FARIDPUR, Mar 02 (UNB): Illegal sand lifting from the Gorai River in Faridpur has continued for the last two months, posing threat to erosion and displacement of those living by the river.
Shah Asaduzzaman Tapan, chairman of Dum-ain Union Parishad under Madhukhali upazila, has been allegedly lifting sand at Dumain ghat, while a company named MNZ Bricks is said to be extracting soil out of a recently-formed char close to Kheyaghat in Rayzadpur.
On a recent visit to Dumain ghat and the char where local farmers cultivate vegetables, the correspondent saw dredger machines and piles of sand on the bank of the river in both places.
A dredger machine driver at Dumain ghat said they extract 8,000 to 10,000 square foot of sand per day.
"We stop the machine when people cross the river," he said.
Locals are afraid of losing everything to river erosion due to sand lifting and demand the government takes prompt action against them.
"Our croplands, homesteads, and houses are under threat of erosion due to the sand lifting; we will lose everything. We want prompt action from the government," said Sonia Parvin, a local resident.
Some other locals also shared their concerns regarding the matter.
UP chairman Tapan confessed to lifting sand at Dumain ghat.
"Due to river erosion, land under our union has gone to the border of the neighbouring Magura district. People of that area cultivate crops there; we can't do anything. So, I'm trying to lift some sand," he said.
"Besides, development work is going on in the area where sand is needed, and we are supplying sand there," he added.
Farmers of Rayjadpur's Kheyaghat raised concerns about MNZ Bricks extracting soil from the char area. They were worried about erosion risk and losing cultivable land.
They claimed that because these people 'have influence', nothing could be said to them.
One of the owners of MNZ Bricks, Milan Biswas, claimed that the company does not extract soil from arable land but rather it lifts soil from 'privately-owned areas' along the riverbank.
He also said t they extract soil at night, adding that he is aware that they do not have permission to do so.
Madhukhali UNO Ashikur Rahman Chow-dhury said he was not aware of the situation.
"We fined the company for extracting soil before. We will take legal steps," he said.
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