The Department of Environment (DoE) has formed a five-member probe body to determine the environmental damages, caused by the recent terrible fire errupted at privately-owned S Alam Refined Sugar Industries Ltd located in Karnaphuli upazila of Chattogram.

The committee will assess the harmful effects of the fire on the environment and biodiversity for determining the amount of compensation and recommending the measures to be taken to mitigate and prevent the damage in this incident. 

DoE Director of Chattogram Region Hillol Biswas has been made the convenor of the committee. 

Other members of the committee are Dr Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, Professor, Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences at Chittagong University; Dr Asiful Haque, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Director, Institute of River, Harbor and Environmental Sciences at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology; and DoE deputy director (Chattogram) Md Kamrul Hasan.

DoE deputy director (Chattogram) Ferdous Anwar has been made member secretary, according to a notification issued by the DoE on Thursday.

The committee can co-opt any other member if necessary. The probe body has been asked to submit its report to the DoE Director General within the next seven working days.