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May
15, 2000
Sylhet,
May 14 (UNB) - Three sand quarries in the district could not be leased
out in nine years due to bureaucratic tussle causing huge loss to the
government exchequer in revenue.
The
quarries -- Barochhara, Godamchhara and Nalichhara at Khadim Nagar in
Sadar thana -– were supposed to be leased out in 1992 when their
previous lease agreements expired.
Official
sources said it was the Ministry of Land that had stopped the process
of leasing out the quarries without assigning any reasons.
Taking
advantage of this situation, a vested quarter has long been illegally
extracting sands from the three quarries.
The
local administration has performed its duty by simply filing cases
against the offenders.
When
asked the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) said his office
requested the Land Ministry time and again for taking measures to
lease out the quarries, but the ministry rejected the idea and
directed them to take legal action against those involved in illegal
sand extraction.
It
was also learnt to have sought explanation from the local
administration for its frequent requests for leasing out the sand
quarries, he said.
In
1998, police in a raid seized 2.5 lakh cubic feet of sand from Alurtal,
which was excavated from the Barochhara quarry and later sold in
auction.
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