Dredging in Madhabpur Puts Farmland, Homes and Mosque at Risk
Allegations of illegal sand extraction using a dredger from a jointly owned (Ejmali) pond have surfaced in Ghilatali village under Madhabpur Upazila of Habiganj district, triggering widespread panic among residents. A resident named Md. Roman Mia filed a written complaint with the Madhabpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) on Thursday, October 1, expressing grave concern that continued dredging could cause adjacent agricultural land, residential homes, and a local mosque to collapse into the pond.
According to the complaint, dredgers had previously been deployed on two separate occasions to deepen the joint pond, which already resulted in parts of surrounding family-owned farmland, homesteads, and mosque property caving in and merging into the water. Mr. Roman Mia stated that fresh preparations were made on September 30 to deploy a dredger once again. He added that local community leaders and public representatives attempted several village arbitrations to settle the dispute, but all negotiations failed to yield a resolution.
The complainant further alleged that when residents raised objections against the sand mining, the opposing party resorted to physical intimidation, verbal threats, and framing them in false legal cases. Denying all accusations, Mr. Mostafa Kamal Suman stated, ‘The pond is located on our owned property. We have also approached the UNO. The soil is being excavated solely for homestead construction work, not for commercial sale’.
Meanwhile, local administration and union parishad authorities have assured that necessary steps are being taken to resolve the issue. Mosharraf Hossain, Panel Chairman of the local Union Parishad, said, ‘I have instructed the local Ward UP Member regarding this matter. We will attempt to resolve the issue from our end’. Addressing the situation, Madhabpur Assistant Commissioner (Land) Moitree Roy confirmed, ‘Legal action will be taken shortly’. The applicant requested an immediate on-site investigation, a complete halt to extraction, and permanent legal measures.
