The New Nation - Internet Edition

'Steps taken to ensure law and order ahead of JS, UZ polls’

Our Correspondent, Khulna

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Khulna Range Asaduzzaman Mia said the law & order and achievement of police would be upheld in any cost with the help of other law enforcing agencies at the time of forthcoming parliamentary and upazila polls.

Following a special drive launched by the police, Khulna Range in 2nd fortnight of the last month, DIG Asaduzzaman was speaking in a press briefing here at police conferece room on Wednesday.

Assuring about outlawed activities he said they are not at all in the possession of terrorising again in undeveloped and deprived southwestern region.

The achievement of police in ten districts of Khulna Division in a ten-day's special drive commenced from 19th October last was satisfactory and much better than the past, he said.

During the special drive total 8,8001 persons were arrested including 75 wanted member of outlaw parties and 929 warranted accuse. Total 16,073 bottles of Phensidyl, about one kg heroin, about 26-kg hashish and about 1500 liters of liqueur were recovered during the time. Total 275 cases were filed against arrested 3354 persons. Police of ten districts also recovered 75 different types of arms including rifles, revolver, shotgun, SMG, 126 rounds and 56 different types of explosives.

All the Superintendents of Police (SP), senior police officers of Khulna Range were present on the occasion. Twenty police personnel in 12 categories were rewarded for their outstanding performances during the fortnight drive.

Slaughtered body of adolescent boy recovered in Bagerhat

UNB, Bagerhat

Police recovered the slaughtered body of an adolescent boy at Gabgachhia village in Morelganj upazila on Wednesday afternoon.

The dead was identified as Ibrahim Sheikh, 15, son of Joynal Sheikh of Gabgachhia village. Police said Ibrahim, who went missing since Tuesday evening, might have been killed following a feud with one of his neighbours over buying a mobile phone. The body was sent to the Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Need for human resource dev urged

A Correspondent, Gazipur

A 10-day-long hand on training-workshop of marker-assisted breeding, sponsored by the Generation Challenge Programme in collabo1ation with the International Rice Research institute (IRRI), was inaugurated on Tuesday last at the Bangladesh Rice Resrach Institute (BRRI) in Gazipur.

BRRI Director General Dr Md Nur-e-Elahi and IRRI Senior Scientist Dr Abdelbagi Ismail attended the function as the chief and special guest respectively. Presided over by BRRI Director (Research) Dr M A Salam, IRRI Liaison Scientist Dr M A Hamid Miah and Dhaka University Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Dr Zeba Islam Seraj spoke on the occasion. Among others BRRI Director (Amin) Dr A W Julfiquar, BRRI Research Coordinator Dr Musherraf Hosain, IRRI Molecular Scientist Dr Michael Thomson, Heads of BRRI research divisions and senior officials attended the function.

Sixteen scientists and research fellows from BRRI, Dhaka University and Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) are participating in the training course.

Later, the chief guest along with special guest inaugurated the newly established Market-Assisted Selection Laboratory and Molecular Laboratory at the Plant Breeding Division of BRRI.

The speakers highlighted the importance of human resource development for the use of advanced technology like marker-assisted selection breeding for the development of rice varieties especially suitable for adverse conditions like salinity, flash flood, cold and drought in the context of climate change.

Phensidyl recovered in Munshiganj

A Correspondent, Munshiganj

Gazaria police of Munshiganj district recovered 1800 bottles of Phensidyl from an abandoned microbus on Wednesday from old Meghna ferry ghat area under Gazaria thana.

Police said, a Dhaka bound microbus (Dhaka Metro Cha-0052 with two passengers was heading to Dhaka at Baluakandi. ASI Billal of Gazaria police outpost tried to stop the car but the car began to move towards old Megana ferry ghat. Police also followed the car and found the car in an abandoned condition. Police unlocked the car and recovered 1800 bottles of banned Phensidyl from the car in presence of AC/Land Asaduzzaman Kabir who made the seizure list.

Police is trying to nab the culprits and took the car under custody. A case was filed with Gazaria thana in this connection.

Office-bearers of Jatiya Sangbadik Sangstha, Mymensingh elected

Our Correspondent, Mymensingh

Jatiya Sangbadik Sangstha, Mymensingh Unit accorded a reception 16 personalities at Zilla Parishad on 15th November. The Annual General Meeting was also held on the occasion. A 21-member committee was formed headed by Mizanur Rahman Mintoo as President and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mahedi as General Secretary. Citation Award and crest was given on the occasion. The offices bearer are as follows: Vice President Najimuddin, Aliq Aziz, Astt General Secretary Asaduzzaman Asad, Parthasarathe Sugha Appal (Organising Secretary), Saiful Islam Babul(Finance), Wohisul Islam Jewel (Publicity), Yousuf Khan Lyton (Office), Pradip Biswas (Sports) S.M. Humayun Kabir (Education).

Foundation stone of Pabna Medical College laid

UNB, Pabna

The foundation stone of much-awaited academic building of Pabna Medical College was laid on the premises of Pabna Mental Hospital on Tuesday.

Finance Adviser Dr ABM Mirza Azizul Islam laid the foundation stone of the 10-storeyed building. The medical college building and its other infrastructures are being constructed at a cost of Tk 80 crore under the HNSP project.

The academic activities will start from January next year in the mental hospital building with the admission of 50 students.

