Alert along Rajshahi frontier to check hide smuggling

RAJSHAHI, Oct 4 (BSS): District administration has asked all law-enforcement agencies especially the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to check smuggling out of raw hide of sacrificial animals through the borders.

Already the BGB local authorities have instructed all the border outposts to remain on highest alert along the frontiers so that not a single hide is smuggled out from the country. "We are pledged-bound to prevent hide smuggling. The government has a clear-cut instruction in this regard," said Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of Rajshahi.

Meanwhile, among the local traders, there is a grave apprehension of huge hide smuggling along the Rajshahi border. The issue has become a serious concern of the traders at present.

"A syndicate has already been formed to smuggle out hide of sacrificial animal through the local border from the Eid-day. As a result, not a single genuine trader can purchase hide," said Asaduzzaman Asad, district unit president of Hide Traders Association, expressing his apprehension about this.

He says the traders invest huge money in purchasing and selling hide round the year. Whereas, at least Taka 20 to 22 crore are transacted during the Eid season. But the local traders don't get the huge money from the tannery owners before Eid. For this reason, they face great trouble to collect the money for purchasing new raw hide.

Asad urged all the authorities concerned to deal the seasonal brokers with a strong hand. Otherwise, the hide smuggling couldn't be checked.

The trade leader alleged that some outsider businessmen procure raw hide through their local agents at an exorbitant rate preventing the local traders to purchase hide. Not only that the syndicated traders smuggled out the hides instead of selling those in local markets, he added.

Lt Col Anwar-ul-Alam, Director of 37 BGB Battalion in Rajshahi, said all the border outposts have been kept on highest alert to prevent hide smuggling. Besides, all the highway check-posts will enhance their vigilance in this regard. Instruction of seizing the hide-laden trucks from one district to another has been given to all the checkpoints.