Against illegal sand mining in Ulipur case.  A sigh of relief among the victims.

 Kurigram Correspondent: 

Finally Union Bhoomi sub-assistant officer has filed a case against 5/6 unknown persons including the names of 3 people for the crime of illegally extracting and selling sand from Brahmaputra river in Ulipur of Kurigram.  The news of the filing of the case brought relief to the affected people of the area.  Ulipur police station officer-in-charge Sheikh Ashrafuzzaman confirmed the filing of the case. Government Commissioner (Land) Ulipur Kazi Mahmudur Rahman raided the illegal Balu Mahal last Tuesday midnight.  He went to the spot with a group of policemen based on secret information and seized two trucks used for transporting sand and two motorcycles used by members of the syndicate.  However, the police could not arrest any of the criminals involved till the writing of this report.  According to related sources, Hatia Union Land Sub-Assistant Officer Md Parvez Noor Alam filed a case against the offenders under Section 15(1) of the Balu Mahal and Soil Management Act of 2010.  The accused are Maidul Islam, Zia Mia and Babu Mia.  All are welcome. It is reported that a syndicate of 5-6 people, including Maidul Islam, Zia and Babu, built an illegal sand palace there for a long time on the banks of Brahmaputra river in Hatia village Ghat area of ​​Hatia union of Ulipur upazila of Kurigram district.  It is alleged that due to the reckless activities of the syndicate forces and illegal sand extraction, several houses along the river banks, crop lands and Brahmaputra bank protection project are threatened in the area.  Dissatisfaction among the people of the area became intense due to unplanned dredging and extraction of sand.  The local people informed the matter to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Assistant Commissioner (Land) and demanded redressal.  After that the Assistant Commissioner (Land) Ulipur started the campaign.

Investigations revealed that the syndicate members were selling 50 to 60 trucks of sand in the district and outside the district every day, using the ongoing embankment work of Gunbabu, a contractor employed by the Water Development Board, as a shield.  They were promoting that these sands are being used to protect a bank in Mughal Basa area of ​​Sadar Upazila.  It has also been alleged that some tractors are transporting illegal sand using computerized stickers that say “Tractor used for sand transportation of Water Development Board”. There is a rumor in the area that the engineers and employees of the Water Development Board are cooperating in all these illegal activities.  Not only this, on asking where this sand was going, local shopkeepers, nearby people and stone breakers also claimed that the sand was going to another site of the Water Development Board as taught by the members of the syndicate.

Meanwhile, the local paved roads have become unusable due to the day and night trucking of these illegal sands.  As a result, traffic including autos has become dangerous through these paved rural roads.  Constantly small vehicles are victims of accidents. When contacted, Sheikh Ashrafuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Ulipur police station, admitted that the case had been filed and said that the accused would be arrested and brought under the law. When speaking to Assistant Commissioner (Land) Ulipur Kazi Mahmudur Rahman, he said that regular cases have been filed against the criminals.  Whoever is the culprit, the law will run at its own pace and illegal activities will be stopped at any cost.

Chhatra Dal’s protest-meeting was held in Kurigram against the attack on the convoy of Chhatra Dal’s central president and secretary.

 Kurigram Correspondent:

The Kurigram District Chhatra Dal held a protest and rally against the attack on the convoy of the Chhatra Dal’s central president Kazi Raonkul Islam Shraban and general secretary Saif Mahmud Jewel at Hathazari in Narayanganj on their way back after visiting the grave of Chhatra Dal activist Nayan in Brahmanbaria. On Saturday (November 26) at noon, a protest march led by Sadar Upazila District Chhatra Dal convener Sohel Rana took out from the district BNP office located in Kurigram Dadamo.  After the protest, the procession met for a brief road meeting at the Dadamore railway crossing. District Chhatra Dal President Md. Amimul Ihsan, General Secretary Hasan Jobair Himel, Sadar Upazila Chhatra Dal Member Secretary Abu Said Lakash, Municipal Chhatra Dal Member Secretary Lutfar Rahman Colonel, Mojida College Chhatra Dal Member Secretary Naeem Islam and Govt College Chhatra Dal Convenor Ashikur Rahman Akash spoke on this occasion. The speakers in the rally demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of those who attacked the central leaders of Chhatra Dal.  Besides, he called upon all the leaders and activists of the Chhatra Dal to participate spontaneously in all future movements and struggles.