The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

A civic pressure group urged the government to take immediate initiative to save the jute and jute industry of the country.

Styled "Peoples Commission- Jute and Jute Industry" organised the view exchange meeting at CPB office yesterday as a part of month-long programme of holding several discussion meetings with different classes of people including students, intellectuals, labour organisations and the media in this connection.

The commission would draft a report on " Cause of Tremendous Crisis in Jute and Jute Industry and The Way to Resolve This". They would finalise the report after discussion with these people.

The speakers said, the Government is finalising the process of leasing jute mills to damage the industries of the country. People would never accept this and they would raise their voice against conspiracy.

They placed some demands to the government at the meeting. These includes: to suspend the decision of leasing closed jute mills, to pay due wages to labours immediately, to withdraw fake free-market economy system, demand compensation from World Bank and IMF, to find out the syndicate member who are responsible for damaging jute industry and to punish them, to make a long term jute plan to extend its market internationally.

Justice Golam Rabbani. Chairman of the Commission said, "United Nation has declared 2009 as Natural Fibre year to campaign against artificial synthetic fibre to make the global environment safer. Jute is the major natural fibre. So the demand of jute is increasing day by day. The government should give priority to increase jute production".

Mojahidul Islam Selim, leader of CPB, said the World Bank provided financial support to shut down the jute mills of Bangladesh but the same organisation proved financial support to Indian Government to establish jute industry more. So it was clear that the World Bank and IMF were trying to damage the jute industries of Bangladesh.

Shah Alam, General Secretary of the commission; Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah, Convenor of National Committee to protect oil-gas-mineral resource, electricity and port, a number of left-leaning political leaders were present at the meeting.