Landowners in Kurakhal, in West Bangra union of Bangra upazila, Cumilla, allege that a dredger has been pumping soil and sand from about six acres of triple-crop farmland for four years without permission, and that the soil is piped to neighbouring Kagatua village to fill farmland for house building.
In a written complaint to the upazila assistant commissioner (land), landowner Akhtaruzzaman named a man called Abu Taher as the dredger's owner. On 12 August he and three others also complained to Bangra Bazar police station. Since then a land office official has been sent to the site and the dredger has been ordered removed.
At the site, soil was being piped away from a dredger set among the fields, and part of the land has become like a deep pond after years of digging. The complainants fear the banks of neighbouring plots could collapse, damaging crops and raising the risk of waterlogging in the rains. The complaint does not give exact measurements of the area or depth dug, so field measurement and land records are needed to establish the damage.
No government document was found to support the claim that there is no permit, nor did Abu Taher produce any permit; he did not answer repeated phone calls. Section 7A of the Sand Quarry and Soil Management Act 2010 requires the fertility and topsoil of farmland to be protected even when soil is taken from private land.
Upazila agriculture officer Pavel Khan Pappu said cropland in Muradnagar and Bangra has shrunk from 24,061 hectares to 23,914 hectares in five years, a loss of 147 hectares. Continued removal of fertile topsoil, he said, would damage soil quality and productivity, so monitoring is urgent. Officer-in-charge Shafiul Alam of the local police station said necessary action has been taken.
This report is based on reporting by Dainik Bangla's Cumilla South correspondent Tarikul Islam Tarun.
Source: Dainik Bangla
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