The New Nation - Internet Edition

OMS of rice begins in Barisal, decrease of price demanded

Our Correspondent, Barisal

The open market sale of rice begins in 40 upazilas of six southern districts of the Barisal division on Wednesday.

The poor and middle-income group people demanding increase of quota and decreasing of price have welcomed the programme as the price of the coarse variety has already shot up to between Tk 30 and 32 Tk per kilogram.

'The quality of rice is satisfactory, but the quota is not sufficient. My seven-member family needs 3kg rice every day. So, the government should increase the daily quota of rice and ensure its regular supply for the benefit of the poor,' said Nurunabi, a rickshaw puller to turn up at an OMS outlet at Port Road area of Barisal city at 10:45am on Wednesday.

'Actually, the consumers want to have better-quality rice in Ramzan, better than what is sold under the previous OMS programme. But the price is not much lower than the Tk 32 of coarse rice on the retail market', said Mawlana Shafiqullah, a madrasha teacher standing in queue of an OMS outlet at Kawnia area of the city.

However dealers at different markets in the city have expressed little enthusiasm for the ongoing OMS programme as their profit margin this year is less than last year's.

On other hand Barisal district controller of food Abu Naim Md. Shafiqul Alam said that dealerships of 9 out of 41 OMS dealers of the city named Rafikul Islam, Kazi Rafik, Kabir Howladar, Saem Talukdar, Mominul Huq, Md. Alaudin, Ripon Howladar, Sirajul Huq and Arun Dutta have been cancelled due to irregularities while number of dealers in the district has been increased from 63 to 79.

Barisal regional food controller Sukumar Chandra Roy said the government has introduced the OMS programme to stabilize the prices of rice in the market before Ramazan and Durga Puja and they have sufficient stock to run the programme smoothly in the region.

A total of 383 sale centers opened in Barisal division, including 32 in the Barisal city areas, 79 in Barisal district excluding city, 35 sale centers in Jhalakathi, 56 sale centers in Pirojpur, 66 sale centers in Patuakhali, 72 sale centers in Bhola and 43 sale centers in Barguna.

Every dealers of Barisal city will draw 765 kilograms of rice and every dealer of district, upazila or municipal town will draw 510 Kg of rice per day from the government warehouse at various places of the districts, the official sources said.

The dealers will purchase it for Tk 26.50. A dealer will get Tk 1.50 commission for selling one kg rice under the programme.

On the other hand, the government is providing about Tk 5 as subsidy for selling one kg of rice under the OMS programme, said the official.

A person can buy the highest amount of three kilograms of rice from a dealer at a time and 6,78,300 people would be benefited in Barisal division by selling of OMS rice at the rate of Tk 28 a kilogram.

Prices of paddy come down in Bogra as farmers achieved good harvest of Aush paddy

UNB, Bogra

The price of paddy has recently come down in the district as the farmers achieved a good harvest of Aush paddy this season.

At present Aush paddy is being sold between Tk 550 and Tk 600 per maund, which is Tk 50-60 less than the price some days back.

Hybrid Aush paddy also gained popularity and farmers cultivated the variety on vast areas of land this season. Local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said some 37,564 hectares of land were bought under Aush paddy cultivation exceeding the target of 26,120 hectares.

DAE sources said some 14,000 hectares were cultivated in Nandigram, 9,540 hectares in Sherpur, 3,040 hectares in Sariakandi, 3,000 hectares in Adamdighi, 2,250 hectares in Dhunot, 1,580 hectares in Shajahanpur, 1,400 hectares in Sonatola, 900 hectares in Gabtoli, 390 hectares in Shibganj and 185 in Dupchachia and 729 hectares in Sadar upazilas.

The DAE officials said they timely ensured supply of quality seeds, fertilizers and other necessary inputs at fair prices among the farmers to make the scheme a success.

River water being contaminated for jute processing in Narail

Our Correspondent, Narail

River water is being contaminated in Narail due to getting jute rotten in the water of the river Nabaganga and Chitra.

In the near past farmers of the locality used to get jute rotten in the beels, ditches, ponds and pools. But now these ponds are being filled up for making houses, some are being used to cultivate fish.

So, being helpless, farmers are rotting their jute in the river water. As a result river water is being contaminated and odoured.

A large number of people living on the both sides of the rivers cannot use the river water in their day-to-day works. Taking bath in the river is also becoming impossible.

Apart from these, the most horrible effect of the contamination is fishes of the rivers are dying off.

3 killed, 15 hurt in Netrakona road mishap

Our Correspondent, Netrakona

Three persons including a minor boy and an adolescent girl were killed on the spot and more than 20 persons were injured following a bus mishap that occurred at Sumaikhali area about 14 kilometres east off Netrakona district town on Wednesday. Police and witnesses said, the accident occurred when a speeding passenger bus carrying 35 to 40 passengers skidded off the road and fell into the road-side ditch after its driver lost control over the steering.

The bus was heading towards Atpara upazila sadar from Netrakona district town. Immediately after the mishap, local people and two separate rescue teams of Police and Fire Service personnel rushed to the scene and started rescue operation. The Sescue teams and local people recovered the injured passengers from inside the ill-fated bus and sent them to Atpara Health Complex for treatment. They also recovered three dead bodies from the bus which went under the canal water.

