The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

A five years plan on Hilsha research project at the cost of 16 crore taka has been prepared by Fish Research Institute and submitted for approval and implementation at concerned ministry. On other hand an 11 member team on Hiisha research led by Dr. Khan Kamaluddin Ahmed, Hilsha Research Scholar of Chandpur river center of the institute, engaged, in filed level data collection and research since October 25, 2007.

Fish research institute and its Chandpur River Center sources said a five years plan at the cost of 50 crore taka including a research vessel of Tk.30 crore was sent to the ministry in 2004.

In review meeting of the ministry costing of Research Project decreased to Tk.15 crore including costing of vessel Tk.5 crore and sent back the proposal to the research center via institute.

Then the project proposal was finally revised to Tk.16 crore and resend to the ministry at the end of 2006 for approval which yet not passed.

This Research Project proposal included monitoring migration and movement of Hilsha fish, collection of data on Hilsha catching, water and weather examination, observation of environment and water pollution, speed and other conditions of the water current in Hilsha related areas, grounds of breeding, nursing, egg laying and developing Hilsha fry and matured Hilsha and other subjects.

Fish research institute sources said Hilsha wealth has been increased two times in last 14 years as catching of Hilsha was 1.47 lakhs metric in 1983; 2.20 lakhs metric tons in 2002 and will exceed 3 lakhs metric tons in 2007.

Through this fishing sector will earn more 2500 crore taka extra income from Hilsha.

Step has taken the government for imposing and monitoring year wise ban on using thinly knitted current nets, seven (November-May) ban on Jatka or Hilsha fry catching, two months (March-April) ban of Hilsha fishing in four sanctuaries of this fish and ten days long (October 15-24) on total Hilsha fishing, now giving positive results in increasing Hilsha fish wealth of the country, the sources added.

BSS, Rangpur

Police in separate drives arrested 23 persons including absconding accused, listed terrorists, drug traffickers and extortionists from different places of the district during the past 24 hours ending at 12 noons on Tuesday, police sources said.

The sources said police also recovered phensidyl, locally produced wine, ganja, narcotics substances other illegal goods during the drives.

Kotwali police arrested notorious drug trader, locally known as Drug Queen Nur Jahan Begum, 50, wife of Toslim Uddin from her house in Tazhat Patbari area in the outskirts of Rangpur town and seized 20 litres wine and 50 gram ganja from her possession last night.

The police arrested drug addicts Bazlar Rahman, 50, Babul Roy, 48, Jamal Uddin, 50 and Zaved Hossain, 40 from Gomastapara area in the town during the raids.

Police also arrested drug traders Etrazul, 25, Golap, 35, Bikash, 25 and Azgar, 35 and seized 37 litres wine and huge quantities of inputs and equipments for producing wines from their possessions from Pirganj upazila during the period.

Of the arrested, Kotwali police arrested 10 persons, Gangachara police three, Taraganj police one, Badarganj police two, Mithapukur police three, Pirganj police two, Pirgachha one and Kawnia police arrested one person during the drives.

The arrested persons were sent to jail after producing them before different judicial magistrate courts today, the sources said.

BSS, Rajshahi

A drug trader was sentenced to life term rigorous imprisonment by a court here on Monday. The convict was identified as Nabibar Rahman alias Nabi, of Pasundia village under Charghat Upazila of the district. Special Sessions Judge Jahangir Alam Mollah delivered the verdict. The court also fined him Taka 5,000, in default, to suffer six months more in jail. The prosecution story, in brief, is that a RAB team arrested Nabi with 40 grams of heroin after raiding his house on March 3, 2007.

The court after examining 11 prosecution witnesses and other relevant evidences handed down the verdict. Special Public Prosecutor Lokman Hossain appeared in the case as state defense while Advocate Mosharraf Hossain defended the accused.

In another verdict pronounced also yesterday, the same court sentenced another Israil Hossain to two years rigorous imprisonment and fined Taka 5,000, in default, to suffer three months more imprisonment on charges of possessing 80 liters of rectified spirit at his house.

