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Condensate of Tk 1.70 crore is being damaged every year at the Beanibazar Gas Field in Sylhet, according to sources concerned.
   Though the situation has been continuing since 2004, the Sylhet Gas Field Limited, the exploration organisation of the Beanibazar Gas Field, has not yet taken any proper step to resolve the problem.
   The SGFL had started gas exploration from the Beanibazar gas well from May 3, 1999. It was targeted to explore 300 barrel of condensate every day along with 35 to 37 million cubic feet of gas from the well. Fuels like petrol, diesel and kerosene are produced from the condensate.
   The gas in the SGFL is explored installing an STD plant. But experts said MST plants would be more effective.
   An officer of the production division, who preferred not to be named, told New Age that it was necessary to install MST plant in the oil flourishing well of the gas field; but to save money the company had installed the STD plant, which has failed to store condensate.
   It is learnt that 15 to 16 barrel of condensate are being produced with every one million cubic feet of gas daily from this well. This gas and condensate is being supplied though the gas gathering pipeline of the GTCL and condensate are being sold at cash to the plant there is no storage capacity of condensate and daily more than 50 barrel of condensate are being transmitted with gas through GTCL’s grid line.
   The STD plant at gas well is producing 400 barrels of condensate with 22 to 25 million cubic feet of gas but it is able to store only 360 barrels.
   Now per barrel of condensate is being sold at Tk 11,330. According to this statistics, loss from condensate at Beanibazar Gas filed is estimated at Tk 1.7 crore every year.
   However, the existing STD plant is very weak and faults are being appeared regularly, sources said. A burner of a heater has been out of order since April 15. But manager in charge of the gas field said it caused no problem with the production.
   Amir Hussain, the deputy general manager of the Sylhet Gas filed Limited, said due to some problems in the plant, few quantities of condensate are being transmitted through the grid line but it is too small quantity with per million cubic feet of gas. He added that the authorities had taken a plan to install two MST plants — one at Beanibazar and another at Kailashtila.
   After installation of the plants the production and storage capacity of condensate is expected to be increased, he said. But he could not specify when the MST plants would be installed.

Residents of the Patuakhali town suffer a lot when parts of the town go under water during high tide. Erosion and water logging has also been a nagging menace in the low-lying coastal town.
   An embankment-cum-drainage project was taken up five years back to mitigate the sufferings of the people but the project is yet to be implemented.
   The project was undertaken following the visit of former agriculture minister Majid-ul-Haque and the then water development board secretary to Patuakhali in 1997.
   The water resources ministry approved the project, but the executive committee of national economic council (ECNEC) is sitting on it.
   The Patuakhali municipality chairman, Mostaque Ahmed Pinu, told New Age that the project was undertaken to protect the Patuakhali town and the coastal upazilas of Bauphal, Dashmina, Kalapara, Galachipa and Mirjaganj from flood and saline water. Later the town was excluded from the project, he said.
   A new project titled ‘Patuakhali town protection embankment-cum-drainage project’ was taken up later on. The new project was designed to protect the town from flash flood, erosion and water logging.
   The project includes construction of 4.20-km flood control embankment, eight drains, sluice gates, 28 outlets, one kilometre wall and installation of four power pumps.
   At present, the town is inundated even at normal rise in the river water during high tide.
   The most vulnerable areas in the town are Puran Bazar, Kathpatty, Nababpara, Shimul-bag, Muslimpara, Adaatpara, Centerpara, Post Office Road, College road, Sabujbag, Aramhug, Kalikapur, Natun Bazazr, Charpara, Thana para and Jainkathi.
   In these places water remains stagnant for days after high tide or rain.

There is an enormous reservoir of mineral resources at Durgapur upazila in Netrakona but lack of specific government guidelines and their implementation is hampering the lifting and use of the resources.
   The main resources found in the area are white clay, silicon and coal, proper use of which can help the country in its march to economic advancement.
   Geologists discovered an eight-kilometre long and two-kilometre broad white clay field at Bijoypur under the upazila in 1957, and in 1969, the government authorised some companies to lift the clay.
   After the liberation, when the number of the authorised companies increased, the government set a few rules for lifting the clay.
   The geologists said there was eight lakh tonnes of while clay at the field but the companies were digging big holes at the filed, violating the rules.
   Because of the holes, the piles of clay may collapse any time; moreover, the government is being deprived of huge income tax owing to the misuse of the clay, they said.
   Many ceramic companies are even lifting the clay without permission of the authorities concerned. About 15 companies are now lifting white clay from the field.
   There is also a reservoir of silicon developed at the bed of the river Sumeshowary from sand rolling down from the upstream Indian rivers. According to geologists, there is a lot of magnetite, zircon, zinc and silicon in the sand.
   Geologists opine that high quality glass can be made by this silicon. Besides, others elements of this sand can be used in various purposes if the government take initiative to use them.
   The other mineral resource is coal. Hundreds of families of the area earn their livelihood by collecting coal from the sand of the river Sumeshowary. This coal comes from neighbouring India along with the floodwater during the rainy season.
   In the dry season, peoples of the area collect this coal by digging up the sand. According to coal businessmen, about 25 to 30 tons of coal is collected from the river bed every day.
   Local people said for collection of the resources the road communication must be developed.