The three dead were identified as Minara Akter (25) and her minor son Munna (6 months) of village Agunahti and another

Meanwhile, the rescue teams with the help of local people also salvaged the ill-fated bus from under the water body. A case was recorded with Atpara upazila police station in this connection.

Scholarship distributed among brilliant students in Rupganj

A Correspondent, Rupganj

Marof Sharmin Smriti Sangsta of Rupganj in Narayanganj distributed Scholarship and Certificates among the talented students who got G.P.A-5 of the S.S.C and Dhakhil Examination held this year on 20th August last.

In this regard a reception was held at Hazi Eklasuddin Bhuiyan High School premises with Hazi Mozammel Hoq Bhuiyan, the Founder of the said high school and the mentioned Sangsta in the chair. A.M.A Rahman, Deputy Commissioner of Narayanganj District was the chief guest.

Kazi Shahadat Hossain A.D.C. and Md Abdul Majid A.D.C of the Narayanganj district among others, attended and addressed the meeting. later the chief guest distributed crests and certificates among a total of 110 talented students and Hazi Mozammel Hoq Bhuiyan handed over Taka 800/- each as scholarship money.

Aman production target may not be achieved due to price hike of fertilizer in Sherpur

UNB, Sherpur

Aman paddy production target may not be achieved in the district this season as the farmers cannot apply adequate fertilizer due to its abnormal price hike.

Sources said many farmers cultivated Aman paddy without applying essential fertilizers like TSP, MOP, DSP and SSP for their sky-rocketing prices.

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources a scheme has been taken up to bring 87,000 hectares of land under transplanted Aman cultivation in the district with a target to produce over 1.96 lakh metric tons of rice. They said the farmers so far cultivated 62,000 hectares.

The agri experts said that the target of production would not be achieved as many farmers failed to use essential chemical fertilizers on their lands. M Rafiqul Islam, deputy director of Department of DAE said a program has been taken to popularize compost manure among the small and marginal farmers to make up the deficit of the chemical manure.

Some farmers of Bhatshala village in Sadar upazila, Nabinagar area and Nalitabari upazila said they were compelled to transplant Aman on their land without using TSP, MOP and DSP fertilizers. They said they are now expecting to get 25-30 maunds of paddy in per acre against the 45-50 maunds last season.

They said per maund of TSP fertilizer is being sold at Tk 2900 against the previous price of Tk 800, MOP at Tk 2100 against Tk 600 and DSP at Tk 4000 against Tk 1200.

News briefs

Export-import thru’ Benapole land port suspended

BENAPOLE, Aug 21: Export-import activities between Bangladesh and India through the Benapole land port came to a halt Tuesday morning due to a dawn to dusk strike in West Bengal. CPM and other opposition parties enforced the strike protesting price-hike of essentials. CPM supporters stopped trade activities through the port in the morning. Customs cargo officer at Benapole land port Sikdar Mahbub informed that hundreds of trucks loaded with various goods, including perishables such as onion and fish, remained stranded on both sides of the frontier. He, however, said other activities of the land port are normal, reports UNB.

3 outlaws held with arms in Jhenidah

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Police official, dacoit injured in Kurigram

KURIGRAM, Aug 21: A police official and a dacoit ringleader were injured in a clash between them at South Banshjani village in Bhurungamari upazila on Monday. Police said acting on secret information, a team led by ASI Abdul Latif raided the house of notorious dacoit gang leader Hasu, 48, son of Muslim Uddin Munshi at dead of night. Sensing danger Hasu and his accomplices swooped on the law enforces leaving ASI Latif seriously injured. Later, police opened fire on the gang that left Hasu, 48, injured. Hasu and ASI Latif were admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Police said Hasu served three years in prison in a dacoity case. They said he was wanted in a number of robbery and other criminal cases, reports UNB.

Workshop on AIDS held in Jhalakati

JHALAKATI, Aug 21: A day long workshop on "Orientation of police officials on HIV/AIDS issue" was held at the office of police superintendent on Tuesday. A total of 26 police officials of the district took part in the workshop. District Police Superintendent M Shafiqur Rahaman attended the programme as chief guest while assistant police superintendent Uttam Kumar Paul as special guest. Padakkhep, a non government organisation organised the workshop with the financial assistance of Unicef and National Aids/STD programme (NASP), reports UNB.

Day labourer dies falling from running truck in Bagerhat

BAGERHAT, Aug 21: A day labourer died falling from a timber-laden truck at Katadura in Mollahat upazila Monday evening. The victim was identified as Saiful Molla, 28, of Singrai village in Chitalmari upazila. Police and witnesses said hit by a branch of a tree Saiful fell down from the speeding Dhaka bound truck and died instantly. Police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue for autopsy, reports UNB.

3 women held with phensidyl in Benapole

BENAPOLE (JESSORE), Aug 21: Police arrested three women drug peddlers along with 300 bottles of Indian phensidyl syrup at Navaran Bazaar here on Monday. Acting on a tip-off, a team of Sharsha thana police raided a Jessore-bound bus from Benapole and arrested Mani Begum, Amena Begum and Monwara Begum of Raipara area in Jessore town along with the phensidyl syrup, reports UNB.