The river sand bath is being reopened after seven years.
Finally, after almost seven years, the large sand pit ‘Dhopajan Sand Pit’ on the Chalti River in Sunamganj Sadar Upazila is going to open. On January 13, Sabrina Afrin Mustafa, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Department of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, cancelled the previous order in a memorandum signed.
Sources said that sand extraction at Dhopajan Sand Pit in Sunamganj has been closed since 2018. Due to the long-term standstill, sand pit-dependent businesses have faced huge financial losses. However, hundreds of crores of taka of sand and stones have been looted from Dhopajan Sand Pit in the dark of night. There are allegations that sand and stone looting continues in the changed political situation.
Due to this, the government is also being deprived of a huge amount of revenue. In addition, lakhs of workers have become unemployed due to the closure of Sand Pit. Finally, the news of the opening of Sand Pit after 7 long years is seeing a ray of hope for the concerned businessmen and working people.
Saiful Alam Chadrul, General Secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha Sunamganj District Committee, said, “We want to see a worker-friendly sand-stone palace free from looting and extortion.” Nasir Mia, President of District Barki Sramik Sangha, said, “We want the Barki workers to get work opportunities in an environmentally friendly way. The administration should be strict on these issues.”
According to government information, the Chalti River flows from India through the Dolura border of Sunamganj Sadar Upazila and merges with the Surma River in the Sadargarh area of the suburb. There is a sand palace covering 371 acres of land in the Dolura area of the Chalti River.
This palace is called Dhopajan Balumahal. At one time, sand was freely extracted from this river’s sand palace using dredgers and bomb machines, causing erosion to many villages and structures on both banks. It caused extensive damage to nature and the environment. Due to this, in 2018, the lease of the Dhopajan Balumahal of the Chalti River was closed by a decision of the Cabinet Division. Later, an order was issued to close the lease in 2020 as well. Since then, it has not been leased again. However, thousands of workers in the riverside area earn a living by hauling sand in small boats.