BSS, Mymensingh

The Preparation of voter list with photographs and national identity cards began at Muktagacha pourasabha in the district on Sunday.

Commander of 77 Infantry Brigade Colonel Quazi Emdadul Haque inaugurated the voter registration work as the chief guest at Ramkishore High School Centre this morning.

The inaugural function was attended by Lt. Colonel Mohammad

Muksudur Rahman, Major Rashed Mazhar, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shamsul Alam, Police Super Rafiqul Islam, Captain Nahedul Islam Satel, Lt. Deedarul Islam, UNO AKM Tipu Sultan, district election officer Rashedul Islam, Pourasabha chairman Mansurur Rahman Khan, chairman of Kumarghata UP Anisur Rahman, journalists and local elite,.

District election office sources said, after completion of data collection of the eligible voters, the work for registration of voters with photograph will begin.

The work for registration of voters will be carried out at 26 centres in Kumargata, Khernajanee Unions and Muktagachha Pourashava in the first phase which will be completed on November 8.

In the second phase the registration of voters in three unions will start on November 9 and will be completed on November 20.

A total of 89 registration centres have set up and 887 enumerators, 180 supervisors, 13 assistant registration officers, 242 data collectors and 66 proof readers have been appointed.

BSS, Habiganj

Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) will implement a number of projects including setting up deep tube-wells, tara tube-wells and ring tube-wells in the district during the current fiscal year.

DPHE sources said during the current fiscal, a total of 217 deep tube-wells, 26 tara tube-wells and 30 ring tube-wells will be set up in the district at a cost of Taka 1.30 crore.

Assistant Engineer of DPHE Rawshan Alam said the projects have been taken for ensuring supply of arsenic free safe drinking water.

During the last fiscal year similar projects were implemented in the district at a cost of Taka 40 lakh, she added.

BSS, Joypurhat

A businessman, arrested on charges of hoarding and trafficking fertilisers, was sent to jail by a court rejecting his bail prayer at Kalai Upazila of the district.

Court sources said police arrested Shahidul Islam Talukder on Saturday when he was trafficking 59 sacks of fertiliser. Besides, 871 sacks of fertiliser were also seized from his godown.

Upazila agriculture officer Habibul Huq filed a case against him in this regard.

A monitoring committee meeting presided over by Deputy Commissioner Nitai Pado Das was held here for distributing fertiliser smoothly on Sunday. Decisions were taken in the meeting for taking punitive actions against the fertiliser hoarders of the district.

BSS, Barisal

A weeklong drama festival, organised by Grameenphone-Shabdaboli, concluded at Aswini Kumar Town Hall here on Tuesday.

Coordinator of the festival Syed Dulal presided over the concluding function.

It was attended, among others, by Principal Md. Hanif, Sangskritik Sangathan Samanaya Parisad Secretary Jaglul Hyder Shahin, Barisal Natok secretary Azmol Hossain, Shabdaboli secretary Farook Hossain, Natyam Secretary Basudev Ghose, Brojomohan Theatre Advisor Shyamol Sen, Grameenphone regional chief Mamunur Rahman and journalist Nazrul Islam Chunnu.

Earlier, President of Group Theatre Federation M Hamid inaugurated the festival on October 31.

BSS, Rajshahi

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-5, in anticrime drives, arrested six alleged criminals, including four drug-traders, from different areas in four northern districts in the last 24 hours ending yesterday afternoon, RAB sources here said on Tuesday.

Acting on tips-off, the elite force rounded up the drug- peddlers, including a woman, identified as Foyez Alam, 45, Ekramul Haque, 25, Torikul Islam, 27, and Nurjahan, 50, with 342 bottles of phensidyl, 6.6 kilograms of ganja and 20 liters of country-made liquor during separate raids on different places in Chapainawabganj, Rangpur and Rajshahi districts.

In another drive in Sahebganj area under Atrai Upazila of Naogaon, another RAB team picked up two persons identified as Abdus Sobhan, 45, and Fulzan, 34, in connection with a extortion case.

