The government won’t allow the shrimp farmers to use saline water on the arable land as well as the dwelling areas for the purpose of shrimp production.
State minister for Fisheries and Livestock Narayan Chandra Chand came up with the declaration while addressing a roundtable on “Perspective of Shrimps Firming: Experiences, Reality and Responsibility” held in the city yesterday.
“Access of saline water into the arable lands and residential areas for the purpose of shrimp firming will not be allowed anymore,” the minister categorically told the roundtable.
The roundtable was jointly organised by Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Association for Land Reform and Development and Nijera Kori.
On the other hand, the participants and speakers urged the government to revise “The National Shrimp Policy-2014” as there are some conflicting clauses in the policy which also failed to protect the environmental impacts as well as the people’s interest.
Addressing the dialogue, Narayan said, “What has been done in the name of shrimp farming is nothing but totally anti-public interest which should not be continued any further.”
“We cannot consider the shrimp firming on the arable lands only for foreign currency earnings,” said Narayan.
Anu Muhammad, professor of Jahangirnagar University, said: “We should not advocate infavour of the saline-water based firming just considering the foreign currency earnings, rather, we should consider social, environmental and human sufferings for the use of saline water in shrimp firming.”
“Shrimp firming has also become a violent sector as there are terrorist activities including killings for establishing supremacy over the rival groups centering lands grabbing for firming,” he added.
Commenting on the existing Policy, Polli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Chairman Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, said: “It is the violation of the constitution and against the government’s vision of 2021 and it should be reconsidered.”
The disparity should be removed and conmsider to revise as per the directrion of the High Courtr on the issue, he said.
Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori moderated the roundtable, where Syeda Rizwana Hasan, chief executive of BELA highlighted the lacking of the policy.
Last year, the government has passed “The National Shrimp Policy, 2014” keeping the provisions of some restrictive measures like entering saline water illegally, protecting mangrove forest and ecological biodiversity and fixing the limit of shrimp enclosures to ensure improvement of the sector.
The main motto of the policy is to maintain environmental and ecological balance, protect biodiversity and create jobs as well as shrimp production, processing, marketing and export market expansion.
