Sylhet Correspondent :
Illegal extraction from the stone quarries in Sylhet continues unabated as the Environment and Forest Ministry is yet to finalise a guideline on the process, following the directive issued by the High Court in 2010.
In the absence of an official guideline, mismanagement and deteriorating law and order situation is becoming evident at the stone quarry areas, claimed the concerned local residents and environmentalists.
Adv Shah Shaheda Akther, divisional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental LawyersÕ Association (BELA), said: ‘In 2009 we filed a writ petition with the High Court division of the Supreme Court asking for banning extraction of stones through dredging systems. Before hearing in 2010, the court banned lifting of stones through dredging systems and ordered the Environment and Forest Ministry to make a guideline.
‘Upon receiving the High Court directives, a team of the ministry visited the stone quarries in Bhulagonj and Jaflong in the same year.
Later, they made a draft policy, however, the final guidelines did not see light in the last four years,’ she said.
Md Shahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Sylhet, told that a draft policy was made following the court directives, but not finalised.
‘I have attended two meetings with the ministry last year. Without guideline it is very hard for us to maintain the law and order situation in the quarry areas. Given the current context, guidelines are badly needed,’ he said.
In absence of the guidelines, local influential people including the ruling party men are reportedly lifting stones and creating environmental hazards.
They are lifting stones by dredgers from a depth of over 100/150 metres, creating a hollow space underground. Some people are extracting stones form the river bed and some from the adjacent arable lands, said local environmentalists.
Rokon Uddin, Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer said, ‘District administration, with the help of department of environment, launches regular drives against them, but somehow they are continuing their activities aided by political influence.’
Abdul Alim, a stone businessman of Companiganj said local influentials are indiscriminately lifting stones from the bed of Dholai River.
‘The labourers are helpless in this regard. They are hired with a daily wage of Tk400-500 to lift stones from the rivers using dredgers,’ he said.
At present four quarries are running in the Sylhet district – Bhulagonj by the River Dholai, Jaflong by the Piyain River, Lawachhara at Lova and Bisnakandi stone quarry on the Gowainghat border.
Illegal extraction from the stone quarries in Sylhet continues unabated as the Environment and Forest Ministry is yet to finalise a guideline on the process, following the directive issued by the High Court in 2010.
In the absence of an official guideline, mismanagement and deteriorating law and order situation is becoming evident at the stone quarry areas, claimed the concerned local residents and environmentalists.
Adv Shah Shaheda Akther, divisional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental LawyersÕ Association (BELA), said: ‘In 2009 we filed a writ petition with the High Court division of the Supreme Court asking for banning extraction of stones through dredging systems. Before hearing in 2010, the court banned lifting of stones through dredging systems and ordered the Environment and Forest Ministry to make a guideline.
‘Upon receiving the High Court directives, a team of the ministry visited the stone quarries in Bhulagonj and Jaflong in the same year.
Later, they made a draft policy, however, the final guidelines did not see light in the last four years,’ she said.
Md Shahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Sylhet, told that a draft policy was made following the court directives, but not finalised.
‘I have attended two meetings with the ministry last year. Without guideline it is very hard for us to maintain the law and order situation in the quarry areas. Given the current context, guidelines are badly needed,’ he said.
In absence of the guidelines, local influential people including the ruling party men are reportedly lifting stones and creating environmental hazards.
They are lifting stones by dredgers from a depth of over 100/150 metres, creating a hollow space underground. Some people are extracting stones form the river bed and some from the adjacent arable lands, said local environmentalists.
Rokon Uddin, Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer said, ‘District administration, with the help of department of environment, launches regular drives against them, but somehow they are continuing their activities aided by political influence.’
Abdul Alim, a stone businessman of Companiganj said local influentials are indiscriminately lifting stones from the bed of Dholai River.
‘The labourers are helpless in this regard. They are hired with a daily wage of Tk400-500 to lift stones from the rivers using dredgers,’ he said.
At present four quarries are running in the Sylhet district – Bhulagonj by the River Dholai, Jaflong by the Piyain River, Lawachhara at Lova and Bisnakandi stone quarry on the Gowainghat border.
