Authorities have destroyed or removed around 500 illegal dredgers and dismantled or removed nearly 200,000 feet of pipelines in Muradnagar upazila of Cumilla as part of a crackdown on illegal sand extraction and dredging. A total of around Tk 9.5 million in fines has been collected, while eight people have been sentenced to imprisonment through 52 mobile court operations.
The information was disclosed in a report sent by the Muradnagar Upazila Land Office to the Deputy Commissioner of Cumilla. The enforcement activities were carried out following a High Court order issued on March 5, 2023, in Writ Petition No. 14108/22, seeking to stop illegal sand extraction and dredging and restore affected areas.
According to the report, the authorities conducted the operations under Sections 4 and 52 of the Sand Quarry and Soil Management Act, 2010. Illegal dredging had reportedly damaged roads, wetlands and agricultural land in remote areas of the upazila. Dredger pipelines were also laid across roads and farmland to transport sand, disrupting public movement and damaging agricultural land.
The report also detailed enforcement actions against several brick kilns. Mukti Bricks was fined Tk 100,000 on January 1, 2025. Rubea Bricks in Chalia Kachi-2 was fined Tk 300,000 on February 2, 2025, under Mobile Court Case No. 01/2025. Shapla Bricks in Dhamghar-3 was fined Tk 100,000 on February 6, 2025, under Case No. 30/2025. A brick kiln in Baghar Nagar was also demolished and fined.
In areas where authorities could not seize dredgers because of difficult access, 21 batteries were confiscated, the report said.
The administration also issued show-cause notices to individuals accused of illegally excavating ponds and pits. As the concerned individuals did not appear at the hearings, authorities are considering orders to fill the excavated areas and recover the related costs.
Show-cause notices were also issued to operators of illegal dredgers. Further action will be taken in coordination with the Department of Environment, according to the report.
The report mentioned several cases and mobile court proceedings related to illegal sand extraction and dredging. It also requested the Officer-in-Charge of Muradnagar Police Station to take necessary legal steps, including measures to arrest those accused in the cases.
The documents submitted with the report included 16 folios of information on dredgers, 24 folios of reports from Union Land Offices, 52 mobile court orders and one still photograph.
The report was signed on August 3, 2026, by Sakib Hasan Khan, who was serving as the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Muradnagar in an additional capacity, and sent to the Deputy Commissioner of Cumilla.
