Authorities have recovered another 45,000 cubic feet of stones looted from Shada Pathar.The recovery took place on Friday during raids across different areas of Companyganj upazila.
The District Administration’s media cell confirmed the operation and said that nearly 100,800 cubic feet of stones have been recovered over the past two days. About half of the retrieved stones have already been returned to Shada Pathar, while the rest are in the process of being restored.
Md. Masud Rana, Assistant Commissioner (Confidential Branch, Media Cell) of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, said around 45,000 cubic feet of stones were recovered on Friday alone. “From Wednesday midnight to Friday afternoon, a total of nearly 100,000 cubic feet of stones were seized. The recovered stones are being gradually returned to Shada Pathar,” he added.
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Authorities discovered that stone traders had been hiding the looted stones using inventive methods. Acting on information, the administration conducted a raid in Kalabari, where a large quantity of stones buried under the soil was seized. Seven truckloads of stones have already been returned to Shada Phatar, with an additional estimated 5,000 cubic feet scheduled for restoration on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a joint operation by the upazila administration and law enforcement was launched to recover stones stolen from Zero Point in Jaflong, Goainhat upazila. Over two days, officers recovered 8,500 cubic feet of looted stones from various sites along the Piyain River by Friday evening. The stones were returned to the river using boats at Zero Point.
Goainhat Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ratan Kumar Adhikari said, “Some miscreants attempted to remove stones from Jaflong Zero Point during the night amid rain. We took immediate action. Continuous police and BGB patrols are in place, and further operations will continue in the coming days.”
Senior officials from the administration, police, and BGB took part in the operation. No arrests have been made so far in connection with the theft.