‘Black hands’ at work in Sylhet’s 'Sada Pathor' tourist spot

Greedy profiteers are pillaging Sylhet’s picturesque "Sada Pathor", or white stone – -- a picturesque tourist haven known for its brilliant white stones, naturally sculpted from pebbles and rocks washed down from Meghalaya’s hills by currents and floodwaters, collecting at the mouth of the Dholai river near the Bangladesh-India border.

Brazenly operating under the administration's very gaze, these opportunists loot valuable mineral resources worth “hundreds of crores of taka” day and night, turning natural beauty into stark exploitation.

Following the change of regime on Aug 5, control and exploitation of natural and mineral resources—including sand, stones, and pebbles—in the lush, mountainous Companiganj area of Bholaganj have intensified drastically.

Although the administration occasionally carries out token raids to evade accountability, locals allege complicity between looters and corrupt elements within the administration and law-enforcing agencies.

Complaints and objections have gone unheard. According to locals, the politically and administratively coordinated syndicate is powerful and deeply entrenched.

In the past 15 years, at least 38 workers have lost their lives due to illegal stone extraction in areas like the Bholaganj quarry, Shah Arefin hill, and adjacent bunker regions, yet none of the culprits have faced severe punishment.

Environmentalists argue that administrative cover-ups have indirectly empowered these plunderers.

Abdul Karim Chowdhury Kim, general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) Sylhet, is gravely concerned.

He warns, "If this continues, this beloved tourist spot will soon vanish entirely. There won't be anything left called 'Sada Pathor’. The local administration has utterly failed to prevent these lootings and is completely ineffective."

However, Sylhet's Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad refutes the allegations.

"We have no reports of stone theft specifically from the Sada Pathor tourist spot. Thieves might be targeting adjacent areas, and we are actively conducting operations to stop this. The issue of theft from the tourist spot itself will be looked into," he said.

ORIGIN OF STONES IN “SADA PATHOR”

Stones of varying sizes accumulate naturally at the mouth of the Dholai River near the border area of Bholaganj, Sylhet. These stones, carried downstream from Meghalaya's hills, become visible when water levels recede, creating a stunning view with crystal-clear water flowing gently over them.

Tourists visit the area primarily to enjoy the serene beauty of the shallow river streams, hills, and adjacent hillocks. Local entrepreneurs have also sprung up to support tourism. The abundance of these white stones has led the locals to name the place "Sada Pathor".

Professor Mohammad Jahirul Haque, vice-chancellor of Sylhet Metropolitan University and an organiser of the environmental group “Dhoritri Rokkhay Amra-Dhora”, has researched the sand and stone composition of this region.

“These stones at Sada Pathor tourist spot arrive with the hill torrents. During monsoon, heavy rains trigger floods in the Meghalaya hills, bringing massive amounts of sand and stones downstream to the bordering rivers. These deposits gather at the river’s mouth. Due to the closure of stone quarries for several years, these deposits have significantly increased in the Sada Pathor area,” he explained.

Adjacent to Sada Pathor lies the "Bunker" area, historically under railway authority. In the 1960s, this area facilitated stone transportation through a 19-kilometre-long ropeway to Chatak.

Although railway structures once existed here, railway stone extraction ceased around a decade ago. Since then, illegal stone extraction has ravaged approximately 24 hectares of land, leaving behind a wasteland.

Nearby stands Shah Arefin Hill, covering 56 hectares of government land. Locals recall another hill called "Matiya Tila," targeted first by illegal miners around the year 2000. Between 2014 and 2015, the use of illegal "boma machines" (stone crushers) became widespread, devastating both hills over the past two decades, leaving them severely eroded and skeletal.

Environmentalists claim that illegal sand and stone extraction has long plagued Sylhet’s rivers, such as Jadukata, Piyain, and Lalakhal in Jaintiapur.

Now, these greedy profiteers have turned their eyes toward the prized Sada Pathor area.

SHIFT IN CONTROL

According to local residents, prior to the government change in August last year, people affiliated with the Awami League were involved in looting stones from the area.

