S A Shofiee, Sylhet :
Out of 6 quarries, stone collection has been suspended in four quarries in Sylhet District for over one and a half months. With this suspension of stone collection including both manual and mechanical ones, over five lakh labourers, of whom over one lakh are for supporting sectors including linkage vehicle or transport labourers have become jobless for the same period, it has been learnt from Sylhet Road Transport Owners and Workers Associations sources.
Meanwhile 10 organisations submitted a memorandum addressing to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to end the stalemate.
According to the sources concerned Assistant Secretary Shirin Sultana of The Ministry of Fuel and Mineral Resources in an order (Signed by her on Aug. 1, 2016) placed an embargo on collection of stones in all four quarries, including the biggest one at Bholagonj and Shah Arfin Tila of Companigonj, Jafloong and Bichnakandi of Gowainghat as those four quarries have not been leased out by the government so far. But from the quarry attached services claim that there have been cases filed in the courts regarding leasing out quarries for which they have not been leased out owing the court’s status quo order. In all those unleased quarries, over five lakh labourers whose work would turn the quarry areas busy, humming and buzzing of thousands of labourers, traders, transport workers, stone crushing mill owners and workers for almost round the clock. But the usual scene has become now almost unthinkable due to the embargo on lifting stones both by manually and mechanically. It has been alleged that owing to lifting stones mechanically, the sound produced by bomb machines could affect environment for which mechanical collection of stones have been forbidden. When contacted over, Mr. Jainal Abedin Deputy Commissioner, Sylhet told the local newsmen that traditional method of stone collection as not been forbidden. Allegedly misinterpreting the ministry’s order, local administration disbanded all methods of lifting stones- both manual and mechanical methods. It can be mentioned here that although the embargo has been imposed on the said four quarries, royalty has been collected by the government there. But two quarries Luvhachora quarry of Kanaighat and Sreepur quarry of Zaintiapur have not been kept closed as they have been leased out formally.
In absence of leasing the quarries forbidden by court order, government royalty by revenue department has been being collected. So superseding court order the UZ administrations have no legacy to enact an embargo of lifting stones manually, the sources claimed.
It has been learnt that although stones are collected sporadically all the year round, the main season for collecting stones begins from October of the running year and concludes in April of the next year. But irony of fate is that this year the quarry labourers together with linkage sections labourers like boatmen, burge workers, small truck transport workers numbering over 5 lakh have been kept o of job for which these workers together with their family members are to now passing their days with much hardship and they have become indebted to the moneyed men. Not only that some have been addicted to stealing, burglary and other anti-social activities that have been flaring up in those frontier Upazilas where smuggling which was ones stopped will thrive again resulting in deterioration of law and order situation in almost entire Sylhet Division as workers from not only local Upazilas but also from other Upazilas work here in all six quarries.
One local stone-trader Mustafa Ahmed claimed that suspension of stone lifting has thrown the businessmen in this sector at bay.
Out of 6 quarries, stone collection has been suspended in four quarries in Sylhet District for over one and a half months. With this suspension of stone collection including both manual and mechanical ones, over five lakh labourers, of whom over one lakh are for supporting sectors including linkage vehicle or transport labourers have become jobless for the same period, it has been learnt from Sylhet Road Transport Owners and Workers Associations sources.
Meanwhile 10 organisations submitted a memorandum addressing to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to end the stalemate.
According to the sources concerned Assistant Secretary Shirin Sultana of The Ministry of Fuel and Mineral Resources in an order (Signed by her on Aug. 1, 2016) placed an embargo on collection of stones in all four quarries, including the biggest one at Bholagonj and Shah Arfin Tila of Companigonj, Jafloong and Bichnakandi of Gowainghat as those four quarries have not been leased out by the government so far. But from the quarry attached services claim that there have been cases filed in the courts regarding leasing out quarries for which they have not been leased out owing the court’s status quo order. In all those unleased quarries, over five lakh labourers whose work would turn the quarry areas busy, humming and buzzing of thousands of labourers, traders, transport workers, stone crushing mill owners and workers for almost round the clock. But the usual scene has become now almost unthinkable due to the embargo on lifting stones both by manually and mechanically. It has been alleged that owing to lifting stones mechanically, the sound produced by bomb machines could affect environment for which mechanical collection of stones have been forbidden. When contacted over, Mr. Jainal Abedin Deputy Commissioner, Sylhet told the local newsmen that traditional method of stone collection as not been forbidden. Allegedly misinterpreting the ministry’s order, local administration disbanded all methods of lifting stones- both manual and mechanical methods. It can be mentioned here that although the embargo has been imposed on the said four quarries, royalty has been collected by the government there. But two quarries Luvhachora quarry of Kanaighat and Sreepur quarry of Zaintiapur have not been kept closed as they have been leased out formally.
In absence of leasing the quarries forbidden by court order, government royalty by revenue department has been being collected. So superseding court order the UZ administrations have no legacy to enact an embargo of lifting stones manually, the sources claimed.
It has been learnt that although stones are collected sporadically all the year round, the main season for collecting stones begins from October of the running year and concludes in April of the next year. But irony of fate is that this year the quarry labourers together with linkage sections labourers like boatmen, burge workers, small truck transport workers numbering over 5 lakh have been kept o of job for which these workers together with their family members are to now passing their days with much hardship and they have become indebted to the moneyed men. Not only that some have been addicted to stealing, burglary and other anti-social activities that have been flaring up in those frontier Upazilas where smuggling which was ones stopped will thrive again resulting in deterioration of law and order situation in almost entire Sylhet Division as workers from not only local Upazilas but also from other Upazilas work here in all six quarries.
One local stone-trader Mustafa Ahmed claimed that suspension of stone lifting has thrown the businessmen in this sector at bay.
