Shah Arpin Tila in Sylhet now gets iron gate to protect stones

The 138-acre Shah Arpin Tila in remote Companiganj upazila was almost levelled by the organised groups of stone looters during the last one year.

However, the looting started during the last regime as political gangs were there and the administration failed to operate even amid protests. The looters were even detected by the government probe bodies, but nothing could be done.

A committee headed by the then additional district magistrate detected some 250 persons’ complicity, but they weren’t punished mysteriously years ago.

After all these, the administration has raised iron bars for protecting the entrance from entry or departure of the stone-laden vehicles of various sizes to and from the huge site.

However, the Deputy Commissioner of Sylhet Md. Sarwar Alam during a visit to the Shah Arpin Tila expressed his grave concern at the present state of the vast Tila.

As he ordered for tougher action, the mobile court from Companiganj launched drives and jailed some of the stone looters, who had gathered stone stocks around in a bid to plunder.

According to the official records, the Tila, a site of 137.5 acres of hillock-type land has a history involving the 700-year old memory of Shah Arefin, a companion of the great Muslim saint Hajrat Shahjalal (RA). It’s named after that saint.

The plunderers have been looting the huge area for extracting stones amid poor or zero monitoring of the government administration. Time to time drives were conducted as just eyewash, said a number of locals. They believe about 80 to 90 per cent of the stones had already been looted by the influential or politically linked groups in recent years.

Police and administration officials claimed that vehicles like pickup, small truck or trolleys wouldn’t be able to enter into the site.

Officer in charge of the Companiganj police station Md Ratan Sheikh said CCTV would be set on the iron gate while round the clock guarding by the Ansar and security people would be ensured. Besides police patrol would be strengthened at other points from the Tila site.

The UNO of Companiganj Mohammad Robin Mia said barricades had been put up so that none could take stones from the site from now on. All stretches to the Tila area would be snapped by excavators.