The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

A five-day celebration of Sharodiya Durga Utsob, the main religious festival of the Bengali Hindu Community, has been started in festive mood from Wednesday in 401 Puja Mandops of the district.

It would be ended on Sunday night by immersion of the idols and images of the deities with solemnities and religious rituals.

Rakhal Chandra Dey and Manik Mukharjee Kudu, president and secretary of Barisal District Puja Udajapon Porishad, said these numbers included 19 mass (Sarbojonin) and 6 personal (Bektigato) Mandops of Barisal city, 10 mass and 2 personal Mandops of Sadar, 120 Mandops of Agoiljhara, 60 Mandops of Gournadi, 62 Mandops of Uzirpur, 44 Mandops of Bakerganj, 36 Mandops of Banaripara, 14 Mandops of Mehendiganj, 13 Mandops of Bauganj,07 Mandops of Muladi and 08 Mandops of Hizla upazilas of the district.

District administration allotted special financial grants and assured special security, undisrupted electricity and water supply, traffic control arrangements for the worshipers and visitors of the each Puja Mandop.

Mandops were colorfully and beautifully decorated with gates, electric lights and cultural functions, Aroti competitions, arranged in almost every Puja Mandop and religious discussions and other programs also arranged at Dharma Rakkkhini and Ramakrishna Mission Math Mandops of the city.

Leaders of the different community called to maintain peaceful coexistences, religious and communal harmony during the Sharodiya Durga Puja Utsob.

BSS, Comilla adds: The holy Durga Puja, the greatest religious festival of the Hindu community, is being celebrated in the district as elsewhere across the country amid fanfare and religious fervour.

With performing of Bodhon ritual and Shakti puja, the five- day festival has began on Wednesday at every mandap.

The district administration sources said a total of 523 puja mandaps have been erected at 16 upazilas of the district and necessary steps have been taken to ensure smooth and peaceful holding of the festival.

Members of the law enforcing agencies as well as the volunteers of the puja committees are vigilant to avoid any untoward incident.

Devotees have been joining in the rituals of the puja in large numbers. Prasads are being distributed among the visitors.

Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon

Compost fertiliser is gaining popularity in Thakurgaon district as farmers are reaping higher benefits in terms of costing and crop production by using these homemade fertilisers. Many farmers are making compost fertilizers themselves. Compost fertilisers are seen plied up on the yards of many farmers in the district.

Mostofa Alom of Bhalatoir village in Pirganj Upazila and Shuzzaudholah of Terraya village in Horipur upazila under Thakurgoan district told the Correspondent today that they were now quite of the detrimental effects of the chemical fertilizers.

The two farmers said they did not use chemical fertilisers indiscriminately or unnecessarily as they are destroying the productivity of their lands. They said most of the farmers of their village are now using organic fertilisers like cowdung as water hyacinth as a substitute of the chemical fertilizers.

A senior official of Agriculture Extension Department (AED), Thakurgaon told the correspondent that chemical fertilisers have one or two ingredients, but a plant requires at least 13 ingredients for its survival and proper growth.

He added that the enriched compost manure, with is a mixture of bio and chemical components, has almost all the ingredients that a plant needs.

He opined that the compost fertilisers could be used directly without mixing it with chemical fertilisers on certain Rabi and Aman crops and vegetables.

From time immemorial, farmers have been using various kinds of fertiliser to increase productivity of their lands. In primitive age farmers used to rely totally on the nature. They did not get the touch of artificiality. But with the beginning of industrial age farming system, chemical fertilisers have replaced the natural ones to show farmers the ways to increase the productivity of their land. But there are also some baneful effects of using chemicals.

The crops grown out of chemical fertilisers lack taste compared to those grown by using natural fertilisers.

BSS, Mymensingh

Public representatives at a views exchange meeting assured of providing all out cooperation for successful implementation of the voter list with photograph and national ID card project at Muktagachha in the district.

Chairmen and members of union parishads, chairman and commissioners of Muktagacha Pourasabha gave this assurance at the meeting held at Muktagachha Upazila Parishad auditorium.

With UNO of Muktagacha AKM Tipu Sultan in the chair, the meeting was addressed, among others, by chairman of Muktagachha Poursabha Mansurur Rahman Khan, OC of Muktagachha thana Asaduzzaman, chairman of Desgaon Advocate Sharaf Uddin, Commissioner Sherajuddin, journalist Imamuddin Mukta, chairman of Kumarghata Union Anisur Rahman, member AKM Nurul Haque Bakul.

AKM Tipu Sultan briefed the audience about the project and implementation procedure, duties and responsibilities of the public representative and motivation of the voters.

Sources said work for preparation of voter list and national ID cards will be started at Muktagachha Upazila from November 4 and ended on November 20 next. The Election Commission has appointed 13 assistant registration officer, 887 data collector and 180 supervisor for the smooth implementation of the project in the upazila.

Earlier, similar meeting was held with the imams of mosques in this regard.

BSS, Bogra

A discussion was held here on Tuesday on the occasion of World Food Day 2007.

The district Agriculture Extensive Department (AED) and Food Department jointly organised the discussion at the conference room of the district Deputy Commissioner office here.

