“Local Administration Will Be Held Responsible if the Dholai Bridge Collapses”

July 26, 2025
2nd admin

A huge human chain and protest gathering was organized on Saturday, July 26, 2025, in Companiganj, Sylhet, demanding protection of the Dholai Bridge from illegal sand mining. The event was initiated by the environmental group “Dharitri Rokhhay Amra (DHORA)” Sylhet Chapter and Surma River Waterkeeper, with enthusiastic participation from local residents along the banks of the Dholai River. It took place at the eastern end of the Dholai Bridge.

Protesters issued a final warning to the local administration, demanding strict measures to stop sand looting. Several local social organizations and clubs joined the gathering with banners and festoons demanding preservation of the bridge. Speakers at the rally noted that the Dholai Bridge was built during the four-party alliance government in 2005 at a cost of Tk. 13 crore. It spans 434.35 meters in length and 9.5 meters in width. It was inaugurated on September 9, 2006, by the late Finance and Planning Minister M. Saifur Rahman. The bridge connects Companiganj town with three India-bordering unions, serving nearly 100,000 residents. It is also the main route to Utmachhara, one of Sylhet’s top tourist destinations. Since August 5, 2024, due to administrative leniency, illegal and unrestrained sand and stone extraction began in the Dholai River. Sand grabbers became so reckless that they started extracting sand from directly beneath the bridge. Despite numerous reports in the media over the past few months, the administration has remained indifferent. Local citizens have held human chains in response. The environmental group DHORA Sylhet Chapter has already submitted a memorandum to the District Commissioner demanding a halt to the looting, yet illegal sand mining persists. If this continues, the Dholai Bridge could collapse at any moment, threatening both national assets and the livelihoods of local residents. At the rally presided over by Professor Dr. Mohammad Emdadul Haque, the keynote speaker Abdul Karim Kim of Surma River Waterkeeper said that over the past year, unprecedented lawlessness has plagued the Dholai River. He warned that the bridge destruction is essentially being arranged by “striking an axe on our own foot.” If immediate steps are not taken to protect the bridge, legal proceedings will be initiated against the local administration for failure to protect national resources. In his closing speech, Dr. Mohammad Emdadul Haque of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology’s Political Studies Department called for enforcement of several laws, including Bangladesh Environmental Conservation Act, 1995 (amended 2010), Sand and Soil Management Act, 2010, Water Development Board Act, 2000, Penal Code 1860 and Anti-Terrorism Act or Special Powers Act. The event was hosted by local schoolteacher Nizam Uddin Master, with a welcome address from DHORA organizer and Bhulaganj resident Faizur Rahman. Other speakers included DHORA organizer and lawyer Arup Shyam Bappi, social worker Sohag Tajul Amin, and theater activist Ahmed Hossain Chowdhury.