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Acute crisis of ice hits preservation of Hilsha fish in coastal region

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Hundreds tons of Hilsha fishes worth lakhs of taka being rotten due to acute crisis of ice production.

Power supply crisis created this situation and in recent days average hundred maunds Hilsha thrown in to the sea or river estuaries or concealed under earth after became rotten due to shortage of ice supply, said the Hilsha fishing related businessmen and fishermen.

Nishit Kumar Karmakar, assistant general manager of Patuakhali Palli Biddut Samity, acknowledging the facts said they average receive only one third supplies of the demand and so ice factories could not run to produce sufficient ice needed for preservation and processing of Hilsha fish.

As for example he said that Mohipur fishing port under Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali , one of the largest Hilsha wholesale center of the region daily need average 3 megawatts power supply, but getting only one megawatt.

Sources of the different parts of the Kalapara ,Patharghata, Daulatkhan-Charfession coastal fishing areas of Patuakhali ,Barguna and Bhola districts and wholesale market of Barisal city said daily production of ice in the local factories of the areas decreased to 3000-3500 cans against the minimum demands of 17 thousand cans per day. Situation is so grievous that deep sea fishing is stalled and fishes worth Tk. 40 lakhs became rotten and destroyed or thrown to sea or estuary since last week.

Golam Mustafa Chowdhury, advisor of Barguna district trawler owners association said 19 ice factories of Patharghata coastal area now can supply only highest one thousand cans of ice per day against the demands of 9 thousand cans per day due to lack of sufficient power supply.

About 8 cans ice for daily fishing and about 20 cans ice for weekly fishing are needed by per fishing trawler, he added.

Ebaidul Huq Chan, president of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industries, director of FBCCI and one of the leader of Mohipur-Kuakala ice factory syndicate said due to load shedding and low voltages of electricity supply, production of ice became almost stopped.

Yusuf Sikder, leader of the fishing businessmen association of Barisal, said to preserve and export Hilsha fishes, now we are collecting ice from Khulna by truck which costs more than Tk. 400 per can of ice and in this situation profit would never be possible.

It may be mentioned that at present daily only 10-15 megawatts power are supplied against the demand of more than 80 megawatts in the southern region and besides daily 11-13 hours load shedding, problems of low voltages being continued day after day, cause serious damages and losses of industrials production, business and house hold activities.

Call to enhance food production by maximum utilising arable lands

BSS, Gaibandha

An opinion exchange meeting on rising food production and electing honest and competent candidates, including the prevention of terrorism and corruption, was held at the auditorium of Sundarganj upazila parishad of the district on Thursday.

The meeting was organised for creating awareness among the people about the issues.

District information office organised it as part of countrywide special motivational campaign of the directorate of mass communication under the ministry of information. UNO M. Barad Hossain Chowdhury addressed the meeting as the chief guest and district information officer (acting) Sabiha Akter Lucky delivered the welcome speech. Presided over by M. Nurunnabi Pramanik Saju, mayor of Sundarganj pourasabha, the meeting was also addressed, among others, by Upazila Agriculture Officer M. Safaet Hossain, Upazila Social Services Officer M. Akram Hossain, Upazila Women Affairs Officer Shahnaj Akter, UP Chairman Mozharul Islam and journalist Habibur Rahman.

The speakers at the meeting said the quantity of cultivable and arable land is decreasing day by day due to various reasons like river erosion and building of roads, houses and other establishments.

They urged all to enhance the production of different kinds of high yielding crops, including paddy, by maximum utilising the arable lands.

They also laid emphasis on electing honest, competent and acceptable candidates in coming polls for the overall development of the country.

A good number of people including upazila level government officials, local elite, NGO workers, public representatives and journalists attended the meeting.

Ctg BNP observes hunger strike demanding release of Khaleda Zia

BSS, Chittagong

Chittagong north district unit of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday observed hunger strike demanding unconditional release of the party chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman. A good number of party leaders and workers participated in the programme began at 10 a.m. at Chittagong Press Club auditorium and ended at 2.30 p.m.

A rally on this occasion was held at same venue with unit president and the party's central economic affairs secretary Golam Akbar Khondaker in the chair.

