Caught In A Sand Storm

Dredging by the sand mafia along the Bhagirathi-Hooghly is wreaking havoc with vast rural swathes

- Romita Datta

Indiscriminate dredging along a 170 km stretch of the BhagirathiHooghly in West 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.