Indiscriminate stone looting continues in Sylhet's Sadapathar

After indiscriminate stone looting from sites like Sharpin Tila, Ropeway and Bunker sites in Bholaganj, organised stone looters targeted the renowned tourist site Sadapathar in Companiganj.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit Sadapathar every year with some preferring to take a bath in its serene waters. But, various groups have been openly extracting stones for the last few days while the administration had remained a silent spectator.

Currently, a huge area known as Dosh Number is being dug by various groups for stone lifting.

Although the administration managed to almost stop stone extractions during the previous regime, in the past one year, political groups engaged in clashes to get ahead of the stone lifting competition at different sites in Sylhet and cases were filed in this regard.

On June 14, the motorcade of Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Energy Adviser Fauzul Kabir Khan were blocked by the stone quarry labourer and traders when the two visited Jafflong. The protesters shouted slogans for withdrawal of the ban on stone extraction.

The advisers' way was cleared after police intervened, although stone looting was continuing that time day and night.

Locals alleged that the illegal extractions had happened due to the silence of police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and the civil administration. There are three BGB camps near Sadapathar, while RNB too are deployed on the Bangladesh Railway owned Bholaganj Ropeway site. Locals also said during the rolling of water from the upstream in the Meghalaya, some sand and stones also rolled down as usual recently. Locals further said that traders have been buying homesteads for the poor while they are also digging at the purchased property for extractions.

Zamil Ahmed Chowdhury, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon Sylhet chapter president, said immediate steps should be taken to stop the looting at Sadapathar and other sites by the administration. "The unique sites are already destroyed. We demand effective measures to protect those," he added.

Shah Shaheda, the Sylhet divisional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said after the regime change there has been no visible move by the administration to monitor the "destruction".

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Sher Mahbub Murad told the newsmen on Monday that regular drives by mobile courts to stop stone looting are being conducted on the tourist sites and it has been hard for the administration to monitor the sites all the time.

Reiterating the DC's remark, Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Azizunnahar said official letters through the DC had been sent to the BGB and Railway Nirapatta Bahini (RNB) to guard the sites regularly.

Amid the widespread allegations of stone extraction and looting at Sadapathar and other sites, the BNP central joint secretary in a notice on August 11 expelled the Companiganj upazila BNP president Shahabuddin.

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