More than 300,000 fishermen in Bhola’s Meghna and Tetulia river areas have not received government assistance two weeks after the fishing ban began. The government had pledged to provide 80 kilograms of rice per registered fisherman over two months to support them during the ban, but the aid distribution remains stalled. As a result, many fishermen are struggling to manage household expenses during Ramadan while facing loan pressures from NGOs and local lenders.

The two-month ban, aimed at protecting hilsa breeding, covers about 190 kilometers of river area from Ilisha to Char Piyal in the Meghna and from Char Veduria to Char Rustam in the Tetulia. Around 90,200 fishermen are listed to receive rice under the jatka conservation program, while 16,600 others are eligible for additional food support including lentils and oil. However, none of the promised supplies have reached them even after ten days of the ban.

Bhola’s district fisheries officer, Iqbal Hossain, said the allocated VGF rice for registered fishermen will be distributed soon and that the administration is working to resolve the delay quickly.