Discouraging uses of burnt bricks, Housing and Public Works Minister Engr Mosharraf Hossain on Sunday stressed on using sand cement blocks in construction works to protect the environment, reports UNB. The minister came up with the call during a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters' Union (DRU) auditorium. Burnt brick production causes loss of top soil, which results in decreasing the fertility of land, he said adding that using sand cement blocks can protect country's paddy land. Sand cement blocks are more cost efficient than bricks, he said. When asked about illegal possession of lands by land robbers, the minister said, as it is the duty of law enforcers to protect the government land, they themselves might be at fault for this situation.  

Mentioning the unplanned commercialization, illegal possession of lands in Dhaka city, Mosharrof Hossain blamed that there might be something fishy inside of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).

However, the government lands possessed by land robbers are being identified and high-rise buildings are being constructed so that country's people can get apartments at affordable cost, said the minister adding

that 10,000 apartments are being built over slum areas to provide at least 50,000 slum dwellers with low- cost residences.

While addressing the success of his ministry over the last five years, he said, honest governance is a must for a country's development.

“Whatever political party is in power, it has to be honest to its duty and has to be corruption free”, he added.