Bhangura (Pabna) Correspondent :
It has been alleged that two ponds of Chandipur tribal of Khanmarich union of Bhangura upazila of Pabna have been occupied by chiefs. The tribal men lodged a written complaint with the UNO on Tuesday.
Indigenous leader Sribas Chandra Murari said two ponds of five bighas in the village named ‘Dub Deya’ and ‘Nandibari’ have been leased for a long time in the name of Chandipur Indigenous Fishermen’s Cooperative Society Ltd. Later, village head Abdul Quader and Abdul Awal used two fish ponds for farming.
Although the income from this is one and a half to two lakhs per year, nothing is given to the tribals. Besides, Abdul Quader became influential and became the president of the cooperative society and included some more Muslim members in the society. He further said that the tribals are being deprived of the benefits of fish farming.
Abdul Quader denied the allegations in this regard, saying that a part of the money received from the pond was given to them during the puja. He also admitted that a part has been given for the development of village mosques.
UNO Mohammad Nahid Hasan Khan said that the Indigenous Fishermen’s Cooperative Society have demanded that the pond be run by the people of their tribe.
The Upazila Cooperative Officer has been given the responsibility to investigate the matter.
