Illegal sand mining puts Jashore swamp in peril

Sand is being illegally extracted from Hamidpur Baor, a swamp in Jashore Sadar upazila, using dredger machines over the past 10-12 days, locals alleged.

Shilpi Khatun, a local Awami League leader and a resident of Chandpara village in Hamidpur union of the upazila, had taken lease of the swamp for fish farming at Tk 17.5 lakh.

According to sources, Shilpi's husband Babul, a local AL activist who has several criminal cases filed against him, took lease of the 43-acre swamp in his wife's name and is now extracting sand from the waterbody illegally to sell it for an embankment project.

"As far as I know, the leaseholder does not have permission from the administration to extract sand from the baor. However, I am not certain whether sand is being extracted from the waterbody," said Akram Hossain, a local union parishad member.

Contacted, Shilpi Khatun refuted the allegations.

"The waterbody is full of dirt, so we are excavating it to prepare it for fish farming. Some sand may have been extracted but it is not for any commercial purpose. The information of sand being extracted and transported with trucks is untrue," she claimed.

Contacted, Ripon Biswas, upazila nirbahi officer of Jashore Sadar upazila, said there is no permission for sand extraction from the baor.

"We will take necessary measures in this regard after investigating the complaints," he added.