Unlawful overnight sand extraction from the Padma River near Arambaria High School in Ishwardi, Pabna triggered severe fears of riverbank erosion also placing local homes, public infrastructure and the educational institution at risk.
Locals report that extraction operations run from late night until early morning just a few hundred meters from the school. Similar illegal activities are also occurring near the Ruppur 'Phuto Market' and the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant areas where past sand rivalries have sparked violent clashes and gunfire. Residents fear that soil destabilization will wash away riverbank protection blocks and destroy their homes, leaving many previously displaced families facing renewed uncertainty.
Despite visible dredging equipment the accused operator Anarul Islam denied illegal mining also claiming machinery is stationed far from the school and is merely used to unload sand transported from elsewhere.
However the Pabna Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam confirmed that there are no government-approved sand quarry sites (sand mohals) in Pabna district, rendering all river sand extraction strictly illegal. He promised an immediate investigation through the local Upazila administration and decisive legal action against those responsible.
