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A large number of engine boats have been plying in the rough waterways of the southern districts at great risk to the lives of passengers defying the ban of the government.
   The government imposed ban on the plying of private motor launches in the waterways of the coastal districts during certain months of the rainy season considering the safety of the passengers.
   The government imposed the ban on the movement of private sector launches following series of launch disasters in the choppy waterways of southern districts during the last couple of years. Hundreds of passengers lost their lives in those mishaps.
   The operation of the private launch service between Galachipa and Char Montaz was banned after more than 150 passengers were killed when the ML Prince of Patuakhali sank in the River Bura Gauranga on May 15 this year.
   Taking advantage of the ban on the plying of the private launches, some people have pressed a large number of engine boats to carry passengers to different destinations through the rough waterways in coastal belt.
   Finding no alternative, people avail themselves of these engine boats at great risk to their lives. The inauguration of the sea truck service between Galachipa and Char Montaz on July 22 raised hope of safe journey among the people of the char areas. But the truck service was discontinued just three days after the inauguration on the ground of heavy losses.
   Local sources said an individual took lease of the sea truck Khizir -5 from the BIWTC to operate it on the 52-kilometer waterway from Galachipa to Char Montaz.
   The fare for the sea truck journey was initially fixed at Tk 70 per passenger. It was later reduced to Tk 50 to attract passengers. Yet the passengers preferred to travel by engine boats as their operators charged Only Tk 15 from each passenger.
   The fare of engine boats was reduced to Tk 15 from Tk 20 after the introduction of the sea truck service. The lease holder of the sea truck said as per contract he had to pay Tk 1,500 to the BIWTC everyday. Three hundred litres of diesel were required to run the sea truck everyday. But on an average only 15 passengers availed themselves of the sea truck, he added.
   The lease holder of the sea truck has applied to the BIWTC for the cancellation of the lease contract.

Cultivation of aman crop on the planned 1,07,000 hectares of land in Khulna may be delayed because of unfavourable weather, farmers said.
   Excessive rainfall at the beginning of the season inundated and damaged the seedbeds forcing farmers to prepare seedbeds again leading to delays in the cultivation process.
   The situation worsened when the farmers were unable to
   prepare lands for planting saplings due to lack of rain later. Many of them resorted to irrigation to overcome the situation.
   Agriculture Extension Department officials said out of 107,000 hectares of land targeted for bringing under aman cultivation, the crop was cultivated so far only on 3,000 hectares of land. Aman cultivation on the remaining lands would be delayed.
   Farmers told the news agency that they had to spend double the amount usually required for aman cultivation this year because of the need for preparing seedbeds for the second time and irrigation.
   If the weather becomes hostile again, they would be in deep trouble, the farmers said.

At least 10 persons were killed and over 50 injured in separate road accidents in Naogaon, Brahmanbaria and Gazipur on Sunday.
   The state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reports: Five betel traders were killed and three injured when a truck fell into a roadside ditch at Khoidya Narayanpur under Mohadevpur upazila of Naogaon in the morning.
   The police said the deceased are Mohsin, 42, and Babul, 40, of village Durgapur, Rois Uddin, 50, of village Kazi Bhaturia; Khalil, 40, of village Parijonpara and Monsur Rahman, 60, of village Pakuria under Mohanpur upazila of Rajshahi.
   Five of the betel traders, who were returning home after selling their betel at Mohadevpur Bazar, were killed on the spot. The police seized the truck, but its driver and helper managed to escape.
   A case was recorded with the Mohadevpur police. The bodies were sent to Naogaon Sadar Hospital for autopsy.
   In Brahmanbaria, according to BDNEWS, a private news agency, four persons were killed and 20 injured when a bus fell into a roadside ditch near Shahbajpur Bridge under Sarail upazila in the morning.
   The victims are the bus driver, Anwar, 30, passengers Ali Miah, 32, Popy, 5, daughter of Ruhul Amin of village Shaharer Puniaut and another unidentified woman.
   Seven critically injured passengers were admitted to Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital. They are Buru, 2, Ranu Begum, 25, Anwar Hossain, 24, Abul Bashar, 32, Kamal Hossain, 35, Mizan Miah, 32, and another unidentified man aged about 30 years. Ten others injured were given first aid.
   Our Gazipur correspondent adds: A person was killed and at lest 35 persons were injured in a road accident at Muchibari on Dhaka-Kapasia Road under Kapasia upazila of the district on Sunday.
   Locals said a Dhaka bound bus collided head-on with another bus coming from opposite direction in the morning.
   One unidentified was killed on the spot. Sixteen critically injured were sent to Kapasia Upazila Health Complex. Of them, eight were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Erosion on the banks of the river Jamuna has taken a serious turn at Bera upazila in Pabna in the past week rendering over a hundred families homeless.
   According to sources in the Water Development Board, the river devoured a huge chunk of land with more than a hundred houses of 29 villages at Haturia-Nakalia, Natun Bharenga, Puran Bharenga, Charsadullah, Purba Sri Kanthdia, Charsarashi, Aghbaghsoha, Char Pakendah, and Jatsakani unions as the water level rose.
   People of Bera brought out a protest march recently demanding immediate completion of the Jamuna Bank Protection Embankment Project.
   The WDB took a project to save the area from erosion in 2004.
   The project is being implemented at a cost of Tk 250 crore with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank.
   The first phase of the project was implemented in the past year at a cost of Tk 25 crore. But as the implementation of the second phase of the project is being delayed, the erosion continues.
   Over 7,000 homeless people of the upazila are living in shanties on the flood protection embankment while many left the area.
   Sarafat Hossain, divisional executive engineer of the WDB, said if the project was completed seven lakh families in the area including those under the Pabna Irri- gation and Rural Development Project would be saved from erosion.
   The project will be completed by 2009, he said.

