A permanent address for Openbill storks is to be established at Khurd Bausa Village of Rajshahi’s Bagha upazila. The government will pay the rent for these bird homes.
The Rajshahi district authority has already determined the rent for the homes. The quotation of this has already been sent to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Once approved, the mango orchard owners of the area who have been suffering from the bird infestation will be paid three lakh thirteen thousand taka yearly. The only condition to this is that the homes cannot be destroyed or disturbed.
The remote village of Khurd Bausa will always be filled with the sweet sounds of the Openbill storks and their babies. It is also expected that the ministry will soon approve the money for renting their homes.
The Bagha upazila Agricultural Extension Officer Shafiullah Sultan said that as soon as the matter came into notice, steps were taken to save the birds’ homes.
In the meantime, directions came from the High Court. He spoke to the Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner on the matter. He is the one who gives all directions.
Later, following the orders of the Deputy Commissioner, the survey was carried out at the mango orchard. They went into the garden under the leadership of Upazila Executive Officer Shaheen Reza, and found a total of thirty eight trees were being nested by the Openbill storks.
According to calculations, the annual loss is Tk 3,13,000. After determining the extent of the damage, they reported to the Rajshahi Deputy Commissioner.
After inspection, the Deputy Commissioner sent the report along with the proposal to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Deputy Commissioner Hamidul Haque said the report was sent to the ministry on November 5 seeking rent for the birds. The money will be given to the owners or leaseholders of the mango orchards. The government will pay this cost every year for the birds.
Earlier, the orchard leaseholder Ataur Rahman had given notice to expel thousands of Openbill storks in 17 days. However, some of the local birds were excluded. Rajshahi district administration took initiative to protect the bird habitat after the news was published in the media.
