The department of environment (DoE) has slapped a total of Tk 19.70 lakh fine against four factories yesterday for polluting environment and ecology by dumping liquid wastes. The DoE summoned the factory owners of Majumder Products Ltd of Bogra, Export Pack Ltd of Chittagong, Sun Sing Edible Oil Ltd of Bagerhat and Messer’s Rashid Auto Bricks of city’s Uttar Khan at its Agargaon headquarters. The DoE monitoring and enforcement team found that the factory owners were allegedly involved in discharging untreated wastes despite having effluent treatment plants in their respective factories. As a result, there were huge environmental and ecological damages due to discharging untreated effluents, Anwar Hossain Hawlader, director (monitoring and enforcement) of DoE told The Independnet. He fined Tk 11.18 lakh against Majumder Products Ltd, Tk 5.99 lakh against Export Pack Ltd, Tk 49,000 against Sun Sing Edible Oil Ltd and Tk two lakh against Messer’s Rashid Auto Bricks under Environmental Conservation Act. The factory owners admitted their faults and promised before the environmental court that they never pollute the environment in future.