A river held hostage

The Atrai riverbank in Natore's Singra upazila is at risk of erosion because of alleged illegal sand-lifting by the local upazila parishad (UP) chairman. According to reports, he has been hauling sand from the riverbank for a hi-tech park project that is under construction in the upazila. When locals protested against the sand-lifting, they were reportedly beaten up and four were injured. Meanwhile, some of the local authorities are also allegedly assisting the sand lifters as the perpetrators are politically influential. It should be mentioned that the assistant commissioner (land) of the upazila visited the spot and ordered to stop the extraction, and also warned the UP chairman's manager, but the sand lifting is still going on, meaning that the warnings of the local administration are falling on deaf ears.

This is an appalling situation. The UP chairman is surely aware that extracting sand from riverbanks leads to river erosion, which puts the lives and livelihoods of those living along the riverbanks at peril. How can a public representative be so reckless? Building a hi-tech park might boost the local economy, but there can be no justification for doing so by putting the Atrai River in a chokehold. The fact that people were assaulted for opposing the sand lifters and raising their voices against destructive development is equally troubling. It reveals the abysmal condition of justice in our country, both in terms of the environment and freedom of expression. That the authorities have thus far failed to put a stop to the sand-lifting, despite being fully aware of the activities, means they are either unable or unwilling to take a firm stance on the issue because of the power the UP chairman holds in the locality.

It is disheartening that the repeated call to put an end to illegal sand-lifting is consistently ignored by those in positions of power. Locals find such practices challenging to protest, and even journalists find them challenging to cover. For instance, Kamal Hossain, a reporter for the Bangla newspaper Sangbad in Sunamganj's Tahirpur upazila, was assaulted last year for trying to gather details about unauthorised sand and stone extraction in the region. This further demonstrates the degree of strength that these local sand lifters wield – they have no fear and pay no attention to anyone.

The only way to stop them is for the government to take immediate and exemplary action against the perpetrators, beginning with those affiliated with the ruling party and the current administration. We urge the local authorities of Singra upazila to put a stop to the sand-lifting immediately and take action against those who stand so opposed to the people's will and well-being.