The New Nation - Internet Edition

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 fertilizers. Compost fertiliser is seen piled up on the yards of many farmers in the district.

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

The two farmers said they do 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 substitute of the chemical fertilisers a senior official of Agriculture Extension Department (AED), Thakurgaon told the Correspondent that chemical fertiliser have one or two ingredients, but aslant requires at least 13 ingredients forts survival and proper growth.

He added that he 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 bemuse directly without mixing it with chemical fertilisers on certain Rabi and Aman crops and vegetable. From time immemorial, farmers have been using various kinds of fertiliser to increase productivity of their lands. In primitive age farmers sued 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 busing natural fertilisers.

BSS, Rajshahai

The Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA) have been implementing different need-based projects to improve the socio-economic conditions by increasing crop production side by side protecting the environment across the Barind area in northern Bangladesh.

Executive Director of the BMDA Engineer SM Abdul Mannan said here today that implementation of some good projects during the last two decades came out with desired crop production along with safe-drinking water, afforestation and concrete roads in the dried Barind region.

The BMDA already executed eight big projects by spending Taka 756.21 crores under its command areas in 25 upazilas of Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts from 1985-86 to 2003-04.

Now, they said, eight other projects are being implemented in Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts in addition to the 25 upazilas at an estimated cost of about Taka 744.81 crores since 2003-2004. More than half of the total works has been completed at a cost of Taka 358.97 crores while the rest is expected to be finished in phases by 2012.

After evaluating the success and the progress of the BMDA in irrigation management, it was given the responsibilities of rehabilitating all non-functional deep tubewells under the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) throughout the northern region.

The ongoing projects of BMDA include Barind rainwater conservation and irrigation, deep tubewells (DTWs) installation, command area development and training, rural road development, afforestation programme for ecological balance, quality seed production on farmers level, integrated area development Barind environmental balance restoration through afforestation.

Engineer Mannan said, execution of the projects had yielded a significant success in crop production including quality seed, creation of ecological balance, road communication and development of socio- economic condition leading to raising the standard of life and living of the targeted people.

Around 20.56 lakh tons of crops particularly rice including additional of 13.68 lakh metric tons valued at Taka 1108 crores are being produced in the region annually, he said.

Officials said, prior to the inception of BMDA, the number of DTWs was only 500 with total irrigated area of about 5,000 hectares. At that time, the farmers had to depend on the mercy of rainwater for crop production.

Now, they said, the number of DTWs is 10737 including 6029 with power connections in the command areas with the total irrigated area of 354232 hectares in the region.

Under the pond and canal-digging programme, they said, 2611 ponds and 415 kilometers of derelict canals were re- excavated making them fit for fish culture and irrigation. A total of 295 cross-dams have also been constructed to preserve surface water in the canals.

In addition to providing training to 53826 farmers on various need-based issues, more than 2.25 crore saplings of various trees were planted in the command area to protect environmental balance and meet the growing demands for fruits and timber in the region.

Out of the existing 1,200-kilometer kutcha roads in the three districts, 684.50 kilometers have so far been made concrete and the rest are expected to be completed in phases.

The officials also said that a Taka 99.40 crores project has been underataken to ensure safe drinking water for the Barind people through using the irrigation deep tubewells.

"Successful implementation of these projects is creating jobs for the unemployed people and also supplementing the government's efforts to ensure an environment-friendly weather in the region," the BMDA Executive Director said.

BSS, Rajshahi

The 6 Cavalry Battalion of Bangladesh Army has taken up 'Four Cow Rearing Projects' with special emphasis on motivating the mid-level families towards becoming self-reliant.

Talking to BSS here today, Second-in-Command of the battalion Major Kawser Ahmed said the main objective of these projects is to offer a scope to such families, encouraging them to become self-reliant for a decent living. The major outcomes of such projects will be milk, meat, organic fertiliser, bio-gas plants and self-employment. Besides, he said, each farm will rear four milching cows to establish small dairy farms.

Concerned government organisations working at the field level are being motivated to assist the target families to develop confidence among themselves, so they eventually become small scale business community in their respective areas. To make this effort a success, a series of views-exchange sessions were held with the lending agencies, local Administration and NGOs for reducing the gap between these organisations and the targeted families willing to take up this venture.

BSS, Bogra

A divisional Mathematics Festival was inaugurated by Deputy Commissioner Moham-mad Humayun Kabir at Zilla School field in the town on Friday.

The function organised by Bangladesh Mathematics Olympiad Committee.

A total of 900 trainees with their parents from 85 educational institutions from Pabna, Bogra, Joypurhat and Sirajganj took part in the festival.

A discussion, beautiful drama, songs and recitation from poems were included in the festival.

Principal of Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Dr Maudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel, former Head Master of Bogra Zilla School Tazmilur Rahman, State University of Bangladesh Dean Professor Lutfuzzaman, Dr Zafor Iqbal, General Secretary of Astronomical Society F R Sarker, Lecturer Asiful Haq, Assistant Editor of the national daily Prathom Alo Farhad Mahmud spoke on the occasion.

Dacoit lynched in Jhenidah

JHENIDAH, Jan 7: A dacoit was killed in a mass beating in Kotchandpur Upazila in the district on Friday midnight. The deceased could not be identified. Police said when a gang of 10/12 bandits were taking preparation for committing robbery in a jewelry shop at Saddalpur Bazar local people caught three of them red handed. When one of the dacoits tried to flee away people gave him a good beating, leaving him dead on the spot. Police said the dacoits were members of inter-district dacoit gang, reports UNB.

Youth held with Yaba tablets

SAVAR, Jan 7: Members of RAB-4, in separate drives, arrested four drug peddlers along with Yaba tablets, heroin and phensidyl syrup from the upazila and Dhaka city on Friday night. RAB sources said they arrested Baker, Babul Hossain and Nasiruddin from in front of Baghdad Shopping Complex in Mirpur area of the capital city and seized 70 Yaba tablets and 50 grams of heroin from their possession, reports UNB.

Outlaw cadre held in Jhenidah

JHENIDAH, Jan 7: RAB personnel arrested an outlawed party cadre along with one revolver and two sharp weapons from Paglakani area in the town On Wednesday. Acting on a tip-off, RAB-6 members raided the area in the evening and held outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party activist Abdul Alim and recovered the revolver and sharp weapons from his possession. Police said Abdul Alim was wanted in a number criminal cases, reports UNB.

2 hurt in terrorist attack

RAJBARI, Jan 7: Two people, including an advocate, were seriously injured in an attack by terrorists at Jona village in Pangsha Upazila on Wednesday night. Family source said a gang of terrorists, numbering 8/9 swooped on Advocate Biswajit Kumar and his neighbour Monojit Kumar and beat and stabbed them indiscriminately when they were watching sugarcane crushing near their house at about 9 PM, leaving them seriously injured, reports UNB.

Illegal drugs destroyed

COMILLA, Jan 7 : Members of 33 riffles battalion of the Bangladesh Riffles (BDR) destroyed a huge quantity of illegal drugs in the district's Cotbari camp on Thursday. BDR sources said the drugs included 9,665 bottles of phensidyl, wines, beers, medicine, syrups and ganja those were seized from the border areas in the district, reports BSS.

Snatchers held

BRAHMANBARIA, Jan 7: Police in separate drives arrested five snatchers from different areas under Sadar upazila in the district on Friday, police said. The arrested were identified as Sohel, 22, Faiz Mia, 35, Kawser, 20, Yakub 22, and Shahajalal. They were sent to jail, reports BSS.