Main Page «
Front Page «
Metro «
Business «
International «
Sports «
National «
Editorial «
Op-Ed «
Timeout «
Letters «

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

The Japan International Co-operation Agency will fund the implementation of some flood protection projects in 15 districts including Sirajganj and Gaibandha at a cost of Tk 120 crore. Similar projects will be implemented in 13 southern districts.
   Under the projects, to be implemented through the local government engineering department, flood protection dams, roads, metalled roads, premises of schools and colleges and poor people will be elevated in the flood prone areas.
   Besides, interest-free loans will be extended to the poor people for their sustenance and meeting the medical and educational expenses of their children during the emergency period.
   The LGED will implement the JICA-funded projects from the middle of the next year. A pilot project has already been undertaken at some flood-prone areas in Gaibandha.
   A two-member JICA team visited the flood-affected char lands and several roads constructed recently by the LGED at several places under Kazipur upazila keeping in view the normal level of flood water in the region.
   Local sources said about 22 per cent people living at char areas under Chouhali, Kazipur, Belkuchi, Shahjadpur and sadar upazilas in Sirajganj are exposed to the vagaries of flood almost every year.
   Nearly 500 kiolmetres of metalled roads and several bridges and culverts were damaged in Sirajganj by the last year’s flood. The losses were estimated at about Tk 87 crore.

The Bagerhat women and children repression prevention court Wednesday ordered death sentence to four people, life term rigorous imprisonment to one, 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment to another for gang-raping two women of Komorpur village under Bargerhat Sadar thana in Bagerhat district.
   M Quadir Newaz, the judge of Bagerhat women and children repression prevention court, declared the verdict.
   The court sources said convicted people awarded with death sentence and Tk 1 lakh fine are Idris Sheikh, Shajahan alias Haidar alias Kutti, Farukh and Sentu while Anis Sheikh was awarded with life term imprisonment and Tk 50 thousand as fine.
   Kallu Sardar alias Abul Kalam was awarded with 20 years’ rigorous imprisonment and Tk 20 thousand as fine, the sources added.
   According to court sources, the judge also ordered to collect the money of fine by selling the properties of the convicted people.
   According to the court sources, the convicted people, all the members of an organised gang of Labanchara area of Khulna city, on March 8, 2003 went to the house of one Niranjan Bhattachrjee of Komorpur village under Bagerhat Sadar with sharp weapons and firearms.
   They chopped Tapan Bhattarjee, the brother of Niranjan, to death and gang-raped two housewives.
   The convicted people also looted the house and took away valuables worth about Tk 1 lakh.
   According to Bagerhat thana police, Niranjan Bhattachrjee filed a case in this connection on March 10, 2003 with the Bagerhat police accusing unidentified assailants.

At least three persons died of diarrhoea and over 3,000 were attacked with the disease in Magura during the last week.
   The dead are Shahidul Islam, 50, son of Ahammad Hossain of village Barashia, Keya, 8, daughter of Lutfer Mia of village Uttar Sharsuna in Shalikha Upazila and Nasir, 7, son of Waliur Rahman of Mowsha village in Moharninadpur Upazila.
   According to district diarrhoea control room sources, 1,506 were infected with diarrhoea in Magura Sadar Upazila, 1,036 in Mohammadpur Upazila, 464 in Sripur Upazila and 344 in Shalikha Upazila.
   One thousand and ten diarrhoea patients were admitted
   to Magura Sadar Hospital
   and three upazila health complexes during the last three weeks.
   Besides, 1,476 took treatment from Magura Sadar Hospital and 1,322 were treated in upazila health complexes.
   It is learnt that for want of saline the treatment is
   being hampered in different hospitals.
   According to Civil Surgeon office, at least 50 villages under four upazilas of the district were affected by diarrhoea.
   The badly affected villages include Dhaneswar Gati, Tilkhari. Talchari, Amian, Chatarbaria, Shemakhali, Shotokhali, Shorsuna and Shigra under Shalikha Upazila, Kajoli, Amtoil, Amoishar, Modanpur.
   Tupipara under Sripur UpaziIa, Dhoai, Borulia, PaIla, Mowsha under Mohammadpur Upazila and Jagla, Jogdol and Barashia under Magura Sadar Upazila.