Grabbers feast on Tangail hillocks
According to locals, the excavators cut the hillocks in these areas at night and take the soil away on trucks, leaving the roads dusty. This also creates inconvenience for people living on the sides of roads.
A range of red hillocks -- it's not only a great sight, surrounded by luscious Sal forests, but is also crucial in conserving the biodiversity of the midlands of Tangail and Gazipur.
However, this geological feature is on the verge of extinction, owing to the greed of an influential quarter, which is cutting the hillocks, flattening them and selling the soil to brick kilns.
In many areas, these influential locals have also occupied the surrounding flatlands and cultivated different crops, fruits and vegetables, by forging documents of ownership, thanks to some corrupt land department officials and employees, sources said.
A recent study by the environmental science and resource management department of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University found that the hillocks in the region are undergoing a transformation due to the growing commercialisation of land and expanding urbanisation and industrialisation.
Even just two decades ago, before falling victim to the soil traders' greed, there were numerous hillocks in Mirzapur's Gorai, Ajgana, Latifpur, Banshtail and Tarafpur unions. The traders have also been extracting soil from the government's reserve forests surrounding the hillocks, alleged locals.
Ashraful Islam, a ranger at Banshtail Range, said they had recently seized three excavators and sued one of the owners for extracting soil from the reserve-forest land.
According to locals, the excavators cut the hillocks in these areas at night and take the soil away on trucks, leaving the roads dusty. This also creates inconvenience for people living on the sides of roads.
Jamir Uddin, deputy director of Department of Environment in Tangail, said they cannot take any action against the plunderers due to not having magistracy power. "Only the local administration can take steps against it."
Asked, Mirzapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Hafizur Rahman said fines of around Tk 50 lakh have been realised during multiple drives. He also mentioned that they will continue the drives.
The mayhem has not stopped in Ghatail upazila as well, where about one third of the landscape is covered by red hillocks, under six bits of a reserve forest area in Dhalapara range. During a recent visit, this correspondent noticed that many of the hillocks have already been flattened in Delutia, Kachara and Baripara areas under Choura and Deopara, Gourishwar under Battala and Akander Baid in Sagardighi.
"It is not possible to cut the hillocks without contacting the forest department officials and employees. Yet, it has become a common occurrence," told Jahurul Islam, a local.
Dhalapara Range Officer Abdul Hamid, however, claimed that they stopped the hillocks from being razed after they acquired information about it.
Ghatail upazila assistant commissioner (land) Farzana Yasmin said they conducted mobile court drives at Delutia. However, no one was found at the scene.
Meanwhile, indiscriminate cutting of hillocks is also going on at adjacent Sakhipur, where grabbers have been occupying khas land, according to sources.
Contacted, Ataul Gani, deputy commissioner in Tangail, said a section of influential people backed by politicians are active in hillock cutting due to increasing demand for soil in different development projects.
"However, there is no alternative to conserving the beautiful natural assets for protecting the balance of environment and biodiversity," he said.
The issue has already been discussed in several development coordination committee meetings of the district, he added.