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Rickshaw vans are gradually replacing bullock carts in the rural areas of Jhenaidah for carrying both passengers and goods to different destinations.
   With the spectacular improvement in the road communication, rickshaw vans can now ply in most remote areas of the district with ease.
   About three two to three decades ago, the people of rural areas solely depended on bullock carts for carrying commodities as well as people from one place to another.
   In the long past, even rickshaws were not in sight in the countryside because of the dilapidated condition of the rural roads.
   Their movement was mainly confined to the sub-divisional and district headquarters and their suburbs during the Pakistani period.
   The concept of rickshaw van was unknown in many regions of the country even during the fag end of the Pakistan period.
   Rickshaws and rickshaw vans started appearing on the rural roads in large number in Jhenaidah as in other districts following the rapid development of the road communication during the post-independence period.
   Nearly 33,000 rickshaw vans now ply the rural roads across the district.
   Of them, 10,000 vans run under sadar, 6,000 each under Sailakupa and Mohespur, 3,000 each under Kotchandpur and Harinakundu and 5,000 under Kaliganj upazila.
   Rickshaw vans are now being widely used for carrying paddy sheaves from the fields to homes, various commodities and materials to markets and other places and transporting people to different destinations. In the past, bullock carts were pressed into service for these purposes.
   The number of rickshaw vans has been increasing sharply to meet their growing demand.
   Unemployed rural youths are showing keen interest in buying them to earn money for their livelihood.
   Some 20 rickshaw van assembling workshops have sprung up in Jhenaidah district town alone. A leading workshop in the town has been turning out 10 to 12 rickshaw vans per week.
   Local sources said a rickshaw van costs Tk 4,000 to 5,000.Some can buy it against weekly payment.
   Many unemployed youths have purchased rickshaw vans by taking micro-credit from the local NGOs.
   The maintenance cost of rickshaw vans is very little. On an average a peddler earns Tk 100 daily.
   Alauddin, a rickshaw van peddler of Sailakupa upazila, said 75 per cent people hire rickshaw vans for carrying goods and the rest 25 per cent utilise their services for going to different destinations.
   Abdul Malik, 67, of village Dhaurah under Sailakupa upazila said in the bygone years it took at least three hours for a bullock cart to reach the upazila headquarters which is only six kilometers away from his village home.
   Now one can reach the upazila headquarters in about 30 to 40 minutes by a rickshaw van, he added.
   Rickshaw vans have been playing an important role in changing life style of many youths for the better in the
   district.

The law and order situation is sliding in the Hatiya channel of the Meghna River prompted by unabated smuggling as coast guards are not vigilant.
   A section of unscrupulous people took the safe route to smuggle out valuable natural resources abroad, including Myanmar, and bring in illegal goods showing thumb to relaxed riverine border security.
   As the wrongdoers safely run their operation, the plight of the fishermen aggravated, as they remained anxious for safety of life and their earnings witnessing poor outcomes.
   Sources said the ruling party BNP’s youth wing Juba Dal leaders and activities looted at least 12 thousand sacks of fertiliser on June 22 in Hatiya channel from a ship that was anchored in the Shurjamukhi canal suffering mechanical problems.
   The fertiliser was smuggled to Myanmar later. The officer-in-charge of Hatiya admitted the incident.
   Since 1999, the plunderers looted the goods several times in the Hatiya channel.
   The recent June 22 looting revealed that a section of police, influential circle including the local political leaders and activists are involved in the misdeeds taking place at Hatia channel on regular basis.
   The smugglers choose the route taking the advantage of lack of patrols to guard and ensure safety of river vehicles travelling towards Barisal, Chandpur, Bhola and Sandwip.
   ‘The smugglers use the route without any disturb and they established their hideout in different areas including Chargazaria, Kaalkiny and Motirhaat,’ said a source.
   Though occasional drive by police sometimes halts their bid, there is no initiative to root them out.

The Department of Agriculture Extension has launched a campaign in Gopalganj to create awareness among the farmers on the proper use of pesticides and other aspects of agriculture farming.
   The field officials have been explaining to the farmers the importance of using pesticides properly to combat pest attack. Use of pesticides in a haphazard and improper ways would do more harms to crops and vegetables than any good, they warned.
   The DAE officials said most of the farmers have been applying pesticides on their crop and vegetable fields indiscriminately to ward off the menace of Pests and viral attack.
   Pesticides like sumithion, melathion, rasathion, 3-G, agroming, and diazinon-60 are being widely used by the farmers.
   The growth of vegetables such as palangshak, datashak, puishak, lalshak, potato, aubergine and beans was retarded in many areas in the district due to improper way of applying pesticides.
   Use of time barred pesticides also harmed the growth of different kinds of vegetable, they added.
   They pointed out that many farmers out of their ignorance sprayed pesticides on the vegetable plants just two to
   three days before their
   marketing. The harmful effects of pesticides on vegetables remained
   for a period ranging from three days to 20 days. The People who would consume these vegetables before the expiry of the danger period were likely to fall victim to diseases like diarrhea, dysentery, rheumatic fever and skin diseases, according to them.
   Md Saifuddin Ahmed, residential medical officer of Goplaganj sadar hospital,
   said many people fell prey to waterborne and skin diseases after consuming vegetables which were treated with
   pesticides.

The Rangpur town protection embankment is threatened with erosion as the water level has registered a sharp rise in the river Teesta following heavy rainfall during the last few days and onrush of water from the upper catchments across the border.
   The officials of the Water Development Board said the town protection embankment would be facing a serious threat of collapse if the downpour continued for a few more days and the water level in the river kept rising.
    Heavy rainfall and the rush of water from the upstream have inundated
   vast tracts of land at Nohali, Lakhmitari, Gajghanta, and Gangachara unions under Gangachara sadar upazila affecting 2,000 families.
   The swirling water has damaged the marginal dike at Bagdohara of Nohali Union and the cross dam at some points at Joyramojha and Dhamur under Lakhmitari and Gangachara unions.
   The Water Development Board built the marginal dyke and the cross dam under Gangachara upazila to protect the Rangpur town protection embankment by diverting the course of water.
   Though the WDB is now repairing the damage of the embankment at Dhamur point, no step has so far been taken to repair the cross dam, according to local sources.
   The last year’s flood damaged about one fourth of the Rangpur town protection embankment and the cross dam at some points.
   Anwarul Karim, Chairman of the Gangachara Union, said the embankment at Dhamur point was still under threat of erosion.