Sand worth crores of taka is being freely extracted from the river in Gaibandha

Sand is being extracted freely from the Brahmaputra River in Gaibandha. An illegal sand extraction festival worth crores of taka is going on day and night at about 10 points from Balashighat in Fulchhari Upazila to Kamarjani in Sadar. Along with this, the continuous sand extraction has led to severe river erosion, soil and thousands of bighas of cropland are being lost in the riverbed. Since the group is influential, protests are met with threats. On the spot, it can be seen that one dredger after another is cutting the banks of the Brahmaputra River. Sand is being extracted from...

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Sand is being extracted freely from the Brahmaputra River in Gaibandha. An illegal sand extraction festival worth crores of taka is going on day and night at about 10 points from Balashighat in Fulchhari Upazila to Kamarjani in Sadar. Along with this, the continuous sand extraction has led to severe river erosion, soil and thousands of bighas of cropland are being lost in the riverbed. Since the group is influential, protests are met with threats.

On the spot, it can be seen that one dredger after another is cutting the banks of the Brahmaputra River. Sand is being extracted from the riverbed through pipes. Then, the grand business of selling sand is going on in boats and trucks. From a distance, it looks like a legal sand market. This is the picture now at at least 10 points along the 20-kilometer river border from Balashighat in Fulchhari upazila to Kamarjani in Sadar upazila. Locals allege that such activities of illegal sand selling have been going on for a long time.

This sand theft festival is going on day and night every day. Some influential local groups are using hundreds of dredger boats and powerful pump machines to extract sand worth crores of taka from the river. This unplanned and uncontrolled sand extraction is having a serious impact on the course of the river. River erosion is becoming more and more severe. Hundreds of homes and thousands of bighas of agricultural land are being submerged in the river every day.

Locals complain that influential groups are openly running this illegal business by giving immoral benefits to the local administration. That is why illegal sand mining cannot be stopped. When they protest, sand traders intimidate and beat them.

Aminul Islam, a resident of Balashighat, said that an influential group is extracting sand worth crores of taka every day through dredger machines and selling it. As a result of continuous sand extraction, land and houses are being washed away in the riverbed one after another in Balashighat, Madhya Kanchipara, and Rasulpur. The local administration is showing off its miking but is not taking any visible action.

Another resident of the same area, Rintu Mia, said that the gang is collecting sand from morning till night using dredger machines and selling it in different areas of the district using dump trucks and tractors. The administration is not taking any action as it is in control.

When asked about the complaint, Fulchhari Upazila Executive Officer Md. Mostafizur Rahman said that if a complaint is received about illegal sand extraction, a mobile court is being run immediately. After the issue of sand extraction from the Brahmaputra River came to light, the area was asked to stop the activity by miking. Even then, action will be taken against those who continue to extract sand.

Open sand mining is going on at 10 points of the Brahmaputra River, including Ketkirhat, Balashighat, Rasulpur, Purba Kanchipara, Saidpur Ghat, Baguria in Sadar, and Goghat in Kamarjani, and in more than 50 areas of Ghaghat and Karatoa in the district.