SHARIATPUR, Dec 14: Top soil cutting of agriculture lands in the district is taking place in a festive manner despite administrative restriction.
By using illegal excavators the top soil is dredged to make fish enclosures or farms in different places of six upazilas of the district.
Local farmers complained, this is causing extensive damage to the agricultural land; the agricultural land is decreasing.
Some 200 excavators are being used in these upazilas for lifting soil.
About 100 excavators are running to cut soil in 40 spots of Chhaygaon, Monua, Kajolcoat, Lakarta, Damgaria, Ranisar, Singachura, Sajonpur, Jajihar, Paprail, Najimpur, Ramvadrapur, Kartikpur, Deamkhali, Narayanpur, Mollarhat, Gazipur, Charchanda, Kashimpur, Charpayatoli and Balarbazar villages in Bhedarganj Upazila.
Besides, many roads of the LGED are under threat due to cutting soil along the roadside.
Anindra Mondal, upazila nirbahi officer of Bhedarganj Upazila, confirmed the illegal top soil cutting.
Necessary steps have been taken to stop the illegal diggings, he added.
According to sources at the Revenue Deputy Collector's Office in the district, a local Hridoy Molla was fined Tk 1 lakh recently for cutting soil from agricultural land by illegal excavators in Atong Village in Sadar Upazila.
Four illegal excavators were seized on charge of cutting soil from agricultural land in Rudrakar Beel in Sadar Upazila, said Abdullah Al Mamun, revenue deputy collector of the deputy commissioner (DC) office.
Locals complained, the festival of cutting soil from agricultural land with illegal excavators can't be stopped even after jailing and fining.
A visit on Saturday morning to Monua Village at Chhaygaon Union in Bhedarganj Upazila found five excavators cutting soil from about 400 bighas of agriculture land.
A local Baschhu Doptori of the village is cutting soil without any impediment or barrier, locals complained.
When this correspondent contacted with Baschhu Doptori, he said, he has cut the soil of the land to make fish enclosures by managing the local land-owners.
Crop lands are being dug 10 to 20 feet deep, causing the surrounding croplands to be destroyed.
Adjacent roads are collapsing. Several farmers including Ali Ahmed Bakul, Chhamir Uddin Sheikh, Rajib Hossain and others from Balarbazar area of Bhedarganj Upazila complained, if the cropland soil continues to be sold in this way, it will not be possible to prevent the reduction in crop production and the erosion of the road banks.
There have been complaints of cutting soil from agricultural land and taking it to the brickfields with Mahendra and tractors.
Local farmers of Dhanokathi in Damudya Upazila Md Nurul Islam, Abdur Rahman, Deen Islam and many others said, "Some local influential people are constantly cutting and selling soil from our beels. They are making fish enclosures. After the administration banned it a few days back, the cutting of soil was stopped for a few days. But now everything has been managed again. The soil cutting is taking place in a festival manner."
Dredgers, bulldozers and soil-carrying Mahendra and tractors are being seen in the area. Roads are damaged.
"Our school, college and madrasa students have to suffer while travelling," they added.
Abdullah Al Mamun, revenue deputy collector of the DC office, said, according to the direction of DC, a drive is on-going to take strict legal action against those who are damaging agricultural land by using illegal excavators and dredgers.
