Decision to restructure shrimp mahals to increase revenue

The Home Minister said that proper management of shrimp mahals and the formulation of effective policies are urgent. Even if lawsuits remain ongoing over leased land, the government can continue collecting revenue until a legal settlement is reached. He urged the rapid settlement of khas land suitable for shrimp farming and the restructuring of shrimp mahal committees. Land Minister Md. Mizanur Rahman Minu said that due to administrative complexities, the government has lost huge revenue over the past few decades. To overcome this situation, management committees at the upazila, district and national levels will be restructured, and the relevant laws and policies will be amended.

Several important decisions were taken at the meeting on various matters related to shrimp mahals in Cox's Bazar district. These include excluding non-forest land from the Forest Department's gazette and releasing it for shrimp farming, returning 195,000 acres of land held by the Ministry of Forest, Fisheries and Livestock to the Ministry of Land, and quickly disposing of the writ petition pending in the High Court to make operational the activities of 1,466 shrimp mahals in Cox's Bazar that had been suspended. In addition, decisions were also taken to restructure the 1992 shrimp mahal committee, fix new rent, and completely waive previous unpaid interest.