Dumuria tops Khulna Div in recovering fishery loan

 
DUMURIA, KHULNA, Sept 8: The Dumuria Upazila Fisheries office has achieved the highest recovery of long-overdue government fisheries loans in Khulna Division, collecting Tk 4.63 lakh in the recently concluded 2025-26 fiscal year, according to officials.

The Fisheries office expects the recovery to exceed Tk 5 lakh this month.

According to sources at the Fisheries Department (FD) office, a significant portion of the recovered loans had remained unpaid for 15 to 17 years. To recover the outstanding money, officials have been visiting borrowers’ homes, issuing notices, identifying borrowers with the help of village police and following up through local representatives.

Responding to these efforts, several borrowers, including Amena Begum and others, Nihar Kabiraj, Chaitanya Kabiraj, Avijit Kundu and Md Ruhul Sheikh, have recently paid their outstanding loans in full.

However, fisheries officials have faced various obstacles in their efforts to recover the loans. Officials alleged that some borrowers have responded with abusive remarks and threats instead of repaying their dues. Others have allegedly spread misleading information and conducted smear campaigns through different platforms, they said.

According to the sources at the FD,  government fisheries loan money has remained outstanding with an individual who identifies himself as a journalist for more than 30 years.

Despite the passage of decades, there has been no indication that the person intends to repay the outstanding amount, the sources alleged. They further claimed that after being asked to repay the loan, the individual has attempted to defame the fisheries department and spread misinformation against it through various platforms.

Despite such obstacles and alleged smear campaigns, the Dumuria Fisheries office has continued its loan recovery efforts.

Officials said recovering government money is part of their responsibility and they cannot step away from that duty due to pressure from any individual or group.

Sohel Md Zillur Rahman Regan, Senior Fisheries Officer of Dumuria, said, “Alongside recovering government money, our main goals are providing services to fish farmers and fishers and increasing fish and shrimp production. We are continuing systematic efforts to recover long-overdue loans. No obstacle or smear campaign can stop this work to protect government interests.”

Local fish farmers and fishers praised the initiative, saying the recovery of long-overdue government loans was commendable.

They said continued efforts would not only help recover public money but also discourage borrowers from taking government loans without repaying them in the future.