Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Tentulia has seized six tractors with trolleys for illegally excavating and carrying stones from the Dahuk river bed of Tentulia under Panchgarch district.
It is learnt, acting on a tip-off, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Tentulia Fazley Rabbi with police on Tuesday conducted a raid against the illegal extractor of stone and sand from the Dahuk river bed and seized six tractors and trolleys engaged in carrying those. Later, those seized tractors and trolleys were taken to the Upazila Parishad premises.
It is learnt, originating from the Sebak Mountian in India, the Dahuk river entered Bangladesh by flowing beside the Raoshanpur Tulshia beel. Flowing 10 kilometres inside Bangladesh through the Shalbahan and Buraburi unions, the river again entered India. A section of vested interest group of people was digging soil and sand slabs in river beds and procuring stones and sand illegally from there.
Such extraction of stones and sand from the river was changing the course of the river and causing damage to the crop fields and the surrounding Tea gardens. Many large and small holes were created in the river bed due to extraction of stones through dredgers at night.
Owners of the nearby fields and the Tea gardens have appealed to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) to save their land, gardens and establishments beside the river from the grip of the stone, and sand extractors.
It is learnt, earlier as per the order of the court, the then Superintendent of Police had seized more than 100 dredgers and the extraction of stone and sand was stopped. But, recently, the vested quarters of people under the patronisation of some political leaders and paying a large amount of kickback to the authorities concerned are engaged in extracting stone and sand from the Dahuk river again.
Fazley Rabbi, Upazila Nirbahi Officer, in this connection said, six tractors and trolleys have been seized from Dahuk river while extracting and carrying sand and stones from the river bed of Dahuk. The process is underway to file a case in this connection, he added.
