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Tension prevails as the people of Faridpur and Manikganj districts living at the char areas along the river Padma are bracing for a showdown over the possession of accreted lands.
   Local sources said tension has gripped the char areas following possession of nearly 3,000 acres of land with standing IRRI-boro crop at Lesraganj union under Harirampur upazila in Manikganj illegally by the farmers of Faridpur district.
   Some people of sadar upazila in Faridpur grabbed these lands by installing pillars unilaterally on May 1.
   The people of Lesraganj union have been cultivating different crops on these lands after they emerged from the bed of the Padma at different times during the last several decades.
   The possession of their lands by the people of Faridpur illegally has not only dashed the hope of hundreds of farmers of Lesraganj union who were preparing to harvest boro crop within the next few days but also broke down their economic backbone, the sources added.
   The sources further said the dispute between the farmers of the two districts over the ownership of char lands has been raging for about five decades because of the complexities in demarcating their borders.
   As a result, the farmers living at the char areas bordering the two districts are often locked in bloody clashes over the possession of lands especially during the harvesting period.
   Several rounds of talks between the parliament members and the administration of the two districts have yielded no positive results still now.
   Shamsuddin Ahmed, a lawmaker of Shibalya-Harirampur, told New Age that the dispute over the ownership of char lands in the two districts was a long standing one.
   The dispute was still lingering despite holding of several rounds of talks to resolve it, he added.
   He said in the last meeting it was agreed that the demarcation of char lands on the borders of the two districts would be made on the basis of the RS records in presence of the deputy commissioners and concerned officials of the two districts and local people.
   But he regretted that the people of Faridpur installed demarcation pillars on May 1 along the disputed lands unilaterally flouting the agreement reached at the last meeting.
   Manikganj was under Faridpur district since 1811. It acquired the status of sub-division in 1845 and came under Dhaka district in 1857. It was made district in 1984.
   Afterwards, the borders the Faridpur and Manikganj districts were demarcated on the basis of RS records from 1910 to 1913.
   The middle course of the Padma was taken as a basis for demarcating the lands of the two districts.
   But there were lacunae in the CS as well as RS records of lands for taking the middle course of the Padma River as the basis for demarcating the char lands on the borders of the two districts.
   Local people said the area of Manikganj district has shrunk considerably over the years due to continued erosion by the Padma.
   The calamity has rendered many families homeless and landless. When eroded lands emerged from the river beds after 15 to 20 years, the farmers of Manikganj found to their dismay that they fell in the neighbouring district of Faridpur and that non-owners have taken possession of them illegally.
   Bloody clashes took place in the past over the ownership of these lands. The genuine owners are still deprived of their ancestral lands.

An old man was beaten to death allegedly by the order of a local BNP leader of village Miarchar at Alimabad Union under Mehendiganj Upazila in Barisal on Saturday noon.
   The victim was identified as Shahjajahan Gazi, 60.
   The police, victim’s family and locals said there was an old dispute about the boundary between the houses of Shahjahan Gazi and his neighbour Tofazzal Nani.
   A negotiation meeting of the local elites was called over this issue and the meeting decided to hand over a mango tree on the boundary to Tafiazzal Nani. But Shahjahan Gazi refused to accept the decision.
   On Saturday morning, Malek Bepari, secretary of BNP’s Alimabad union unit, went to Shahjahan’s house along with two associates, Amir Khan and Mamun, and other cadres pressured him to agree to the meeting’s decision.
   Upon Shahjahan’s refusal, the cadres, following the orders of an agitated Malek, beat him mercilessly and he died on the spot.
   Malek then informed the Mehendiganj police that Shahjahan had died of a heart attack and made preparations for his burial.
   After being informed by another source, a police team led by sub-inspector Miraj Hussein, went to the spot in the afternoon. They were informed of the facts by eyewitnesses.
   The killers by then had fled and the police sent the dead body to Barisal morgue for post mortem.
   Shahjahan’s family alleged that Malek Bepari and his cadres held them hostage and barred them from lodging a case. Preparations to lodge a case were underway on Saturday afternoon.

A Tk 17-crore Asian Develop ment Bank funded project has been taken up to transform Moulvibazar into a modern town.
   As many as 75 projects will be implemented in the first phase of the project at an estimated cost of Tk 7 crore and 35 lakh.
   The first phase of the project includes construction and reconstruction of roads, repair of drains and development of electricity.
   Of the total amount earmarked for the first phase, Tk 4 crore and 30 lakh has already been spent. The balance amount will be spent in the next fiscal, according to local administration sources.
   The implementation of the second phase of the project will entail an expenditure of Tk 10 crore.
   Two multi-storey markets, one public auditorium and one new bus terminal will be built under the second phase. Steps will also be taken to remove traffic jam from the district town.
   The ADB has sanctioned another sum of Tk 5 crore for the repair of the roads and drains which were damaged in the last year’s flood.
   The municipal authorities have chalked out a programme for the establishment of a water treatment plant in the district town.
   The water treatment plant is expected to solve the problem of potable water of the residents on a permanent basis.
   The management of Moulvibazar municipality has resumed the operation of the two inoperative pumps and purchased two new ones to improve the supply of drinking water.
   Besides, a three-kilometre long pipe line has been installed to expand the area ofd water supply.
   A new deep tube well will also be sunk keeping in view the requirement of potable water of the town dwellers.
   The municipal authorities have decided to dismantle the open latrines in the town and supply ring latrine to the poor free of cost.
   The municipality has acquired trucks and vans to remove the garbage and filth from the roads.
   It will acquire land for the construction of a bus terminal for the convenience of the long distance commuters.
   Talking to New Age, some town dwellers complained that the quality work of different projects was very poor.
   Lack of proper monitoring by the engineering department of the municipality was blamed for the low quality of work.
   When contancted, municipal chairman Faizul Karim Mayun admitted that the standard of development work could not be maintained at all places because of unusually heavy rainfall.
   He said he has been monitoring the quality and progress of the development projects almost every day.
   The Moulvibazar town would assume a new look with the completion of the first and the second phase of the development projects, he added.

Smuggling is rampant through the borders of Comilla. Different essential items are smuggled through different points of Bibierbazar border and Kosba border of the district.
   The smuggled items are cattle, sugar, salt, spices, VCD set, wine, ganja, phensidyl, heroin, medicine, bicycle, iron, plough, spade, motorcycle and rickshaw from India.
   The smugglers send gold, copper, cotton thread, polyester cloth, parts of watch, soap and crockery to India.