Only genuine fishermen and organizations will get Jalmahal leases
In the future, the government's water bodies will be leased following the principle of "The net belongs to the person, the water body belongs to them," to protect the interests of genuine fishermen, stated Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu. To this end, only genuine fishermen or their registered cooperative societies will be given priority in obtaining leases for water bodies, based on an updated database.
The minister made this statement on Saturday, April 4th, at a workshop held at the Sunamganj Shilpakala Academy auditorium on finalizing the draft of the Government Water Body Act-2026.
In his speech as the chief guest, the Land Minister said, "Keeping the goal of 'The net belongs to the person, the water body belongs to them' in mind, water bodies will be leased in the future keeping the interests of the genuine fishermen of the country in mind. Flowing rivers will never be included under lease. He directed all concerned to be vigilant so that no intermediaries sitting in the capital or abroad can deprive genuine fishermen of their rights.
Speaking as a special guest at the event, State Minister Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin said that under this law, priority must be ensured for genuine fishermen and to include them in the list of real beneficiaries, the list must be reviewed and overall, it must be ensured that they get more benefits. He directed the concerned officials to ensure that the real picture of the field is reflected in the lease granting process and that recommendations are sent to the ministry based on the opinions of local representatives so that the real beneficiaries are included.
The workshop, chaired by Senior Secretary of the Land Ministry A.S.M. Saleh Ahmed, included speeches by local Members of Parliament, senior administrative officials, representatives from non-governmental development organizations BELA and TIB. Fishermen, NGOs and media representatives also expressed their views at the workshop.
Later, Land Minister Md. Mizanur Rahman Minu exchanged views with leaders and activists of BNP and its affiliated organizations at the Circuit House. Local Members of Parliament Kalim Uddin Ahmed, Qaiser Ahmed, and Kamruzzaman Kamrul were present at the time.
