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Constant drive against illegal brick kilns in Gazipur

Farmers get back over 500 acres of crop land


Published : 10 Feb 2023 09:59 PM

Kaliakair upazila of Gazipur was once full of green agro lands. As far as the eye could see, only fields and fields of crops could be seen. Looking back 50 years from today, it can be seen that about 70-80 percent of the families of this upazila were dependent on agriculture. In the field, the eyes were drawn to the green view of the crops. Farmers in the area spent busy time in the crop field. However, the illegal brick kilns have swallowed all these croplands. It has made the farmers unemployed. Many historical traditions have been lost.

It can be seen that Darbaria, Sabajpur, Maharabah, Dubail, Sonakhali, Mediashulai areas of Kaliakair upazila were the most rural and agricultural areas of the upazila. The families of these villages used to produce agriculture and agricultural products. Most of the families produced their own crops. Farmers always profited by selling in various markets to meet the needs of the family. However, this upazila has lost these things with the evolution of time.

  Influential brickyard owners are occupying these crops. Crop fields are being destroyed day by day. The brickyards are being built one by one by occupying the farmers' land. This cycle holds some farmers hostage, and prevents some farmers from planting crops by showing the greed of a large sum of money. At first, he built a brickyard with a few acres of land, but later he bought the fertile soil of the upper part of several hundred bighas from the farmer. As a result, the farmer's land did not have a good harvest the next year and the farmer became depressed.

Thus, day by day, the lands become uncultivated, and the farmer becomes unemployed day by day and suffers from depression. When these matters came to the attention of the government, the High Court ordered the closure and removal of brick quarries in some districts. Among them, the name of Gazipur district also comes up. For this purpose, Gazipur district and Kaliakair upazila administration repeatedly urged the brickyard owners to close down the illegal brickyards and remove them. However, as the owners of the brickyards did not pay attention, the administration was forced to run mobile courts.

The mobile court has demolished six brick chimneys in the past few days. In this, the farmers of those areas get back about 500 bigha of cropland. Farmers are happily cultivating Boro paddy in that land this year. Although the owners of the brickyard expressed their anger at the strictness of the administration, the locals are happy. However, conscious people have expressed their anger because all the illegal brick quarries have not been stopped. A total of 44 brick quarries have been built in Kaliakair upazila. Out of them 24 brickyards are operational. While some of them are authorized, the rest have no documents.Bulbul Ahmed, the owner of SNB brickyard in Darbaria area, said, "I have to pay a lot of fines because of running the mobile court again and again. And if some parts are broken, that too has to be rebuild. In this way, I have lost about one and a half million rupees. Therefore, I closed the brickyard.” The manager of NBC brickyard, Shabar Ali, said, "My owner has closed the brickyard." All remaining equipment has been sold. My owner will no longer do this business. There is only harm here.”

General Secretary of Brickyard Owners Association Arju Mia said, there are 44 brickyards in Kaliakair upazila. Out of these 26 brickyards are still running. This time, the mobile court has closed 6 brick kilns one by one. A few have been closed before. When asked how many papers of the brickyards are there, he said that there are few number of papers of the brickyards.

Kaliakair Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tajwar Akram said that those farmers who could not cultivate fields for bricklaying, if they cultivate new crops on their land, we will give them seeds and fertilizers free of charge. When asked what legal measures will be taken to close the remaining illegal brick quarries, he said that all the illegal brick quarries will be closed one by one.