Illegal sand and stone extraction continues in the Teesta River in Nilphamari despite repeated administrative raids, criminal cases, equipment seizures and arrests. The prolonged activity has put the Teesta Barrage and flood-control embankments at serious risk.
According to upazila administration records, at least 20 operations were conducted in areas of the Teesta River between June last year and October this year to prevent illegal stone extraction. During these drives, authorities seized and destroyed three stone-carrying tractors, one truck, five crusher machines, dredgers, shallow-engine-powered boats, thousands of feet of pipes used for stone extraction and more than 29,000 cubic feet of stones. Twelve people were arrested.
An investigation found that illegal sand and stone extraction repeatedly takes place in several specific locations. The most frequently reported areas include Barnir Ghat upstream of the Teesta Barrage, the reserved Kisamat Char under the jurisdiction of the Jhar Singhereshwar and Thangjhara BGB camps, Khagar Char, Chhotokhata and Char Kharibari. Authorities have conducted operations in these areas at least five times.
The administration says the remote and difficult-to-access locations make it challenging to stop illegal extraction. Within days or weeks of an operation and the seizure of equipment, extraction often resumes at the same sites.
A field visit found that eight unions in Nilphamari's Dimla and Jaldhaka upazilas are affected by erosion along the Teesta. Agricultural land and villages on both banks of the river near the extraction sites are also being eroded.
During a recent visit to Telir Bazar, Kisamat Char and Chhotokhata upstream of the Teesta Barrage, workers were seen using dredgers installed on more than 400 boats to dig into the riverbed with iron chisels and extract stones. The activity stretches across at least 15 kilometres of the Teesta along the Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat sections of the Bangladesh-India border. The extracted stones are loaded onto boats and stockpiled along the riverbanks.
Illegal extraction has visibly altered the river's natural flow and physical structure, creating several narrow channels. Erosion has emerged in at least 20 nearby villages, while the barrage, flood-control embankments and riverside settlements face growing threats.
Arif Hossain, Anwar Ali and at least eight other residents of Kisamat Char village said their village had been washed away over the past two years because of stone extraction. Several thousand people who lost their homes have taken shelter along the embankment road.
Residents said stones have been extracted from the river every day for the past two years, from early morning until midnight. The stones are then transported by truck through the flood-control embankment road to different destinations.
Locals alleged that those involved in illegal extraction have deployed people to monitor roads leading into the river area. Whenever they spot an administrative vehicle, they alert workers by mobile phone, allowing labourers and machinery to be moved to safety before an operation begins.
According to local sources, each truck carries around 500 to 700 cubic feet of stones. The stones from each truck are sold for Tk50,000 to Tk80,000 and supplied to construction projects in different districts across the country.
Local journalist Rezwan Islam said more than 400 boats are used for stone extraction every day, despite the presence of a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) camp and river police in the area.
Rezwan alleged that some river police personnel are involved in the stone looting and leak information about planned operations in advance. As a result, those involved are rarely caught in the act, he claimed. He further alleged that river police personnel on duty receive substantial bribes in return.
An investigation by Ajker Patrika found evidence supporting the allegations. In a secretly recorded video, Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) Swapan and Shamim, who are assigned to the Dalia River Police Outpost, admitted to collecting regular payments from every boat involved in stone extraction. According to them, trucks carrying stones are detained if payments are not made.
The illegal trade has also been accompanied by displays of locally made weapons, clashes and violence. Administrative officials, journalists and local representatives have reportedly been attacked for protesting against the extraction.
Arfinul, a district correspondent for Independent Television, said his team was attacked while filming illegal stone extraction in the Teesta. Their camera and motorcycle were allegedly snatched during the incident.
A case was filed against 20 to 25 people, including Liton Islam, Jahangir and Zafar, but police have not arrested anyone, he said. Despite arrest warrants, the accused continue to move around openly, he added.
Rabiul Islam Shahin, chairman of Teparkharibari Union Parishad, said he was attacked by those involved in stone extraction when he tried to stop the illegal activity. He alleged that the attackers intended to kill him. He later took legal action against them, and the case is now pending.
Local residents alleged that a group of 20 to 30 people is involved in illegal stone extraction. They identified stone trader Ziarul Islam, a resident of the Teparkharibari area, as the alleged leader of the group. They also alleged that stone trader Jahangir Alam operates in the Gayabari area.
Contacted for comment, Jahangir denied any involvement in illegal sand extraction. “More than a hundred people extract stones here. I do business in legally imported stones, but a group is trying to implicate me,” he said.
Repeated attempts to contact Ziarul Islam for his response were unsuccessful.
Ashraful Alam, officer-in-charge of Dimla Police Station, said at least 15 cases had been filed against illegal stone traders. At least 12 people had been arrested in connection with different cases.
He said police operations to stop illegal stone extraction and transportation were continuing.
A member of a law enforcement agency, speaking on condition of anonymity, said those arrested were often released on bail by the courts within a short time and then returned to illegal stone extraction. This, the official said, was one reason repeated operations had failed to bring about significant changes.
Amitabha Chowdhury, executive engineer of the Dalia Water Development Board, warned that digging into the riverbed to extract stones would damage the river's depth and intensify erosion.
Members of the Teesta river protection movement have called for strict punishment for those involved in illegal extraction.
Sohel Hasan, a central member of the Teesta Bachao Nadi Bachao Andolon, said raids alone would not solve the problem. Authorities must identify who is leading the extraction, where the sand and stones are being transported and who is buying them, he said, urging action against the entire network.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Imranuzzaman said the administration conducted operations whenever it received information, seizing equipment, filing cases and arresting people caught in the act.
“However, because the areas are difficult to access, they resume illegal stone extraction immediately after an operation ends,” he said.
State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad told this correspondent that strict instructions would be given to the administrations of both districts to ensure that everyone involved in the illegal activity is brought to justice, regardless of their political affiliation.
