A bamboo-made culvert on the river Tepa, situated ten miles west at the juncture of Parmespur and Gornurpur mouzas under the Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur, is the only means of movement for nearly 300 families. Tepa River meets with the river Punarvoba in this upazila and once the only pacca road for the movement of some 70,000 people of two unions of the upazilas is in an utterly dilapidated state.
During the rain and flood, people living beside the river are plunged into the water. However, an embankment has recently been erected beside the river. However, the sand trader, contractor Rakibul Warish is excavating sand and soil deep from beside the embankment using Vecu ( excavator) machines by violating the rules and endangering the embankment. The movement of 12-wheel dump trucks carrying the soil and sand has created ditches on the road, damaging it totally. A culvert on the road has also been damaged and two more culverts on the road are on the verge of demotion.
Dr. Nanda Dulal Chakravarty, Founder-Director of Dinajpur Sreenigmananda Sebashram Charitable Hospital informed, on November 19 last year 230 persons living beside the river including me signed and filed a written complaint to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Kaharole. Seven days after filing the complaint, the UNO requested the Assistant Commissioner (Land) to investigate the incident and several days later, some 50 people went to the Office of the Assistant Commissioner of Land and requested him to take step against the illegal sand excavators but he did not take any step to stop the excavation of sand and soil.
Rafiqul, agent of contractor Rakuibul Warish informed he along with the brother-in-law of Chairman Bablu got the work order of excavating and carrying the sand at Taka 1,500,000 (Fifteen lakh).
Commenting on the damage to one culvert and two more culverts on the verge of damage, he said, they would construct and repair the culverts but did not say anything about the damage to the road.
Shakil Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner of Dinajpur in this connection informed, the Sand dunes of the place under Kaharole upazila have been leased out to the contractors and advised to talk to the UNO in this connection. The UNO of Kaharole did not respond to the mobile phone even after repeated calls.
