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The early flood and erosion by the river Jamuna has washed away hundreds of houses and many arable lands under sadar and Kazipur upazilas in Sirajganj during the last several days.
   Some 200 houses were devoured by the erosion of the river at the low-lying areas of Khas Kawlia, Khasdholai and Jotpara under Chowhali upazila during the last few days.
   The Chowhali upazila headquarters is now only 300 yards away from the river Jamuna.
   If the current trend of erosion continues the upazila headquarters might be lost in the river before the start of the rainy season, according to local people.
   The member of parliament of this region and the district administration have already informed the Water Development Board of the threat of the Jamuna to the upazila headquarters.
   Hazrat Ali Sheikh, a 90-year old farmer of Murgram under sadar upazila, said vast tracts of land accreted at many low lying areas beside the Jamuna River under sadar upazila after the construction of the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge.
   The farmers have been cultivating paddy, mustard, maize, wheat and pulses on the newly accreted lands for the last several years.
   But the erosion of the river has wiped out cultivable lands and homes of 100 families of Haripur Union during the last couple of days.
   Losing their homes and hearths, many of the affected people have taken shelter on the embankment of Paikpara and Mirpur.
   The villages of Shimla, Ziarmur, Vatpiyari, Boyra, Shailabari, Daulapur and Hatboyra under sadar upazila are now threatened with erosion.
   More than 60 houses were swept away by the swirling current of the river during the last three days. All the houses at village Afaina have already gone under water.
   Local people said despite assurance from the highest quarter to check the erosion by the river Jamuna, nothing has been done in this regard.
   The erosion by the mighty river Jamuna now threatens the existence of the Sirajganj district town itself.
   Local sources said that the collapse of the main embank-ment built during the Pakistan period contributed to the loss of several thousand houses under 50 villages of Sadar and Kazipur upazilas in the river during the last two decades.
   Most of the 11 spurs built during the period of the last government to protect homes and arable lands from the menace of flood have been destroyed for lack of maintenance.
   The destruction of the spurs has exposed many low-lying areas under Kazipur and Sadar upazilas to the threat of flood and erosion.
   Local people accused the water development board of its difference to taking timely steps to save low-lying areas of the district from flooding.
   But some officials of the board said they had nothing to do if money was not sanctioned to construct and repair embank-ments as well as spurs.

LOW QUALITY Indian jute seeds, which have flooded the markets in the northern sixteen districts under Rajshahi Division, might hamper the production of quality jute in the current tilling season.
   The spiralling price of good seeds is also affecting jute cultivation, farmers complain.
   The region is famous for producing high quality jute which has great demand in and outside the country.
   According to official sources, 1,46,270 hectares of land will be cultivated in the 16 districts with a target to produce 15,35,000 bales of jute.
   Of these, tosha variety will be cultivated on 95,790 hectares while local variety on 50,480 hectares.
   The production rate has been fixed at 10 bales per hectare for the local variety and 11 bales per hectare for the tosha variety, the DAE officials said.
   Some 25,810 hectares of land have been brought under jute cultivation in Pabna, 5,860 hectares in Rajshahi, 820 hectares in Chapainawabganj, 5,210 hectares in Natore, 9,860 hectares in Naogaon, 12,220 hectares in Sirajganj, 8,740 hectares in Bogra, 3,650 in Joypurhat, 15,360 hectares in Rangpur, 8,880 hectares in Gaibandha, 18,260 hectares in Kurigram, 13,620 hectares in Nilphamari, 7,680 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 7,490 hectares in Dinajpur, 5,250 hectares in Thakurgaon and 5,640 hectares in Panchagarh.
   Early rainfall required for sowing jute seeds prompted the farmers this year to go for cultivation. But the seed price hike has dampened their encouragement.
   The seed is now selling at Tk 280 to Tk 375 per kg against Tk 120 per kg before the rainfall.
   According to some sources, the packets marked ‘Made in India’ actually contain adulterated and low quality seeds.
   The Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation supplied 777.87 tonnes of seeds against the demand for 22,061 tonnes in the region.

