Photo-collected.
Jamal Ahmed, Sylhet/

In Sylhet’s Jaintapur, hill cutting festival is going on at nightfall. Land-grabbing miscreants are openly destroying the environment by indiscriminately cutting the dunes while pointing the thumb at the local administration.

It is known that Jaintapur Upazila No. 5-Fatehpur (Haripur) and No. 6-Union area are surrounded by several high hills (dune) like land. But the existence of those mountains is now lost due to money hungry miscreants. Sometimes the upazila administration conducts operations in these areas, but for mysterious reasons, the environment department is silent! This does not stop the running of this land-grabbing influential circle.

It is alleged that Tilakata Chakra is openly carrying out this business every day and night by paying huge sums of money by managing some unscrupulous policemen. And the soil of this hill is sometimes used in the project of Haripur No. 7-Gasfield and sometimes it is used in Royal City, BIDC, Majortila and Tilagarh Basatbari area of Khadimpara of Shahparan (Rh.) police station area of Sylhet. This dune soil is transported by drum trucks (icers) along the Sylhet-Tamabil highway road.

Meanwhile, the concerned sources have confirmed that Mohammad Driver of Uthlarpar area of No.5-Fatehpur Union is cutting his own mound and sending soil to the area adjacent to No.7-Gasfield, a new project of Karicherpool Fishery. The others are Ahmad Ali (43), son of deceased Khanti Haji of Thakurermati village of No. 6-Chiknagul Union, BNP leader and UP member Machhaddar (45) and another associate Khaled Ahmad (24), son of Ahmad Mia of Shukrabari Bazar area. All of them are cutting and destroying the mounds of dead Machim Haji in Kahaigarh area. Every day from 12 midnight till dawn this hill cutting festival takes place. The locals are not willing to talk for fear of their disgrace. A harassing stim roller with conspiratorial attacks, lawsuits against anyone who comes to protest. Locals have requested the higher officials of the administration to immediately stop this hill cutting. According to them, the environment will soon be destroyed if the hill cutting continues like this. They demanded that the local administration as well as the Environment Department should take strict intervention to stop dune cutting.

When Ahmad Ali was contacted on his cell phone to inquire about the hill cutting, he denied the matter. On the other hand, when talking to Khaled Ahmed on the phone, he avoided the matter of hill cutting and said that his car was pulling soil in Royal City Howr area. He also claimed that it was given wrong information. When the other person called Machaddar’s mobile number several times, there was no response as there was no response.

Jaintapur Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Golam Dastgir Ahmad was contacted on his cell phone to inquire about this, but his call was not received. On the other hand, Shahparan (retd.) police station officer in-charge Syed Anisur Rahman was contacted on the phone and he disconnected the mobile connection because he was in prayer. After ten minutes, when he called several more times, his mobile phone was not received.

Jaintapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Al Bashirul Islam said that on Monday night a raid was conducted at a spot in Chiknagul area and a fine of Tk 50,000 was imposed. He also said that their operation is continuing. At the time, he said, if the local UP Chairman and the Department of Environment come forward to stop dune cutting, it will be possible to stop it soon, otherwise it will not be possible for them alone to stop the dune cutting.