Over 1,500 sued for looting stones from Sada Pathor

The government yesterday submitted two compliance reports to the High Court stating that 1,500 to 2,000 unidentified individuals have been sued over the large-scale looting of stones from Sada Pathor, a major tourist site in Bholaganj of Sylhet's Companiganj upazila.

The case was filed on August 15 with Companiganj Police Station under the Mineral Resources Act and relevant sections of the Penal Code, according to a report from the secretary of power, energy and mineral resources ministry.

In another report, the Sylhet deputy commissioner said 50 lakh cubic feet of stone and 11 lakh cubic feet of sand have already been reinstated at the Bholaganj stone quarry.

The reinstatement and monitoring are ongoing, and a list of offenders is being prepared, said the DC.

The reports were submitted to the HC through Deputy Attorneys General Nur Mohammad Azami and Md Ershadul Bari Khandakar, in line with its August 14 order.

The HC bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua ordered the ministry and the DC to submit further progress reports by October 22.