Our Correspondent :
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) Deputy Director (Acting) Mohammad Masud Parvez has filed a case against sand traders for illegally extracting sand in place of BIWTA at Paturia Ferry Terminal in Shibalaya Upazila of Manikganj. He filed a case against 8 people at Shibalaya police station on Thursday night.
The accused are- Md. BahanMandal’s son of Shibalaya police station Nabgram Aminul Islam Mintu, son of the late Niyamt of Daskandi village. Manik, son of the late Ketab Ali of Dhutrabari village. Montaz Uddin, son of the late Afshar Mandal Pannu Mandal, Md. Palash, son of Kebarat Ali and Alamgir, son of Elmesh.
It is learned that Aminul Islam Mintu and Montaz Master along with other accused had been occupying BIWTA land at Paturia ferry terminal for a long time and were extracting sand.
Earlier, news about these illegal sand traders in the ferry wharf area was published more than once in different media.
According to the case sources, the accused are using dredgers to lift the soil. Besides, Paturia is illegally cutting sand and soil at a depth of 15 to 20 feet with 4/5 veku from the bottom of Highway No. 1 ferry terminal.
The ferry has already suffered severe damage due to unplanned extraction of sand and soil with indigenous technology dredgers and cutting of soil with veku from the foreshore land. As a result, there is a strong possibility that the ferry wharf will collapse due to its adverse effects in the coming monsoon season.
BIWTA Deputy Director (Acting) Mohammad Masood Parvez, the plaintiff in the case, said that some unscrupulous sand traders were illegally extracting sand in the ferry wharf area with veku and dredger.
The ferry area is under threat. In the interest of protecting the ferry wharf, a case has been filed against 6 people for illegally extracting sand.
Officer-in-charge of Shibalaya Police Station Md. FirozKabir said, “I have registered a case after receiving a complaint of illegal extraction of sand in Paturia ferry area of Aricha river port area.”
An investigation has already been launched into the incident. Attempts are being made to arrest the accused.
