Stone Crushers in Sylhet: HC orders govt to remove them

The High Court yesterday ordered the government to remove all unauthorised stone crushing machines, now operating in five upazilas of Sylhet, in the next three months to save public health and environment from pollution and damage.

Responding to a writ petition, it also asked the authorities to move all authorised stone crushers that have environmental clearance certificates issued against them to a stone crushing zone within the time, reports our court correspondent.

According to a report submitted by the Department of Environment (DoE) to the HC in August 2015, 393 out of 606 such machines, set up in Sylhet sadar, Companiganj, Gowainghat, Jaintapur and Kanaighat upazilas, were illegal as no environmental clearance certificate had been issued against them.

The court yesterday ordered the authorities to implement the Stone Crushing Policy 2000 in the same period.

Under the policy, no stone crushing machine can be set up within 500-metre radius of a town, upazila, municipality, academic institution and hospital, 100-metre radius of a residence and religious workshop and 50-metre radius of a road and highway, Sayeed Ahmed Kabir, a lawyer for the petitioner, told The Daily Star.

A bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo came up with the verdict after hearing the writ petition filed by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association.

The petitioner said stone crushers operate on public roads and playgrounds and in forests and residential areas, causing environment, sound and air pollution, thus affecting public health. It prayed to the HC to direct the government to stop operation of illegal stone crushing machines in these areas.

DRIVES AT COMPANIGANJ, JAFLONG

Meanwhile, drives against illegal stone extraction began in Sylhet yesterday a day after two workers died in a landslide caused by cutting of hillocks for stone extraction, reports our Sylhet correspondent. 

The district and police administrations have formed two committees to look into the killing of workers at Matiar Tila, a part of Shah Arefin Tila.

Sylhet's Additional District Magistrate Abu Saffat Md Sayedul Islam visited the place yesterday. He was asked to submit a report in two working days, said Deputy Commissioner Md Joynal Abedin.

During the drive at Bholaganj along with officials of the upazila administration, Sayedul found stones being extracted from hillocks by dredger machines locally called as boma machine.

Two such machines and 11 shallow machines were seized, he said, adding that the administration would no longer let illegal traders continue stone extraction that destroyed hillocks.

Another three-member team was formed by police to investigate the deaths. The probe body led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Hasnat Ahmed was given five working days to submit a report, said Sugyan Chakma, additional superintendent (media) of Sylhet police.

At least two people were killed and several others injured in Monday's landslide when they were digging out stones from a hillock in Companiganj upazila of Sylhet.

The victims are Abdul Quddus and Khokon, of Purbo Dhalpur village in Netrakona, said Sugyan.

Local sources, however, put the death toll at six.

Meanwhile, a taskforce formed by the environment department, Border Guard Bangladesh and upazila administration of Gowainghat yesterday conducted a drive against illegal stone extraction and crushing at Jaflong, adjacent to Companiganj upazila. 

During the drive, the taskforce seized and destroyed four machines used to extract stones and eight crushers.

Around 50 illegal structures, which had been illegally built on government land, were also razed to the ground.

Assistant Director of DoE Mostafizur Rahman and BGB camp commander Md Humayun Kabir were present there along with hundreds of BGB and police members.

Salah Uddin, upazila nirbahi officer of Gowainghat, said the drive would be continued to protect Jaflong's environment.