Vegetables worth huge amount of money perish in the fields in Narsingdi every year for the lack of preservation and marketing facilities.
   Narsingdi tops the list of the 64 districts in the country for the production of different varieties of vegetables.
   Vegetable production from 10,000 hectares of land at six upazilas in the district is around 12 lakh tonnes, according to the department of agriculture extension sources here.
   The soil of sadar, Shibpur, Raipura, Belabo, Manohardi and Palash upazilas is suitable for the luxuriant growth of tomato, papaya, radish, potato, bean, aubergine, okra, gourd, pumpkin, spinach, bitter gourd, cabbage, cauliflower, kakrol, mankachu and pui shak.
   In the past, most of the farmers of the district used to grow paddy, sugarcane and jute on their lands.
   Failing to get remunerative price from the sale of paddy, sugarcane and jute they gradually tilted towards the cultivation of different varieties of vegetables extensively.
   If a farmer of this district owns four bighas of land he now utilises three fourths of it for the cultivation of vegetables.
   Bulk of the vegetables available at different markets and department stores in Dhaka is supplied from this district.
   The vegetables of this district are also supplied to different towns and cities including Chittagong.
   Talking to New Age some vegetable growers regretted that they were most often deprived of fair price for their produce mainly in the absence of storage facilities.
   Taking the advantage of huge production of vegetables in this region the middlemen always exploited the poor growers by compelling them to sell their produce at throwaway prices, they added.
   Citing examples they pointed out that the price of radish plummeted to 10 per kilogram, tomato to 40 paisa, bean to 1.50 paisa and gourd to Tk 2 per piece last year.
   The growers had to incur heavy losses for the slump in the prices of vegetables, according to them.
   They were of the view that establishment of agro-based industries and cold storage would ensure fair price for their produce.
   Unfortunately, neither the government nor the industrialists were coming forward to set up cold storage and agro-based industries in this district, they noted.

Gross irregularities were stated to have been made in the appointment of teachers, officers and employees at the Islamic University recently.
   Local sources said that the main criterion for giving appointment to different posts was the loyalty of the job seekers to the two main political parties in power and their ability to pay handsome money as gratification.
   The sources alleged that the IU university authorities recently appointed 13 activists of the youth fronts of the two political parties in power as officers of the university.
   These youths were involved in many harmful activities and creating panic on the campus by flexing their muscle power and brandishing arms.
   Yet the IU authorities gave them appointment because of their strong pull with the two main political parties in power.
   Wishing to remain anonymous, an officer of the university said a former secretary of the youth front of a political party at the university got appointment as an officer.
   Before his appointment this particular appointee was engaged in realising toll from different quarters, ransacking university offices and intimidating people, according to him.
   He also said teachers and officers were given appointment on the basis of their loyalty to the two main alliances in the government and not on the academic feats of the job seekers.
   Another source alleged the IU authorities appointed more officers than the actual requirement.
   New posts of officers had to be created to accommodate the nominees of the leaders of the ruling parties.
   Many of the new appointees are often seen gossiping in tea stalls and other places during the office hours as they have no work to do.
   Some office bearers of the central committee of Muktijuddha Oikkya Parishad and Kushtia Muktijuddha Parishad have filed a case against the vice-chancellor, treasurer and registrar of the university for violating the provision of 30 per cent quota for the freedom fighters.

Several thousand tornado-hit people of Natore have been living under open sky in most miserable condition.
   The district administration sources said the natural calamity damaged 2,750 houses fully and 25,100 houses partially. 100 educational institutions also suffered damage.
   The extent of damage of property was initially estimated at Tk 7 crore 75 lakh and 77 thousand.
   Sugarcane, banana, mango, IRRI-boro, vegetables, water melon and others crops valued at about Tk 13 crore on 20,000 hectares of lands were damaged.
   The district administration has written to the relief and rehabilitation ministry for the allocation 200 tonnes rice, money and clothes for the tornado victims.
   The relief and rehabilitation ministry has so far allocated Tk 2 lakh and 100 bundles of corrugated iron sheet.
   Deputy Minister of land Ruhul Quddus Talukdar Dulu distributed rice and cash money among the affected people at Laxmipur Kholabaria union Perished.

The woes of about 50,000 people at 50 villages under Boda upazila know no bounds for the lack of a bridge over the river Karotoa.
   In the absence of a bridge over the river Karotoa, the inhabitants of these villages face problems in coming to the district and upazila headquarters for various purposes during the rainy season.
   The commuters have to cross the river by boats and rafts paying high fares.
   Once thriving Baruni market, at Boalmari under Boda upazila, now looks deserted and lifeless as the people are unable to come to this market with their mer-chandise for the lack of a bridge.
   In the past, a large number of cows, bulls, goats and many other commodities were used to be brought to this market for sale from far and near.
   The government also earned a huge amount of money in revenue from the sale proceeds. This is now a matter of the past.

Abdus Sattar, owner of a small tea stall, at village Paikpara under Sailakupa upazila, has sought the help of the benevolent people and NGOs for the maintenance of his two crippled sons and two daughters.
   ‘The movement of my disabled sons and daughters will be easier if they are provided with wheel chair,’ said Sattar.
   Two of the seven sons and two daughters of Sattar became crippled only about one year after their normal birth.
   All of them suffer from partially bent back and thinner legs. They cannot move without the help of others.
   Sattar could not take his physically deformed sons and daughters to any qualified doctor due to financial stringency. Their treatment by local kabiraj proved futile.
   Nasir, 27, and Tajrul, 16, two sons of Sattar, now earn their living by begging.