Tk 26.97cr revenue collected from Habiganj sand quarries

The Habiganj district administration has collected a revenue of Tk 26.97 crore from sand quarries in the current Bangla year 1432, the highest in 17 years.

The amount is more than double the revenue of Tk 11.5 crore collected last year.

Officials attributed the high revenue generation to greater administrative control, transparency in tender process, and a sharp decline in political and syndicate interference.

Currently, Habiganj has 31 identified sand quarries, of which seven are general and 24 are silica sand quarries.

According to the district administration, lease agreements were finalised for four of the general sand quarries this year, including Narpati and Ghargaon sections in the Khowai river, Pakuria, Rajarbazar, and Mantala. Among those, the Rajarbazar section alone generated Tk 15.42 crore in revenue — nearly four times higher than the Tk 4.57 crore collected from the same quarry last year.

Pakuria brought in Tk 8 crore this year, up from Tk 4.09 crore last year, while Tk 3.15 crore and Tk 39.98 lakh were collected from the Narpati and Mantala sections respectively, both showing modest increases from last year.

However, three other general sand quarries in Habiganj Sadar, Deor Gach in Chunarughat, and Ubahata section in the Khowai river were not leased this year due to environmental concerns and the need to protect the river from overextraction and erosion. Notably, no tenders were submitted for Deor Gach section last year either.

Chowdhury Misbaul Bari Liton, general secretary of the local chapter of civil society platform Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan), said the removal of political pressure enabled broader participation in the bidding process. "In previous years, the process was dominated by politically connected groups. This time, others felt safe to compete," he added.

Naima Khandaker, additional deputy commissioner (Revenue) in Habiganj, said, "This is the highest number of tenders sold in 17 years. We plan to bring more Balumahals (sand quarries) under lease soon."