Calm down, Jalpaiguri: One whistle means they are coming. The word twice means clear the line. And when the whistle blows three times in a row, trucks and tractors will start entering one by one. There is also a magic flute. If it is played a few times, the sand mafia will fly like camphor. This is how sand smuggling has been going on in Jalpaiguri for the past few years.
The Yamuna River flows into Bangladesh a few kilometers away from Konpakri Sarkar in Jalpaiguri Sadar Block. At one time bathing and drinking were all done in the water of this river. Now local residents are afraid to go near the river. They complain that every day the sand mafia is eating up the Yamuna. Jamuna sand is being smuggled in trucks and tractors. Shambhu Roy’s house is next to Yamuna Bridge. He has four bighas of farming land on the bank of the river. He said that the Yamuna is becoming dangerous during the monsoon due to sand removal without following the procedure. Change of pace has also started. As the river is approaching his land, one bigha of his cultivated land has already been lost in the river. Shambhu Roy said, “I protested. Added abuse and threats. Family with son, wife.” He did not protest because of fear. A few others protested like Shambhu Babu. But now they are also silent.
[আরও পড়ুন: ক্যানসার রোগীদের প্রতি সহমর্মিতা, বাড়ির আপত্তি উপেক্ষা করেই চুল দান কলেজ ছাত্রীর]
Villagers said, not one or two people. Many people run this business together. There are sticks and sharp weapons. They are not ruling out the possibility of having firearms. Masuda Begum, a local village panchayat member, said that the police and the administration have been informed several times to stop the theft of sand. To his dismay, the police and administration came but could not find anyone. When the police and administration come, the sand mafia flies like camphor! But how? The residents of the area revealed the vanishing secret. They said that they have informers at the corner of Sarkar Para from Jalpaiguri through Konpakari Bazar. Government offices are closed on Saturday and Sunday. So on these two days, at 9:30 PM, and from Monday to Friday after 3:00 PM, the sand mafia entered the village with trucks and tractors. Sand mining continues till dawn. That sand goes to different areas including Jalpaiguri, Haldibari in Cooch Behar.
Before entering the Bali Mafia village, symbolic whistles can be heard from various road junctions. The villagers know that after the first sound of the flute there is a moment of silence. Then two whistles. After a while, the whistle will blow three times. And if you understand the danger, the whistle will continue to play. According to the villagers, that is the vanishing flute. When it rings, the area will be empty in a moment. Then the staff of the police administration had to bite their hands when they came to catch the sand thief of Yamuna. However, they did not give up on the demands of the police administration. Jalpaiguri Sadar Land and Revenue Officer Tuhin Biswas said, “The raid is going on. Cars are being caught almost every day to stop sand theft. Even if they change their strategy, the sand thieves will not succeed.”
[আরও পড়ুন: শেওড়াফুলি বাজারে মাছ বেচছেন অনুব্রত! ভাইরাল ছবি দেখে রেগে আগুন স্ত্রী, ব্যাপারটা কী?]
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