The government has suspended the leasing of 17 out of 51 registered stone quarries across the country, considering environmental concerns.
Quarries that fall under court injunctions or are located within areas designated as Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA) will not be leased under any circumstances, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Additionally, to preserve the natural beauty of the region, leasing activities at Sylhet’s Bholaganj, Utmichhara, Ratanpur, Bichanakandi, and Lovachhara stone quarries have been put on hold.
The decision was made on Sunday during a meeting at the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, chaired by Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan. The meeting focused on the management of stone, silica sand, china clay, and other quarry sites across the country.
Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, along with advisers from the Home and Agriculture Ministries, including Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, were present.
The meeting also concluded that, going forward, obtaining an environmental clearance certificate from the Department of Environment would be mandatory before granting any new quarry leases.
Furthermore, the local administration was directed to take legal action not against labourers but against the actual individuals responsible for illegal stone extraction.
In a new measure to discourage illegal extraction, it was decided that illegally mined stones would no longer be sold.
Instead, they would be seized through Customs and utilised for government construction projects. This policy aims to significantly reduce illegal stone and sand mining.
Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan emphasised that a similar policy should be applied to regulate uncontrolled sand extraction in order to protect the environment and public interest. Proper management of natural resources like sand and stone would ensure their lawful use for the benefit of the people.
The environmental adviser further noted that the Department of Environment is now better positioned to take effective measures to safeguard the country’s ecosystems, overcoming past limitations.
In February 2020, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division suspended all stone extraction activities nationwide until further notice. Although the suspension was lifted in January 2025, it triggered concerns from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, leading to Sunday’s decisive meeting.