No let up in illegal stone lifting from Lalmonirhat rivers
Although the administration appears to be active against the illegal lifting of stones from three rivers in Patgram upazila, stone lifting has not stopped.
Locals said stones are being lifted from three rivers -- Dharla, Singimari and Saniyazan -- at many areas in the upazila. The stones are kept openly on the roadsides for sale, but the administration is not taking stern action against the lifters, they alleged.
“The administration conducts drives against illegal stone lifting, but it is just eyewash as the lifters get information before the drive,” alleged Zahurul Islam, 62, a farmer at Dangirpar village.
The lifters take away the dredgers before the officials reach the spot and bring those back when the officials leave, villagers said.
“We protested strongly against illegal stone lifting from the Dharla river, but to no avail. We have even received life threat,” said Anowarul Islam, 48, of Banglabari village. “Illegal stone lifting from the rivers is damaging embankments and village roads,” he said, adding that they cannot sleep peacefully during the night due to the loud sound of the dredgers round the clock.
Patgram Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Abdul Karim said 50 dredgers have already been destroyed through burning and throwing into the river in the last week, and a total of Tk 1.5 lakh was collected as fine from the illegal stone lifters. “We are conducting drives regularly,” he said, adding that no case has been lodged as the dredger owners were not found on the spot.
Schoolteacher Noor Hossain, also a farmer at Maminpur village, told this correspondent that if the administration conducts drives and seizes the illegally lifted stones, the lifters would face loss and would not be interested in lifting stones from rivers. “The administration dumps the dredgers in the river but the stone lifters recover them immediately,” he said.
Alleged stone lifter Pakhi Islam said not only he, but many other people in the upazila are involved in lifting stones from rivers. “We collect stones from rivers but it is not a threat for anything, while the collected stones are used for the country's development works,” he said, adding that many local people are happy getting job opportunity for lifting stones from rivers.
“The lifters are not daring to lift stones in daylight now, maybe they are lifting it during the dark of night, but we are keeping alert,” the UNO said. “If stone lifting is not ended we will go for tougher action, including filing cases, arresting the lifters and seizing lifted stones,” he added.
Patgram upazila people urged the authorities concerned to take stern steps to stop illegal stone lifting from rivers in the greater interest of saving rivers, roads, farmlands and environment.
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