Many buyers have been cheated and harassed when buying hilsa online. Those involved have been defrauding people by claiming to sell Chandpur hilsa and using Chandpur addresses. The Chandpur district administration has taken tough steps to stop this.

The administration invited applications for registration from permanent residents of the district who sell hilsa online. Of 44 applications, seven traders were registered after scrutiny.

On the afternoon of Thursday, 9 October, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Mohsin Uddin formally handed registration certificates for online hilsa sales to the seven traders in the DC's conference room.

He said seven were registered at the initial stage because their papers were found to be in order. "We have decided to give this kind of registration every year. No money was taken for registration. A renewal system for one to two years may be introduced later. New registrations will also be free. If anyone closes their business in the meantime, their registration will be cancelled. Basically we want to uphold Chandpur's hilsa heritage so that no one can cheat people in the name of Chandpur hilsa. We want to stop this."

The DC said the list of registered traders will be posted on the deputy commissioner's website. That will encourage others to register, and those committing fraud from outside will refrain from it. The administration will publicise the matter.

Addressing the registered traders, he said: "Do not sell Hatiya hilsa as Chandpur hilsa, because Hatiya hilsa is somewhat cheaper. No buyer should be cheated, and the heritage and reputation of Chandpur hilsa must remain intact."

The event was chaired by Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Md Ershad Uddin. Present were Superintendent of Police (SP) Muhammad Abdur Rakib, Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) S.M.N. Jamiul Hikma, Chandpur Press Club president Rahim Badsha and general secretary Kader Palash, among others.

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