On Monday morning, netizens in Bangladesh woke up to a shocking viral video of Sylhet's Sada Pathor.
What was once a landscape dotted by famous white-coloured stones, now lay almost barren.
The vista was almost entirely bereft of what made it so famous – the brilliant white stones, naturally sculpted from pebbles and rocks washed down from Meghalaya's hills by currents and floodwaters.
And more alarmingly, people could be seen carrying away whatever stones remained.
Locals say the stones and sand, worth several crores, are being robbed in front of the administration, who play only the role of a silent spectator.
According to the locals, the looting began in full frenzy soon after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government back on 5 August.
When residents protested the looting and army was deployed, the looting temporarily stopped.
But it resumes at every opportunity.
On Saturday, during a visit to the area, it was seen that tourists were swimming at the main spot, and right beside them, stones were being looted freely using wooden and engine-powered boats.
People were taking stones however they could, loading them onto boats, and carrying them away. Several hundred boats were carrying away these stones — as if they were transporting something entirely legal.
Who are the looters?
The Stream correspondent approached a number of labourers who were seen lifting the stones.
Locals say some 4,000-5,000 such labourers descend on the site each day.
One-fifth of them are locals, and the rest are outsiders, who rent accommodation in the Dhalai River area and come daily with boats to loot stones.
Kawsar, one of the labourers there, said, "Two of us make about 3–4 trips a day. We get Tk2,500–2,600 per trip. Previously, when we took stones from the nearby quarry, we would get Tk3,500 per boat and pay whoever was providing security in the area. Now, we don't have to pay anyone."
He said they had been collecting the stones for around four to five months.
"Now, occasionally the BGB and police come to chase us away. But how many can they chase away? We come here to earn a living for our families."
Another middle-aged labourer, Suman Mia, said, "It takes one hour to collect a boatload of white stones, and 10 minutes to load them. Then we can sell those along both sides of the Dhalai River. We get Tk2,500–3,000 per boat there."
On the administration's drives against the stone-lifting – which locals say are more for show than for deterrence – Suman said such drives are rare.
"We extract stones, yes, and even our children play with those. These white stones will never run out," he claimed.
Where do the stones go?
Along both banks of the Dhalai River, white stones from Sada Pathar and the Bunker area – which facilitated stone transportation through a 19-kilometre-long ropeway to Chatak in the 60s – are sold daily from arriving boats.
Photo: Stream
The Bunker area is located next to one of the largest stone quarries in the country.
On the eastern bank of the Dhalai, the stones are sold in Kalairag, Doya Bazar, and Kalibari areas, and on the western bank at 10 Number Ghat, Battery Ghat, 10 Number Boat Ghat, and surrounding areas.
Here, buyers purchase stones by the river and later resell them elsewhere.
Who are the buyers?
Both local and outside traders buy stones directly from the boats.
When the quarries were operational a few years ago, the legally-procured stones would cost more, but now they can be bought more cheaply.
And although extracting stones from the river carries legal risks, buying and selling stones from boats do not.
According to locals and sellers, anyone can stockpile the stones as they please and transport it throughout the country.
Traders buy white stones from boats and store them at their designated places.
Later, they are transported nationwide by truck.
We are regularly conducting drives to protect white stones. But it's not stopping in any way.
However, most first go to Dhupagol, traders said. From there, stones go to various parts of the country.
From Companiganj, stones are also taken directly by truck to Kanchpur and Gabtoli in Dhaka.
Although there are police checkposts at various points, they do little to discourage prospective stone sellers.
Administration's showy drives
There are three BGB camps near Sada Pathar.
But at the temporary camp of Kalasadek BOP (Sada Pathar Boat Ghat) and at Kalairag Haji Danya Point, looting continues freely.
When too many boats carry stones on the river and locals start complaining, the administration springs into action.
A few drives are carried out, a few wooden boats are broken. But locals say the plunderers return minutes after such drives end.
During the day, wooden and engine boats are used for looting. In the darkness of night, large, steel-bodied vessels emerge.
Why looting doesn't stop
Labourers carrying away the stones. They say they get Tk2,500–2,600 per boat trip carrying the stones and sand. Photo: Stream
Advocate Forhad Khondoker, a resident, said, "The administration is inactive. They conduct drives once every 15 or 20 days. They highlight that they conducted a drive, but then, coordinating with various forces, take another 15 days. And in that time, stones worth Tk 15 crore are looted."
He said locals sometimes take action, but there is always the risk that they might be attacked.
Others say the administration only conducts drives on the river. Those who buy stones, stockpile them, or sell them elsewhere face no action.
Speaking to Stream, Companiganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Azizunnahar said, "We are talking with the DC office, and we expect another drive, possibly within this week. Last time, we conducted a very strong drive. Later, transport workers blocked the road, creating an unstable situation. Since then, this looting has been happening."
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) Sylhet Coordinator Advocate Shah Saheda Akhtar said, "I wouldn't call the administration a failure in protecting white stones. They would have failed if they had tried. But they have never tried."
Akhtar said the administration's indifference would doom the white stones.
Sylhet Department of Environment Director Md Ferdous Anwar said, "Since Sada Pathar is not an ECA-listed area, we cannot take any legal action there. Still, we are assisting the local administration in their drives."
Sylhet Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Sher Mahbub Murad said, "We are regularly conducting drives to protect white stones. But it's not stopping in any way."
When asked why it could be protected before but not now, he gave the same answer: "We are conducting regular drives."
Contacted, Additional Secretary (Tourism) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism Fatema Rahim Veena said one would have to apply under the Right to Information Act to obtain a statement from her.
The BGB officials in the area also did not issue any statement despite being contacted.
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