Sylhet Bureau :
Illegal extraction of stones continues ignoring risks of accidents in different areas in Sylhet and atleast 33 people were killed in five spots of three upazilas in Sylhet District last year .
It was during the evening of December 16, 2017. When the entire country was celebrating Victory Day, Hobi Miah, Helim Uddin and some other workers were illegally extracting stones from a pit at Kalairag of Companiganj upazila.
They were digging deep to extract stones from a pit under possession of Amir Uddin, a member of the stone extraction syndicate of the upazila. Suddenly, a huge chunk of earth fell on them, killing all of them on the spot.
Instead of informing the police or the administration, the employer sent their bodies to Netrakona, from where they hailed, to cover-up the accident. Netrakona police recovered the bodies a few days later and only a murder case was filed against the employer.
Like Hobi and Helim, many stone workers have died unnoticed in such accidents. Sometimes their death is reported, but incidents of workers being injured always remain under wraps.
In Companiganj, 11 workers died in Shah Arefin Tila area and another three in Kalairag area. In Gowainghat upazila, nine workers died in Jaflong area and three others in Bichhnakandi area. Five children, along with a father to one of them, died in Kanaighat upazila’s Bangla Tila area when they were extracting stones for some pocket money and the father tried to warn them of the incoming danger.
On January 2 of this year, five workers were killed in Jaflong area. Again, the pit owners have tried to conceal the incident and sent one body to Baniachang of Habiganj without notifying anyone.
On Last Monday, another stone worker died in Jaflong area but no information about the individual has come to light. On Sunday afternoon a worker was killed and three others injured in a mudslide while they were extracting stones from a quarry in Bichnakandi area of Gowainghat Upazila. The deceased was identified as Ali Nur, 25, son of Arif Mia, a resident of Gunoi village of Baniyachang Upazila.
Later, the injured men were taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital where duty doctor declared Ali Nur dead.
Advocate Shah Shaheda Akhter, Sylhet regional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said stone workers are getting killed everywhere where illegal stone extraction is on the rise.
Abdul Hye Al-Hadi, chief executive of Save the Heritage and Environment, said accidental death of stone workers can only be checked if environmental laws are strictly enforced.
“We demand that an environment court be functional in Sylhet and strict punishment for the stone extractors be handed down,” he said. Jaflong has been declared as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA), but a syndicate of traders keeps extracting stones at the expense of innocent workers, he added. Parvez Ahmed, assistant director of the Department of Environment, said they are trying hard to stop illegal stone extraction.
“We have severe shortage of workforce to enforce the existing laws. Besides, a dedicated environment court should be functional to dissolve the long-pending cases,” he observed.
Matiar Rahman, additional superintendent of Sylhet police, said legal action is being taken against the pit owners who recruit workers to extract stones illegally.
A taskforce comprising representatives from the administration, police, environment department and Border Guard Bangladesh has been working for years to stop illegal stone extraction, he added.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rev) Sylhet Syed Mohammad Aminur Rahman said the taskforce is functional, but all the authorities concerned must work together to stop illegal stone extraction.
Illegal extraction of stones continues ignoring risks of accidents in different areas in Sylhet and atleast 33 people were killed in five spots of three upazilas in Sylhet District last year .
It was during the evening of December 16, 2017. When the entire country was celebrating Victory Day, Hobi Miah, Helim Uddin and some other workers were illegally extracting stones from a pit at Kalairag of Companiganj upazila.
They were digging deep to extract stones from a pit under possession of Amir Uddin, a member of the stone extraction syndicate of the upazila. Suddenly, a huge chunk of earth fell on them, killing all of them on the spot.
Instead of informing the police or the administration, the employer sent their bodies to Netrakona, from where they hailed, to cover-up the accident. Netrakona police recovered the bodies a few days later and only a murder case was filed against the employer.
Like Hobi and Helim, many stone workers have died unnoticed in such accidents. Sometimes their death is reported, but incidents of workers being injured always remain under wraps.
In Companiganj, 11 workers died in Shah Arefin Tila area and another three in Kalairag area. In Gowainghat upazila, nine workers died in Jaflong area and three others in Bichhnakandi area. Five children, along with a father to one of them, died in Kanaighat upazila’s Bangla Tila area when they were extracting stones for some pocket money and the father tried to warn them of the incoming danger.
On January 2 of this year, five workers were killed in Jaflong area. Again, the pit owners have tried to conceal the incident and sent one body to Baniachang of Habiganj without notifying anyone.
On Last Monday, another stone worker died in Jaflong area but no information about the individual has come to light. On Sunday afternoon a worker was killed and three others injured in a mudslide while they were extracting stones from a quarry in Bichnakandi area of Gowainghat Upazila. The deceased was identified as Ali Nur, 25, son of Arif Mia, a resident of Gunoi village of Baniyachang Upazila.
Later, the injured men were taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital where duty doctor declared Ali Nur dead.
Advocate Shah Shaheda Akhter, Sylhet regional coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association, said stone workers are getting killed everywhere where illegal stone extraction is on the rise.
Abdul Hye Al-Hadi, chief executive of Save the Heritage and Environment, said accidental death of stone workers can only be checked if environmental laws are strictly enforced.
“We demand that an environment court be functional in Sylhet and strict punishment for the stone extractors be handed down,” he said. Jaflong has been declared as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA), but a syndicate of traders keeps extracting stones at the expense of innocent workers, he added. Parvez Ahmed, assistant director of the Department of Environment, said they are trying hard to stop illegal stone extraction.
“We have severe shortage of workforce to enforce the existing laws. Besides, a dedicated environment court should be functional to dissolve the long-pending cases,” he observed.
Matiar Rahman, additional superintendent of Sylhet police, said legal action is being taken against the pit owners who recruit workers to extract stones illegally.
A taskforce comprising representatives from the administration, police, environment department and Border Guard Bangladesh has been working for years to stop illegal stone extraction, he added.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rev) Sylhet Syed Mohammad Aminur Rahman said the taskforce is functional, but all the authorities concerned must work together to stop illegal stone extraction.
