Sylhet, August 14 – According to officials, the Sylhet district administration has implemented a five-point strategy aimed at preventing stone theft and recovering stones that have been illegally removed from the area.
Sylhet’s Deputy Commissioner, Sher Mahbub Murad, stated that the decision was made during a coordination meeting held at the Sylhet Circuit House, organized by both district and divisional authorities, with senior officials from all levels in attendance.
The five-point strategy involves round-the-clock deployment of combined forces in the Jaflong Ecological Area and the Bholaganj Sada Pathar locations; constant joint force presence at police checkposts in Gowainghat and Companyganj; continuous efforts to cut off power and close down unauthorized crushing equipment; identification, capture, and legal action against everyone involved in stone theft; and retrieval of stolen stones to return them to their initial places.
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The administration’s recent lack of action, along with the uncontrolled actions of powerful individuals, has put at risk Sylhet’s stone quarries and the pure white stones of Jaflong.
Starting from August 5 last year, local political groups, such as Jamaat-e-Islami, BNP, NCP, and religious figures including Charmonai Pir Fazlul Haque, have consistently called for the resumption of stone quarry operations.
They organized human chains, media briefings, and walkouts, referencing past administrations’ shutdowns in support of what they termed indigenous interests, and asserting that rock mining led to floods—a claim that faced significant scrutiny.
Bholaganj Sada Pathor, a popular attraction in Sylhet, opens again on Friday.
In the meantime, political and administrative failures allowed a ‘stone mafia’ to steal resources openly and under the cover of night.
Recent news coverage about large-scale stone theft has drawn widespread public interest across the country.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, an advisor on Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, voiced her disappointment, stating, “As an environmentalist, I was able to prevent stone mining in Sylhet for four years, but even now, in my advisory role, I couldn’t.”
After these incidents, the Sylhet administration established a three-person investigation committee on Tuesday, led by an Additional Deputy Commissioner, to look into extraordinary stone thefts at the Bholaganj Sada Pathar tourist spot.
Ongoing daily demonstrations and human chains organized by civil society and environmental organizations are taking place in Sylhet city to protest the thefts.
A group of nine individuals from the Sylhet branch of the Anti-Corruption Commission, headed by Deputy Director Rafi Muhammad Najmus Sadat, arrived at the location on Wednesday.
Popular tourist attractions in Sylhet start to open again as flood situations get better
The ACC mentioned that prominent business figures, senior officials, and residents could be part of the extensive theft.
Because the ACC office is far away, taking immediate action was challenging, and the names of those involved in the thefts will be sent to the central office for additional investigation, stated ACC officials.
