The New Nation - Internet Edition

Gaibandha farmers expect bumper T-Aman production

Our Correspondent, Gaibandha

The cultivation of T-Aman paddy has exceeded its target in the district during the current season.

Office sources said department of agriculture extension (DAE) fixed a target to bring 1,20,000 hectares of land under T-Aman cultivation in all the seven upazilas in the district this year with the production target of 3,11,900 metric tonnes of rice.

The target of cultivation has exceeded bringing more 2,250 hectares of land under this programme. The vast tracts of land have taken a new look by this time as the paddy has begun to ripe. The farmers will start the harvest of the paddy very soon, source said.

17,350 hectares of land have been brought under T-Aman farming in Sadar upazila, 14650 in Sadullpaur upazila, 13,000 in Palashbari upazila, 31,000 in Gobindagonj upazila 20,750 in Sundargonj upazila 13,500 in Shaghata upazila and 9750 in Fulchhari upazila of the district.

BADC, BMDA and DAE supplied fertilsers, seeds, pesticides and other necessary inputs at fair prices among the farmers to make the programme a sources, said ANM Mizanur Rahman Aman, Deputy Director of DAE.

Heroin worth about Tk 50 lakh seized in Khulna

Khulna Correspodent

BDR recovered 500 grams of heroin worth about Tk 50 lakh from a compartment of an Inter-city train here on Saturday.

BDR source said acting on a secret information a team of BDR Khulna sector led by Major Azhar raided an Inter-City train-Kopotakha plying between Khulna and Rajshahi on Saturday afternoon.

After embarkation of passengers at Khulna railway station, the team in a thorough search in the compartment No 3,4 & 5, recovered 500 grams of heroin concealed in a packet from the roof of a toilet. The heroin was smuggled from India through Rajshahi border, source added.

JS Polls-’08: Jhalakathi-1: Momtaj seeks nomination from BNP

Momtaj Begum, JCD leader will seek nomination from BNP from Jhalakathi-1 Constituency (Jhalakhati-Rajapur-Kathalia) in the upcoming election. Recently she expressed his wishes after sharing opinion with her close associates, says a press release.

Momtaj was born in an aristocratic Muslim family. The ancestors of her mother was Zaminders and her father was a high official of the police department. She is involved in different political and socio-cultural activities from her student life. She contested parliament election from women reserved seat in 2001. She also played key role in Barisal Division Implementation Movement. She is well known to the people of Rajapur-Kathalia. In the last parliament election she submitted nomination form from BNP. But the election was postponed. She seeks blessings from all.

Vegetable growers deprived of fair price for lack of cold storage in Shariatpur

UNB, Shariatpur

Vegetable growers are deprived of fair prices of their produce due to lack of cold storage facility in the district.

A large chunk of the produce is taken to different areas of the country by local traders during the peak harvesting season buying at virtually throwaway prices because farmers do not have any cold storage facility.

Farmers said most of the vegetables of the district are produced in Jajira upazila. They said various types of vegetables including, cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, carrot and bean are produced in Palerchar, Laukhola, Ganganagar, Kauadi, Duboldia, Borokandi, Krishnanagar and Kunderhcar areas of the upazila in huge quantity. But the farmers have to sell their produce to the middlemen and traders at nominal prices for lack of preserving facilities of the perishable items.

Jajira pourashava mayor Abdul Haque said the farmers could change their lot with the establishment of a cold storage in the upazila.

Snake found at RU IBS dormitory

RU Correspondent

A poisonous snake was found at Institute of Bangladesh Studies (IBS) dormitory of Rajshahi University (RU) campus on Friday night which create a panic among the researchers.

Sources said, IBS researcher Kamruzzman first found a five to six feet long poisonous snake (Gokra) rounded at ground floor of the IBS dormitory and shouting.

Hearing the shouting, others researchers, employees and IBS night guard rushed to the spot with bamboo and wood sticks and killed the poisonous snake. After the incident, a snake panic was gripped among the IBS researchers.

Farhad Ahmed, a researcher of IBS told the reporters that earlier we killed a poisonous snake at the dormitory and later we informed the authorities but till they did not take any step in this regard.

'If the IBS authorities did not take any measure to prevent poisonous snake enter in IBS dormitory then we will launch a tougher movement against the authorities', he also said.

When contacted IBS director Prof Abul Baser Mia, said we will take necessary steps in this regard immediately.

Earlier, PhD and MPhil fellows under IBS of RU submitted a memorandum to RU acting vice chancellor Prof Mamnunul Keramat demanding immediate increase amount of fellowship and take necessary steps against poisonous snake enter at the dormitory.

