Drive to stop plunder of Tanguar haor

At long last, the authorities have launched a five-month drive to stop plunder of fish resources worth millions in the massive Tanguar haor (water body) by influential groups.

The vast water body in Sunamganj was officially declared a Ramsar Site in 2000.

Under the drive, two teams of police and ansar led by two magistrates and equipped with speedboats patrol the haor round the clock.Bangladesh Rifles(BDR)personnel are also involved in the drive, official sources said.

Two temporary camps with 22 police and ansar personnel each have been set up at strategic points of the haor and two more will be set up soon.

The district administration of Sunamganj is conducting the drive, funded by the environment and finance ministries.

Deputy Commissioner of Sunamganj Jafar Siddique said, "This time we are determined to free the haor from the grip of unauthorised people, who had been plundering its fish resources in several crore taka a year."

Sources pointed out that organised groups backed by a section of leaders of successive ruling parties have been involved in looting the haor's fish wealth year after year.

Meanwhile, the plan for establishing a fish sanctuary in Tanguar haor and preserving its other natural resources under the Ramsar project is yet to be implemented. Sources attributed the delay to indecision of the policy makers and failure to select investors for the huge project.

Moreover, the move to lease out the water body was foiled by powerful quarters repeatedly over the last three years.

The nearly 4,000 acre Tanguar haor is home to about 60,000 birds of different species and 140 types of fish. Besides, over one lakh guest birds fly to the area during winter.