Prof ABM Mosharraf Husain, Bagerhat :
Season for collection of dry fish has already started in Dublar char and 13 other chars in the Eastern Division of Sundarban forest, situated on the bank of the Bay of Bengal in Bagerhat district on October 9 and it will continue for long 5 months (from October to first week of March).
By this time, a large number of fishermen, owners of fish depots and Bahaddars (wholesale fish traders) have already reached Dublar Char and other fish dry villages after procuring the passes and permits from the concerned forest offices.
Several thousand of fishermen, fish traders and Bahaddars are trying to get the permits from the forest office for catching fish and drying the same. But they are afraid of the jungle pirates who are now dominating the coastal areas at present. There are as many as 17 big and small gangs of armed jungle pirates who very often kidnap the fishermen and collectors of forest resources in order to realize handsome amounts of cash Taka as ransom.
As a result, a great panic was created among the fishermen, fish traders, owners of fish depots and Bahaddars. DFO (Divisional Forest Officer) of the Eastern Division of Sundarban forest and the leaders of Dublar char fisherman group held a joint meeting at Bagerhat recently and it was decided in the meeting that they will act jointly to save the forest resources, resist the jungle pirates as well as to save the lives of he collectors of the forest resources.
The meeting was presided over by Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury, DFO, Eastern Division of Sundarban forest and it was attended by Major (Retd) Ziauddin, Chairman of Dublarchar Fishermn Groups, ABM. Mostakim, Chairman of Ashasshuni Upazila, Shahanur Rahman Shamim, Chairman of Pirojpur Upazila, Jalal Ahmed Bulbul, Chairman of Mongla Upazila, Khan Shafiullah Khokon, Upazila Chairman of Khulna, Shahjahan Mina, president of Bagerhat Chamber of Commerce, Abul Kalam Azad, Range Officer of Chandpai forest range, Kamal Uddin Ahmed, Ranger of Sharankhola forest range and others.
It was discussed in the meeting that in the past the fishermen used to make traps with cut band wood of the forest known as Grapis to catch fish. As a result, the forest department incurred a heavy loss. It was decided in the meeting not to destroy valuable wood of the forest.
It was also discussed in the meeting that the fishermen and fish traders were to pay the jungle pirates a fat amount as the illegal taxation for catching fish in the forest and in the sea and if the money was not paid they were to face harassment in the hands of the jungle pirates. In the meeting the law enforcing authorities were requested to be vigilant in the forest and in the coastal areas to protect the fishermen from the harassment of the jungle pirates.
