s madrasa. Speakers said that if the factory becomes operational, toxic pollution from the facility would make it difficult for residents to live normally and safely in the area.
According to the speakers, following applications from local residents, the Department of Environment conducted a total of nine investigations, both through its head office and regional offices. In every investigation, the area was identified as residential, and the authorities reportedly concluded that, under the law, a mosquito coil factory could not be established there.
Following the lengthy investigations, the Department of Environment cancelled the factory’s environmental clearance. The speakers alleged that the factory subsequently obtained clearance following an appeal by its owners. They further alleged that the clearance obtained through that appeal was later cancelled following another investigation, and that the owners are now once again attempting to secure approval through an appeal.
Shahnaz Munni questioned how a decision reached after nine investigations and detailed inquiries by the Department of Environment could be changed through repeated appeals. She alleged that influential groups were exploiting the appeal system to obtain environmental clearance.
At the press conference, journalist Shahnaz Munni also said that an Imam Poultry Farm in the same area had previously been shut down under environmental laws, and that the matter had eventually reached the High Court. Against this backdrop, she claimed that the initiative to establish a mosquito coil factory—which she described as even more polluting—was contrary to the court’s decision.
A.H.M. Rashed, Deputy Director of the Department of Environment’s Narayanganj office, said that a company named Sharmin Chemical had been trying for the past three years to establish a factory in Nayapur, Narayanganj. However, he said, the company had been unable to do so because of opposition from local residents. He added that the company was again applying for environmental clearance following nine hearings.
Md. Mainuddin Molla, speaking on behalf of the mosque committee of Nayapur village, said, “They first wanted to establish a poultry farm within 20 yards of my house. We tried to stop it under three successive governments, and eventually the poultry farm was shut down. Now they are trying to establish a mosquito coil factory called Sharmin Chemical Works only about 20 hands’ distance from my house. It will not only affect my family but the entire local community.”
The speakers at the press conference called on the authorities not to grant environmental clearance again to the proposed mosquito coil factory.
They also demanded amendments to the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995, including transforming the Department of Environment into an autonomous institution, introducing an appeal mechanism through a ministry-level appellate board or the Environment Court, and rejecting environmental clearance for Sharmin Chemical Works in accordance with the Department of Environment’s own findings.
