The textiles and jute ministry has taken back seven privatised textiles and jute mills due to ‘violation’ of terms and conditions of privatisation by the buyers.Ministry officials said on Sunday said that the ministry had taken back Fouji Chotkol Jute Mills Ltd located at Ghorashal in Narsingdi.With the permission of the textiles and jute ministry, Fouji Chotkol Jute Mills had been handed over to Humayun Kabir Mollah with an agreement to repay all the dues and loans of the mills to various financial institutions in 1995.But the buyer violated the terms of the contract and failed to pay the dues to the government, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation and financial institutions, said BJMC officials.Violating the terms and conditions, the mills authorities had kept the unit closed for a long time and deprived hundreds of workers of their employment. The ministry sources said that the mills would remain under the control of the BJMC until further notice.BJMC chairman Md Mahmudul Hassan told reporters that the government had taken the decision in principle to take back the mills from the companies which violated terms and conditions of privatisation.‘We are executing the government decision,’ he said. With the latest takeover, the ministry has so far taken back seven privatised textiles and jute mills including AR Hawlader Jute Mills Limited, Eagle Textile Mills Limited, Kokil Textile Mills Limited and Jalil Textile Mills, under public ownership in last three months.State minister for textiles and jute Mirza Azam on Monday told New Age that the government was taking back mills which had remained closed for years. ‘The government has a plan to reopen the mills under public sector. After we take back the errant mills, we will take further move on how to reopen the mills,’ he said.He said that some of the mills had remained closed for ages, owners of some of the mills converted those into other mills, which they were not authorised to do, while owners of some other mills sold land of their mills.As per directive from the prime minister the textiles and jute ministry took initiative to bring back 69 privatised mills that had violated conditions.Ministry officials have already visited 47 mills and prepared report on the latest status of the mills.Since 1982, the government privatised 134 jute and textiles mills and most of the buyers of the mills violated terms and conditions of the privatisation.
