Asian openbills nesting in a mango orchard at Khordo Bausa in Rajshahi's Bagha upazila are to get a permanent home. The government will acquire 10 bighas of land, including the orchard and its surroundings, and the acquisition process will begin very soon. A directive to this effect has already reached the deputy commissioner from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Earlier, the Rajshahi district administration had sought an allocation of Tk 3 lakh 13 thousand a year as rent for the bird colony. If granted, the money was to go to the affected mango growers or the orchard owner. But instead of renting, officials are now thinking of building a permanent bird colony.

Confirming this, Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner Hamidul Haque said a proposal seeking funds for rent for the birds' nests had been sent to the ministry. In response, the agriculture secretary last Wednesday gave a verbal proposal to acquire the land.

He added that if a permanent sanctuary can be created, the birds will not go anywhere else, and nobody will disturb them. Work on preparing the proposal is under way.

Shafiullah Sultan, Bagha upazila agriculture officer, said the colony was inspected on the ground in line with a High Court order and the district administration's instructions. Asian openbills had nested in 38 trees there, and officials tried to assess how many mangoes those trees bear each year and what the loss would be if they did not.

He said that according to the calculations of all sides, including the owners, the leaseholder, local residents and mango traders, keeping the birds' nests there could cause a loss of Tk 3 lakh 13 thousand a year. A report was submitted to the deputy commissioner accordingly, who checked it and sent it to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Agriculture officer Shafiullah Sultan said the birds in the colony are migratory and do not nest in the same orchard every year. They have been nesting in this orchard for the past four years but may move to other areas in future, which should be kept in mind when declaring a sanctuary.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.