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About 200 gas-run industrial units and factories in Narsingdi are facing a serious setback due to acute short supply of gas by the regional office of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company.
   It is apprehended that these industrial units and factories might be closed down at any moment, rendering about one lakh workers jobless.
   There are some 197 large and medium scale industries in the district including 110 of dyeing, printing and processing factories.
   The regional office of the company started supplying gas to the enterprises in 1986 through 6-inch pipeline. Finding the environment industrial-friendly, entrepreneurs started establishing new factories beside the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway.
   The authorities, later, set up a gas sub-station at Raunadi, 2-km off Madhabdi, to meet the growing demand of the new industries.
   But, the authorities are now in deep trouble in supplying adequate gas to the factories as the number of gas-run establishments is on the rise.
   Moreover, it has to supply gas to Araihazar and Gopaldi area of the neighbouring district, falling down the normal pressure of gas.
   Entrepreneurs said that most of the factories in Narsingdi are forced to keep close in daytime because of low pressure of gas. Each factory gets 2/3 pounds of pressure instead of its normal pressure of 15 pounds on an average.
   Belayet Hossain, manager of National Calendar Mills, told the news agency that as per the contract with Titas Gas Company, his factory was to get 6 pounds of gas pressure. But the indicator falls down at zero level in the daytime, forcing to stop the production.
   Owners of Hossain Calendar and Abed Textiles of the district headquarters and MMK Dyeing and DN Textiles of Madhabdi also said that the crisis is turning acute day by day.
   Owners of the mills and factories stressed the need for setting up of a 12-inch pipeline for smooth supply of gas to the large and medium scale industries in the district.

Tengratila Dabi Adai Sangram Parishad has declared a 15-day programme to press home its eight-point charter of demands in the context of two blow-outs at the Tengratila Gas Field under Dwarabazar upazila in Sunamganj.
   At a press conference in the Sylhet Press Club Auditorium Saturday noon, the organisation leaders demanded compensation for affected families excluded, stopping harassment in the name of allowance for affected families and compensation according to impartial investigation.
   The organisation also demanded compensation for damaged gas in the blow-outs and for environmental damages of the surrounding area.
   The leaders demanded that there should be an arrangement for pure drinking water in the affected area, rehabilitation of persons and families to safer areas whose houses or establishments have been damaged.
   They also demanded that the schools at Tengratila should be shifted permanently and prior assurance that no further accidents will occur when drilling the second relief well.
   The joint convener of the organisation, Nurul Amin, declared its 15-day agitation programme to press home the demands.
   It will hold views exchange meeting with the inhabitants of the Greater Tengratila area and hold demonstrations. There will be rally at Tengratila on July 25. It will observe similar programmes at Dwarabazar upazila headquarters, Chhatak upazila headquarters, Sunamganj district town and the Sylhet city on separate days between July 27 and August 2.
   It will form a human chain and observe a hunger strike at Tengratila on August 5 and form a blockade at the Tengratila Gas Field and Niko Resources’ office there on August 7.
   Nurul said if the law enforcing authorities try to obstruct the programmes, they would declare tougher programmes including hartals with the inhabitants of Greater Sylhet.
   The leaders said they had postponed their movement following a discussion with the Sunamganj district commissioner, Zafar Siddiqi, as he had assured them his assistance to fulfil their demands from Niko.
   They said there was no such assistance, hence they were compelled to carry take up the programmes.
   They said despite of help the administration was trying to stop their logistic movements. The administration has set up a temporary armed police camp at Tengratila and enforces an ‘undeclared curfew’ at Tengratila.
   The leaders vowed that they would not return before their demands were fulfilled.

Four union-level Juba League men were injured Saturday noon as activists of Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal allegedly attacked them at the venue of the Juba League’s convention of the Baruipara union unit at Katakhali Bazar under sadar upazila in Bagerhat.
   The attackers also damaged the stage.
   According to locals, and Bagerhat Juba League sources, a gang of 10 to 12 men, said to be Juba Dal activists, suddenly attacked the convention venue on Saturday at around 1:00pm.
   They beat the convener, Abu Zafar, Palash Quazi, Imtiaz Sheikh and Mohammad Ibrahim.
   According to sources, the attackers left the place after smashing the stage of the convention. The locals and the other Juba League men rescued the injured persons and they were given first aid.
   After the incident, the Juba League Bagerhat district unit held a press conference at Bagerhat Press Club where they blamed Juba Dal men for the incident.
   They also brought out a protest procession that paraded the main roads of the Bagerhat town demanding arrest and punishment of the attackers.
   Abdus Samad, the officer-in-charge of the Bagerhat sadar police station, told New Age that they were informed about the matter and extra police forces were deployed at Katakhali Bazar to avoid any further untoward incident.

Residents of Dr Shamsuzzoha Hall at Sirajganj Government Degree College staged demonstration on Saturday demanding the transfer of the principal and the hall superintendent.
   At least 200 residents took part in the agitation and ransacked four rooms, including the principal’s ones, protesting against the collection of extra fees from the examinees of honours second year, and serving poor quality food.
   The residents said at least 20 students of the hall were suffering from diarrhoea after having supper on Thursday night. But the principal and the hall super did not take any action against those responsible for, they alleged.
   Brushing aside the allegations, the principal, SM Gaziur Rahman, and the hall super, Abu Sayeed Akand, said some outsiders might have staged the demonstration as actions were taken against them for occupying seats and taking meals in the hall.

An investigation team formed to probe launch accident at Char Kajol under Galachipa upazila of Patuakhali said legal action be taken against faulty launches to avoid accident.
   It said the Char Kajol accident took place due to faulty construction of the launch.
   The report, which was submitted to the government recently, also mentioned that the launch was overloaded and the driver was inefficient.
   On May 15, ML Prince, a passenger launch, capsized in the Buragaurango river with more than two hundred passengers on board.
   The government figure showed that 64 were killed and 19 went missing in the accident. But local people said more than hundred passengers died and about 50 went missing.
   On May 16, the government formed the three-member investigation team led by and engineer, Fakrul Islam.
   The probe committee accused the owner of the launch, driver, sukani, surveyor and registrar of the accident and recommended legal action against them.
   The committee also recommended several points to avoid naval accident.