The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Patuakhali

All activities of the Patuakhali District Sports Association have come to a standstill due to the failure in forming an ad hoc committee within 90 days.

Deputy Commissioner AGM Mir Masiur Rahman, President of the Patuakhali District Sports Association dissolved the executive body by virtue of his rank in presence of 60 councilors at the emergency annual general meeting held on August 3, 2007. The meeting took decision to form an Ad hoc Committee within a short time for the election of a new executive body. Deputy Commissioner demanded bio-data from 186 councilors for establishing transparency and accountability in the district sports association's activities. 33 councilors out of 186 submitted their bio-data. Deputy Commissioner has taken steps to clarify candidates' personal information, political connection, skills, experience, honesty and other activities. District Police Administration has already submitted DSB reports. But it is a matter of great regret that no adhoc committee has yet been formed. In the mean time 63 councilors submitted a written complain against acting secretary ANM Aminul Haque with the allegation of corruption, misuse of power, misbehaviour with sportsmen and give false information in bio-data. After taking charge as acting secretary of District Sports Association from February 4, 2007 he indulged in rampant corruption. For example, he sent a karate player (Black Belt) for taking part in Table Tennis Coaches Course (Level-1) at Narail in March 2007; purchased furniture without resolution of the executive body, signed on certificates of Table Tennis Training Course as the full-flagged secretary of DSA on 24th September 2007. He claimed in his bio-data to have passed the HSC examination but failed to show any certificate to the investigation officer.

From a reliable source, it is known that local influential persons are giving protection to ANM Aminul Haque. The Chairman of National Sports Council and Chief of the Army Gen. Moeen U Ahmed has declared that any corruption would not be tolerated in the sports arena. The present caretaker government has taken steps against corruption. In this situation, all sportsmen, organisers and sports lovers of Patuakhali district urged to protect the sports arena and immediately take necessary action against corrupt practices of Aminul Haque.

Elected General Secretary Mr. Bakhtiar Uddin Murad said this correspondent that he is absent from DSA due to pressures from the elite after the 1/11. Taking advantage of this, ANM Aminul Haque took charge of DSA as acting secretary and brought down its image to zero.

Deputy Commissioner and President of Patuakhali District Sports Association informed this correspondent that an adhoc committee would be formed within this month.

BSS, Rangpur

The sowing of maize seeds is getting momentum in all 16 districts of the country's northern region a little ahead of the traditional sowing period where an all-time record cultivation target has been fixed this season.

Sources said the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the record target of producing 7,86,602 tonnes maize from 1,35,155 hectares of land in the region that is 67.65 percent of the whole national target during this season.

The national target of producing 11,63,418 tonnes of maize from two lakh hectares in all 64 districts has been fixed this year in the country, DAE officials said.

Large-scale maize farming has changed the fate of hundreds of poor people on the sandy-barren char lands in recent years and the farmers, including the flood-hit peasants, are preparing for farming the cash crop on more lands this year under the ongoing post-flood agri-rehabilitation programmes, the officials said.

DAE experts said cultivation of maize on vast abandoned and sandy-char lands and in dried-up beds of the rivers and their tributaries in the region brought about a revolutionary change to the poor farmers and unemployed youths during the past two consecutive years.

Besides, adequately favourable soil, climatic and topographic conditions and increasing poultry feed industries have encouraged the farmers to grow maize to a greater extent to earn more profits through farming of the cash crop, the experts said.

The flood-hit farmers in the char areas are bringing huge sandy-barren lands under maize farming for the third consecutive time this year as they got tremendous yield of the cash crop and its fair prices during the past two seasons, Deputy Director of the DAE, Rangpur, Kamal Shariful Alam told BSS.

BSS, Rajshahi

The mighty Padma River and its tributaries are drying up due to unilateral withdrawal of water from its upstream points.

Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) sources said the river is not getting its due share of waters according to the 30-year Ganges Water Sharing Treaty between Bangladesh and India.

The sources said, with a rapid fall in the stream inflow the water level is gradually inching towards its lowest mark as the dry season approaches. A large number of big shoals have emerged in the riverbed and its mainstream has been split into numerous tiny and small confluences.

Concerned experts said the entire northern and southern regions of the country, particularly the vast tract of Barind area, are facing ecological imbalance due to the adverse impact of the gradual drying up of the river that is also detrimental to aquatic vegetation.

Talking to BSS yesterday, BWDB officials said the water level has been declining in a greater proportion this season in comparison with the last couple of years. In addition to the existing numerous ones, more big shoals might be emerged within the next few weeks in the riverbed.

Various types of crops especially Irri-boro paddy and maize are being cultivated on the riverbed. The small rivers and tributaries of the Padma are also drying up due to the withdrawal of water at Farakka Barrage.

BWDB officials informed that the water level began falling in the middle of September last and it was 17.80 metre in that month. The water level dropped to 15.74 metre on September 26 and to 15.39 metre and 13.49 on October 15 and 31 last respectively.

After analysing the decreasing trend, the experts expressed their apprehension that if the current trend continues the water level will drop to 10 meter by the end of this month. The declining condition will continue until the monsoon begins in June next that will lead the entire northern and southern regions to a more disastrous situation.

Meanwhile, the ground water table has been lowering in the vast tract of Barind area with the reduction of water level in the Padma river resulting in non-functioning of most of the hand-driven tubewells.

The sources said the then Indian government had experimentally commissioned the Farakka Barrage in 1975 for discharging 40,000-cusec Ganges water to Bhagirathy-Hoogly River and since then the Ganges water is being withdrawn unilaterally. As a result, Bangladesh has been facing a dangerous environmental degradation.

