CHANDPUR, Jan 31: Fertility of arable land is on decline due to mindless extraction of top-soil from the land in different places of Chandpur district.
Thumbing nose at the government rules, a section of unscrupulous traders have been lifting top-soil from the farm land by using excavators or vacu machines all over the district.
As a result, the cropland is losing fertility day by day pushing agriculture into jeopardy.
Extensive shrinking of arable land for this process has created a grave concern for the local agriculture, experts viewed. A section of earth traders are continuing this business much to the harm of the local agriculture and environment as well.
When this correspondent visited a few rural areas in Hajiganj, Shahrasti, Kachua, Faridganj and Chandpur Sadar upazila, he observed that a section of unscrupulous traders were extracting top- soil from crop land by using vacu machines or excavators for selling the same to the brick fields.
By the use of excavators, they are extracting soil indiscriminately which is immensely affecting the adjacent crop fields and their edges too.
After soil extraction, the crop fields which are low become filled with water.
Not only that, heavy vehicles like pickups, trucks and tractors carry this extracted top-soil to the brickfields and other destinations often damaging the rural roads and aisles and harming the environment - say agriculture experts of the Upazila Agriculture Offices of Chandpur, Faridganj , Hajiganj , Kachua and Shahrasti .
On top of these is that the arable land is losing fertility bringing bad consequences for the agriculture, they add.
Talking to the FE, a few farmers like Sadek Munshi and Bazlu Mia said in order to get money, some poor farmers are allegedly selling the top soil and down or lower soil of their crop fields at a cheap rate.
Consequently their lands become 10/12 feet lower or deeper than the neighbouring crop fields around.
This awkward situation also forces the owners of the neighbouring crop fields to sell the top and down soils of their own fields too.
Every year, during the dry season, a section of earth traders or their agents through syndicate engage themselves in extracting soil for brickfields violating government rules.
It was observed that in Debipur village under Hajiganj upazila , an earth trader Md Shahid Mia was extracting top soil from crop fields by using excavators and then transporting it to the brick fields.
He said he had been involved in this business for the past 10 years. The same things came to the view of the correspondent in Hatila, Digchail, Kalochown, Ichhapur, Kashimpur, Tarapalla, Pirojpur, Jagannathpur villages, and among the earth traders were Shakhawat, Mohin, Kaosar Mia, Mojammel, Shahadat Hossain, Samad, Mahbub, Shahjahan,
When contacted, Hajiganj Upazila Nirbani Officer Taposh Shil told the FE, "To sell top soil from agri land is illegal as per the govt law. Through mobile courts, we have fined some earth traders for allegedly extracting top soils from agri land. Mobile court will continue in this regard to stop the sale of top soil.''
In addition, Kachua executive magistrate Bappi Dutta Roni, in a mobile court on January 21, realised Tk50,000 in fine from a trader named Jafar Hossain for allegedly extracting soil from agri lands in Dhamalua village in Kachua Paura area.
Besides, one vacu machine, one dredger and three tractors were made inoperative too on charge of violating the Earth Management Act-2010 / Sec 15(1).
Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate of Shahrastri Upazila
Rijwana Chowdhury has recently jailed for two months an earth trader named Tofazzal Hossain (50), a resident of Shorshak village, in a mobile court for illegally extracting top soil from agri lands in Shorshak village in
Shuchipara Uttar Union of the upazila. The excavator machine was seized too in the drive.
The same trend of extracting top soils from agri land by using excavators or vacu machine is going on in Faridganj and Chandpur Sadar upazilas too.
maayerbadhon@gmail.com
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