M. Iqbal hossain, Chattogram Bureau

The Satkania upazila authorities have talked about collecting soil from the banks of the river and filling the government playground with soil.

The government spends thousands of Tk every year to protect the banks of the river. Although the river is calm in winter, the river becomes torrential during the monsoon season. Thousands of acres of agricultural land, houses, mosques and courtyards of childhood memories were destroyed by the erosion of this torrential river.

Last Wednesday, based on secret information, it is known that some people are collecting soil from the bank of the river with a soil-cutting machine in the village called Dharmapur of Satkania Upazila. Based on the news, it is seen that the soil is being cut with an excavator.

When asked about the issue of soil cutting, Dharampur UP Chairman Nasir Uddin Tipu told The Daily Morning Glory, “I am buying soil from a private place and filling it, AC Land has come today and determined the boundaries of the field.” When asked how much space he admitted that he did not know.

When asked, he avoided answering the question and said that I am doing the work of the authorities as a public representative, it is not my personal work.

Balu Mahal and Soil Management Act-2010 has regulated the issue of soil erosion. It is mentioned there that sand or soil extraction is prohibited if any river bank suffers erosion due to sand or soil extraction.

According to paragraph 1 of section 7, in the case of carrying out government activities or development, the prior permission of the authorities should be taken in the case of extraction and use of sand or soil.

Soil or sand may not be mined on privately owned land if the soil is fertile agricultural land, and mined for commercial purposes.

According to the chairman’s confession, he said that he had purchased the Soil. As such, he is clearly acting against the law. However, the location of the person who is selling is not available.

One of the victim name sumon he called and SMS to UNO Milton Biswas but he did not response and replied to him, Mr. Sumon said I send him a text SMS about the matter.

Satkania upazila executive officer Milton Biswas was not available despite repeated phone calls in the morning and afternoon.

On the condition of anonymity, a local says that soil has been cut on the banks of the river many times before, protests have also taken place and the administration has taken action. But now I have heard that the soil on the river bank will be used for filling government fields, so no one has the courage to protest. All those who are cutting the soil are government party people. He sighs that it is he who suffers as a result of the breach of the river and no one else.

It is to be noted that on June 22, Deputy Commissioner Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman said, ‘The work of making fields in 191 unions of Chittagong is going on. Upazila Nirbahi officers and land workers have already identified land and space for playgrounds in each union. Union Sports and Cultural Center will be constructed there step by step. Sports will be started in these 191 fields in Chittagong district within the next one year. This is a special initiative by the government for the people of Chittagong.