Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku has said that hilsa is a national resource and that everyone must make a collective effort to protect it. "We will not catch small hilsa. We will protect our own resource ourselves," he said.

He was speaking on the afternoon of Saturday, 4 April, at a distribution of food to fishers in Lakshmipur during the March-April ban on fishing in the hilsa sanctuary, under the Hilsa Resource Development and Management Project. The Department of Fisheries organised the event on the premises of the Lakshmipur Zila Parishad.

Addressing the fishers, the state minister said: "If you do not catch hilsa for two months, you are the ones who gain. You will catch big hilsa later. Nobody wants to catch small hilsa; everyone wants to catch big ones. If you stay away from hilsa fishing for two months, the country's resource will grow, and this resource is yours. You will catch big hilsa and sell them in the market at higher prices, and the money will go into your pockets."

He added: "Prime Minister Tarique Rahman keeps track of all of you and how you are doing. You will also get family cards, all of you. No one will be left out. As for the listing of fishers we are doing, those who have been left out will be brought under the list. Do not break the rules. The government has said this in your own interest. You elected us with your votes, and it is our duty to protect your interests. We have to consider what harms you and what benefits you."

He also said: "The fascist government of the past used to claim it had unleashed a tide of development. One look at the state of the fish farm at Mandari in Lakshmipur shows what they did for development. They made corruption out of token development and looted. We will work as servants of the people. You elected us to serve the people."

State Minister Tuku said: "We are giving assistance to 40,000 families. Previously only rice was given. The assistance we are giving to 40,000 families under this year's project is costing around Tk 24,000 crore. Our government is only a month and a half old. With the amount of goods we are giving, no one will get less than the minimum. Two months' food is being given here."

He said food was being given to about 40,000 fisher families in consideration of the fishers' situation. "Earlier the list of fishers was not correct; this time we have made a new list. Earlier there was corruption in giving out rice. This time we have kept a constant watch. We will never tolerate corruption; that is our pledge."

The event was chaired by Deputy Commissioner SM Mehedi Hasan. The chief guest was Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, member of parliament for Lakshmipur-3 (Sadar).

Special guests included Abul Khair Bhuiyan, MP for Lakshmipur-2 (Raipur and part of Sadar); Shahadat Hossain Selim, MP for Lakshmipur-1 (Ramganj); Department of Fisheries Director General Zia Haider Chowdhury; Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Joint Secretary Hemayet Hossain; Lakshmipur Zila Parishad administrator Sahab Uddin Sabu; Superintendent of Police Md Abu Tarek; district BNP joint convener Hasibur Rahman; and BAFUFE vice-president Wahid Uddin Chowdhury Happy.

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