6 jailed for illegal soil extraction from govt land in Feni

A mobile court sentenced six people to jail on charge of extracting soil from government land in Feni Sadar upazila early Tuesday.

The drive, led by Feni Sadar Assistant Commissioner (Land) Sajib Talukder, was conducted around 1am in Dakshin Chandpur area of Lemua union.

The court sentenced Md Zainal Abedin, 52, to four months' imprisonment and imposed a fine of Tk 25,000. Md Ismail, 35, and Md Saddam, 33, were each sentenced to three months in jail, with fines of Tk 25,000 and Tk 100, respectively.

Besides, Md Arif, 35, Md Israfil, 23, and Md Jahangir, 35, were each sentenced one month in jail and fined Tk 100.

According to court sources, the six were arrested while digging soil from riverbanks, causing threats to the environment, local biodiversity and the surrounding ecosystem.

During the drive, two trucks were seized and an excavator was destroyed on the spot.

Later, the court sentenced and fined the accused under Section 13 of the Land Crime Prevention and Remedy Act-2023.

Magistrate Sajib said the illegal extraction of nutrient-rich topsoil from croplands and riverbanks is causing alarming rates of land fertility loss in Feni Sadar.

The privately-owned lands, government-owned khas land and riverbanks are not being spared from the greed of these soil traders, he said.

He said agricultural lands once used for Boro paddy and seasonal crops are turning into water bodies due to deep pits from soil extraction, leading to declining crop production and severe environmental damage, reports UNB.