Stop lifting sand from Kaliganga

Local residents of Bara-Baroil village under Nabagram union of Manikganj Sadar upazila yesterday formed a human chain demanding authorities concerned to stop illegal sand extraction from Kaliganga river and remove a pipe from a government road in the locality that was installed for sand lifting.
People from different walks of life joined the event held at around 10:30am.
Speakers alleged that one Dewan Raju, using his political connection with Nabagram union parishad chairman Gazi Hassan-Al-Mehdi Suhas, had installed a large pipe connected with dredger machine on the north side of the village road to lift sand from the river and dump it in Nabagram area around two months back.
Despite protests by locals, they did not stop the illegal activities and instead harassed and threatened the villagers.
After the Awami League government’s ouster on August 5, the UP chairman went into hiding, and the sand lifting stopped for a while, before Dewan Raju resumed the activities recently using support of local BNP leaders, the speakers also alleged.
Due to the pipe being installed on the road, movement of vehicles has become difficult, they also said.
Contacted, Dewan Raju claimed he is not illegally lifting sand from the river.
“I made an agreement with dredger owner Masud Parvez to unload sand from a bulkhead on the riverbank to fill up a pond acquired by my cousin. The sand is not lifted directly from the river,” he said.
Masud Parvez said he is not involved in sand lifting and had only rented the dredger to Dewan Raju.
Contacted, Liton Dhali, upazila nirbahi officer of Manikganj Sadar, said necessary steps will be taken upon inquiry.