About 5000 workers left jobless as over 300 rice mills stop operation in Rangpur

RANGPUR, Feb 2: Around 5000 workers turned jobless as more than 300 rice mills and boilers have been closed at Mahiganj area under Rangpur city as supply of paddy to the mills remained suspended due to transport problem amid prolonged blockade and shutdown enforced by BNP led 20 party alliance.

Besides, a good number of rice mills at different upazilas in the district were also compelled to stop or lessen production owing to difficulty in sending rice to the capital city and other parts of the country, leaving thousands of workers unemployed.

According to sources usually during this time the rice mills in the district remain busy husking paddy and the workers are engaged in boiling and drying of paddy. During this time a huge number of trucks loaded with rice are sent to Dhaka and other parts of the country from this region everyday. But the ongoing political turmoil like blockade and shutdown made the mills idle and as a result the workers are passing tough time amid uncertainty of income and the mills owners are incurring huge losses.

Owner of Rafiq Rice Mill at Mahiganj area Rifiq said, his rice mill has been closed for more than a  couple of weeks due to scarcity of paddy which forced the labourers working in his mills jobless. He has already suffered huge losses and if the situation continues for long he will have to incur more losses, he apprehended.

Sakina Begum (38), a worker of the mill told the Financial Express that she has been passing hard days with her family in near starvation as presently she has no work. She blamed the political parties for the situation saying they do not care to think about the misery of the poor people. "If the situation continues we will have to die", she lamented

Talking to The Financial Express a number of rice mills owners expressed their disappointment over the prevailing situation saying the rice millers of the region generally   procure paddy from Bogra, Pabna,Sirajganj Joypurthat,  and Dinajpur. After husking the rice   in their mills they supply those to Dhaka and some other districts.  But presently both procurement and supply works are seriously being hampered on account of political turmoil.

They also expressed their apprehension about paying labourers' wages, electricity bills and interest of bank loans. They urged the political parties to give up tough political programmes such as shutdown and blockade.

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