In 1979, late President Ziaur Rahman had set up the college. The academic activities were carried out at the mental hospital building.

After two years, the military government of HM Ershad closed down the college in 1981. Since then, local people had been demanding to resume the activities of the medical college.

Mustard farming increases in N-region

BSS, Rajshahi

The cultivation of mustard has gradually been increasing everywhere in the country's 16 northern districts under Rajshahi Division for the last couple of years due to extra benefits.

According to farmers and officials concerned, more farmers are being encouraged to cultivate the crop as they got excellent yield and market price during the last harvesting season. The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing 2,45,800 tonnes of mustard from 2,45,800 hectares of land in the 16 districts during the current Rabi season. It has fixed a yield rate of the crop at one metric ton per hectare this year.

Under the programme, 21,000 hectares of land will be brought under mustard farming in Rajshahi, 23,00 hectares in Naogaon, 17,000 hectares in Natore, 10,000 hectares in Chapainawabganj, 29,150 hectares in Pabna, 80,000 hectares in Sirajganj, 17,000 hectares in Bogra and 5,000 hectares in Joypurhat districts under Rajshahi Agriculture Zone.

Similarly, 2,000 hectares will be brought under the mustard farming in Rangpur, 14,000 hectares each in Gaibandha and Kurigram, 1,000 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 500 hectares in Nilphamari, 4,500 hectares in Dinajpur, 6,500 hectares in Thakurgaon and 600 hectares in Panchagarh districts in Rangpur Agriculture Zone.

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 farming a total success in the region. Adequate training, technical assistance, inputs, high quality seeds and agri-loans are being provided to farmers under a number of programmes of different government and non- government organizations.

The DAE sources said farmers of the region have cultivated the crop after harvesting the early variety of transplanted Aman and vegetables in vast tracts almost everywhere including the huge sandy-barren char lands in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins and their tributaries in the region.

The farmers cultivated the crop in the huge flood-ravaged char lands on the river basins. Seeding has been completed in most of the areas, as from late October to November 20 is the high time for sowing the seeds.

The concerned government and non-government organizations timely distributed adequate quality mustard seeds and the commercial banks provided agriculture loans to farmers for increasing mustard production.

Only BADC has supplied 9,800 kilograms of high yielding and quality seeds among the farmers in the region. Chief Scientific Officer of Regional Agriculture Research Center, Ishwardi Dr Jalal Uddin told BSS that Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) has released 16 high yielding mustard seeds and most of those have become popular among the growers' level.

During the last couple of years, farmers are getting yield of BARI Sharisha-11 at around 25,00 kilograms per hectare of land, which are encouraging the farmers.

"We have arranged 20 training programmes for around 600 farmers and established block demonstration on around 90 bighas of farmers' lands during the current season for making the high yielding varieties more acceptable to the growers," Dr Jalal said.

News briefs

Valuables looted

SIRAJGANJ, Nov 20: Pirates looted cash and valuables worth over Tk 1 lakh from some fertilizer traders in the Jamuna River on Saturday. Police said a gang of armed bandits intercepted the Sirajganj bound fertilizer laden engine boat coming from Sarishabari near Rehaichandanir Char under Bhuapur thana of Tangail district at about 9 am. The muggers coming by a boat beat the traders and boatmen mercilessly leaving five of them injured and took away the valuables. A case was filed in this connection, reports UNB.

One dies taking poisonous sweet

meat in Jamalpur

JAMALPUR, Nov 20: A community police member died and three others fell sick after taking poisonous sweetmeats in Kajirrakh area of the town on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Harun-ur-Rashid, 45, a member of 10 No ward community police of Jamalpur municipality. Police and family sources said Ayurvedic quack doctor Salam and his son Ranju have long been cheating the people in the name of treatment. Harun time and again strongly protested their misdeeds. In a bid to take revenge the fake physicians on the fateful night tactfully sent some poisonous sweetmeats for Harun through one Hafizur of the area, reports UNB.

One killed in Sirajganj road mishap

SIRAJGANJ, Nov 19: A man was killed in a road accident at Syedpur village in Enayetpur thana here on Wednesday morning. Police quoting local people said, Amdia Halder, 50, of the village while crossing the road was run over by an Enayetpur bound bus from the district town at about 10:00am. He died on the spot. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue for autopsy. A case was filed, reports UNB.

15 injured in Sirajganj clashes

SIRAJGANJ, Nov 19: At least 15 people were injured in a fierce clash between two groups of people over occupation of a disputed plot of land at Dhanbandi in the district town today (Wednesday). Police and witnesses said the clash broke out between Sanwar and Rafique groups at about 9:30am, leaving 15 people from both sides injured. The feuding groups chased each other and threw brickbats. They also partially damaged several passing vehicles. Seven of the injured were admitted to Sadar hospital where condition of Miraj, 25, was stated to be critical. On information, police rushed in and brought the situation under control. Additional police were deployed in the area to avert further clash, reports UNB.

Garments worker killed in Jessore

JESSORE, Nov 19: A female garments worker was hacked to death by unknown assailants near her home at village Sultanpur in Sadar upazila on Monday night. Police said Rizi Begum, 32, who was working in a garment factory in Dhaka, came to her home on Monday night and later she was found dead in a field near her house Tuesday morning. Police on information recovered Rizi's body and sent it to the district general hospital for autopsy. The reason behind the murder could not be known. A case was filed, reports UNB.