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RAJSHAHI, Aug 29: To avert smuggling of rawhide, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has declared a red alert throughout the frontier of Rajshahi.
According to sources, the wholesale rawhide traders in Natore and Rajshahi have not reached any deal with the tannery owners in Dhaka regarding the sale of raw and processed hide which they have stored after purchasing from local hide traders and middlemen during the Eid-ul Azha.
Even, no tannery owner or their representative has so far visited the hide stores in Natore or Rajshahi. As a result, wholesale hide traders are worried with their stock of rawhide and salt processed hide. In absence of local customers or tanners in Dhaka, some dishonest hide traders might smuggle out those to India and to avert the smuggling of the hides, red alert has been declared at frontier villages in Rajshahi by the BGB.
It is learnt, during the time of Qurbani, hide traders of Natore and Rajshahi used to purchase raw hide and stored those after processing with salt to sell those to tanners in Dhaka. But, many of these local traders did not get the price (money) of the hide which they supplied to Dhaka tanners for several years.
Akramul Hasan Akku, General Secretary of Natore Hide Traders' Group informed, they held meeting with the tannery owners in Dhaka and the latter even promised to repay their outstanding dues but the hide store owners here have yet to receive any payment from them.
Lieutenant Colonel Ferdous Ziauddin Mahmud, Director of 1 Battalion BGB, informed, BGB headquarters issued a stern order to check smuggling of rawhide. In accordance with the instruction, BGB has been kept alert at the BOPs and patrolling through speed boats on the river-routes has been intensified. Moreover, BGB will take action again those storing rawhide within eight kilometres areas of the frontier.