Sylhet, Sept 12 (V7N) – Stone extraction from Sylhet’s stone quarries is expected to resume during the upcoming winter season, Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury has said.
Chowdhury, a member of parliament from the Sylhet-4 constituency, said the government is moving towards allowing stone extraction in areas outside the protected Jaflong zone, while seeking to preserve the environmentally and ecologically sensitive tourist area.
Most of Sylhet’s major stone quarries are located in the parliamentary constituency comprising Companiganj, Gowainghat and Jaintapur upazilas. Chowdhury, a former mayor of Sylhet City Corporation, had campaigned for the reopening of the region’s closed stone quarries during the parliamentary election.
In an interview with a Facebook-based news outlet on Thursday, September 10, 2026, Chowdhury said he expected Sylhet’s stone quarries to reopen during the current winter season.
“I hope the stone quarries in Sylhet will reopen this season,” he said.
He said the government was making progress towards a policy that would allow stone extraction in areas outside Jaflong while keeping the protected tourist and environmentally sensitive zone intact.
“We may receive good news on this issue during the current season,” he said.
The minister said an inter-ministerial meeting had been held on stone extraction following instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office. An inter-ministerial committee comprising six ministers and relevant secretaries had also been formed under the leadership of the Home Minister to examine the issue.
According to Chowdhury, the committee has reached a policy-level decision in favour of allowing manual stone extraction in areas outside the protected Jaflong zone, which is covered by a court order protecting the area.
However, the minister stressed that a case concerning the issue is currently pending before the court and that the government is waiting for the court’s final decision.
“Whatever decision the court makes, the government will take action accordingly from the following day,” he said.
Asked whether stone extraction would actually resume this season, Chowdhury said both sides had presented their positions before the court.
“The plaintiffs have properly presented their arguments before the court, and the government has also been able to present its position appropriately,” he said. “We believe stone extraction will begin this season.”
Stone and sand extraction from quarries across the Sylhet region has remained suspended for a long period. In several quarry areas, higher courts have also imposed restrictions on the extraction of stone and sand amid concerns over environmental degradation and risks to public safety.
Local stone traders and workers, however, have long been demanding the reopening of the quarries. They have also staged protests and demonstrations at different times seeking permission to resume stone extraction.
END/AKR/SMA/
