300,000 cft of illegal sand seized in Sonagazi; flies red flags.

Jahangir Alam, Staff Reporter. ​The Sonagazi Upazila administration has seized a massive stockpile of illegally extracted sand during a drive near the Wind Power Plant in the Muhuri Project area, a popular tourist spot. ​On Friday afternoon, Sonagazi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate conducted a mobile court, taking control of the sand dump, hoisting red flags, and installing an official government notice board at the site. ​According to local sources, an influential group had long been illegally extracting and stockpiling sand by encroaching on government land and riverbanks near the Muhuri Project and Wind Power Plant. This illicit practice not only posed a serious threat to the environment and the power plant's infrastructure but also deprived the government of substantial revenue. Acting on specific allegations, the upazila administration carried out the drive on Friday afternoon. ​During the operation, approximately 300,000 cubic feet (cft) of illegally stockpiled sand was declared seized. To prevent anyone from selling or removing the sand, the entire area was demarcated with red flags, and an official ban banner was put up by the administration. ​The UNO and Executive Magistrate stated that drives against illegal sand extraction and encroachment on rivers or government land will continue. The seized sand will later be sold through an open public auction in line with government regulations, and the proceeds will be deposited into the treasury.