Rangpur Correspondent :
Massive lifting of sands from Jumunesswari River at Balapara, Barogola and Barati villages under Taraganj upazila in Rangpur district is posing serious threat to Barati Bridge over the river and nearby croplands.
Sources alleged that a section of unscrupulous people have continued lifting of sands illegally from the river for long intensifying threat of erosion in the areas and also threatening the bridge over the river.
Villagers complained that sand traders are lifting sands from the river bed installing shallow and dredger machines at various points of the river for 13-14 hours a day. Due to indiscriminate sand lifting river erosion has been intensified.
Hundreds acres of cultivable land and houses on the river bank are threatened by erosion due to this callous act, the locals said.
The sand traders are doing this illegal practice in collusion with some influential local political leaders and dishonest officials in the administration, it is alleged.
During a recent visit this found some shallow and dredger machines lifting sand from river beds. They stock the extracted sand on the nearby crop lands. A number of trucks take the sand to different areas of Rangpur and Nilphamari district causing damage to embankment and road. People involved in the sand lifting are mostly influential, locals alleged.
Locals claimed that they lodged complaint several times to the authority concerned but no step has been taken so far in this regard. They further said that law enforcing agencies seem to be reluctant to take any action against the sand traders who are involved in continuous mindless sand lifting.
Some dwellers of the affected areas said hundreds of acres of land of their areas have become unfit for cultivation due to continuous sand lifting. They demanded that the authority concerned should take adequate measures to stop lifting of sand from the river in order to protect the Barati bridge and nearby areas from erosion.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Golam Moula said, he has been informed of the matter. Stern action will be taken if any sand trader is found lifting sand from the river, he added.
Massive lifting of sands from Jumunesswari River at Balapara, Barogola and Barati villages under Taraganj upazila in Rangpur district is posing serious threat to Barati Bridge over the river and nearby croplands.
Sources alleged that a section of unscrupulous people have continued lifting of sands illegally from the river for long intensifying threat of erosion in the areas and also threatening the bridge over the river.
Villagers complained that sand traders are lifting sands from the river bed installing shallow and dredger machines at various points of the river for 13-14 hours a day. Due to indiscriminate sand lifting river erosion has been intensified.
Hundreds acres of cultivable land and houses on the river bank are threatened by erosion due to this callous act, the locals said.
The sand traders are doing this illegal practice in collusion with some influential local political leaders and dishonest officials in the administration, it is alleged.
During a recent visit this found some shallow and dredger machines lifting sand from river beds. They stock the extracted sand on the nearby crop lands. A number of trucks take the sand to different areas of Rangpur and Nilphamari district causing damage to embankment and road. People involved in the sand lifting are mostly influential, locals alleged.
Locals claimed that they lodged complaint several times to the authority concerned but no step has been taken so far in this regard. They further said that law enforcing agencies seem to be reluctant to take any action against the sand traders who are involved in continuous mindless sand lifting.
Some dwellers of the affected areas said hundreds of acres of land of their areas have become unfit for cultivation due to continuous sand lifting. They demanded that the authority concerned should take adequate measures to stop lifting of sand from the river in order to protect the Barati bridge and nearby areas from erosion.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Golam Moula said, he has been informed of the matter. Stern action will be taken if any sand trader is found lifting sand from the river, he added.
