TBM Report
A mobile court in Jhalakathi has fined four bulkhead vessels a total of Tk 2 lakh for illegally extracting and transporting sand from the river. The drive was conducted on Thursday morning, July 22, 2026, around 11:00 AM at the Manpasha area under Jhalakathi Sadar Upazila. Executive Magistrate SM Mehedi Hasan led the administrative operation to enforce environmental standards and curb unauthorized riverbed dredging in the regional waterways.
According to local administrative sources, the four vessels were caught red-handed while transporting illegally dredged sand without valid regulatory clearance. Among the penalized vessels, two belonged to a local businessman named Hanif, while Rahim and Tuhin owned one bulkhead each. Applying provisions of the Sand Quarry and Soil Management Act, 2010, the magistrate imposed a monetary fine of Tk 50,000 on each vessel, accumulating to Tk 2 lakh in total penalties.
Speaking after the drive, Executive Magistrate SM Mehedi Hasan confirmed that the operation was executed under the direct guidance of the Deputy Commissioner to protect riverbanks from erosion. Beside collecting fines, the mobile court strictly warned the vessel owners and crew members against repeating such unauthorized activities in the future. He stressed that unregulated sand extraction severely damages the aquatic ecosystem and jeopardizes coastal protection structures along the river.
The magistrate reiterated that unauthorized dredging operations pose a significant threat to river navigation and surrounding local settlements. To protect regional rivers from environmental degradation caused by illegal sand traders, the district administration plans to intensify similar surprise drives across vulnerable river stretches in the coming days.
