Habib Sarwar Azad, Sylhrt Bureau 

The High Court has stayed an order issued by the Ministry of Land allowing sand extraction from the Jadukata-1 and Jadukata-2 sand quarries (balumahal) in Tahirpur, Sunamganj. The decision came amid growing concerns over the legitimacy and process of granting extraction rights to an entity claiming to be an "affected business."

Following the High Court order, Ratan Mia, proprietor of M/S Sohag Enterprise based in Nanai village of Badaghat, Tahirpur, and the former lessee who filed the writ petition, submitted a written application to the Secretary of the Ministry of Land and the Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj on Thursday (October 15) requesting immediate implementation of the court's directive.

A High Court bench comprising Justice Mohammad Shawkat Ali Chowdhury and Justice Abdur Rahman issued a rule against the defendants while granting a stay on the Ministry of Land's directive authorizing the sand extraction.

Addressing the issue, petitioner Ratan Mia stated that he had previously obtained the quarry lease by participating in a formal public tender process following all regulations. However, this year, the ministry granted extraction rights to another entity without floating a proper public tender, prompting him to seek judicial intervention.

Earlier, on September 22, 2026, a letter signed by Farzana Yasmin, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Sairat-2 Branch under the Ministry of Land, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj to permit Nasir Mia, owner of M/S Tahiya Stone Crusher, to extract sand from the Jadukata-1 and Jadukata-2 sand quarries.

Nasir Mia, locally known as "Nasir Sardar" and a coal transport labor leader, serves as the General Secretary of the South Bordal Union unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Tahirpur.

Under the ministry's directive, M/S Tahiya Stone Crusher was granted permission to extract sand from the Jadukata River from October 1, 2026, to April 14, 2027, under the classification of an "affected business." The rationale for labeling the entity as an affected business, alongside the vast scope of the permission, has drawn widespread public criticism and skepticism.

Local stakeholders expressed deep concern that the permit could lead to indiscriminate sand mining using suction dredgers and save machines, illegal cutting of riverbanks beyond lease boundaries, and severe ecological degradation.

The Ministry of Land's letter specified that M/S Tahiya Stone Crusher was permitted to extract sand for the stipulated period upon payment of a fee set at the three-year average market price plus an additional 12 percent tax in the interest of public revenue.

Meanwhile, allegations of procedural irregularities, secret negotiations, and illegal financial exchanges involving officials from the ministry, executive staff, and local administration have surfaced regarding the issuance of the extraction permit to the BNP union leader.