Stone workers block advisers’ convoy, protest over quarry ban

Stone workers staged a protest in Sylhet on Saturday by blocking the convoy of two advisers on Saturday (June 14). The incident occurred around 12:00 pm when Power and Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan and Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan were returning from a visit to the Jaflong Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) in Gowainghat upazila.

According to sources, as the advisers' vehicles were passing through the Jaflong Bazar area, a group of agitated local stone workers intercepted the convoy, chanting slogans like “fraud, fraud.” Some protesters even lay down on the road in an attempt to block the vehicles.

Police intervened shortly afterward, dispersing the demonstrators and ensuring the advisers’ safe passage. By around 12:30 pm, the advisers had reached the Haripur Guesthouse, sources confirmed.

Gowainghat Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Sarkar Mohammad Tofayel Ahmed said, “A group of local stone workers suddenly blocked the advisers’ cars, but police quickly cleared the road and ensured their safe passage.”

The protest was reportedly triggered by the government’s decision to permanently suspend the leasing of all stone quarries in Jaflong and other parts of Sylhet. 

Earlier, while speaking to journalists after visiting Jaflong, Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “We will no longer allow stone extraction in areas that have aesthetic and ecological significance like Sylhet.”

“This area (Jaflong) is an Ecologically Critical Area (ECA). We’ve discussed with the Ministry of Tourism to promote eco-friendly tourism here and ensure alternative employment opportunities for those involved in stone extraction,” she added.