Once dubbed the "industrial zone," the Khalishpur-Daulatpur area of Khulna thrummed with life. Jute mills roared day and night, their three-shift cycles fuelling a vibrant community.
Workers spilled out at shift changes, crowding tea stalls or hurrying to bustling markets. Vegetable stands, restaurants, and pharmacies thrived alongside the mills, serving thousands who had built lives around them.
Today, that energy is a memory. The mills have shut down, and the streets lie quiet—emptied of workers who fled in search of new livelihoods.
A mass exodus
The closure of seven state-owned jute mills under the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC)—Alim, Crescent, Eastern, Platinum, Star, Daulatpur, and Khalishpur—on July 2, 2020, marked the end of an era. Once employing around 35,000 workers, these mills were the backbone of the region. Crescent Jute Mill alone had up to 10,000 workers, Platinum around 7,000, and Khalishpur 6,000, with others averaging 2,000 to 2,500. Together, they churned out 150-200 tons of yarn daily. Now, most are silent, driving an exodus to cities like Dhaka or back to rural hometowns.
“Thousands settled here for the mills,” recalls Jabeed Ali, a local from Alamnagar. “People from Barisal came in droves, opening shops and eateries. But when the mills closed, they left. The noise is gone.”
Survivors adapt
For those who stayed, survival meant reinvention. Nasima Begum, a former worker at a closed mill, arrived from Barisal 12 years ago with dreams of stability.
“We were doing well—my kids were in school,” she told Jago News. “But since 2020, it’s been poverty. The COVID-19 years were brutal. Now, I scrape by with part-time work.”
Jahangir Hossain, once with Platinum Jute Mill, received Tk 8,21,000 in dues—half in cash, half in savings certificates—after its closure. “I ride an easy bike now,” he says. “I can’t do much else.” Abdur Razzak, a lifelong resident, also turned to easy bikes. “I was born here, married here, raised my son here—he’s studying for honours now. I won’t leave these memories.”
Parul Akhter, a transfer worker at Eastern Jute Mill, came from Pirojpur in 2009 with her husband. After the shutdown, he bought a rickshaw with their savings. “Many co-workers left for Dhaka’s garment factories during COVID,” she says. “We stayed—I can’t go back home.”
Aminul Islam, meanwhile, started a grocery with his dues. “I’ve heard the mills might reopen, but no one believes it anymore,” he shrugs.
A shrunken lifeline
Two mills have flickered back to life under private leases. Since December 2023, Fortune Group has run Daulatpur Jute Mill, while Atlantis Jute Limited, an Indian firm, operates Eastern Jute Mill. Together, they employ just 250-300 workers and process 3-4 tonnes of jute daily—a fraction of past output.
BJMC Regional Coordination Officer Golam Rabbani says the 2022 pay-out of dues to permanent and temporary workers has closed one chapter, and more restarts are “under process.” He’s optimistic about profits, but locals remain sceptical.
A changed landscape
The ripple effects linger. Khairul Haque, from Crescent More, remembers a thriving locality built around the mills. “When they closed, families left—especially during COVID. Those who bought land stayed; others sold and moved on.” Land sales have spiked as ex-workers fund new ventures elsewhere, yet new residents haven’t restored the area’s spirit. “The silence hasn’t broken,” Haque laments.
Once a hub of industry and opportunity, Khalishpur-Daulatpur now echoes with the stories of those who adapted—or left. For the workers who remain, pedalling rickshaws or tending small shops, it’s a fight to preserve a life once sustained by the hum of the mills.