Following the political shift, control passed into the hands of their rivals.

Looting occurred previously as well; however, the current scale is said to be “much greater” than before.

When asked who operates this network, most locals refrained from giving a direct answer.

Many hinted at the involvement of leaders from a major political party.

Fear keeps most from speaking out openly.

Amid this situation, the government has decided to suspend leases for 17 out of the country’s 51 registered stone quarries.

The decision was made during a meeting held on Apr 27 at the conference room of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.

The meeting focused on the management of gazetted quarries across the country, including those for stone, silica, sand, gravel, and white clay.

Among the affected sites in Sylhet district are the quarries in Bholaganj, Utmachhara, Ratanpur, Bichanakandi and Lovachara.

The protected “Bunker” and “Sada Pathor” areas are not officially listed as quarry zones.

MORE ACTIVE AT NIGHT

During a recent visit to the “Sada Pathor” and “Bunker” areas, it was observed that hundreds of engine- and hand-powered boats were being used by workers to extract stones and sand from the east, west, and south sides of the protected “Bunker”.

The highest concentration of boats was found on the eastern and southern sides.

Excavation activities have scarred the terrain with pits of varying sizes, causing nearby trees to lean and concrete structures to collapse.

The tilting of ropeway pillars has also been attributed to unchecked extraction.

Large stones from the northeastern areas have vanished.

Workers were seen carrying stones inside the bunker using baskets and bamboo frames.

Despite tight surveillance, the looting continues. Numerous makeshift shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin have been set up, where “syndicate” members oversee the entire operation.

To the north of the “Bunker” lies the “Sada Pathor” zone. Many parts of it no longer have any visible stones—only sand remains.

Along the western bank of the “Bunker”, workers are busy loading stones of different sizes onto boats.

In some places, 50 to 100 “Barki” boats are being loaded at once.

Large stones are carried on workers’ heads and dropped on the riverbank, from where others load them onto boats. Smaller stones, like “Bhutu” and single types (small stones), are gathered in baskets and similarly loaded.

A fierce competition ensues among workers over who fills their boats faster.

Shopkeepers near the “Sada Pathor” tourist spot said during the day, groups move stones into the “Bunker”, which are then shifted westward and taken away by boats.

More stones, however, are removed at night, as darkness provides cover and there is no one to stop the looters.

During the day, those who try to interfere face physical assault. When law enforcement carries out raids, looters reportedly throw stones at them.

The stolen stones are then trucked about half a kilometre to nearby crusher mills.

There are at least 1,500 such machines in Sylhet’s border areas, with more than 500 located in Bholaganj and Dhupagul alone.

A railway official tasked with “Bunker” security said stones are extracted from pits as deep as 30 to 50 feet, causing widespread damage.

Government structures have reportedly collapsed due to this unregulated activity.

“When water fills the pits, labourers use Lister machines to pump it out before resuming extraction. The risk of workers being buried is high—one has already died. Still, they continue working,” he added./

PRICING, Extortion

Conversations with sand and stone workers and traders revealed that at least two labourers are needed to operate a single Barki boat

One boat can carry between 30 to 40 cubic feet of sand. Labourers sell the sand to traders at a rate of Tk 20 to 25 per cubic foot.

The traders then resell that sand at their own sites for Tk 35 to 40 per cubic foot.

Each boat loaded with stones sells for between Tk 4,000 and Tk 6,000.

The traders later crush the stones at local mills and sell the aggregate at around Tk 150 per cubic foot. A “Barki” boat typically holds 30 to 40 cubic feet of stone.

Labourers can manage up to four trips a day, transporting either sand or stone.

In addition, stones are also extracted from the river using “save machines”.

Advocate Farhad Khondokar, a resident of Companiganj Upazila, said: “Each machine is charged Tk 12,000 to 15,000 in extortion. At Doyarbazar, Tk 1,500 is collected from every truck transporting sand from the sand depot.”

According to Farhad, these extortion rackets operate under “the guise of administrative or political backing”.

Sylhet deputy commissioner, however, has denied such allegations.

