Rangpur: The interim government’s decision to reopen six closed sugar mills has been described as a historic event and a major victory for the nation and sugarcane farmers.
This sentiment was expressed by members of the Sugar Mills Reopening Task Force Committee (SMRTFC) during a press conference held at a community centre today to announce the reopening of the mills.
Leaders from the Bangladesh Labor and Employees Federation (BLEF), Jatiya Sramik Karmachari Sangram Parishad (JSKSP), and Sugarcane Farmers’ and Sugarcane Rakhya Sangram Parishad (SFSRSP) were present at the event.
Abdullah Al Kafi Ratan, joint convener of SMRTFC and president of JSKSP, read out a written statement explaining the reopening process.
Other SMRTFC members, including Manas Nandi, central committee vice-president of BLEF, and Altaf Hossain, responded to journalists’ questions during the event.
The statement noted that threshing at six of the 15 state-run sugar mills had been suspended through a government notification on December 1, 2020.
Following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5, JSKSP submitted a memorandum on August 20 to the interim government’s Industrial Adviser, demanding the reopening of the mills.
In response, the government formed a task force comprising officials and private representatives to assess the issue.
Based on the task force’s findings, the government decided to withdraw the suspension on December 1, 2020, and reopen the mills in three phases.
In the first phase, Shyampur Sugar Mills Limited in Rangpur and Setabganj Sugar Mills Limited in Dinajpur are set to resume operations.
The written statement urged people to resist any future attempts by governments, international financial institutions, or foreign groups to shut down industrial factories.
It also emphasized the need to build more sugar mills, jute mills, and other industries to meet the country’s needs and boost local production of industrial goods.
Prominent attendees included CPB Rangpur district president Comrade Shahadat Hossain, general secretary Kafi Sarker, SFSRSP district convener Anwar Hossain Bablu, BLEF general secretary Masud Reza, Garments Sramik Federation general secretary Raju Ahmed, and BSD (Marxist) Rangpur district general secretary Ahsanul Arefin Teetoo.
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