Caught in a Sand Storm
Dredging by the sand mafia along the Bhagirathi-Hooghly is wreaking havoc with vast rural swathes
Indiscriminate dredging along a 170 km stretch of the B ha gi rat hi Hooghlyi nW est Bengal cutting away the fertile alluvial topsoil along the riverbank has made life a nightmare in the villages of Nadia district. Already prone to soil erosion as six rivers crisscross the district, the spurt in activities of illegal sand and soil syndicates, which allegedly enjoy the patronage of leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress, is now destroying villages. It has altered the topography of 94 gram panchayats, displacing thousands of families.
Residents say the syndicates have a stranglehold on the supply of building material—sand, gravel and bricks— which lets them keep prices exorbitantly high. They operate under the protection of local politicians and the police, and it doesn’t even seem to matter that the payoffs to the police and politicians are a pittance compared to the huge profits they make lifting sand and soil from the riverbed for free. A medium-sized truck carrying some 350 sacks of sand or soil, for instance, fetches Rs 3,500.
Ajay Biswas, a resident of Poradanga, one of the worst-affected villages, says faced with protests from villagers, the syndicates are now transporting sand in tarpaulin-covered tractortrollies, and even using boats to deliver soil to brick kilns in Burdwan.
It is estimated that some 10,000 people have lost their homes in the past three years as the river has become increasingly prone to breaking the banks during the monsoon. In Chakdaha municipality, the river has gone more than 2.5 km off its original course due to erosion of the riverbank. New islands have formed along the opposite bank in Hooghly and Burdwan districts.
Krishna Chandra Biswas, 85, has seen his home being washed away four times. He now lives with relatives in Poradanga. “I remember when it would take two hours to walk to the riverbank,” he says, pointing to the water course, which is now a stone’s throw from the village. The sand mafia does not let the displaced villagers settle on land that becomes available when the river shifts course. Shyamal Biswas, a villager, says he was evicted at gunpoint.
Locals claim even contractors working on government projects are forced to purchase building material from illegal syndicates. Local Congress leaders allege the administration refuses to act because the Trinamool Congress protects the syndicates.
10,000 PEOPLE ARE ESTIMATED TO HAVE LOST HOMES IN THE PAST THREE YEARS