Petition challenges legality of hilsa export
BI Report || BusinessInsider
Photo: Representational
A writ petition was filed on Tuesday with the High Court challenging the legality of the government decision to export hilsa fish to India or any other country.
Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Mahmudul Hasan filed the petition as public interest litigation (PIL) to the HC seeking its directive upon the government to stop exporting hilsa.
In the petition, he said that the commerce ministry has approved export of hilsa without considering its demand to the people of Bangladesh.
The petition also mentioned that hilsa is the national fish of Bangladesh. But due to the excessive price of the fish, the poor people and even the middle-class people cannot afford to buy it.
The average price of hilsa is Tk 1,000-1,200 per kg in the local market; and the price of hilsa, captured from the Padma River, is Tk 1,200-1,500 or more per kg. On the other hand, the export price of hilsa to India is below the local market price, according to the petition.
Unfortunately, the government allowed export of hilsa to India on September 4. Due to the export, its price is increasing in the local market day by day. Even in the export policy of 2021-2024, the fish is not a freely exportable item, the petition noted.
The government is making total injustice and violating the fundamental rights of people of Bangladesh by exporting hilsa to India at a price much lower than its price in the country, denying demand of the people, the petition also read.
After filing the petition, Mahmudul said that hilsa is not an exportable product under the Export Policy 2021-2024.
But the commerce ministry has approved the export of hilsa to India ignoring the interest of the people of Bangladesh and in violation of law, he added.
The commerce secretary, fisheries and livestock secretary, foreign affairs secretary, civil aviation secretary, chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), chief controller of imports and exports, and chairman of the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation have been made respondents in the petition.
