The government will launch a special combing operation  in 17 districts of the country from January 4  to remove illegal nets which cause harm to fishery resources. The drive will be conducted against all illegal nets including ‘Behundi nets’ (conical-shaped net) to protect fries of all marine fish including Hilsha,  said the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock on Thursday. The 17 districts where the drives will be conducted are Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Patuakhali, Barguna, Bhola, Barishal, Noakhali, Bagerhat, Khulna, Satkhira, Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Munshiganj, Laxmipur, Shariatpur, Madaripur, and Chandpur. Read more: Six held for illegally netting fish in Sundarbans Seventeen monitoring teams comprising of officers and field officers of the Fisheries Department will work to conduct the operations in these districts. Also a control room will be opened to collect regular data about these drives. The ministry has urged people involved in fishing to avoid use of harmful, illegal nets like current net and behundi net. 

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) have launched a special drive to free the world’s largest mangrove forest, Sundarbans, from robbers – to ensure security of fishermen. A special team named “Elite Tigers” of the battalion launched the drive on Saturday noon through a long range patrolling in Sharankhola, Joymoni, Baroitala, Andarmanik, Mrigamari and others spots. The drive will continue while another team, “Bengal Tigers”, with trawlers is kept standby to response to emergency calls. Robbers abducted 11 fishermen from different areas of the Sundarbans between December 13 and 18. Read more: 11 kidnapped fishermen rescued in Sundarbans: Police Last Wednesday, police claimed that the robbers left the fishermen in the face of their drives. Some of the rescued fisherman, however, claimed that they were released after paying ransom to the abductors. Police denied this claim. Commandant Md Badruzzoha, of Rab-6, said they launched the special drive to bring the robbers, who recently kidnapped fishermen, under the law through identification. Read more: Killing tigers in the Sundarbans: Offenders get off scot-free for lack for evidence “We are determined to free the Sundarbans from the criminals at any cost,” Lt Col Mostak Ahmed, commandant of the Rab-6, said. The Rab officer further said that law enforcers will always stand by the fishermen to provide security.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in a drive arrested a suspected robber along with a firearm at Matuail in Jatrabari  of the city on Friday night.