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River erosion took serious turn in Kurigram and Narail over the last few days. The New Age Kurigram correspondent reports: With the decrease of water level in the Brahmaputra and Sonavory rivers, erosion increased at Roumari and Rajibpur upazilas of Kurigram. Faluarcher Flood Shelter Centre, a number of houses, trees and about 1,000 hectares of cultivatable lands have been washed away over the last one week. Some 4,000 erosion-hit people took shelter at educational institutes, on embankment and houses of others.
   If the erosion continues Rajibpur upazila headquarters and a vast tract of western land of Roumari upazila will be eroded, apprehended the locals.
   Tintaly, Katemari and Dharchar Villages were eroded by the Sonavory and Ghughumari and Italukanda and Faluarchar villages were eroded by the Brahmaputra.
   On the other hand, Munshipara, Pachchim Rajibpur, Dhalagacha and Tarabar villages are being eroded by the erosion of the Sonavory.
   The erosion-hit people are suffering from scarcity of food and pure drinking water. A good number of them are suffering from various diseases, including diarrhoea.
   A number of affected people including Jonab Ali, 55, Madan, 41, and Sabuddin, 32, told New Age that they had not yet received any government help.
   They alleged that none from the administrative office visited the spot though the erosion took serious turn.
   The Water Development Board has recently spent Tk 11 lakh to protect the area from the erosion. But the effort went in vein.
   Our Narail correspondent adds: Erosion of the River Modhumati rendered at least 2,000 families homeless over the last couple of weeks.
   At least 50 shops, hundred trees and a vast tract of croplands were eroded during the period. The landless people had to shift their house more than once during the period.
   The victims to erosion are facing scarcity of food, pure drinking water and shelters. Many of them have already taken shelter on roads, embankments and on the high lands.
   Local lawmaker Md Shahidul Islam, Lohagora upazila nirbahi officer, high officials of the Water Development Board visited the erosion-hit areas recently.

The Rupsa police officer-in-charge in Khulna was closed and a subinspector was suspended on Tuesday for taking bribe of Tk 30.
   Sources in the police said a college student, Asaduzzaman, on Tuesday went to the Rupsa police to file a general diary as his SSC exams certificate was lost.
   The on-duty officer, subinspector Monjur Hossain, demanded Tk 100 as bribe for the job, the sources said.
   Asaduzzaman said he only had Tk 30. Monjur demanded Tk 50 from him and at last settled on Tk 30.
   The higher police authorities came to know of the incident immediately, said the sources.
   The Khulna Range deputy inspector general, Nur Mohammad, said Monjur was temporarily suspended and the officer-in-charge, Abdus Salam, was closed and attached to the Khulna Police Lines.

A Pabna court on Tuesday convicted a young man and sentenced him to life-term imprisonment for violating a girl.
   The convict is Zia, 24, of village Raipur under Sujanagar upazila of Pabna.
   According to the prosecution, Zia raped a young girl of his villager on June 5, 1998 as she came out of her house at night to go to toilet. After the incident, the girl became pregnant and gave birth to a child.
   Later, a case was filed against Zia and police charge-sheeted him after investigation.
   Another court on Tuesday sentenced a man to life term imprisonment for killing his wife.
   According to the prosecution, Abdul Aziz of village Peyarapur under Ishwardi upazila of Pabna following a family feud strangled his wife Selina to death on Jan 1, 2003.
   A case was filed with the local police station and the police after investigation submitted charge sheet against him.

Cultivation of papaya is gaining ground in greater Faridpur region as farmers are reaping a better economic benefit from it.
   Sources in the Department of Agriculture Extension said 20,618 acres of land have been brought under the papaya cultivation in five districts of the region this year and farmers are cultivating the local and hybrid varieties of the fruit taking advantage of the situation.
   Agriculture experts said the soil and climate of the district are congenial to the cultivation of papaya throughout the year.
   Added to this, papaya cultivation requires less quantity of water in comparison with other fruits and is not vulnerable to pest attacks, the sources said.
   As a result, they said, an increased number of farmers including women are gradually taking interest in the cultivation of the fruit.
   Some of them are also taking training on cultivating papaya from their nearest agriculture offices.
   Some of the farmers said there is a great demand for papaya in the market, both as vegetable and fruit.
   The green papaya is consumed as vegetable and the ripe one as fruit.
   The fruit digests easily and often prescribed by the physicians for the peptic patients and children.
   The farmers said they prefer to cultivate papaya on their land as it has a lucrative market.
   An official of the Agriculture Research Institute, Rajbari said they are assisting the papaya cultivators to boost its production.

A mobile court in Natore fined hotels, restaurants and fast food shops at Tk 18,000 in the Nichabazar, Old Bus Stand, Baragacha and Station Bazar area in the town on Monday.
   The court led by first class magistrate Mehedi Hasan fined 20 hotels and restaurants and 8 fast food shops on charge of food adulteration and unhygienic condition.

Unidentified miscreants hung the body of an old man from a tree after beating him to death at Choddapaika in Narsingdi sadar Monday night. The victim was Lal Miah, 70, of the village.
   The police sent the body for a post-mortem examination. Two cases were filed with the Raipura and sadar police.

Bangladesh has become vulnerable to HIV/AIDS as it is surrounded by India, the second highest HIV/AIDS-affected country in the world, said speakers at a two-day workshop in Chapainawabganj that ended on Monday.
   The speakers stressed on mass awareness to prevent the deadly disease.
   The Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh, an NGO, in association with the Centre for Communication and Development organised the workshop on ‘AIDS Reporting.’
   The workshop disclosed all risky behaviours that are responsible for this epidemic.
   The role of the mass media and the journalists in creating mass awareness against HIV/AIDS was also stressed in the workshop.
   Professor Dulal Chandra Biswas of the mass communication and journalism department of Rajshahi University, former chief of HIV programme of CARE Bangladesh Dr Najmul Hossain, co-ordination officer of the AIDS programme of CCDB Dr Afroz Mohal, executive director GM Mortuza, programme officer Nurul Alom, programme co-ordinator Abdul Hye and programme officer Mahfuzur Rahman addressed the workshop.
   A total of 30 newsmen of different national and local dailies from Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj participated in the workshop.