Staff Reporter
For a long time, influential people have been eating the soil of most of the canals, rivers and canals and hundreds of acres of cropland in Sadarpur upazila of Faridpur. Those soil eaters have now invaded the banks of the Padma-Arial Khan river and cropland on a large scale. They are using bulldozers to remove the top one and a half hands of soil (top soil) from fertile cropland and selling it at brick kilns and various places.
There is no way to control these soil eaters. On the one hand, the fertility of the land is decreasing, resulting in a decrease in crop production, while on the other hand, the map of Faridpur is getting smaller day by day.
Recently, when visiting some unions in Sadarpur, it was seen that ponds have been dug in hundreds of bighas of cropland. Soil is being cut from the river banks, putting residential areas and cropland at risk of river erosion. From morning till late at night, this soil from cropland is being cut with a digger and taken to various brick kilns with the help of trolley cars and drum trucks.
Hundreds of illegal trolleys and drum trucks are roaming the roads without permission to cut soil. Due to the free movement of these vehicles, rural roads are being damaged. Soil carried by trolleys and trucks remains on the roads. When it rains, the roads become wet and risky. Also, the pitch of many roads is rising. As a result, many people are victims of accidents.
Local residents say that not only soil traders are responsible for the destruction of cropland, but also landowners. Because they are lured by the cash of soil grabbers. Taking this opportunity, soil traders buy up soil from cropland by offering the lure of cash.
There are allegations that a group of people, posing as political figures and disguising themselves as the concerned upazila administration and police station, is extorting money from these soil eaters and providing them with an opportunity to trade in soil. Many soil traders are secretly selling soil in various places, seeking permission from the administration, saying they are digging ponds and filling up graveyards, madrasas and Eidgah grounds.
On the spot, it was seen that illegal dredgers and dredgers are operating at various points in the upazila, including at 2 points on the banks of the Arial Khan River in Kandi, Haki Matubbar, Charnasirpur Union, 3 points on the banks of the Arial Khan River at the old launch ghat in Chandrapara Hanif Hazir Dangi, Piyajkhali area, 3 points on the banks of the Padma River in Shayantakhali, Sadar Union, 2 points in the Charbrahmandi area, various points in Krishnapur Union, 2 points on the banks of the Padma River near Kala Bagan, Akotechar Union.
Sadarpur Upazila Executive Officer Zakia Sultana said, "The administration conducts campaigns against illegal soil and sand mining throughout the year. Despite that, a gang is mining and selling soil without our knowledge. While we conduct campaigns during the day, they are mining at night. Landowners should also be aware of this issue to protect cropland."
Tanvir Tuhin
Staff Reporter
