Environmental activists fear major ecological damage in Sylhet over stone extraction

Environmental activists have expressed fears that reopening Sylhet’s stone quarries could once again threaten the environment and ecosystems of quarry-surrounded areas.

The concerns were raised at a discussion meeting held Tuesday afternoon by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) on the “current status of cases filed by BELA in Sylhet division.”

The meeting came after Labour and Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, also the MP for Sylhet-4 (Gowainghat-Jaintapur-Companiganj), announced that the stone quarries in Sylhet would soon be reopened using traditional methods.

“Such a declaration, despite the court’s ban on stone extraction, amounts to contempt of court,” she added”, said BELA Sylhet divisional coordinator Advocate Shah Shaheda Akhter.

The meeting reviewed 32 writ petitions filed by BELA over various environmental issues in the division.

The review found that, in most cases, the relevant authorities have failed to comply with court directives aimed at protecting Sylhet’s environment.

Of the eight stone quarries in Sylhet district, seven are located in popular tourist areas. Since the current government came to power, there have been repeated calls to reopen the quarries.

BELA divisional officer Nirupam Dey moderated the meeting. Journalist Abdul Quddus, college teacher Bichitra Roy, Advocate Satyajit Kumar Das, journalist Md Ayub Khan, BELA network members from the four districts of Sylhet division and representatives of various professions attended and spoke.

Advocate Shaheda said stone extraction had continued in Sylhet despite court orders to keep the quarries closed.

“The court also ordered a halt to hill cutting, but it has never actually stopped,” she added.