Illegal soil excavation using dredgers continues in Islampur village of Pabna Sadar upazila despite repeated raids by the local administration, putting homes, farmland and trees at risk.
Residents allege that large dredgers operate day and night at two sites in Hemayetpur union, creating pits up to 80 feet deep.
The excavated soil is transported by truck and sold to brick kilns and other buyers.
According to residents, the excavation has continued for seven to eight years, leaving deep craters across the area.
They claim that seven to eight impoverished families have already lost their homesteads to the expanding pits, with some allegedly forced to leave after receiving nominal compensation.
Residents accused Shawon Pramanik of Islampur village of involvement in the excavation and sale of soil.
They alleged that he continued operating dredgers by managing various influential quarters despite repeated administrative interventions.
They said officials occasionally conducted raids and temporarily halted the excavation, but operations resumed within days.
Another individual, whose identity could not be independently verified, was also accused of operating a dredger nearby around the clock.
Residents alleged that the administration had failed to take effective measures to stop the activities.
The continuing excavation has left at least one house at risk of collapse, according to residents.
They said deep excavation beside the property had undermined the stability of the surrounding land, raising fears that further digging could trigger a collapse and damage neighbouring homes.
Farmers have also raised concerns about the growing threat to agricultural land.
They said cracks and erosion had appeared in fields adjoining the excavation pits, reducing cultivable land and increasing the risk of further collapses.
Several residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the excavation had continued for years despite repeated complaints and administrative action.
“When the administration conducts a raid, the excavation stops for a few days. Then the dredgers return and everything starts again,” they said.
Residents questioned how excavation could repeatedly resume at the same locations despite earlier raids, alleging that inadequate monitoring had allowed those involved to return, leaving nearby households in fear.
Efforts to contact Shawon Pramanik for comment were unsuccessful.
Several calls to his mobile phone went unanswered, and he did not respond to a subsequent text message seeking his comments.
Pabna Sadar Assistant Commissioner (Land) Fuad Hossain confirmed that raids had previously been conducted in the area and said further legal action would be taken if fresh evidence of illegal soil excavation emerged.