With Deputy Commissioner of the district Mohammad Humayan Kabir in the chair, the discussion was addressed, among others, by agriculturist Abul Bashar and commander of the district joint force Major Zaman.

The speakers stressed on changing food habit of the people, resist misuse of pesticide and chemical fertiliser, preservation of quality seeds and smooth supply of the seeds to the farmers to increase the food production.

They also underscored the need for a smooth distribution of food items by improving supply chain to ensure people's right to foods.

BSS, Barguna

Four persons, arrested on October 13 along with seven bombs were taken on one-day remand for each on Tuesday.

The arrested were identified as Mustafiz, Bayezid Sagir, Hafez Zakir Hossain and Zobaid.

Police said Mostafiz was arrested along with five bombs from Itabaria area of the district town and Bayezid Sagir was arrested from High School Road along with two bombs on October 13 night.

Besides, two others Zakir and Zobaid was arrested on suspicion on the same night. They were sent to jail hajat after filing a case against them with Barguna Sadar Police Station.

Police produced them before the court with prayer for five- day remand for each on Tuesday. But the court granted one-day remand for each accused.

BSS, Joypurhat

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a youth along with 54 bottles of smuggled phensidyl from Panchbibi in the district on Tuesday night.

RAB sources said the arrested was identified as Anisur Rahman 25, son of late Nazrul Islam of Atapara village under Panchbibi upazila in the district.

Acting on a tip-off, a RAB team raided bus terminal area at Panchbibi Sadar and arrested Anisur along with the drugs.

A case was filed with Kotwali police in this connection.

BSS, Barguna adds: Police arrested a professional thief from his house at Amtali town on Wednesday. He was identified as Sajib, 23, son of late Abdul Khaleque of the town. Sources said a team of Amtali police raided the house of Sajib at Ward No. seven of Amtali Pourasabha and arrested him. Police also recovered stolen good worth about Taka one lakh from his house.

Meanwhile Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in an anti-smuggling drive arrested eight persons with 140 bottles of phensidyl from Hakimpu-Bogra highway on Tuesday.

Hakimpur thana police said the members of RAB Camp-5 of Joypurhat arrested the eight persons from two vans when they were going to Hariharpur from Hilly and recovered the phensidyl after searching their bodies.

They arrested persons and the phensidyl were handed over to the Hakimpur thana.

Extortionist lynched in Kushtia

Kushtia, Oct 16: An extortionist was killed in a mass beating at Harishankarpur on the outskirts of the town early Tuesday. Police said Kana Suruj and his gang went to Battoil to collect their demanded toll from the local people of the area at about 2am. ut sensing their presence, local guards chased them and caught Kana Suruj, 25, near Chadagara graveyard while the other managed to flee the scene. The guards and local people beat him leaving Kana Suruj critically injured. Kana Suruj was admitted to Kushtia General Hospital where he died later. He was accused in a number of cases, police said, reports UNB.

Cop killed in road mishap

Narsingdi, Oct 16: A police constable was killed in a road accident at Mahmudabad in Raipura upazila this (Tuesday) noon. Police said Abdul Mannan, 28, was run over and killed by a bus on Dhaka-Sylhet highway at about 12.30pm. The accident occurred when Abdul Mannan, a constable of Rajarbag police line, was waiting for a bus to go to his working place after the Eid holiday.On information, police recovered the body and sent it to the Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy, reports UNB.

Body recovered

Sylhet, Oct 16: Police recovered the body of a young man from a market at Barutkhana in the city on Sunday, the Eid day. The dead was identified as Harunur Rashid, 30, son of later Abdur Rahman of Dariapara area. Police said a guard of the Asgar Square Market found the body of Harun lying in a room at noon and informed police. Police recovered the body and sent to morgue, reports UNB.

AL leader dead

Kishoreganj, Oct 14: District Awami League acting general secretary and freedom fighter Shahabuddin Thakur died of cardiac arrest after Eid-ul-Fitr prayer on Sunday morning. He was 60. Thakur, also former chairman of Itna Upazila Parishad, breathed his last at about 11 am after offering Eid prayer at Itna Upazila headquarters in the morning. He left behind his wife, only son and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death. He will be buried at his family graveyard in Itna upazila Monday morning with state honour.

One killed in Magura clash

Magura, Oct 16: A man was killed and 25 people were injured in a clash between two rival groups at Barishat village in Sreepur upazila Monday evening. Local sources said supporters of Nabuat Molla and Zahur Chowdhury clashed at about 5:30pm over Eid invitation. At one stage, Moksed Molla, 50, of Nabuat group, was hit by his rivals with sharp weapons and died on the spot. Both the groups used lethal weapons during the fight, leaving 25 people injured.

Freedom Fighter dead

Sirajganj, Oct 13: District commander of the freedom fighters and Awami League leader Amir Hossain Bhulu passed away this (Saturday) morning after suffering from liver cirrhosis. He was 65. Family sources said Bhulu breathed his last at Sirajganj Sadar Hospital at about 5:45am. He was affected by liver cirrhosis one year ago. He had also undergone open-heart surgery in Bangalore, India, in 1999. Bhulu took part actively in the 6-point and 11-point movement and led the people and freedom fighters of Sirajganj during the country's Independence War. He left behind his wife, one son, one daughter and a host of relatives and admirers to mourn his death, reports UNB.