Frequent power outages have almost paralysed the daily lives of residents and have been hampering production in small industries in Lalmonirhat and its adjoining areas.
   The consumers of electricity alleged that they are often being deprived of power supply during the high school examinations and during the second part examinations of the bachelors honours degree courses which are currently being taken by the students. Hospitals are also being affected.
   They also alleged that the local Power Development Board is plagued by mismanagement and corruption.
   Fictitious bills are baffling the consumers. The meter readers do not visit the houses of the consumers.
   A section of the employees at the local office prepare bills according to their whims. Power outages have also given rise to an acute water crisis in the town and suburbs.
   Production in the mills and factories are also hampered by the power outages and consequently the owners of these enterprises are incurring heavy losses.
   Deep tube-wells in the rural areas quite often remain idle for want of electricity hampering irrigation. Television sets, fans, computers, air coolers and other electrical equipment are often being damaged due to voltage fluctuation.
   Illegal connections given by the PDB employees and rampant use of electric heaters are also contributing to the shortage of electricity. The PDB employees are allegedly taking bribes from the owners of mills and factories and from the heater users.
   The board has been sustaining financial losses because of such malpractices and corruption.
   The consumers are often harassed when they go to the PDB office for correction of the fictitious bills. It is also alleged that a gang of brokers have established their hegemony over the entire office and have links with the officials.
   The officials concerned do not take any action without consulting the brokers.

Unidentified miscreants hacked a young man to death and threw the body into a pond at village Diwpchar Lowdara in Pabna sadar on Sunday.
   The police recovered the body and sent it to the Pabna General Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.
   The identity of the victim could not be known immediately. A case was filed with the Pabna sadar police.

Ten Awami League activists were injured in an attack allegedly by supporters of the BNP at Matlab upazila in Chandpur Sunday.
   The police said local BNP activists attacked the AL activists in the afternoon while they were holding a preparatory meeting on the compound of a local madrassah to observe mourning day on the occasion of 30th anniversary of death of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Monday.

Seven Polashbari upazila BNP leaders were sent to prison when they surrendered to the court on Sunday in sensational Plabon murder case.
   The upazila BNP general secretary, Ziaul Haq Jewel, organising secretary, Faridul Haq Rubel, Juba Dal general secretary, Mushfiqur Rahman Ripon, Khalilur Rahman Mithu, Saiful Islam, Liton and Belal accused in the murder case surren- dered to the court and prayed for bail.
   But district and sessions judge AMM Sayed rejected their bail petitions and sent them to prison.
   Rezbul Haq Sarkar alias Plabon, a brilliant student and the only son of a retired army personnel, was fatally wounded in a BNP-Jamaat clash at Polashbari on June 13. He died in Dhaka Medical College Hospital on June 15.
   His father Asadul Haq had filed a case against 14 local BNP and Juba Dal leaders.