The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Rajshahi

Short supply of urea and paucity of other necessary fertilizers may affect cultivation of the high-quality Taherpuri variety of crops like potatoes, onions, mustard and wheat in areas around Taherpur river-port wholesale market. Moreover, many farmers who are preparing for boro paddy farming also said they got in trouble for scanty supply of fertilizers. This is the prime time of the season for cultivating the spices and other crops mentioned above, they said adding that it requires DAP, TSP and Potash fertilizers besides urea.

These crops are grown in huge quantities particularly in Durgapur and Bagmara upazilas and parts of Puthia and Naldanga upazilas surrounding Taherpur bazaar, now a municipal market, where traders from across the country gather on two hat days-Friday and Monday. Farmers of Durgapur and Bagmara upazilas are facing acute fertilizer crisis in cultivating rabi crops, including potatoes, onions, pulses and wheat, as supply of fertilizer is quite insufficient. Even the growers have to buy different types of fertilizers at exorbitant prices.

Farmers said if immediate steps are not taken to ensure adequate supply of fertilizer the target of boro paddy and rabi crops cultivation won't be achieved here this season.

Visiting some markets of Taherpur, Durgapur, Mohanganj Bagmara and Bhabaniganj this correspondent found that DAP fertilizer was being sold only in one or two shops at exorbitant prices while TSP and Potash remained out of the market.

Ayub Ali a farmer of Ratu village in Durgapur upazila said he was facing problems in cultivating boro paddy and other rabi crops in his 30 bighas of land due to acute fertilizer crisis.

BSS, Rangpur

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) distributed huge quantity of seeds and fertilisers among 152 small and marginal farmers of Pirgachha Upazila under the post-flood agriculture rehabilitation programme on Sunday.

Officials said a total of 187 kg mustard seeds, 81 kg vegetables seeds, 258 kg maize seeds, 480 kg lentil seeds, 39 tonnes urea fertilisers, 29 tonnes TSP, 20 tonnes MOP fertilisers were distributed among the flood-hit small and marginal farmers in the Upazila. Deputy Director of DAE, Rangpur Kamal Shariful Alam distributed the seeds as the chief guest in a simple ceremony orgainsed on the occasion on the premises of Pirgachha Upazila Parishad.

Pirgacha UNO Gautam Kumar, Upazila Agriculture Officer Anowaruzzaman, Agriculture Extension Officer Samir Chandra Ghose, all UP chairmen from nine UPs in the upazila, upazila level government officials and elite were present on the occasion.

Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

25 persons were killed, 55 persons were injured, about 10,000 kutcha and semi pucca houses were damaged and 15,000 kutcha and semi pucca houses were partially damaged and 50,000 acres standing Boro, onion and vegetables seedbeds were totally and partially damaged by cyclone Sidr in five upazilas in Gopalganj district on Thursday night.

Police said three persons died in Gopalganj Sadar Upazila are Mohitunnessa (45) Parvin (12) and Arati (12), 16 persons of Kotali para are died Abul Kalam (45), Kaium (18), Reaz (12), Ribati Rani (75), Shiuli Bairagi (23), Bali (32), Baruali (32), Yakub (35), Kuti Halder (11), Eshabul (17), Bhanu Bibi (30), Armila (32), Atiar (40), Motier (22), Monikha (54).

Our Correspondent, Noagaon

Girl students in Naogaon district town have been facing a lot of inconveniences in the absence of transport facilities.

There are some girls high schools and one government women's college in the town. More than one thousand girl students of the town and its suburbs attend these institutions regularly. They come to their respectively educational institutions on foot after crossing a number of busy roads braving traffic jams and speedy movement of vehicles.

Reckless driving of buses and trucks and a number of rickshaws also create problems causing delay in reaching their institutions. But the pourashava authority has failed to take away any effective measure to ease the transport problems and arrange facilities for girl students.

Moreover, many girl students who walk to their respective institutions fall victims of eve teasers, it is alleged.

The guardians have urged the authorities to arrange transport facilities for the girl students of the town and its suburbs.

BSS, Narail

The devastating cyclone Sidr that lashed the country on Thursday night caused huge damage to standing crops in the district.

The most affected upazilas are Narail Sadar, Lohagara and Kalia where transplanted aman, vegetables, houses were completely and partially damaged and many trees were uprooted. Power supply to 439 villages under the Upazilas has remained snapped since Thursday night.

According to the control room of the district administration, a total of 7,146 houses in three affected upazilas were damaged while crops of a total of 10,000 hectares of land were also severely damaged.

Besides, 406 betel leaf grove were completely damaged in the cyclone. The volume of damage could be increased after the assessment is completed.

