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Writ seeks cancellation of hilsa export to India

FE REPORT | September 26, 2024 00:00:00


A writ petition has been filed with the High Court seeking its directive on the concerned bodies of the government to cancel the decision of exporting hilsa fish to India.

Supreme Court lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan filed the petition on Wednesday as a public interest litigation.

Recently the government approved conditional export of 3,000 tonnes of hilsa to India for the sake of the upcoming Durga Puja.

Earlier on September 22, the lawyer served a legal notice on the government bodies concerned to cancel the decision within three days. As the government unheeded the notice, he filed the writ petition.

Commerce secretary, fisheries and livestock secretary, foreign secretary, chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), and the Chief Controller of Imports and Exports have been made respondents in the petition.

According to the writ petition, "Hilsa is a sea fish which is available in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, and many other countries. When this hilsa fish enters the sweet waters, especially in the Padma River of Bangladesh, it becomes very tasty and delicious. That is why the hilsa fish, netted from the Padma River of Bangladesh, is tastier and more delicious than the hilsa fish, from the sea.

Our neighbouring country, India, also has a large sea territory that accounts for production of a huge quantity of hilsa fish. India does not need to import hilsa fish from Bangladesh. However, India mainly imports the hilsa fish from the Padma River. The exporters of Bangladesh stock this fish from the Padma for sale abroad. So Bangladeshi people do not get enough hilsa in the market."

"According to the Export Policy 2021-24, Hilsa is not a freely exportable item. However, the commerce secretary unlawfully allowed export of Hilsa fish to India without considering interests of the people of Bangladesh," also read the petition.

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