‘Legalising’ illegal sand mining

Two canals -- Dulahazara and Paglir Bil -- that Cox's Bazar district administration had leased out to Jubo League leaders don't have any sand left anymore. Locals alleged that armed by the lease document, the lessees have been preying upon the protected forests.

In the last five years, local influential people have raked in Tk 180 crore by ripping apart Fasiakhali and Fulchhari forests using a lease document, which Forest Department has repeatedly been trying to get cancelled, but in vain.

Two canals -- Dulahazara and Paglir Bil -- that Cox's Bazar district administration had leased out to Jubo League leaders don't have any sand left anymore. Locals alleged that armed by the lease document, the lessees have been preying upon the protected forests.

Every day, hundreds of trucks make around 500 trips with sand from the two canals. Each trip brings Tk 2,000 for the lessees, with the amount totalling to Tk 10 lakh by the end of the day, Tk 36 crore a year, and Tk 180 crore in the last five years, locals said.

Kaochar Uddin Kochir, general secretary of Chakaria upazila unit of Jubo League, was granted the lease of Dulahazara canal, while leaders Nurul Alam and Jafar Alam got the lease of Paglir Bil canal.

Contacted, Nurul admitted that they mine sand from a nearby orchard, though they only got lease for a canal.

Asked why, he said they pay money to the orchard owner for this. However, he refused to provide the owner's name.

Meanwhile, Kochir denied extracting sand himself, saying he only realises a Tk 100 fee from each truck.

Asked whether he is aware of the devastation caused by the sand extraction, he said authorities will take action if any environmental harm is being caused.

PLEAS TO CANCEL LEASE IGNORED

As per the documents obtained by The Daily Star, the Forest Department has repeatedly been  writing letters to  Cox's Bazar district and Chakaria upazila administrations since 2013 to cancel the lease and save the forest, its wildlife and Dulahazara safari park.

However, they have not paid any heed.

In August 2021, forest staffers came under attack when they tried to stop the sand mining, prompting the department to file cases  with Chakaria Police Station, accusing 11 people.

Rafiqul Islam Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of Chattogram Nature and Wildlife Conservation wing of Forest Department, told The Daily Star, "The damage is so severe that we may not be able to save the park, unless we can stop the sand extraction. The perpetrators keep showing the document to legalise their illegal sand mining."

"We've sought cooperation from the police and local lawmakers. All assured us of taking necessary action, but there is no reflection of their assurance in reality," he said.

Contacted, Rahat Uz Zaman, assistant commissioner (land) of Chakaria upazila, said to the best of his knowledge, he did not receive any letter from the Forest Department.

"We have asked them to give us an assessment report of the damage being caused by the sand extraction. We can't cancel the lease all of a sudden. But we are thinking about cancelling it to save the environment," he said.

Cox's Bazar district administration leased out seven streams in Khutakhali and Dulahazara union of Chakaria, which earns the government Tk 99 lakh per year, Chakaria land office sources said.

The rampant sand extraction has even triggered landslides adjacent to Dulahazara Bangabandhu Safari Park, collapsing its 100-feet long boundary wall and creating a 20 to 25-feet deep gorge where wildlife could tread and die anytime.

Forest officials said another wall may fall down due to the mining.

The Quarries and Earth Management Law-2010 prohibits extraction of sand from forests and from spots where flora and fauna could be disrupted. Any violation of the law will strip the lessee off the lease agreement.