Chandpur, April 30 -- More than 50,000 fishermen in Chandpur are set to return to the Padma River and Meghna River as a two-month government-imposed fishing ban aimed at protecting jatka ends tonight.

The restriction, enforced throughout March and April, covered a 70-kilometre sanctuary in the Padma-Meghna river system and prohibited all types of fishing, including hilsa, under the government's conservation programme.

With the ban lifting at midnight, fishermen will resume operations from early Friday. Fishing villages along the Meghna riverbank are now abuzz with activity, as nets are repaired, boats refurbished, and final preparations completed.

Visits to several villages showed a busy atmosphere as fishermen repaired nets, fixed boa...