Earlier on July 13, the BJMC chairman issued official orders directing the general manager of Peoples Jute Mills, which had become a losing concern, to terminate all its workers and employees and ask them to vacate the mill quarters.

Meanwhile, 313 laid-off permanent workers of Crescent Jute Mills received termination notice on Friday evening, and the number of terminated permanent workers of this mill now stands at 1,251.

As many as 5,424 permanent workers have been terminated from seven of the eight state-owned jute mills in Khulna-Jessore industrial belt since the BJMC began the move in June on grounds of severe financial crisis, power outages and loss of markets both at home and abroad.

The termination move will continue until 'unnecessary' workers of the seven jute mills are dispensed with, said a high official of Khulna zonal office of BJMC.

Several workers have said they will not leave their quarters until payment of their arrear wages and other financial benefits.

Hungry workers and their family members are now ready to launch a movement, said convener of Patkal Sangram Parishad Sarder Motaheruddin.

Huge security forces have been deployed in Khalishpur industrial belt to stave off any possible violence.