Lion Dr Sheikh Faridul Islam, state minister for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has said the work his ministry will take up and carry out quickly as priorities has already been identified. It includes planting 25 crore trees, curbing plastic pollution, and suppressing banditry and ending the use of poison in protecting the Sundarbans. He said three tasks would be given priority.

The state minister set out these plans in an exclusive interview with Jago News.

"First, we promised the people that if the BNP got the responsibility of running the country, we would plant 25 crore trees across the country in the next five years," Sheikh Faridul Islam said. "That means planting five crore trees a year. We will do this as a priority. Within the next 15 days we will set the tree-planting action plan and then submit it to the Prime Minister's Office. After final approval from there, the tree-planting programme will be carried out."

"Second, plastic pollution is now a serious problem in the country. The waterlogging in Dhaka and other big cities is caused by single-use plastic. It was eliminated under the previous BNP government, but it is slowly spreading again like mushrooms. It is terribly harmful to our environment. We are planning on this too and will start work quickly."

"Third, we have fallen far behind in protecting the Sundarbans. Banditry has increased enormously. Recently five gangs have been constantly abducting fishermen and releasing them for ransom. The fishermen have become helpless and do not want to go to sea out of fear. So we will meet the law enforcement agencies."

Noting that fish are being caught with poison, which is terribly harmful, the state minister said: "We will sit with officials of all departments in Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts and try to stop the use of poison. Poison is destroying the entire fish stock. Because of poison, we will face a shortfall in meeting our protein needs."

"I will properly carry out the responsibilities of the ministries I have been given," he said. "I hope the country and the people will benefit from my work."

Lion Dr Sheikh Faridul Islam also has responsibility for two other ministries: the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Sheikh Faridul Islam was elected MP for Bagerhat-3 (Mongla-Rampal) in the recently concluded 13th parliamentary election, defeating the Jamaat-e-Islami candidate by a wide margin.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.