It was addressed, among others, by former lawmaker Begum Rozy Kabir, Vice Chancellor of International Islamic University, Chittagong, Dr. Mohammad Mahbub Ullah, former VC of Islamic University, Kushtia, Dr. Muhammad Inam-ul-Haque, BNP south district unit president Ahmad Khalil Khan, north district unit secretary Prof. Younus Chowdhury and south district unit joint secretary Prof. Sheikh Mohammad Mohiuddin.

Addressing the rally, the speakers demanded of the government to release unconditionally former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia in a bid to create a neutral and congenial atmosphere for all political parties to participate in the upcoming national election.

They also called upon the government to free the detained party joint secretary general Tarique Rahman immediately and send him abroad for proper treatment.

UZ Edn Foundation established in Gaibanda

BSS, Gaibandha

Sadullapur Upazila education foundation has been established on August 26 aimed at developing the standard of education at Secondary and higher secondary levels in the Upazila.

A meeting was held at the conference room of upazila Parishad of the district on Tuesday with UNO Abdul wahed in the chair.

The meeting was addressed among others by upazila secondary education officer (USEO) Abdul Momin Mondal, principal Zakaria Khandaker, journalist Tajul Islam Reza, up chairman Khademul Islam Khudi, head master Ersad Ali, Madrasha super Fazlul Kati and Mostafizur Rahman.

Later, a 37 member committee headed by UNO as president and USEO general secretary of the foundation was formed in the meeting unanimously.

Many recommendations were also adopted in the meeting. The recommendation include the selection of the best institute and its head and then prize distribution among them.

Workshop on women education held in Rajbari

BSS, Rajbari

A workshop on 'Women Education' for raising awareness among the women was held at Shilpakala Academy here on Friday.

Department of District Secondary and Higher Secondary organised the workshop.

Director of Secondary stipend project Mohammad Afzal Hossain attended the workshop as the chief guest while Deputy Director (Administration) Abdul Hye Talukder and Additional Deputy Commissioner Pradip Ranjan Chakrabati were present as the special guests.

The speakers said women education is increasing day by day after introducing the education project. Admission of female education percentage raised 51 from 33 percent. They also said causes of dropout students should be identified.

Under the project a total of 300 students, parents and officials were present on the occasion.

One injured in BSF firing at Hatibandha border

BSS, Lalmonirhat

A Bangladeshi youth was seriously injured when Border Security Force (BSF) of India opened gunfire on him at Banchowki frontier under Hatibandha upazila in the district on Wednesday afternoon, official sources said.

The sources said patrolling BSF personnel of Dhumerkhata camp under 46 BSF Battalion fired at Mantu Mian, 30, son of Anwar Hossain of the same area while he was mistakenly crossing the international border near boundary pillar no 908.

Mantu was seriously injured and he was rushed to Hatibandha Upazila Health Complex by local people and later, he was shifted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

Authorities of Banchowki outpost of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) lodged strong protest against the BSF firing and injuring the Bangladeshi citizen, the sources said.

Founding anniversary of community police observed in Chandpur

BSS, Chandpur

The founding anniversary of Chandpur Community police was observed on August 24.

On the occasion a procession was brought out from Hasan Ali High School ground.

A meeting of the cross section of people was also held at Chandpur Club presided over by Md. Obaidur Rahman Khan, police super and chief adviser of Chandpur Community police. Md. Jabed Patwary, Additional Inspector General of police attended the meeting as the chief guest.

The meeting was addressed, among others, by Dr Md. Ruhul Amin, Md. Ashrafuddin, police super of Lakkhipur, Md. Shahidul Haque, DIG Chittagong range, Md. Quamruzzaman Chowdury, Prof. Mohammad Hossain Khan,

130 vials intoxicating injections recovered in Barisal

Our Correspondent, Barisal

A team of Rapid Action Battalion in plain cloth and disguise of customers recovered 130 ampoules of intoxicating injections from Majumdar Pharmacy at Port area of the city and arrested shop owner Pintu Majumdar in this connection on Monday evening.

Lt.Com. Mamunur Rashid, official of RAB-8 said that that the recovered injections included 15 morphine, 60 Phenaric, 45 Avil and 10 Sedil brands.

The medicine trader would be handed over to police after interrogation for illegal drug peddling by selling intoxicated injections without prescription, the RAB official assured.