Boulder smuggling to Bangladesh is adding to Bengal govt's woes
The boulder theft is severely affecting wildlife, as animals often get stuck in the craters created in the river beds; besides, the unregulated extraction is impacting the shape and direction of river channels, deteriorating water quality by increasing toxic levels and harming aquatic life
A spurt in smuggling of boulders to Bangladesh has become the latest headache of the West Bengal government amidst ongoing investigation into illegal cattle trade to the neighbouring country. Local operatives, a section of politicians and government officials in league with some Bangladeshi traders are carrying out the smuggling activities severely damaging river ecosystems in the North Bengal region, according to forest officials.
The boulders are sourced mainly from the beds of the Teesta, Jaldhaka, Raidak, Torsa and Sankosh rivers. Numerous big craters are formed in several places in the bed of these water bodies due to unregulated extraction of river minerals, the officials added.
Multiple measures
State Forest Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick admitted the development, saying Bangladeshi smugglers with the help of their Indian cohorts are engaging in the illegal trade. Several steps, including beefing up vigils, setting up new check posts and task forces, have been taken to prevent smuggling, he added.
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“We regularly confiscate boulder-laden trucks and boulder lifting equipment and take other measures to prevent smuggling,” Mullick said.
Forest and revenue departments of the state seized more than 400 boulder-laden trucks and collected around ₹2 crore as fine so far this year.
The seizure is just the tip of the iceberg. On an average, 100 trucks roll illegally into Bangladesh through Changrabandha and other border points daily, according to a government estimate.
From Meghalaya to Bengal
The smuggling of river minerals to Bangladesh through the West Bengal border increased in the recent past, particularly after India’s Border Security Forces and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) launched a joint crackdown in 2019 to stop illegal extraction of boulders from Meghalaya’s Umngot river by mafias, said West Bengal forest officials.
Since then, the illegal operation, they say, shifted mainly to West Bengal and Assam.
The Gauhati High Court in August this year directed the concerned authorities in Assam to take immediate action to curb illegal exploration and smuggling of boulders to Bangladesh through the Mankachar border.
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The construction industry in Bangladesh is rapidly growing. It has registered year-on-year growth of 8.3 per cent in 2020-21, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). There are around 6,000 ongoing real estate projects worth $17.49 billion.
Roaring construction activity
The Rooppur nuclear power plant, Dhaka mass rapid transit development project, hi-tech IT parks at eight locations, and South Asia’s first underwater expressway tunnel under River Karnaphuli river in Chittagong are some of the major ongoing infrastructure projects.
The country sources boulders for the construction activities from Bhutan, India and Malaysia. Apart from legal trade, the construction boom is also spiking smuggling, officials said.
The boulder theft is severely affecting wildlife, as animals often get stuck in the craters created in the river beds, according to officials. Besides, the unregulated extraction is also impacting the shape and direction of river channels, deteriorating water quality by increasing toxic levels and harming aquatic life.
The state’s image took a beating with unearthing of multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in which the role of many Trinamool Congress leaders, police, BSF and custom officials are being probed by the CBI and ED. The boulder smuggling is adding to its problems.
