Dhaka, March 10 -- The Department of Environment has shut down 462 brick kilns in anti-pollution mobile drives across the country since January this year and fined Tk 200 million.

The department conducted those drives from 2 January to 9 March. A total of 598 mobile court operations were carried out during this period.

The drives targeted vehicles emitting excessive black smoke, illegal polluting brick kilns, steel mills, noise pollution, hazardous waste disposal, lead/battery recycling factories, wetland encroachment, tire pyrolysis plants, charcoal factories, and air pollution caused by construction materials left in open spaces, according to the department.

During these operations, 1,363 cases were filed, and fines amounting to Tk 7...