The Government will provide financial support to the smaller industries to set up Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), said State Minister for Environment & Forest Advocate Mostafizur Rahman. He was addressing a discussion organised by Bangladesh chamber of Industries (BCI) on May 02. "We are thinking to introduce polythene shopping bag banned by BNP-Jamat government. But this shopping bag's thickness will be more. This shopping bag will be re-usable. So that people will not throw it here and there. We have to assure the waste management. We cannot damage the whole plastic industry only for polythene. We are thinking to remove micron limitation for the packaging industry," He added. BCI president Shahedul Islam (Helal) presided over the discussion. MD. Nojibur Rahman, Director General of Department of Environment and M. A. Rouf Chowdhury, Member of Regulatory Reforms Commission addressed the function as special guest, while Engineer Shafiqur Rahman, Chairman standing committee on environment of FBCCI and Jashim Uddin, President of Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) were present as discussants. BCI leaders urged the government to relax rules and regulations related to environment to set up new industries without harassment. They also demanded Tk 5000 crore special allocation in the forthcoming national budget for setting up Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP) in industries as small and medium industries have no capacity to set up ETP by investing at least Tk 50-60 lakh. BCI president Shahedul Islam (Helal) said, "We do not want to pollute the environment. We want an environment-friendly industry policy. But the government regulates us in the name protecting environment," he claimed adding "government should be supportive authority instead of regulator." "Police raid industries to check if they have ETP, creating panic among industrialists, which hampers the productivity of the industries and demanded immediate stop of police harassment without specific reason," he added. He also said "To control environmental pollution, people, government and industrialists collectively should mount a public awareness campaign," BPGMEA President Jashim Uddin said, "We appreciate the government's initiative to build a separate plastic industry zone. But at present to protect the environment we the businessmen can provide plastic bean so that people will throw their plastic wastage there and it will be easier to collect and re-cycle. It can be stated in a city as a pilot project." "Government should take necessary step to issue the environment certificate for the industry of old Dhaka very soon," he added