A mobile court has sentenced 10 fishermen to 15 days’ imprisonment each after they were detained during a drive against illegal hilsa fishing on the Padma River in Shibchar upazila, Madaripur, on Tuesday evening.
During the drive, the administration seized 1.5 lakh metres of current nets used for catching hilsa and later destroyed them by burning them on the riverbank.
According to officials, the Shibchar upazila administration conducted the drive at various points of the Padma River from 6pm to 10pm. Police detained the 10 fishermen for catching hilsa and seized the nets set in the water.
The operation was led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) HM Ibne Mizan. Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md Nasir Uddin, district fisheries Officer Prashanta Kumar Sarkar, Shibchar Upazila Fisheries Officer Satyajit Majumder, and teams from Shibchar Police Station and Naval Police were also present.
Shibchar Upazila Fisheries Officer Satyajit Majumder said, “Alongside the river operation, temporary shops at the hilsa-selling market in Kajirsura Bazar in Bandarkhola Union, a char area on the Padma, were demolished. Local residents were also cautioned. Representatives of the local Member of Parliament, leaders of the Upazila Matsyajibi Dal and others were present at the time. Our regular drives on the Padma will continue.”
