The traditional fishing festival at Burir Dam in Thakurgaon is like a gathering

Zakir Mostafiz Milu :

Thakurgaon, October 18, 2025 : The traditional fishing festival that has been held at the Burir Dam at the beginning of the winter season for years has turned into a gathering. The fishing festival has been going on in full swing in the Burir Dam area of ​​Akcha and Chilarang unions of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila since Friday. And like every year, the traditional open fishing festival is being held in the 'Burir Dam' area of ​​the Shuk River here. This fishing is done in a competitive atmosphere, which has created great enthusiasm among the locals. After the dam water is released to signal the arrival of winter, this opportunity for fishing is provided to everyone. A three-day rural fair is also being held here around this festival.

Earlier, hundreds of amateur hunters and ordinary people had been fishing in the Burir Dam area since October 16 (Thursday). The dam gate was opened on Thursday afternoon.

On the spot, it was seen that hundreds of people from rural towns and cities have gathered at Burir Dam. The area around the dam is bustling with people of all ages, including women, men, and children. Everyone has taken their own nets, palo (fishing nets), khocha, and lafi nets and gone down into the muddy water. Even many without equipment have gone down to fish with their bare hands. All in all, a great fishing festival is underway in the Burir Dam area.

Talking to locals, it is known that the dam was originally built on the Shuk River between Akcha and Chilarang Unions of Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila in 1982 to cultivate the land in the region during the dry season. Every year during the monsoon season, the upstream water is trapped here for irrigation. During this time, the Thakurgaon Fisheries Department also releases various fish fry into the dam water. And when the water is released at the beginning of winter, the dam is opened for everyone to fish.

This is how this traditional fishing festival takes place every year at Buri Dam.

When asked about it, Kamrul Hasan, who comes from Gobindapur in Thakurgaon Sadar, said, "Every year I wait for this day to fish at Buri Dam."

According to Ashraful Haque, who comes from Amtoli in Pirganj, "Coming to fish at Buri Dam feels like a huge gathering of people, as far as the eye can see, only people and people.

However, he also accused some locals of trapping fish with bamboo ring nets and current nets.

Apart from fish hunters, the fair is also crowded with fish buyers. Fish buyers from the city complain that they come here hoping to get local fish at a cheap price, but when they arrive, they find that the prices of fish here are higher than in the city market. 

Tariqul Islam, who came from Bhulli Bazar, said that here, tengra, gochi, shin, and tuna fish are being sold at Tk 1,000 to 1,200 per kg. And the asking price for shoal and rui-katla fish is Tk 500-600. 

Fish fillets are also being sold for 300-400 taka.

Rafiqul Islam, an amateur fisherman from the city's Collegepara, said, "It's not a big deal how many fish I caught. I wait all year to come and fish at this old woman's dam." 

Rafiqul Islam, a former member of Akcha Union Parishad in Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila, said that the dam gate was opened in mid-October and opened for fishing at the beginning of winter.

Raja Shahidul Aslam, a poet from Thakurgaon who attended the festival, said, "It feels like I have come to a rural fair. Fishing is just an occasion here, in fact it is a gathering." This is how this traditional gathering and fishing festival of hundreds of people takes place every year at Burir Dam.