Attempts to contact Companiganj Police Station chief Uzair Al Mahmud Adnan were unsuccessful.

QUARRY DEATHS

According to data from the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), more than 100 people have died in landslides at stone quarries across four upazilas in Sylhet district between 2005 and May 12, 2025.

RAILWAY LOSSES REACH TK 4BN

Syed Md Azmain Mahtab, senior assistant executive engineer of Sylhet Railway, said the railway owns 59 acres, or 23.87 hectres, of land in the “Bunker” area of Bholaganj. The entire area was filled with stones and sand.

Due to the looting of sand and stones from this land, machinery and infrastructure worth Tk 10 billion of the ropeway have been damaged.

In addition, stones and sand worth Tk 3 billion have been stolen from the land.

He added that a complaint has been filed regarding this matter.

“On the night of 5th of August, over 200 boats launched a coordinated raid and looted the area,” said Azmain. “Large pits were dug to extract stone, causing several buildings to collapse.

“Police barracks, school buildings, warehouses, six barrack facilities, residential quarters, a rest house, and parts of the ropeway power house—doors, windows, tin roofing, iron angles—everything portable was taken,” he added

DHOLAI BRIDGE AT RISK

Constructed in 2003 at a cost of Tk 123.15 million to connect Uttar Ronikhai and Purbo Islampur in Companiganj Upazila, the Dholai Bridge has become vulnerable due to unregulated sand extraction at its base.

Soil erosion around several pillars has created large pits.

A recent visit to the area revealed that sand is still being lifted directly from beneath the bridge and loaded onto “Barki” boats.

At several points, large holes have formed where earth has shifted from the base of the pillars.

The 434.35-metre-long and 9.5-metre-wide bridge was opened to the public in September 2006.

It was built with a projected lifespan of 75 years, bringing an estimated 50,000 people under direct road connectivity.

The bridge also facilitated transport from Bholaganj—the country’s largest quarry—and improved access to Goainghat Upazila.

On Mar 12, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology student and Dholai riverbank resident Md Faizur Rahman submitted a memorandum to the district commissioner, urging action against sand extraction under the bridge.

Faizur, however, expressed disappointment at the lack of results. “Whenever the assistant commissioner prepares to carry out a raid, the sand miners get tipped off. It’s the officials themselves who leak the information. I even have recordings to prove it.”

Executive Engineer of Roads and Highways (RHD) Sylhet, Amir Hossain, said: “We’ve heard about the sand extraction near the Dholai Bridge. An official will be sent to assess its current condition.”

Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Sher Mahbub said, “The administration conducts regular drives near the bridge.

“The [Roads and Highways Department] has been informed, and they will take necessary steps to protect the bridge,” he added.

PUBLIC FRUSTRATION

Despite rampant looting of sand and stone, the administration has failed to take effective action, said Kim, general secretary of BAPA’s Sylhet unit.

“There could be two reasons for this. Either people in power are getting a share of this enormous profit, or they are afraid of a force they can’t name publicly,” he said.

“If not them, then who is doing this looting? They [the authorities] say political parties or extortion gangs are behind it, but still claim they are unable to stop them,” Kim added.

He said numerous media outlets have questioned the Sylhet deputy commissioner about the looting.

“I’ve personally sent him detailed information on several instances of plunder and environmental destruction. But the response has been negligible,” he said.

“To stop this, at the very least, dialogue is needed. But they’re not even sharing what steps they’re planning to take.”

When approached on the afternoon of May 7, Upazila chief Executive Officer (UNO) Azizunnahar asked the reporter: “Who gave you permission to be here?”

When asked who needed to be informed, the UNO replied: “No, you’re free to come.”

She, however, refused to speak on record or in front of a camera regarding the looting.

Azizunnahar commented off-record, “We conduct regular drives. Just a few days ago, nine people were sentenced to two years in jail during a raid in the Bunker area.”

But she admitted there was no official data on how much stone had been plundered from the area.

Sher Mahbub said, “We haven’t been able to measure it. We need to speak to BMD about that.”