Nashir wants to contest Rupganj Upazila poll

Our Correspondent, Rupganj

Nashir Uddin Ahmed, son of Hazi Nur Uddin Ahmed, a leading industrialist and Vice-Chairman of Hazi Nur Uddin Ahmed High School has expressed firm determination to work for the mass people it he is elected as Chairman of the Rupganj Upazila Parishad. He has been working for the betterment of the mass people, especially for the distressed since long. He is committed to stand against all kinds of corruption and anomalies. He stated that if people elect him he would sacrifice his life for the welfare of the common people who are deprived and distressed.

Besides he expressed that he would keep achievement of the infrastructure development of the remote places of the Upazila including roads and canals and he would take steps to check effluents which damage crops of thousands of acres in this upazila. He has already started mass contact elsewhere in the upazila. He seeks blessing from all.

Massive onion farming programme in N-region

BSS, Rangpur

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has fixed a target of producing 3,85,200 tonnes onion from 64,200 hectares of land in the country's 16 northern districts.

Sources said the DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) and a number of NGOs have taken necessary steps to make the onion cultivation a success in the region.

Under the programme, 1,900 hectares of land will be brought under onion farming each in Rangpur and Gaibandha, 700 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 1,000 hectares each in Nilphamari and Kurigram, 3,000 hectares in Dinajpur, 800 hectares in Thakurgaon and 1,600 hectares in Panchagarh districts in Rangpur Agriculture Zone.

Similarly, a total of 52,300 hectares of land will be brought under onion farming in other eight districts of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogra and 1,389 hectares in Joypurhat districts under Rajshahi Agriculture Zone this season.

Adequate training, technical assistances, inputs, high quality imported and locally produced seeds and agri-loans are being provided to the farmers under a number of programmes of different government and non-government organisations.

The sources said the special steps, taken in recent years to produce onion during the summer and winter seasons, helped increasing onion production to keep the price of this spicy crop within tolerable limit.

Similar steps have been taken to increase production of onion in the current Rabi season, deputy director of DAE of the Rangpur Agriculture Zone Office, Nur Mohammad said. Senior agro-experts with the DAE, BADC and BARI said onion import would be reduced further next year if its production target was achieved.

Body recovered in Rangamati

UNB, Rangamati

Police recovered an unidentified male body aged about 30/35 from Kaptai Lake at Kaptai upazila of the district on Thursday.

On information, police rushed to paper house of Kharnafully Paper Mills (KPM) at around 11.30 am at the area and recovered the body. A murder case was filed with Kaptai Police Station in this connection.

Deworming programme held in Mymensingh

Our Correspondent, Mymensingh

Anti-Helminth Control Programme was held in a befitting manner in Mymensingh. In Mymensingh the Anti-Helminth launching programme began from Mymensingh Zilla School on Nov.1. Civil Surgeon Dr SM Shamsul Alam inaugurating the progrmame at Mymensingh Zilla School feeding Anti helminth tablet to children. All the schools of the district are feeding Anti helminth tablet to school children.

News Briefs

Madrasha teacher killed in Paglapeer

RANGPUR, Nov 18: A madrasha teacher was killed and another person injured in a road accident at Paglapeer Bus Stand on the Rangpur-Dinajpur highway under Sadar upazila on Saturday evening, police sources said. The accident took place when a Dinajpur bound passenger bus from Rangpur hit a motorcycle from behind. Driver of the motorcycle and madrasha teacher Shahidul Islam, 45, of village Mominpur under Sadar upazila in Rangpur was killed on the spot and co-rider Saidul Islam, 55, of the same village, was injured, reports BSS.

BSF hands over 4 Bangladeshis to BDR in Panchagarh

PANCHAGARH, Nov 14: Indian BSF troops handed over four Bangladeshi citizens to BDR jawans after the expiry of their jail term at Giragaon border in Atowari upazila on Thursday. They are - Salema Khatun, 50, wife of Istab Ali and their son Saheb Ali, 10, of Geruadangi village in Haripur upazila of Thakurgaon district, Ali Akbar, 25, son of Kayes Ali of Bagantola village of the same upazlia and Firoza Akhter, 20, wife of Hasen Ali of Singarul village of Pirganj upazila. BDR said that Indian police earlier arrested these trespassers and sent them to jail as they entered illegally into India in different times, reports UNB.

One sentenced to 14 years for smuggling foreign currencies

SATKHIRA, Nov 14: A tribunal here Thursday convicted a man and sentenced him to 14 years rigorous imprisonment on charge of smuggling foreign currencies. The convict, Nazmul Haque, 40, son of Imdadul Haque of Nalkura village in Sadar upazila, was also fined Tk 50,000, in default, to face one year RI more. According to the prosecution, a team of BDR, led by a Magistrate, raided a shop of the accused at Nazmul Sharani in the district town on April 12 last year and recovered currencies of US, Saudi Arabia, India, Malaysia, Canada, Kuwait, Sri Lanka, Qatar and Bangladesh worth Tk 7 lakh from the shop and the residence of his father-in-law, reports UNB.