The journalists of the south-western districts at a protest meeting at the Chuadanga Press Club on Wednesday demanded that the Chuadanga police superintendent and sub-inspector Ali Hyder, 24, Cobra team members be removed from their position and given exemplary punishment within 24 hours for torturing journalists and ransacking their offices.
   The meeting was chaired by the Chuadanga Press Club vice president, Ali Hossain, while journalists of Chuadanga, Meherpur, Kushtia, Jessore and Jhenaidah addressed the meeting.
   They warned that they would begin fresh programmes in Chuadanga and adjacent districts if their demands remain unfulfilled.
   Earlier, the Chuadanga police allegedly with the help of 24 Cobra team members attacked journalists of Chuadanga on Tuesday when they took photographs of a fierce skirmish between activists of the Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal and BNP men. A number of journalists were injured.
   After an agitation procession the journalists submitted a memorandum to the political secretary to the prime minister, home ministry, inspector general of police, deputy inspector general of police of Khulna region and the deputy commissioner of Chuadanga.

Rival groups in a longstanding dispute over land and shrimp field clashed at Maheshkhali leaving a young man dead and more than 50 injured on Wednesday.
   Witnesses said the clash at Bat Tali between supporters of Nagu Member and Moulvi Gafur continued for four hours, both sides using guns and other lethal weapons.
   Faridul Alam, 24, of village Kutubzum died on the spot.
   Twenty of the injured were admitted to local health complex and Cox’s Bazar hospital.
   The condition of Badsha, Nurul Haq, Zafar, Ershad, Fazal, Karim, Shamsu, Badu and Asad was stated to be critical.
   Most of them are in 20s or early 30s.
   The police brought the situation under control and arrested seven persons from the spot.

Two Bangladesh Rifles personnel were killed and 15 others injured in a road accident at Bashati in Fulpur upazila on Wednesday.
   The police said a BDR truck, carrying the troops, crashed on a roadside tree at about 3:30pm, killing Mir Hossain, 35, and Abdul Hai, 32 on the spot.
   Among the injured, 11 were admitted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital in serious condition.

A man allegedly burnt his newly-married wife to death after tying up her hands and legs at Rajabari Bazar under Gazipur sadar on Monday.
   The man was identified as Abu Taher, 20, and the victim wife, Afsana Akter, 15.
   Family members of Afsana said Abu Taher, son of Anju Mia of village Madhabpur under Shreepur, married Afsana, daughter of Saru Mia of village Chawban of the area, four months ago.
   Taher and Afsana were living in the rental house of one Jalil Akand at Rajabari Bazar. Recently, Taher demanded Tk 60,000 as dowry from Afsana.
   As Afsana could not fulfil the demand, Taher tied the hands and legs with rope, gagged the mouth of Afsana, poured kerosene on her and set her on fire Monday night.
   At the cry of Afsana, local people rescued her and sent her to Dhaka Medical College hospital in a critical condition. She died there on Tuesday.
   No case, however, was filed in this connection till Wednesday.
   But the police arrested Taher, who said Afsana committed suicide, and he was injured as he tried to save her.

A minor boy was electrocuted at village Shassongacha in Comilla sadar upazila on Wednesday.
   Mohammad Farasuddin, 9, son of Mohammad Abbasuddin of Habiganj, was critically injured when he came in touch with an electric ware during playing at his residence at the village. He died on the way to local hospital in the morning.
   An unnatural death case was lodged with the Comilla police. The body was buried in the family graveyard without post-mortem examination on request of the family members.

The registration of Ekota Samaj Kalyan Sangstha, an NGO, is yet to be cancelled even a month after an order was issued by the Lalmonirhat deputy commissioner.
   After an investigation, the deputy commissioner, Fazlul Haque, on June 27 issued the order.
   According to district administration sources, the NGO’s executive director, Badsha Mia, was charged for gross corruption. There was allegation that Badsha appropriated huge foreign fund and cheated local job seekers.

Driver constable (No 521) Amal Chandra Saha of Kandirpar outpost in Comilla has been arrested on charges of robbery.
   The police said, Amal and another youth Kamal Pasha snatched Tk 15,000 and a mobile phone set Monday afternoon from a youth named Mainuddin alias Mission who was coming out of a hotel in Shashangachha area in the town.
   After the robbery, Amal forced Mission to get on a Dhaka-bound bus and warned him not to disclose the robbery.
   Mission, however, returned to the hotel Tuesday and informed hotel staff of the robbery.
   Later, Amal was identified
   at Kandirpar outpost and arrested.