Sylhet Correspondent:

After pillaging the stone reserve in Bholaganj stone quarry, Shah Arefin Tila and Bunker area in Companganj upazila of Sylhet, the stone plunderers have now shifted their gaze to the popular tourist spot of the country, Shada Pathor.

The gang started looting stones in the Shada Pathor area from 23 April. The stone reserve in Bholaganj Stone Quarry and Shah Arefin Tila has already been emptied almost completely. However, they extraction of stone is still going on unabated at neighbouring Bunker area.

The Shada Pathor tourist spot is located near the zero line in Bholaganj, on the Bangladesh-India border. This tourist spot is stretched over an area of about 15 acres with a stream of water flowing over innumerous stones of different sizes as the main attraction. Thousands of tourists from home and abroad flock there every day to enjoy this beauty.

Meanwhile, the Bunker area is located next to the country’s largest stone quarry, Bholaganj. The only ropeway line of Bangladesh Railway is located there. Basically, the ropeway area itself is known as the reserved Bunkar.

The rope line was constructed using 119 poles back in 1964 as an alternative to land vehicles or water vessels to transport stones from Bholaganj to Chhatak in Sunamganj.

The ropeway area of Bholaganj is stretched over an area of 59 acres. There are slightly elevated mounds like Tila (hillock) alongside plain land at the spot with innumerous stones of different sizes strewn below.

When asked about the stone plundering in these two areas, deputy commissioner of Sylhet Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad admitted that he was aware of the matter.

That the administration is carrying out regular raids to curb stone mining there. Plus, those found guilty are being sent to prison by setting up mobile courts. If needed they will be even stricter to protect the environment and the ecology.

The government has decided to revoke the lease on 17 out of 51 stone quarries in the country to save the nature and the environment. The decision came from a meeting about the management of gazetted stone, silica, sand, gravel, and white clay quarries across the country held at the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources on 27 April.

Most of the quarries whose leases have been revoked are indeed located in Sylhet. The Bholaganj stone quarry is also on that list. The reserved bunker and Shada Pathor areas are located right next to this quarry.

Although these two spots are not categorised as quarries, there are huge reserve of small and large stones there. Actually, these are the stones that are being extracted illegally.

WHOEVER OWNS BOAT OWNS STONES

While visiting the Shada Pathor and the Bunker areas in person from 3:30 pm till evening on 27 April, workers were found extracting stones using spades and shovels and loading them onto at least a hundred small boats locally known as Barki boats. Then, they are taking the stones to the Bholaganj site number 10 for sale, sailing through the Dhalai river.

Around 4:45 pm, about 20 people were seen rummaging underwater to lift stones onto as many as 17 boats in two separate parts of Shada Pathor. Meanwhile, two other people were seen collecting stones by digging the banks of Dhalai River on the way to Shada Pathor.

Then around 5:30 pm, at least a hundred workers were seen digging out stones using spades and shovels in adjacent Bunker area. Hundreds of gaping holes have been created there from the digging. Many were piling up the stones taken out of these risky ditches on the banks while some were seen carrying these stones in small baskets to load them onto boats anchored at a distance.

While visiting Bunker area in person again around 11:30 am the next day (28 April), some workers were found mining stones and loading them onto boats even though it was pouring heavily. Four boats laden with stones were seen moving from bunker area to site no. 10 through the Dhalai River at the time.

Two of the workers extracting stones in the Bunker area said that a mobile court conducted a raid and sentenced nine people involved in illegal extraction of stones to two years imprisonment just on this 26 April. This has scared many of them. Although thousands of workers came to the Bunker area to extract stones on other days, relatively few are coming since 27 April.

On condition of anonymity, a Barki boat owner said that several thousand Barki boats are there for transportation as the stones have to be transported across the Dhalai River, there are several thousand barque boats here for transportation. Basically, the workers curve the stones out and sell them to the owners of these boats.

Later, the boat owners sell the stones to the owners of the stone crusher mills at site number 10. Also in some cases, the workers extract stones under direct supervision of the boat owners. Basically, those who own boats get advantage in transporting stones and thus earn more profits from it. In other words, whoever owns the boat also owns the stones.

The workers said that there is no fear of administration monitoring at night. So, more stones are extracted during that period. Several thousand workers extract stones in the Bunker area every day. However, the situation has changed a lot because of the raids. Every single worker earns Tk 3,000-4,000 by collecting stones there, they said.

Local stone dealers said that the workers sell a boatload of ‘boulders’ (large ones) for Tk 5,000, ‘Bhutu (medium ones) for Tk 4,000-4,500, and, ‘singles’ (small ones) for Tk 3,000-3,500.

EVEN RAIDS CANNOT STOP LOOTING

Local residents said that the stone extraction went on secretly before. Since 5 August last year, thousands of people have been openly mining stones from there. The stone extractors retreat when the local administration carries out raids. They start mining again later when the raiding team has left. Stone looting is now going on openly at Shada Pathor and Bunker area not only at night but also during the day.

The local administration said that the last time they conducted a raid in the Bholaganj stone quarry area was on 28 April from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. But there were fewer stone miners there at that time due to heavy rainfall. And those who were there, retreated sensing the presence of the local administration.

A resident from Bholaganj area said that the impact of the raid last for a day or two. Then, the unabated looting starts again. During the period following 5 August, unchecked stone loot started first at the Bholaganj stone quarry and later in the Bunker area. And the looting is still going on in the Bunker area.

The local administration does not have any statistics on how much stone has been looted from Bholaganj stone quarry, Shah Arefin Tila, Shada Pathor, and Bunker area in Companiganj upazila after 5 August.

However, the locals believe that stones worth Tk 5 to 6 billion (Tk 500 to 600 crore) have been looted from these areas. Out of that, at least Tk 2.5 billion (Tk 250 crore)-worth of stones has been looted from the bunker area alone. However, even the locals fail to estimate how much stone has been looted from the Shada Pathor area in the last ten days.

General secretary for environmentalist organisation Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) in Sylhet, Abdul Karim Chowdhury  that the stone reserve at Bholaganj stone quarry and Shah Arefin Tila have nearly been emptied and destroyed completely. The Bunker area is also on the verge of being left bare of stones.

Although all this has been happening openly in broad daylight, the administration has not been noticed to take an impactful role. Now even the Shada Pathor has caught the attention of these stone plunderers and the administration will have to be even stricter to prevent it, he added.