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Four-wheelers fitted with the engine of shallow tube well or power tiller have become popular with the farmers of some south-western districts.
   These wheelers are now being widely used by the farmers for carrying their agricultural products from the fields to the homes and from the homes to different markets with affordable fares.
   Before the four-wheelers were pressed into service, the farmers used to carry paddy, wheat, pulses, sugarcane and vegetables from the fields to their homes by bullock carts.
   The farmers also depended fully on bullock carts for carrying their agricultural products to different markets for sale.
   The cost of carrying goods by the four-wheelers is cheaper than that of bullock cart.
   A farmer can save up to 50 per cent carrying cost by hiring a four-wheeler, local sources said.
   The four wheelers have provided employment to a good number of youths who are now earning money for their livelihood by driving them.
   The earnings of the owners of these wheelers are also satisfactory.
   Abu Bakar of Dakbangla Bazar under sadar upazila said he assembled a body of a four-wheeler locally and fitted it with the engine of shallow tube well at a total cost of Tk 85,000.
   He earns Tk 200 everyday by carrying agricultural products of the farmers in his four wheelers.
   The popularity of the locally assembled four wheels among the people has made the truck owners envious as they are losing customers.
   They threatened some of the owners of the four wheelers with severe consequences if they fail to take their vehicles off the roads soon.

Resentment brews among the people as the police are yet to arrest the killers of Lila Begum, 45, a mother of six sons and daughters, of the Noyatila village in Moulvibazar.
   A citizens’ committee has been formed here to press home the demand of trial of and punishment to the killers. The committee has declared several programmes including human chain, collection of mass signature, protest meeting and laying siege to Rajnagar UNO office.
   The committee at a recent press conference also demanded removal of the officer-in-charge of Rajnagar Thana and the an SI who were allegedly trying to divert the case to other direction.
   The convenor of the committee Iqbal Hussain, member-secretary Shajahan Alam and Lila Begum’s son Atiq, among others, addressed the press conference.
   Lila Begum, wife of Mohab Ullah, was kidnapped on January 12 by a gang of miscreants and after 11 days of kidnapping her dead body of was found in a jungle of the Telijuri village on January 22.
   It is learnt that there was land dispute between Lila’s family and her husband’s brother Khalil Ullah for a long time.
   The OC of Rajnagar thana, Amal Dhar, and SI Zahirul Islam told journalists that the police was working hard to find out the culprits involved in the killing of Lila Begum.

The eight-year Northwest Crop Diversification Project is now being implemented in 16 northern districts with the objectives to help about 2 lakh small farm families increase their income and improve capacity of service providing agencies.
   The NCDP launched in December, 2000, also aims at developing a sustainable partnership among the public sectors and participating NGOs.
   Under the programme of the project, small and marginal farmers are being organised through the formation of groups and imparted training for the production of high value crops.
   The 66.20 million dollars project envisages transfer of modern technology to the small farmers, providing credit and management support to them, helping them for marketing their agricultural products and creating employment opportunities for them.
   Of the total amount, 46.30 million dollars will be funded by the ADB, 9.6 million dollars by the Bangladesh government and 10.30 million dollars by the participating beneficiaries.
   The NCDP is now under implementation at 56 upazilas in 16 northern districts. Raiganj and Kazipur upazilas of Sirajganj have been included in this project.
   The Department of Agriculture Extension and several NGOs such as Proshika, BRAC, RDRS and GKF are supervising the implementation of the project.
   The progress of the project in different districts was reviewed at a workshop held here on Monday.
   It was attended by 80 farmers from different upazilas, officials of the DAE and the NGO representatives.
   The workshop was told that the annual production of high value crops increased by 3.7 tonnes worth 27.9 million dollars in the project areas.
   The high value crops include mango, banana, citrus, litchi, guava, papaya, water melon, potato, tomato, cauliflower, bean, pumpkin, cabbage and carrot.
   The farmers who attended the workshop highlighted their achievements in augmenting high value crops under the NCDP.

An official of the Grameen Bank, Ramganj Haat branch, under sadar upazila in Nilphamari mercilessly beat a loan borrower for his failure to pay installment Sunday.
   The centre-in-charge of the Grameen Bank, Shaiful Islam, went to one of their beneficiaries, Belal Hossain, son of Hakim Uddin, of Tupamari Bandar village to realise installment.
   He rebuked Belal Hossain and at one stage of hot exchange he assaulted Belal.
   Eye witnesses said as Belal was assaulted, the local people also manhandled Shaiful. They detained him till the higher authorities of the Grameen Bank reached there to rescue him.