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   Potato farmers in Nilphamari are in trouble as they face space problem in the cold storages.
   All the cold storages have already been full with potatoes, particularly of the rich and big farmers.
   Everyday hundreds of potato farmers are bringing their produces to the cold storages but they are not getting any space.
   Potatoes are being piled in front of the cold storages and kept under the open sky or under the shade, risking decomposition.
   A portion of these potatoes are being taken back home by the farmers and some are sold at throwaway prices.
   According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, 2,25,950 tonnes of potato have been produced in the district this year from 16,150 hectares of land.
   It is 24,125 tonnes higher than the previous year’s production. Last year 2,01,825 tonnes were produced on 14,950 hectares of land.
   This district, which is third after Munshiganj and Bogra in potato production, needs at least 20 cold storages to store potatoes produced here.
   But the district has only 4 cold storages having a preservation capacity of 34,445 tonnes. This amount is only 17 per cent of the total production this year.
   It is apprehended that some 40 to 45 per cent potatoes will remain unpreserved in the district.
   A farmer Toiyeb Ali of Monthana village at Kishoreganj upazila said this year he produced 60 maunds of potatoes (1 maund=37.50 kg). But he did not get any space in the cold storage.
   He said he would preserve 32 maunds of potato in his house and sell out the rest for whatever price he got.
   Same is the case with the farmers Abdul Hakim of Dighol Dangi village under Sadar upazila and Shukhdhan Roy of Tit Para village under Dimla upazila.
   Presently at least one lakh tonnes of potatoes are lying on the yards of the farmers or on the cold storage premises.
   Due to huge production and supply of potato in the market, the price has fallen down. Now it has been difficult for the growers to fetch even the production cost.
   The production cost of per maund of potato is Tk 170 to 180. But now per maund of potato is sold in the market at Tk 140 to 160.

Village touts have misappropriated Tk 8 lakh and 44 thousand which was sanctioned by the government for the welfare of adivasi community at Tauta and Uthuli unions under Shibalaya upazila in Manikganj
   The government sanctioned this amount for the construction of a temple, a community centre and distribution among the adivasis for income generating activities such as goat and cow rearing.
   On enquiry it was revealed that some village touts formed a fake committee with some innocent adivasis and pocketed the money for their personal aggrandisement.
   As a result, the poor adivasis were deprived of the money for taking up income generating activities.
   The adivasis of this upazila are better known as ‘behara’ (palanquin-bearer).
   A tense situation is now prevailing at Triluchanpatti area under Aroa union over the formation of two rival committees of the beharas.
   The members of one committee are blaming the other committee as not being genuine.
   Majority of the beharas expressed themselves in favour of forming a new committee in a democratic way to protect their interests.

Some local contractors have accused an executive engineer of the Water Development Board of resorting to irregularities and corrupt practices in awarding contracts.
   They brought out a procession in the district town recently to protest against his wrongdoings and press home their demand for his removal from Patuakhali.
   The contractors informed newsmen that the WDB of Patuakhali invited tenders for the construction of embankment, setting up and repair of sluice gates at different polders in the district during the current fiscal.
   They charged executive engineer Abdul Mazid Mollah with giving work orders to his favoured contractors instead of lowest bidders through underhand deals.
   The same engineer was stated to have issued work orders worth Tk 14 crore to some contractors of his liking without inviting any tender last year in exchange for gratification.