Govt to reopen 1,466 shrimp estates to boost revenue

The government has decided to restructure shrimp estate management committees, revise lease charges and resolve longstanding legal complications to boost revenue and restore discipline in the country’s shrimp farming sector.

The decisions were taken at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the Ministry of Land at the Secretariat on Tuesday with Land Minister Md Mizanur Rahman Minu in the chair. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed also attended the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, the Home Minister stressed the need for coordinated management and an effective policy framework for shrimp estates. Government revenue collection must continue even when disputes over leased land are pending in court, until legal settlement is reached.

He also called for the speedy settlement of khas land suitable for shrimp cultivation and the reconstitution of shrimp estate management committees. Referring to environmental damage caused by mangrove forest destruction in Chakaria, Cox’s Bazar, during the 1980s, he emphasised identifying and demarcating coastal forests for protection.

The Land Minister said decades of administrative and legal complications had deprived the government of substantial revenue while creating difficulties for shrimp farmers. The government would reconstitute management committees at upazila, district and national levels and amend relevant laws and policies.

Briefing journalists about the decision of the meeting, State Minister for Land Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin said the meeting agreed on measures to eliminate irregularities and ensure transparent revenue collection.

Among the key decisions are removing land without forests from Forest Department gazette notifications to facilitate shrimp cultivation and returning approximately 195,000 acres of land under the Forest, Fisheries and Livestock ministries to the Ministry of Land.

The government will also take steps to resolve a pending High Court case filed by the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) in 2012 (Writ Petition No. 7483/2012), which has kept 1,466 shrimp estates in Cox’s Bazar suspended since fiscal year 2012-13. Other decisions include restructuring shrimp estate committees under the 1992 framework, determining new lease charges and fully waiving previously accrued unpaid interest.

The State Minister said the initiatives were aimed at restoring discipline in shrimp estate management and making the Ministry of Land more transparent and service-oriented.
Land Secretary Emdadul Haque Chowdhury, MPs from Cox’s Bazar and senior officials from relevant ministries and departments attended the meeting.