"We will bid farewell to them only after paying their just dues within July-August. Those who will lose job will be paid their dues, including all the benefits. But, it will take time to fix the amount," she told a press conference.

The press conference was organised to brief reporters about the activities and successes of the state-owned Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC) in the 2006-07 fiscal year.

Asked to comment on the bad condition of the labourers following the closure of the mills, the adviser said, "We have to understand why the mills are being closed. There have been problems in the jute sector for a long time."

"In order to get out of loss, we will have to be practical," she said. "Four out of 22 mills have been closed and the remaining 18 are running. If we can make viable the 18 mills by closing four, it will make business sense."

She said the government intends to run the remaining jute mills properly so that the jute industry does not die out.

About the gruel kitchen opened in Khulna for the retrenched workers, the adviser said, "We did not open the gruel kitchen." Asked about police obstruction to this, she said surely there was a law-and-order issue.

About those who took the initiative to feed the labourers, the adviser noted that they might have done it out of social responsibility. "The government can't do many things...Our hands are tied."

Our staff correspondent at Khulna reports: The National Relief Committee (NRC), a humanitarian effort by eminent citizens of the country, has postponed its free meal programme for the laid off jute mill workers in Khulna.

Repetitive police harassment forced the committee to postpone the programme, said a press release of NRC signed by Justice Golam Rabbani, Shahriyar ZR Iqbal, Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Yasmin Huq, Simin Hossain Rimi, Swadesh Roy and Dr Shamsul Alam.

Coordinator of NRC, Alamgir Kabir, said police repeatedly threatened NRC volunteers with arrest under emergency powers act and asked not to distribute food among hungry workers.

Under these circumstances, we have no other alternative but to stop distribution of food among the hungry workers, Alamgir Kabir said Saturday night.

Meanwhile, NRC yesterday provided financial aid to 35 students -- children of the laid off jute mill workers. The students passed SSC examination this year. The financial aid helped them get admitted to Daulatpur Haji Mohsin College in eleventh grade.

The students will also receive financial aid from NRC for books and tuition fees till their HSC exam, said Sarder Ruhin Hossain Prince, member of NRC.