Mintu Deshwara

Under the cover of darkness every night, valuable silica sand is being illegally extracted by a syndicate from streams within tea gardens in Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj.

Every Thursday, tea garden workers and traders keep a timeless tradition alive

Critically ill patients in Habiganj are being forced to pay high fares to private ambulance operators for emergency transfers to Sylhet or Dhaka, while two government ambulances meant to serve them sit idle and in disrepair.

A 45-metre bridge over a stream connecting the Teliapara-Shahpur road in Madhabpur upazila of Habiganj has remained incomplete for three years after the construction deadline expired in November 2022.

Unabated illegal sand extraction from the Manu river in Moulvibazar’s Kulaura upazila has put the Kotarkona Bridge and the newly constructed Rajapur Bridge along the Kulaura-Prithimpasha-Hazipur-Sharifpur road at risk.

A 350-year-old zamindar residence in Bangaon village under Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar now lies in ruins, its rich history fading into oblivion due to years of neglect and abandonment.

For two long years, an eerie quiet hung over the schoolyard of Bawani Tea Garden Primary School in Habiganj’s Nabiganj upazila. The bell that once rang every morning had gathered rust.

Local administration restores hope for workers

Dawn no longer breaks with the chirping of birds in Lawachara National Park — only with the rustle of leaves falling from dying trees. The cries of monkeys echo through the emptiness where deer once danced.

Miscreants have cut down and stolen more than 50 akashmoni trees from both sides of the LGED Road in Bahra union of Madhabpur upazila in Habiganj.

Various food stalls and gift shops have been operating inside Lawachhara National Park in Moulvibazar for the past 11 years, posing a serious threat to its fragile ecosystem and biodiversity.

The Forest Department has recently imposed a restriction on parking vehicles of visitors in Lawachhara National Park in Kamalganj upazila of Moulvibazar.

A 1.5-kilometre stretch of Kalenga Road in Habiganj’s Chunarughat upazila has fallen into such disrepair that locals say it is barely recognisable as a road.

Residents say Kalenga road has been impassable for months

Coffee cultivation in Moulvibazar is showing renewed promise after making a gradual comeback through government initiatives and growing interest among farmers.

In the heart of a festive neighbourhood, where drums beat and lights glitter for Durga Puja, one home remains eerily quiet.

The Khowai river, once a vibrant waterbody flowing through the heart of Habiganj town, is now choked by indiscriminate dumping of waste and relentless encroachment on both banks.

In the bustling lanes of Notunbazar in Sreemangal, while shoppers crowd clothing stores, a different scene unfolds at a small shop. Upside-down dhols of various sizes are neatly arranged as craftsmen quietly tie yarn around the drums in silence.

Devotees worship nine forms of Goddess Durga

Poor drainage, waste mismanagement and an acute shortage of doctors and staff have left Kamalganj Upazila Health Complex in Moulvibazar largely dysfunctional.