A mobile court has fined Jahangir Alam Tk 2 lakh and leaseholder’s representative Badrul Islam Tk 3 lakh — a total of Tk 5 lakh — for illegally extracting sand in the Dharmapur area of Rahimpur Union in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar.
The fines were imposed on Saturday afternoon by a mobile court led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Makhan Chandra Sutradhar.
According to local sources, sand is being lifted from several points of the Dhalai River that flows through the upazila. Sand is also being extracted beyond the leased area and stockpiled on agricultural land, in clear violation of the law. The use of dredger machines with loud noise has been causing erosion of the river protection embankment. Heavy trucks carrying sand are damaging nearby roads, while indiscriminate sand lifting along a stretch of about half a kilometre in Dharmapur village has created potholes and cracks on rural roads. Several houses near the embankment are feared to be at risk of being washed away due to collapse of the riverbank.
Officials said that by violating the Sand and Soil Management Act, they are destroying one of the country’s potential natural resources. Sand is also being lifted from non-designated points, posing serious threats to the environment, ecosystem and local livelihoods. However, those involved in sand extraction claim they have been operating legally under lease agreements.
Commenting on the drive, Kamalganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Makhan Chandra Sutradhar said, “Two men have been fined a total of Tk 5 lakh under the Balumahal and Soil Management Act 2010 for illegal sand extraction.”
