Illegal sand extraction threatens farmlands, livelihood

Lives and properties of people in four villages at Habiganj’s Bahubal upazila are in jeopardy as illegal sand lifting is going on unabated there for about eight months now.

Local influential people having political clouts are carrying out the illegal activities, panicked residents of Mirerpara, Sufi Bagan, Brindabon Tea Estate and Muchibari told this correspondent.

Ajman Mia, a resident of the village, mentioned some names who he said were behind extraction of sand from Kalichhara canal.

As a result, the river banks are becoming rickety and posing risks of erosion to the inhabitants. The canal flows through all four areas.

“Abdul Kader, Sajan Mia, Rasel Mia, Almas Mia and Kibria are using dredger machines to extract sand. I have already lost two acres of land.”

“Many others have lost their land too. When I tried to protest, they gave me death threats. I submitted a written complaint to the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) in August but the miscreants did not obey his order,” said Ajman.

Reluctance of the officials were making the sand lifters more desperate, he added.

This correspondent saw 40 to 50 sand-laden trucks passing through Mirerpara from evening until dawn when he stayed there on September 10.

Sohel Mia and Anwar Mia are lifting sand from Sufi Bagan while Helal Uddin, Ishak Ullah, Arif Ullah and Wahid Mia are carrying out the illegal activity in Muchibari, according to residents of the respective areas.

No-one is raising voice because the business is being led by one Emran Talukder who has patrons in Jubo League, they alleged.

“Jubo League leaders -- Mushahid and Afzal -- had taken the canal on lease from the government spending Tk 30 lakh. I am their partner. We are collecting sand in legal way and also compensating the land owners,” Emran said when contacted.

Sand traders had damaged agricultural land at 20 points in Brindaban Tea Estate, said estate manager Mohammad Nasir Khan.

“We have been hit by landslides several times but the lifters did not listen to us. So about two weeks ago, I filed a complaint against them to the deputy commissioner (DC). No step has been taken by the authority yet,” he said.

Aimon Ali, another farmer of Mirerpara, said he was losing land to unscrupulous traders. “I had a word with them but they came with dredgers and trucks after midnight to extract sand from my land,” he claimed.

This has reduced the fertility of the land, he said citing concern that food crisis might hit the zone in near future.

Sand traders eye this area in particular because it is near markets. Moreover, the route is convenient for transporting sand at a cheaper rate, he further said.

The main road of Mirerpara is becoming rickety as heavy sand-laden trucks ply on it from evening till late hours of night every day, said Sumon Mia, a resident of the village.

Bahubal UNO Ayesha Haque said, “We have conducted raids several times through mobile courts, we burnt their dredger machines, fined them but to no avail. I have sent letters to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources asking them to cancel the lease but they never replied.

“Illegal sand lifting takes place in remote areas. We are short of manpower and that’s our limitation,” she added.

Narayan Saha, former head of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, said, “The real estate business is benefitted by illegal sand lifting but it is the poor farmers who bear the brunt.”

Tofazzol Sohel, general secretary at Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan, Habiganj unit, said, “The white sand available in these areas are sold at Tk 40 to Tk 50 per square feet. As per the law, traders are supposed to use spades not dredger machines to extract sand.

“Not only that, they are extracting sand from hills. Three years ago, landslide killed three people in Nabiganj upazila. If situation continues like this soon there will be no hill left in this district.”