Leaders of the Committee for Protection of Jute and Jute Industry, Khulna have demanded of the government to allocate necessary fund for the jute and jute industry in tire upcoming national budget to save the industry.

They also demanded immediate payment of the dues and arrears to all the sacked and retired workers and employees of the jute mills across the country.

The committee raised their demands at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity

yesterday.

“Many jute mills and factories in Khulna have already been closed and the city will turn into a dead city as well as the life and livelihood of lakhs of people will be at stake if the remaining jute mills are declared closed," Khalid Hossain, member of the committee, said in a written statement.

"Over 32 thousand workers are engaged in 8 state-owned jute mills in Khulna region and two lakh family members of the workers, who are already in hardship due to the nonpayment of arrear wages by the

mill authorities, will lead inhuman life if the jute mills are closed,” he said.

Khalid pointed to the fact that quality of the jute produced in the country is die best in comparison with that in other countries and about 51 lakli bales of jute are cultivated on 20 lakh acres of land every year.

“The country's 18 jute mills are now dying. But the number of jute mills was once at least 77," he said.

When the demand for jute is increasing immensely worldwide and India is constructing new jute mills and also doing

brisk business from the sector, Bangladeshi jute mills are being ruined, Khalid said, laying emphasis on proper plan and necessary budgetary allocation to save the potential sector.

Workers leader Shahidullah Chowdhury lamented that the national taskforce on die jute sector lacks workers' representation.

Haider Gazi Salauddin Runu, adviser to the committee, Syeda Sabiha, member of the committee, Liakat Ali, editor of the daily Purbanchal, and Shirin Akter of the Karrnajibi Nari also spoke.