The committee formed to investigate looting of stones from Sadapathar, a popular tourist destination at Companiganj in Sylhet, submitted its report to the Sylhet deputy commissioner office on Wednesday.
The outgoing deputy commissioner, Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad, told reporters in the afternoon that 137 people were named in the report for their alleged involvement in the looting of stones from Sadapathar.
鈥楤esides, 10 recommendations have been made in the report to stop stone looting in future,鈥� he said.
聽鈥楾he report will be sent to the Cabinet Division,鈥� he said without giving any further details.
The Sylhet district administration on August 13 formed the probe committee amid a public outcry over the widespread looting of white stones from the tourist spot in Bholaganj area at Companiganj upazila.
The probe committee chief, Padmasan Singha, also an additional deputy commissioner of Sylhet district, told 抖阴精品, 鈥楾he newly appointed deputy commissioner for Sylhet is supposed to join office on Thursday [today]. You can know what is in the report from him.鈥�
He said that the report was submitted at about 1:00pm before leaving office by the outgoing deputy commissioner Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad who has been made an officer on special duty for his alleged failure in resisting looting stones from Sadapathar.
According to environment rights activists and local people, more than 20 million cubic feet of stones were looted from the Sadapathar tourist spot and Jaflong area under Goainghat upazila in the district amid fragile law and order situation since the fall of authoritarian Awami League regime in a mass uprising on August 5 past year.
The interim government on Monday made a number of changes in the Sylhet administration amid allegations of the local administration鈥檚 inaction over the widespread looting of stones.
The public administration ministry on Monday appointed law adviser鈥檚 private secretary Md Sarwoer Alam as the Sylhet deputy commissioner, replacing Muhammad Sher Mahmud Murad.
Companiganj upazila nirbahi officer Azizunnahar also was replaced.
About 5.45 lakh cubic feet of stones looted from Sadapathar have so far been recovered in different drives since August 14.
During the Sheikh Hasina-led regime, the High Court had suspended extracting stones from the Bhulaganj and Jaflong areas as part of efforts to protect the environment and the tourist spots.
Though the looting of stones were increased after the fall of the AL regime, the administration remained silent and did not take any effective step to stop destroying nature, local people said.
They alleged that unscrupulous people having political connections took advantage of fragile law and order situation in the country after the 2024 political changeover to loot stones and sand from Sadapathar and Utma Chhara at Companiganj, Jaflong tourist spot at Goainghat, Rangpani tourist spot at Jaintapur and Lobha Chhara at Kanaighat upazila and the adjoining areas.
The Bureau of Mineral Resources director general, Mohammad Anwarul Habib, filed a case with the Companiganj police station against 1,500 unnamed people on August 15 on charges of rampant looting stones from Sadapathar.
Companiganj police station officer-in-charge Uzayer Al Mahmud Adnan told 抖阴精品 on Wednesday that 12 suspected accused were arrested so far in the case.
Sylhet divisional commissioner Khan Md Reza-un-Nabi on Wednesday urged the government officers and employees as well as the local people to be sincere for protecting the environment and resisting the looting of mineral resources.
He made the call while addressing a views-exchanging meeting held at the conference room of Companiganj upazila nirbahi officer in the afternoon.
Responding to the reporters鈥� queries after the programme, he said that stern action would be taken if involvement of anyone in the administration was found in the recent looting of stones.
