At 3:30 pm on Thursday, August 14, 2025, a citizens’ protest was held in front of Ali Amjad’s clock house adjacent to the Queen Bridge on the banks of the Surma River in Sylhet, demanding punishment for the stone looting gangs in the Sylhet region, including Bholaganj, Bichnakandi, Utmarchara, Jaflong, and Lovachara. Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA)’s Central Member Secretary Sharif Jamil was present as the main speaker at the civic protest rally held under the chairmanship of Dr. Mustafa Shahzaman Chowdhury Bahar, convener of DHORA Sylhet branch and moderated by Member Secretary of Surma River Water Keeper Abdul Karim Kim. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Dr. Mohammad Zahirul Haque, Vice Chancellor of Sylhet Metropolitan University, a lifelong member of DHORA. Among others, the speakers were Architect Jerina Hossain, Trustee of the Environment and Heritage Conservation Trust, Sylhet, President of Sylhet Bar Association Advocate Sarwar Ahmed Chowdhury Abdal, Professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Dr. Nazia Chowdhury, Central Joint Secretary of Jatiyo Samajtantric Dal (JSD) Emran Al Amin, President of Bangladesh JSD Sylhet Zakir Ahmed, Associate Professor of Shahjalal University Architect Kaushik Saha, Associate Professor Dr. Md. Emdadul Haque, Member of Shilpakala Academy Shamsul Basit Shero, President of the Conscious Citizens Committee Sylhet Advocate Shirin Akhter, Member of the Central Convening Council of DHORA Father Joseph Gomez, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) District Organizer Comrade Ujjal Roy, Habiganj DHORA Member Secretary Tofazzal Sohel and others. By participating in the protest rally program organized by the Sylhet Branch of Dhoritri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA), Environment and Heritage Conservation Trust, Sylhet, and Surma River Water Keeper with the demand of protecting the nature and life, environmental and human rights activists expressed their anger over the nature-destroying activities in Sylhet, including the white stone,
Sharif Jamil, the Eentral Member Secretary of DHORA, said, “We have been talking about the impact, disaster, and protest since the rapid extraction of Barki Boat stones with bomb machines and excavators began at the same rate that stones were being brought down from upstream. At one point, the government’s Ministry of Environment decided to stop all mechanical stone extraction until a scientific study was conducted to determine the amount of stone that could be extracted. However, citizens’ concerns escalated to the High Court due to the failure to implement this decision properly. But due to the failure to implement this decision properly, citizen concerns reached the High Court.” He further said, “Sylhet stones are the raw money of loot. There are many vested interests involved in this. Without the goodwill of the government and the concerted efforts of everyone, it is difficult to control this suicide attempt by turning Meghalaya into a death trap. The recent stone looting is an irreparable loss. Therefore, those involved in stone looting must be identified and punished immediately.”
Professor Dr. Mohammad Zahirul Haque, the Vice Chancellor of Sylhet Metropolitan University and a lifelong member of DHORA, said that since the change of power on August 5, 2024, various natural and mineral resources, including stones and sand, have been looted in various areas of Sylhet including Jaflong and Bichnakandi since that night. Stone quarrying is not only damaging the environment; it is also a humanitarian disaster. Rivers in these areas will change direction. River erosion will occur.
Abdul Karim Kim, Member Secretary of the Sylhet branch of the Surma River Water Keeper, said that the white stone has been destroyed under the covert umbrella of the administration. Just as environmental activists have spoken out in favor of Sylhet’s stones for the past two decades, they have also spoken out against stone looting in the past year. Collective protest and resistance are needed to protect Sylhet’s natural resources.
The Sylhet branch of the newspaper Friends of the Newspaper, the development organization Access Bangladesh, and the rights organization and authority of the Agricultural University participated in this event.
Please follow and like us:
