Indiscriminate excavation of ponds is continuing on the croplands in various places of Chatmohar upazila of Pabna district. By using excavator machines, the soil traders are digging ponds and selling the soil to the local brickfields and other places at a high price. The cutting of topsoil from the crop field is causing an impact on crop production in the areas. Local people have filed complaints with the Upazila Nirbahi Officer and the Assistant Commissioner (Land) but no step is being taken against those illegal soil excavators.
It is learnt, soil is being dug from the crop fields of the villages Handial, Chhaikola, Mothurapur and DB Gram regularly. The soil are being carried in open trolleys and trolley drums. The roads are also being damaged due to excessive loads.
A section of people were engaged in excavating soil from four bighas of land from the Katuli field. Iqbal Hossain and Hazrat Ali were cutting and removing top-soil from the field of Mamun and Murad of Mathurapur area. It is learnt, they rented the excavator machine from Khokon of Pachuria village and were engaged in excavating soil from there unchallenged.
Iqbal Hossain informed, he has no permission to excavate soil and he failed to answer how he was excavating soil without any permission.
While informing the matter to the Assistant Commissioner( Land) Tanjina Khatun, she advised to talk to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer.
Several days earlier, the incident of excavating of soil was informed to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer Redwanul Halim and he informed to take action against the illegal soil excavators but so far he did not take any step to stop the excavation of soil from crop fields.