Ruling party men wolf down profits of melon farmers
A farmer at Shyamchand village in Rangabali upazila under Patuakhali district gives a bleak look at his watermelon field that got flooded as a ruling party man callously drew saline water to his fish enclosure in the area, below, another farmer shows all signs of despair as he is not 'allowed' to pluck ripe watermelons from his field at Purbo Baherchar village in Rangabali upazila for failure to give money to extortionists belonging to Jubo League.Photo: STAR
Random extortion by the ruling party men has appeared as a matter of concern for watermelon farmers in Rangabali upazila under the district during the plucking period of the popular summer fruit. Besides, some influential people are drawing saline water to their fish enclosures through sluice gates, causing inundation of watermelon fields with saline water. Demanding steps to save them from extortion and harassment by the men belonging to the ruling Awami League (AL) and its associate body Jubo League, local farmers held a rally and brought out a procession at Taktabunia Bazar in the upazila yesterday. Jubo League leaders demand Tk 2 per watermelon when farmers pluck in their fields and they have to pay Tk 3 more for each watermelon when they load it on trawlers at Purba Bahelchar Sluice Ghat and Bahelcahr Ghat, local farmers said. A Jubo League man, who is forcing farmers to carry watermelon on his trawler, charges twice the usual fair for the purpose. "Local Jubo League leaders extort us at three stages, making us bear additional cost of Tk 8 per watermelon to sent it to local market from our field," said Ansar Howlader, a watermelon farmer of Neta village under the upazila. Badsha Sikder, a watermelon farmer of Purba Bahelchar village plucked around 500 watermelons from his field on Monday but he could not send it to local market till Wednesday for failure to pay the toll demanded by local Jubo League men. Some Jubo League leaders are drawing saline water through sluice gates for fish cultivation at different enclosures in the area and the act causes damage to watermelon fields due to flooding by saline water. "My watermelon field covering four acres of land got over-flooded when Anamul Haque Litu, secretary of upazila AL, drew saline water to his fish enclosure by opening the local sluice on the night of March 29," said Mohidul, a farmer of Shamchand village in Boro Baishdia union under the upazila. "I cultivated watermelon on my four acres of land by taking loan of Tk 1.20 lakh from a local mohajon (moneylender). The yield was well this season but now I am worried about repaying the loan, let alone making profit," he said. At least 20 other watermelon growers have similar tales to tell. On March 29, an extortionist gang went to local watermelon farmers and demanded money from them. As Bipul Das, president of Awami League unit of ward No 1 under Rangabali union and his party colleagues protested the matter on the spot, the extortionists physically assaulted them. Later on Monday, 58 leaders and activists including the assaulted men of the ward committee submitted their resignation to upazila AL president Ahsan Kabir Chan. They alleged that several upazila unit Jubo League activists led by Duke Talukder, Babor Talukder and Rasel have continued random extortion everywhere in the upazila during the last three years. "Local people including farmers and fishermen are helpless before the extortionists. They do not respect even the seniors in the party. And so, we have decided to resign from the party," said Bipul Das, president of local ward AL. Asked about the allegations, Humayun Talukder, president of Rangabali upazila unit Jubo League, said, "We are not involved in any kind of extortion here. I do not know whether Awami League men resigned." Anamul Islam Litu, secretary of upazila AL said, "I am not involved with saline water lifting through sluice gate."
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