BSS, Sirajganj

A coordination and views sharing meeting on preparation of voter list with photographs and national identity cards was held at the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner here on Sunday.

With Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ibrahim Khalil in the chair, the meeting was attended by officials of the civil and military administrations, local elite, NGO activists, teachers, journalists and district election commission officials.

It was decided in the meeting that the election working group will organise several programmes including bringing out processions on November 26 and December 8 in the Pourasabha areas for raising awareness among the eligible voters so that they extend wholehearted cooperation in the process of preparing voter list.

Data collectors and supervisors will be provided with necessary training on November 21 and they will start visiting door-to-door to collect necessary information of the voters from November 28.

Data entry, photographs and fingerprints will be taken at the registration centers in the Pourasabha areas on December 9 next.

BSS, Narsingdi adds: After completion of data collection in the Ghorasal Pourasabha, the technical units of the army has started taking photographs and fingerprints of the voters on Sunday.

Brigadier General Mozammel Hossain inaugurated the project at Ghorasal Power Development Board High School as the chief guest while Deputy Commissioner of Narsingdi Zillur Rahman chaired the function.

Among others, commanding officer of local army camp Lt. Colonel Jahangir Hossain, Police Super Shahabuddin Khan, district election officer Abul Kalam Mollah, Polash UNO Ishrath Hossain Khan, upazila election officer Ataur Rahman and Narsingdi Press Club President Abdur Rahman Bhuiyan were present.

The chief guest, in his speech hoped that preparation of voter list with photographs and national identity cards will be completed smoothly in the Pourasabha areas.

Twenty centers have been set up in nine Wards of the Pourasabha for smooth functioning of the process.

Our Correspondent, Chittagong

Many of the Departments of Chittaagong University are moving faster to address the lapses it suffered because of the unscheduled closure out" of political violence.

The university was trapped into a six-month session jam by now. It may skip the session jam if the current pace of its operation remains unhampered.

While visiting several departments the correspondent found that the students of different academic sessions were busy with their scheduled classes and examinations.

A second year student of session jam hit Communication and Journalism Department told that they were surprised to hear the news of holding exams of second year, final year and post graduation one after another.

"Course teachers seem to be more sincere about taking part the lecture sessions and holding examinations after opening the campus on October 24," he added.

The major session jam hit departments of the university are English, Bangla, Communication and Journalism and Marketing Department.

Voter list preparation

The preparation of voter list with photographs and national identity cards has began at Ashuganj upazila in the district on Sunday. Deputy Commissioner of Brahmanbaria Mohammad Abdul Hai inaugurated the registration of voters on the premises of local Labour Welfare Centre. After completion of data collection, taking of photographs and fingerprints has been started at eight unions of the Upazila, reports BSS.

3 killed in road accident

SAVAR, Nov 15: Three people were killed and 40 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a fertiliser-laden truck near Bishail bus stand on Dhaka-Aricha highway early Tuesday. One of the deceased was identified as Mohor Ali while two others could not be identified. Sources said when a Dhaka bound bus from Rangpur collided with a truck at about 4.30 AM three people died on the spot. The injured were rushed to various hospitals, reports UNB.

Two killed

PABNA, Nov 15: Two employees of Islamic Foundation were killed and 10 others injured as a bus rammed into a motorcycle at Kalikapur on Pabna-Iswardi highway Tuesday. The dead were-Anwar Hossain,30, hailed from Iswardi upazila of the district and Rustam Ali, 35, of Kushtia district. Police said a bus dashed a motorcycle when the two employees of Islamic Foundation were going to visit their project boarding the motorcycle, killing both of them on the spot at about 8.30 AM. Three of the injured were rushed to Ishwardi Health Complex. A case was filed, reports UNB.

Rabi crop

cultivation

PABNA, Nov 15: Department of Agriculture Extension has set a target to cultivate rabi crop on 2 lakh hectares of land in the district this season. A source in local Agriculture Office said the growers have started cultivating pulses, winter vegetables and onions and preparing their lands for sowing boro paddy and wheat. The source also said that there is no crisis of fertilizer in the district this season. The break up of cultivable lands are as follows: boro paddy-64,700 hectares, wheat-30,000 hectares, pulses-42,000 hectares, mustard-23,000 hectares, vegetables-16,000 hectares, onion-24,000 hectares and nut--500 hectares, reports UNB.

One killed by brother in Pabna

PABNA, Nov 15: A man, sustained severe head injuries at a village in Bhangra upazila on Sunday night, died at a hospital in Sirajganj on Monday. The deceased was identified as Arshed Alam, 33, of village Hat Udunia in Bhangra upazila. Local sources said Arshed's elder brother Abul hit him on his head with a stick following a family feud at about 10pm Sunday, leaving Arshed seriously injured. Arshed was admitted to Enayetpur Hospital of neighbouring Sirajganj district where he died on Monday morning, reports UNB.

Valuables looted

DINAJPUR, Nov 15: Dacoits looted valuables worth over Tk two lakh from a house at Dhantola in Setabganj uapzila Sunday. Sources said a gang of 30/35 bandits entered the house of Setabganj pour chairman Omar Faruq by breaking the door at dead of night and looted cash Tk 30,000, seven tolas of gold and other valuables at gun point. As Omar Faruq informed the local people about the robbery the villagers chased the bandits while they were fleeing. But the robbers managed to flee away exploding four cocktails. A case was filed, reports UNB.