Illegal pond: A threat to surrounding cropland

A local Awami League (AL) leader has dug a pond illegally posing threats to the surrounding cropland and homesteads. An act that he has done after failing to buy the villagers' land at a cheap rate, locals said.

Aminul Islam is the general secretary of Durgapur union unit of AL in Lalmonirhat's Aditmari upazila.

Union Assistant Land Officer Abdul Hamid has filed a case against Aminul with Aditmari Police Station under the Sand Mahal and Land Management Act 2010.

According to what could be known, Aminul wanted to buy cultivable land and homesteads of eight villagers at a cheap rate. However, as the villagers refused his offer, he started digging a pond on his eight bighas of land illegally posing threats to surrounding cropland and homesteads, inhabitants of Dwarkuti village said.

Around one kilometre stretch of the dirt road in the village is now in an impassable state due to transporting earth and sand from the pond. The village graveyard lying on the bank of the pond is also at the risk of being devoured.

Mostafa Ali, 55, a farmer from Dwarkuti village, said his farmland was being devoured by the illegally excavated pond and his homestead was also under threat.

"AL man Aminul Islam proposed me that I sell my land to him and move to somewhere else. But I didn't agree to it. Now, I am losing my arable land and homestead," he said.

Contacted, Aminul Islam said that he was digging a pond on his own land and it matters little to him whose land and homesteads being devoured.

However, he denied the allegations that he had offered to buy land at low prices.

Rafiqul Alam, general secretary of Aditmari upazila AL, said Aminul deserves to be punished.  Aditmari Upazila Nirbahi Officer GR Sarwar said according to the law, no one can dig a pond and extract sand without permission. A case has been filed against Aminul Islam.