Manikganj Correspondent: It is reported that millions of rupees worth of soil is being sold in the name of filling the land of government projects by installing dredgers in the old Dhaleshwari river adjacent to Pecharkanda Bazar in Baliakhora Union of Ghior Upazila of Manikganj.
On Wednesday morning (May 03), it was seen that, under the leadership of Baliakhora Union Awami League vice-president Golap Khan, Alamgir member and Mosharraf Hossain have installed dredgers in the old Dhaleshwari river next to Pecharkanda market and are filling the owned land with soil in the name of soil filling in the name of government project. Also, several dredgers are running from Tara Swashmanghat and Jabra Bazar to Ghior Bridge.
Locals said, under the supervision of Baliakhora Union Awami League vice-president Md. Golap Khan, some persons including UP member Alamgir Hossain, Ratan member have been carrying on the dredger business for a long time. They are extracting sand from the river and selling it in different areas threatening the bazaars, educational institutions, paved bridges, religious institutions, graveyards, roads, houses and surrounding cropland. Sometimes the dredger trade is stopped for a few hours due to police and upazila administration raids, but it continues as usual for a while. Locals alleged that when soil traders delayed paying money to the administration, they launched raids against dredgers, vekus.
Conscious residents of Ghior, Baliakhora and Baniajuri unions said on the condition of anonymity that if the administration had the sole intention of closing dredgers and veku permanently, the soil traders would never have been able to do this business. If the people of the administration have not taken financial benefits from the soil traders, why is the administration not taking a strict position against the soil traders? We see that the administration is sometimes vandalizing the dredgers of soil traders. But how many people have been fined in jail so far?
Soil trader Golap Khan told the reporter that Habib Bhai has informed us about the dredger with the upazila executive officer of Ghior. In that case UNO has to pay one lakh taka per month. Only we alone do not give money, can anyone run dredgers without giving money to UNO? Here I, Alamgir Member, Musharraf and some others do business together. The owner of this dredger is Ratan member’s brother Alamin. However, Ratan members do not do business here. Ratan member does business separately in Kushunda area. He insisted the reporter to pay some money and requested not to report on the matter.
Ghior Upazila Parishad Chairman Principal Habibur Rahman said, I am uncompromising about the dredger. I don’t want any dredgers in the river. I mediated with the UN about the dredger which is completely false.
Ghior upazila executive officer. Hamidur Rahman told the reporter that the soil traders used to complain against the administration and journalists to save themselves. If Golap Khan makes such a complaint in my name, I will file a case in his name. Our campaign on Dredger Vekku continues.
