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Govt moves to restructure shrimp estates to boost revenue
Published : Tuesday, 3 November, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Staff Correspondent
The government has decided to restructure shrimp estate management committees and amend relevant laws and policies to resolve longstanding administrative and legal complications, increase revenue collection and bring discipline to the country's shrimp farming sector.
An inter-ministerial meeting was held at the Ministry of Land's conference room at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Tuesday (November 3), with Land Minister Md Mizanur Rahman Minu in the chair and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed attending as the chief guest.
Addressing the meeting, the home minister stressed the need for coordinated management of shrimp estates and an effective policy framework. He said the government must ensure uninterrupted revenue collection, even when legal cases involving leased land remain pending, until a final court ruling is delivered.
He also called for the prompt settlement of government-owned khas land suitable for shrimp cultivation and the reconstitution of shrimp estate committees. Referring to the environmental damage caused by the destruction of mangrove forests in Chakaria, Cox's Bazar, during the 1980s, he stressed the need to identify coastal forests, demarcate their boundaries and take necessary measures to protect them.
In his remarks, Land Minister Md Mizanur Rahman Minu said administrative and legal complications over the past several decades had deprived the government of substantial revenue despite the sector's significant economic potential, while also placing shrimp farmers under severe pressure.
He said management committees at upazila, district and national levels would be reconstituted, while relevant laws and policies would be revised. The government's objective is not limited to increasing revenue but also includes protecting the livelihoods and interests of the large population dependent on the sector.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, State Minister for Land Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin said decisions had been taken to ensure effective revenue collection from shrimp estates and address past irregularities and mismanagement.
He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's priority was to ensure transparent public services for disadvantaged people without harassment. Necessary legal amendments were being considered to restore discipline in shrimp estate management and transform the Ministry of Land into a transparent and service-oriented institution.
The meeting unanimously agreed on several measures, particularly concerning shrimp estates in Cox's Bazar. These include removing lands without forests from the Forest Department's gazette to make them available for shrimp cultivation; transferring 195,000 acres of land currently under the Forest, Fisheries and Livestock ministries to the Ministry of Land; and taking effective steps to resolve Writ Petition No. 7483/2012 filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) with the High Court.
The legal proceedings have kept the operations of 1,466 shrimp estates in Cox's Bazar suspended from the 2012-13 to the 2025-26 fiscal years. The meeting also decided to reconstitute the shrimp estate committees formed in 1992, set new lease rates and waive all previously unpaid interest.
Land Secretary Md Emdadul Haque Chowdhury, Cox's Bazar-2 MP Alamgir Muhammad Mahfuz Ullah Farid, Cox's Bazar-3 MP Lutfor Rahman Kajal, Cox's Bazar-4 MP Shahjahan Chowdhury, the divisional commissioner, deputy commissioner and senior officials from relevant departments attended the meeting.
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, 01550707296
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