A task force has recovered 250,000 cubic feet of illegally extracted stone during a raid on a stone crusher mill and several residences in the Dhopagul area of Sylhet Sadar Upazila.
The operation was led by Sylhet Sadar Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Khoshnur Rubaiyat, following secret information regarding illegal stone storage and looting from protected areas.
According to the district administration, the recovered stones had been recently looted from the Saadapathar tourist spot and surrounding environmentally sensitive zones. Stones were found buried under sand near houses in Mahaldhik village and at a local crusher mill.
Over 100,000 cubic feet of looted stones recovered from Shada Pathar and Jaflong
UNO Khoshnur Rubaiyat said the stones will be returned and scattered in the Sada Pathor area.
“Our operations will continue to curb the illegal extraction and transportation of stones, which severely harms the environment,” Rubaiyat added.
In a separate drive on the same day, another 2,500 cubic feet of white stone were seized from the Binnakandi area of Fatehpur Union in Gowainghat Upazila. That operation was led by Gowainghat UNO Ratan Kumar Adhikari.
HC asks to make list of looters of stones from Bholaganj tourist site
The authorities have pledged to intensify enforcement efforts to prevent further plundering of natural resources, particularly from ecologically significant and tourist sites in Sylhet.