A female minister involved in illicit sand extraction: NRCC chair

There is a political force at the back of river grabbers. Particularly, a female minister from Chandpur has connections with the illegal sand extractors in the Meghna River, said Manjur Ahmed, chairman of the national river conservation commission (NRCC).

He made the striking disclosure while addressing a seminar in the capital’s CIRDAP auditorium on Sunday, marking the World Rivers Day. He was the chair of the event.

The NRCC chairman said a certain illicitly extracted an astonishing 6.68 billion cubic feet of sand from the Meghna River and its financial worth is more than Tk 60 billion. But the sand extraction was legalised through the payment of merely Tk 2.67 billion in royalty.

He also said, “Hyenas are preying on the Meghna River. There are fresh attempts to extract sand from the river. Hundreds of dredgers will be employed to extract the sand, causing harm to the river, fishes, and environment.”

The authorities are failing to save the river from these elements as they maintain relations with a female minister from Chandpur, added Manjur Ahmed.

The NRCC chairman also expressed concerns about the poor state of the Karnaphuli River and alleged that it is being sold out in the name of lease contracts. He noted the involvement of the shipping ministry, Chattogram port authority, and district administration with the leasing process.

“The Karnaphuli River is of paramount environmental and economic significance, but it is being killed by fragmenting its land through announcement of economic zones,” he added.

In his keynote speech, Akhtaruzzaman Talukder, former deputy director of the NRCC, noted that the river count in the country is now 1008, with the Padma River being the longest at 341 kilometers.