Around 15 tonnes of the inedible ghee were burnt yesterday on recommendation of a high-level committee.

Joint forces and senior officials witnessed the burning of the ghee.

According to an UNB report, some 23 importers had imported 2,500 tonnes of inedible ghee from Australia in 1982. Of that, 1,065 tonnes had been kept in the port shed and the rest in warehouses of different financing banks.

The customs officials did not release the consignments upon arrival after testing those.

Meanwhile, acting on a tip-off, the members of Bangladesh Coast Guard raided a warehouse at DSP Ghat of Majhirghat area at around 1:00pm and recovered more than one lakh sacks of different types of fertilisers, including MOP and FMT.

However, none could be arrested in this connection as no one claimed the ownership of the recovered fertilisers, a coast guard official said. The fertiliser was handed over to BADC (Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation) in presence of district magistrate and officials of Double Mooring Police Station, sources said.

In addition, the coast guard men also recovered some lubricants from the same Majhirghat area along the river Karnaphuli in the afternoon.

However, details on the recovery could not be had instantly.

ACID TRADERS JAILED IN DHAKA
A mobile court yesterday jailed seven acid traders in the capital including president of Bangladesh Acid Traders Association Shamsul Haque for violating rules and gross mismanagement.

Led by Metropolitan Magistrate Rokon-Ud Doula, the court found the acid importer and distributor guilty of owning two warehouses for storing nitric and sulphuric acid without permission from the authorities concerned. Shamsul Chemical and Company, owned by him, also failed to maintain any logbook of buyers, which is mandatory for an acid seller.

Shamsul was sentenced to eight months imprisonment and was fined Tk 3 lakh for violating the Acid Control Act.

The court also sentenced owners of six other importers and distributors to one-month imprisonment and Tk 50 thousand fine each. The traders are -- Monowara Trading, National Supply Company, Jharna Chemical and Supply, Faruque Chemical, Bhuiyan Chemical and Supply and National Chemical Industries.

They were found guilty of storing nitric and sulphuric acids beyond permitted, not maintaining the buyers' logbook and not having licence from authorities concerned.

As the owner of Rupali Chemical and Supply Shahidul was paralysed, the mobile court did not sentence him to jail on humanitarian grounds. The court, however, fined him Tk 10,000.

The court issued warrant against the owners of Comilla Chemical Industries and Janata Chemical Industries as they escaped closing their shops while the drive was going on.

The same court also fined owner of Tahi Electric Company Abdur Rahim and owner of Sima Enterprise Ajibur Rahman in Nababpur Road area Tk 1 lakh each for marketing fans and cables without BSTI approval.

DRIVE IN NARAYANGANJ
Titas authority in association with the army-led joint forces launched a drive against the gas bill defaulters in Fatullah industrial area yesterday to collect arrear bill amounting to Tk 96 crore.

They arrested six people in this connection and cut off lines of at least three industries for not paying bill.

The team disconnected three gas line connections to Afsar Drum Factory for non-payment of Tk 2.69 crore gas bill and arrested four workers.

Two owners of Jilani Dyeing Factory at Fatullah were arrested for tampering with gas meters and not paying Tk 1.80 crore. The forces disconnected gas connection to the factory.

Gas connection to Hamid Re-rolling Mills was also snapped for defaulting Tk 43 lakh.

DRIVE IN BARISAL
The joint forces cut off power connections to houses owned by four ward commissioners and a BNP leader for using illegal connections and meter tampering during a drive started on Saturday.

The commissioners, also the BNP leaders, are Syed Zakir Hossain Jalal, Zahidul Karim, Atiqur Rahman and Ziauddin Sikder Zia while the BNP leader is Sheikh Abdur Rahim, also vice president of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Law enforcers also fined Tk 80,000 to Hotel Gulbag on Sadar Road in the city for not paying electricity bill.