Staff Reporter :
Md Mokhles Ur Rahman, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration, has vowed that the government will take stern action against all those engaged in the illegal extraction of stones from Sylhet’s Sada Pathor area, regardless of their political affiliation or administrative influence.
“Sada Pathor was not just exploited, it was utterly devastated. No one involved in this crime would be spared. Whoever is behind this-be they powerful in politics or the administration-will face justice,” Mokhles Ur Rahman said on Friday while inspecting the site in Companiganj.
He further announced that special development packages would be undertaken for Sada Pathor and other tourist destinations, while 24-hour CCTV monitoring would be introduced to curb illegal activities in the area. The senior secretary is heading a five-member probe body formed by the Cabinet Division to investigate the stone looting allegations. The committee has been asked to identify those responsible and submit a report within 10 days.
The visit comes amid growing public outrage and accusations of large-scale corruption over unauthorized stone lifting, which has caused severe environmental and aesthetic damage to the popular tourist site.
Also present during the visit were Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Saiful Islam, Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Khan Md Reza-un-Nabi, and Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Md Sarwoer Alam. The team spoke with local residents and administrative officials to collect firsthand information.
Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) alleged that leaders and activists from BNP, Awami League, Jamaat, and NCP, along with local administration officials, were collectively involved in plundering Sada Pathor.
