Three-way clash over stones in Sylhet.
In Sylhet, there is a three-way conflict between the administration, environmental activists and workers and traders over stones. For almost two decades, several organized groups have been digging up hills, agricultural and residential land in the area bordering India in the name of legal stone extraction. More than a hundred workers have lost their lives while doing reckless excavation work with heavy machinery in the name of cash.
Although there are quarry areas declared by the government for stone extraction, the ‘stone diggers’ did not follow any rules. Tourist spots like Jaflong, Bichanakandi, Bholaganj, and Sadapathar in Sylhet have lost their beauty due to the digging. Stones worth thousands of crores of taka were looted by evading revenue.
Political leaders, activists, administration and members of law enforcement agencies once got involved in this illegal sand and stone business in Sylhet. However, in response to the petition of environmental activists, in 2018, the court identified several areas including Jaflong in Sylhet as environmentally critical areas and ordered a ban on stone mining in these areas.
Although the administration has been able to rein in some of the activities in the past few years, the looters did not miss the opportunity of the absence of the police and administration after August 5. Stone worth 2.5 billion taka was looted from Jaflong, Bichanakandi, and Bholaganj in a few nights. In several operations,
the administration’s task force has seized stones and sand worth crores of taka and thousands of boats. Cases have been filed against more than 150 people for environmental destruction.
Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) sources say that the trend of stone mining has not stopped yet. Boats carrying stones and sand are being seized every day in the border areas, and illegally extracted sand and stones are being seized.
However, there is another side to this. Located at the foothills of the Assam-Meghalaya hills in India, a huge amount of sand and stone comes down from various borders of Sylhet every year through mountain streams and rivers. The demand for these stones is much higher than that of ordinary boulder stones in the construction of long-lasting infrastructure. As a result, for a long time, these stones from the mountains of India were collected manually (by dipping in water and picking up stones by hand). Due to the lack of alternative employment in the border areas, thousands of workers and their families became dependent on this profession. Once, manual extraction of stones from the rivers near the tourist spots of Jaflong, Bichanakandi, and Bholaganj in Sylhet was a normal occurrence.
Numerous people from the border areas are involved in the stone trade, including sand and stone extraction and transportation. From the beginning, they have been strongly opposing the ban on stone extraction. They allege that a syndicate has been formed in the administration to import low-quality stones by spending foreign currency while stopping the extraction of good quality stones in the country.
When all types of stone extraction were stopped on the orders of the court, stone workers became hostages to unemployment. As a result, they have joined the continuous program of traders and transporters demanding the opening of the stone quarry and have warned of strict programs if the stone quarry is not opened by December.
Anwar Hossain Khan Anu, president of the Jaflong Ballaghat Stone Traders Cooperative Association, said, the source of the river is being filled with stones from the mountains of India. If this stone extraction continues by manual method, the river would not have lost its navigability. Due to the loss of river navigability, erosion is occurring in the surrounding areas during the rainy season. If these stones are not removed quickly, river erosion in the area will become evident. We have also been appealing to remove the stones accumulated at the zero points of Bholaganj, Jaflong and Bichanakandi, at the same time, changing the course of the river as a result of the accumulation of stones, preventing river erosion and increasing the navigability of the river. On the other hand, the situation of our investing businessmen is very delicate as the activities in the quarries are closed.
Jaflong Stone Crusher Mill Owners Association President Bablu Bakht said, “The stone crusher mill plant is closed due to the closure of the quarry. Each institution built with millions of taka is being sold at a pittance. We are unable to pay the bank installments. There is some other conspiracy behind keeping thousands of people unemployed just in the name of the environment, instead of ensuring systematic stone extraction through strict supervision by the administration.”
Abdul Jalil, convener of the Stone Traders-Shramik Oikya Parishad in Sylhet, said, there is no way to deny that huge revenue has been evaded by illegally extracting stones. At the same time, the environment has also been damaged due to the use of heavy machinery. Many were involved in the illegal stone trade. But ordinary workers have also been made unemployed because of them.
In view of the demands raised by various quarters, an 11-member delegation led by Sylhet Additional Divisional Commissioner (General) Debjit Singh visited these areas last Sunday. The delegation included Sylhet Battalion (48 BGB) Commander Lieutenant Colonel Md. Hafizur Rahman, Gowainghat Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Touhidul Islam, Jaintapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Umme Chalik Rumaiya and others. In addition, representatives of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) and Bangladesh Environmental Movement (BAPA) were also in the group.
Additional Divisional Commissioner Debjit Singh said that the area has been inspected to determine what needs to be done to remove stones accumulated at Jaflong and Bholaganj zero points, change the course of the river due to stone accumulation, prevent erosion, protect the BOP under the BGB, and increase the navigability of the river from Jaflong and Sadapathar tourist spots to zero point. The information and suggestions received during the inspection will be sent to the higher authorities, and they will see to the rest.
In this regard, Abdul Karim, member secretary of the Sylhet branch of the Dhara (Retained) Association and environmental activist, said that a team of everyone has inspected the stones accumulated at the source of the mountain river. It is being claimed that these stones are obstructing the flow of water and causing erosion. Representatives of environmental activists were also in the team. However, they have not yet given their opinion on this matter. He said that everyone’s demands should be considered. However, if the previous situation is returned to the name of necessary stone removal, it will cause terrible damage to the environment. Sylhet’s tourism sector will also face harmful effects.
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