Raninagar Thana Police in a raid arrested eight persons recently. The arrested persons were identified as Yunus Ali (42), Upandra Nath Saha (65), Sabder Ali, Masood (25), Pasuram Majumder (62), Belal Mridha (58), Abdur Rahim (57) and Rezaul Islam.

They all were wanted by the court, and were handed over to the court.

The public arrested red-handed Chakman Midu (30), a haijacker and Khorsed Ali (35), a terrorist whose were handed over to the police.

Acting on a tip-off Naogaon Joint Forces led by Major Sanowar recovered one touchstone Shibalingas, weighting about 119 Kg 700 gram from Abdul Jalil's pond at Chakkanu village of Manda Upazila in the district on October 28, worth about one crore 19 lakh 70 thousand Taka. It was handed over to Manda thana.

A case was registered with the thana in this connection. So far, none has yet been arrested.

Local prominent educationalist Momtazur Rahman Moni (50), died at a Clinic in Dhaka on October 28. He was suffering from liver cancer.

He had been serving as headmaster and principal at Jogadal Adibashis school and College under Dhamoirhat "Upazila in the district toll his death. He was the Founder of the College. He left behind wife, 4 daughters and a host of relatives to mourn his death.

3 held, ganga

recovered

Narcotics control task force led by Mohadevpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Nazrul Islam on a campaign arrested three persons and recovered 11 bottles of Phensidyl, 500 gram ganja and two litre smuggled wine at Goshpara More on October 28.

The arrested persons were identified as Hafizur Rahman (25), son of Mozammel Master of Shibrampur, Abul Kalam (26) of Sana and Emran Ali (32), son of Sobhan Ali of Chak-Gabinda.

A case was registered with the thana in this connection.

Shankarpur village of Dhamoirhat upazila in Naogaon district has been suffering seriously for lack of rural electrification.

Local villagers urge the Caretaker Government and Upazila Administration to set up rural electrification soon at Shankarpur village.

If the rural electrification will be set up at this village, it will be developed in all ways.

Chittagong, Nov 18: A court here on Sunday sentenced four people to life term imprisonment for committing robbery and killing a man eight years ago. The 2nd Additional District and Sessions Judge Court also fined the convicts Tk 10,000 each, in default, to serve one year more in jail. The lifers are : Habibur Rahman Kalu, Abdul Alim, Nandan Babul and Abdul Halim. Of them, Nandan and Halim remained absconding. According to the prosecution, a gang of robbers looted Tk 40,000 in cash from a shop-Bismillah Aluminum- at Muradpur under Panchlaish thana on February 22, 1999. The robbers also shot dead shop manager Shambhu Sarkar as he tried to resist them. After the incident, shop owner Shahidullah Babul filed a case with respective police station. After investigation, police submitted chargesheet on June 30, 2000, reports UNB.

Savar, Nov 18: Body of an unidentified young man was recovered from Rajfulbaria Bazar area under Tetuljhora union here on Friday morning. Local people found the body of the young man aged about 20 and informed the police. Later, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body at 9am that bore several injury marks. The reason behind the murder could not be known. A case was filed, reports UNB.

Khulna, Nov 18: A listed terrorist was sentenced to 17 years rigorous imprisonment by a court here on Wednesday. The convict was identified as Mohammad Musa Mridha of Haji Ismail road area of the city. According to the prosecution, police on secret information arrested Musa from his residence on March 17, 2004 and recovered one revolver and two bullets from his bedroom. Later, a case was filed against him under Arms Act. After examining the records and eight witnesses Additional District and Sessions Judge M Nazrul Islam pronounced the verdict, reports UNB.

Rajshahi, Nov 18: Two women were arrested in Raninagar and Binodpur areas of the city for trying to register their names for the second time in the voter list on Saturday. In Raninagar, acting on a tip-off police arrested Sheuli Akter Banu while she was enrolling her name in the voter list at the registration centre of Goalia ward no. 22. In Binodpur area, police being tipped off arrested Rashida when she tried to enlist her name at the registration centre of Binodpur ward no. 30, reports UNB.

Jamalpur, Nov 18: Sugarcane crushing began in Jhil Bangla Sugar Mills here Friday with a target to produce 10,075 lakh mts of sugar by crushing 1.30 lakh sugarcane this fiscal (2007-2008). Chairman of Sugar and Food Industries Corporation Kabir M Ashraf Alam inaugurated the crushing at a simple ceremony by throwing cane on the cane carrier. The mill produced 7,437.50 metric tons of sugar by crushing 1.04 lakh metric tons of sugarcane last season. The mill incurred a loss of Tk 6.29 crore in the last fiscal year, officials said, reports UNB.