Obaydul Islam Robi, Charghat (Rajshahi) :
A section of influentials allegedly with help of locals are lifting sands illegally from the Padma River at Pakshey Hardinge Bridge, Lalon Shah Bridge points and other areas and major portion of these illegally lifted sans are being used in Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant ( RNPP)at Iswardi in Pabna .
It is also alleged that the though the contractors are getting bill of sand lifting from the RNPP , the lease or contractors are not making any payment to the local administration such as Deputy Commissioner or other government agency. A question has been raised that how a foreign project use illegally lifted sands and how they make payment without checking proper documents .
Following the of rampant sand lifting violating guideline of bridge protection , Hardinge Bridge and Lalon Shah Bridge have turned risky .
Syndicate of influential people are illegally lifting sands from in different upazilas in Rajshahi district , threatening erosion of dwelling houses, educational institutions and croplands.
In testifying the threat of erosion, locals fear huge stretch of agriculture land and build dam as well as much establishment area at risk of river erosion because of the illegal sand lifting. Sands are being lifted by sinking pipes into the rivers with dredgers from Rajshahi city area of Talimary, Lalpur, Gouripur Arambaria , No 5 Saraghat, Bheramara (Kushtia) , Godhagari, Mothihar, Shahapur, Youshoppur, Mukterpur, Charghat and Bagha Upazila causing erosion of nearby croplands and different structures, locals said.
Many farmers lost their dwelling houses and croplands, and two schools were washed away during the monsoon last year wild, though the sand lifters had left due to mobile court drives, they returned after only a few days. Croplands, dwelling houses and other structures are under threat of erosion due to lifting of sand. Locals said they have informed the officials of the union land offices, but nothing has been done so far to stop sand lifting.
Though using dredger or lifting sand within half kilometers from Rajshahi Cadet College and three kilometers from Bangladesh Police Academy in Charghat upazila. They are using powerful dredgers there, posing a threat to the city establishment. The mindless sand lifting near the sensitive spots stopped only for a few days after the district administrations sealed those spots through not mobile court drives around the area, sources said.
The influential syndicates having ruling party influence again started lifting sand worth corers of taka from the same spots. They give a share of the money to a section of the ruling party powerful leaders, locals alleged. However, the sand lifters claimed that they are using the spots as places for gathering extracted sand which they took lease from Rajshahi district administration.
During a recent visit, this correspondent found lifting of sand by a dredger machine was going on and the sand is used in filling a ditch at Godhagari, Mothihar, Shahapur, Youshoppur, Mukterpur, Charghat and Bagha Upazila in Rajshahi.
Locals unwilling to expose their named said, in the often time they stopped sand lifting but started at night with dredger machines. They are everyday selling by 80 to 100 sand loaded trucks in the different area of the country including RNPP located in Pabna .
In this regard, DC Hamidul Haque said, a committee has been formed to see how the sand lifters are lifting sands and how they are supplying .
There is a restriction to lift sands from 700 meters away from local area out of River border but they are not maintaining it . However, administration has already taken actions against illegal sand lifters from River of Padma. None of the alleged sand lifters could be reached for their comments on the matter.
