Sylhet Bureau :
A joint task force of the upazila administration and law enforcement agencies recovered nearly 20,000 cubic feet of stone during an operation in Sreepur, Jaintapur, Sylhet.
The salvaged stone has been replaced in Rangpani. And the BGB has been given the responsibility of Rangpani’s security.
On Tuesday morning, looted stone was replaced from Rangpani in the upazila. During this, about 28,000 cubic feet of sand seized were sold in an open auction.
The operation led by Jaintapur Upazila Executive Officer George Mitra Chakma was attended by Assistant Commissioner (AC Land) Farzana Akhter Laboni, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jaintapur Police Station, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jaintapur Model Police Station, Abul Basar Mohammad Badruzzaman, and members of the police and BGB.
The administration said that smugglers bring these stones and sand from the no man’s land area of the Bangladesh-India border. The police will investigate and file a case against those involved. At the same time, the administration requested the BGB to increase strict surveillance to prevent smuggling at the border.
It is worth noting that since August 5 last year, the Rangpani tourist spot located in the Sreepur area of Jaintapur upazila of Sylhet has also been in the grip of stone robbers. For several months, some political and identified groups have been cutting stones from the river and mountains and looting.
As a result, the trademark stones of the tourist area are now gone. The source of the Rangpani River is from the Ranghongkang Falls in the Jainta Hills of Meghalaya. According to locals, this area, known as the stone quarry of the Rangpani River, is attractive to tourists and environmental lovers of different generations.
The village of Mokampunji, a Khasia community on the banks of the river, which the locals call only ‘Punji’, is a witness to the tradition and culture of this area. When you go to Punji, you can see the history and tradition of the Khasia.
The Rangpani tourist area is also known for movie shooting. In the eighties and nineties, several scenes of Dhakai films were shot in Sripur. Especially, some scenes of the first film of the Shabnaz-Naeem duo ‘Chandni’ were shot in different places in Sripur. Through these films, the natural beauty of the area has become known to the audience of the country. However, that beauty has faded today due to the fall of stone looters.
In this regard, Lieutenant Colonel Md. Nazmul, commander of the Sylhet Battalion (48 BGB), said, “Surveillance has been further increased on the Rangpani border. Basically, there is no stone on the Rangpani-Bangladesh border now. When there was a quarry here, all the stones from that place were removed. Currently, there is only water on the Rangpani-Bangladesh side.”
According to local sources, illegal extraction and smuggling of stones from the border area in Rangpani had been going on for a long time. However, stone looting has now stopped in that area due to the operation of the task force and the direct control of the BGB.
