District Correspondent, Sylhet: The government has decided to completely suspend the leasing of Jaflong, designated as an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA), for stone quarrying. Similarly, to preserve natural beauty, no new leases will be granted for stone quarries in Bholaganj, Utma Chhara, Ratanpur, Bichanakandi, and Lovachhara.
This decision was made at a meeting on Sunday in the conference room of the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, chaired by Advisor Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan. The meeting focused on the management of gazetted stone/silica sand/nuri stone/white clay quarries.
As per the decision, out of the country’s 51 stone quarries, leases for 17 quarries have been suspended based on environmental considerations. This includes the quarries located in ECA areas such as Jaflong, as well as those under court restrictions, where lease activities will remain halted.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, and Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Advisor to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Agriculture, were also present at the meeting.
It was further decided that environmental clearance certificates from the Department of Environment will be mandatory before granting leases for other quarries. Additionally, local administration has been instructed to take legal action against the primary culprits behind illegal stone extraction rather than targeting workers.
Moreover, illegally extracted stones will not be sold; instead, they will be supplied through customs for use in government construction projects.
It is worth noting that all stone extraction activities from quarries across the country were suspended on February 18, 2020. While the suspension was lifted on January 13, 2025, today’s meeting led to new decisions in light of concerns raised by the Ministry of Environment.
