HC orders list of looters, questions local admin’s role over Sada Pathor plundering

The High Court today (14 August) asked the local administration to submit within two months a list of those involved in the plundering of natural stones from Sada Pathor tourist area in Bholaganj in Sylhet district.

The HC also directed the administration to recover the looted stones, and dump these into the previous places within seven days, reports UNB. The HC bench of Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque and Justice Aynun Nahar Siddiqua passed the order after hearing a writ petition.

Meanwhile in Sylhet, police have arrested the Union Parishad Chairman of Purbo Islampur, Md Alomgir Alom, who also serves as the president of upazila Krishak Dal, over the looting of the stones.

In separate drives, joint forces have recovered thousands of tonnes of stolen stones from various places in the district, some of which have been dumped back in their place of origin.

Local admin's role in question

The HC also asked why the local administration should not be held responsible for their inaction to prevent the looting.

Besides, the court also asked to form a high-level probe body headed by a Buet expert to determine the financial and environmental damage following the extraction of the stones.

The local administration has been asked to submit the progress report of their work on the court orders by next Thursday.

Advocate Manzill Murshid stood for the petitioner.

The HC also issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the ineffectiveness of the local administration in connection with the looting of stones, should not be declared illegal.

It also issued another rule asking the government to explain as to why directives should not be given to take steps in conservation of the area.

The HC issued another rule asking the government to explain as to why the area should not be declared as an ecologically critical area according to section 5 of the environmental law and why an order won't be given to recover compensation from those who have looted these stones and harmed the environment.

Secretary to the environment, forest and climate change ministry, superintendent of sylhet police, BGB, Rab and local administration have been made respondents to the rule.

12,000 CFT looted stones restored at Sada Pathor overnight

Authorities in Sylhet have restored 12,000 cubic feet of looted stones at the Sada Pathor tourist spot overnight, in a bid to return the site to its original state. 

The operation began 13 August night and was completed within hours, according to officials. Members of the upazila administration and joint forces took part in the effort.

Also on the same day, a task force conducted raids in areas surrounding Sada Pathor, leading to the seizure of 12,000 cubic feet of illegally extracted stones from the nearby Kalairag area.

In Kolabari union, electricity connections to several machines used for breaking stones were also cut off. The confiscated stones were later laid at Sada Pathor during the night.

"The district administration carried out the raid as part of regular enforcement drives. The army assisted in maintaining a peaceful situation. As it is a border area, the army went as far as it could within its jurisdiction. The stones were restored to Sada Pathor at night," said Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Azizunnahar.

The restoration effort followed a coordination meeting between district and divisional administrations at the Sylhet Circuit House yesterday evening. Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Sher Mahbub Murad said the meeting decided on five measures to stop stone looting and restore stolen stones to Sada Pathor – 1. Joint forces to be deployed 24/7 in the Jaflong ECA and Sada Pathor areas, 2. Continuous presence of joint forces at police check-posts in Gowainghat and Companiganj, 3. Continuation of drives to shut down illegal crushing machines and disconnect their electricity supply, 4. Identification, arrest, and prosecution of those involved in stone theft, and 5. Recovery and reinstatement of stolen stones to their original location.

Stone looting in Sylhet's closed quarries began after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August last year. 

Quarries had remained closed since 2020 under government orders, but thousands of stone workers began openly extracting stones, allegedly under the backing of BNP and its affiliated organisations.

While most quarries saw widespread looting, Sada Pathor, known as a tourist hotspot, was initially less affected. However, large-scale looting resumed there on 23 April this year, and over the past week alone, about 80% of the site's stones were removed.

Sada Pathor is located on the banks of the Dhalai River, near the zero point of the Bangladesh-India border in Bholaganj, Companiganj upazila. Spread over 15 acres, the tourist attraction is famed for its flowing streams over countless small and large stones, drawing thousands of visitors from home and abroad daily. With the looting, many tourists have expressed disappointment over the site's current state.

Joint forces seize 35,000 CFT stones

A joint operation led by the district administration has seized around 35,000 cubic feet of looted stones, including those taken from the Sada Pathor area from various locations in Sylhet.

Sylhet Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Farjana Akter Mita said since Wednesday night, around 130 vehicles have been checked at different checkpoints.

"Stones from Sada Pathor were found in about 70 of those vehicles and steps have been taken to return the stones to the respective areas."

According to the district administration sources, the stones will be returned to the rivers in the Sada Pathor and Jaflong areas.

ADM Mita stressed that the drives would continue to protect natural resources and the environment.

"No one involved in illegal extraction, stockpiling, or smuggling of stones will be spared," she said.

UP chairman arrested

Meanwhile, police have arrested the Union Parishad Chairman of Purbo Islampur, Md Alomgir Alom, who also serves as the Krishak Dal upazila president, amid widespread controversy surrounding the looting of stones.

Companiganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Uzair Al Mahmud Adnan said the chairman was detained at around 5am yesterday. However, the exact charges have yet to be disclosed.