The elite force also seized 538 pieces of gents' trousers and 280 kilograms of iron rods valued at Taka 80,700 during a sudden raid on Bagha Upazila Complex of the district.

The arrested persons and the seized goods were handed over to concerned police stations after recording separate cases.

Chittagong Correspondent

Engineers, city planners and eminent citizens in a colloquium on Tuesday observed that unplanned urbanization, poor drainage system, indiscriminate dumping of wastages and no step for dredging the river Karnaphuli over the last few years are the main causes of severe water-lodging in the city.

They laid special emphasis on coordinated endeavors of all utility service agencies particularly Chittagong City Corporation and Chittagong Development Authority to free the city people from the curse of the water-logging permanently.

They urged the government to dredge river Karnaphuli immediately for saving Chittagong from water-lodging.

Forum for Planned Chittagong organized the colloquium "Water logging in Chittagong" was held at Engineers Institution's conference room to hammer out the ways and means for overcoming the long-standing problems.

President of the organization and eminent scientist Professor Jamal Nazrul Islam presided over the colloquium while Dr. Shahidul Islam gave outline before kicking off the discussion.

Women leader Jesmin Sultana Paru, CCC ward commissioner advocate Rehana Kabir Ranu, Dr. MA Mannan, Engineer Mohammad Sekandar, Alhajj Alim Uddin and Momtazul Haque Tuku among others addressed it.

Representatives from Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) and different wards under CCC expressed their observations on the issue.

Professor Jamal Nazrul Islam while winding up the discussion said sincere cooperation is needed to overcome the problem. He urged all to come forward so that city dwellers do not see the repetition of June 11.

Dr. Shahidul Islam in his speech said that water-logging was limited in some places in city but in recent days it engulfed the whole city apart from its surrounding areas mounting the miseries of city dwellers.

He mentioned that even after a 30 millimeters rainfall creates water-logging in Chittagong. Remembering the biggest flooding in Chittagong over the last decades that took place on June 11 and claimed 132 lives, he said that people became worried in recent days when they experience light to moderate rainfall.

He divided the water-logging into three sections - Surface Level, Middle level and lower level. Unplanned leveling of hills causes surface level water-logging while poor drainage network, unplanned garbage dumping, unplanned urbanization and illegal establishments by the occupants mainly grabbing canals and drains cause middle and lower level water-logging.

Some of the speakers held CCC and CDA responsible for non-implementation of different projects for water-logging in the city.

They observed that Chaktai canal is not lonely responsible for water-logging rather less ability to absorb rainwater by the river Karnaphuli has been playing key role in keeping city's most of the areas under chest-deep water during heavy shower.

Speakers said that they had long been staying in Chittagong but they never witnessed huge rush of water before June 11 and October 16 last.

Organizers noted-down the suggestions came from the discussion and a integrated proposal will soon be made and sent to the government for addressing the pressing issue of Chittagong.

BSS, Gaibandha

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in a special drive recovered adulterated mustard oil, groundnut, mustard and CI sheets from a godown in Durgapur Thakurbari area under Gobindaganj Upazila in the district on Tuesday.

RAB sources said acting on a tip-off, a RAB team of Joypurhat camp, led by Major Shah Ali, conducted the raid on the godown of one Shib Devnath Saha in the area and recovered adulterated mustard oil, groundnut, mustard and CI sheets worth about Taka 3.47 lakh.

The sources said dishonest businessmen mix groundnut with mustard for producing mustard oil. The price of groundnut is cheaper than the mustard, the sources added.

The elite force also picked up two employees of the godown. But its owner managed to flee the scene, sensing the presence of RAB.

The arrested are Niranjan Chandra Roy, son of late Narayan Chandra Roy of Boalia Purbapara village and Promoth Chandra Mahanta, son of Prollad Chandra Mahanta of Param Kamar village in Gobindaganj upazila.

Later, UNO of Gobindaganj Kabir Al-Asad and OC Mosarraf Hossain sealed off the godown in the presence of the RAB.

A case was filed with Gobindaganj police in this connection under the Special Power Act, the sources said.