ONE person was burnt to death and three were injured in two incidents of fire in Gaibandha and Kurigram on Tuesday. Twelve business establishments and nine rooms of a building were also damaged by the fire.
   A young trader was burnt to death and three others were injured when a fire broke out at Pacharbazar Hat under Sadullyapur upazila in Gaibandha on Tuesday morning, according to a UNB report.
   Jibon Kumar, an inhabitant of the area, was roasted alive.
   Braving the fire he went to save valuables of his shop but was engulfed by the flame. Among the injured, Bablu was taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital with severe burn injuries.
   At least 12 business establishments, including one rice mill, three cloth shops and five groceries were burnt by the fire.
   Locals said the fire originated from an electric short circuit in cloth shop owned by Mustafizur Rahman Tuesday morning. Soon the flame engulfed nearby shops.
   Fire Brigade personnel went to the spot and brought the fire under control.
   New Age Kurigram correspondent said: At least nine rooms of a building including valuable furniture worth Tk 12 lakh were burnt to ashes in a fire at Saddir More under Kurigram Municipality at about 4:30am on Tuesday.
   According to eyewitnesses the fire originated from an electric short circuit.
   The fire fighters, on information, went to the spot and extinguished the fire.

UNPLANNED lifting of pebble from the rivers in the northern region has been causing a serious threat to the environment instead of playing a vital role in the country’s infrastructure development.
   Over 500 dredgers are now being used in lifting the natural resource from 7/8 rivers and their tributaries in Lalmonirhat and Panchagarh.
   Only a few dredgers are operated legally while most of the others are used by their owners using their influence or with the favour of the administration, local people alleged.
   It is feared that a massive landslide might occur at any time in the Patgram municipal area due to the illegal lifting of huge quantity of pebble from the river near the Rasulganj area.
   Planned lifting of pebble could prove to be an income-generating source for the poor people in the northern districts, according to experts.
   But unplanned lifting of pebble is rather degrading the ecological balance in the region, they said.
   The Patgram upazila nirbahi officer, Fazlul Kabir, said the mineral resources ministry allowed only 10 traders to lift pebble from the rivers subject to certain conditions.
   He, however, admitted that many dredgers were being illegally operated in Sarkarer Hat, Rasulganj, Bankandha and Burimari areas.
   Local people alleged that the administration occasionally seize the illegally operated dredgers, but often release those by taking bribe.
   Pebble lifting is also increasing day by day in the River Dahuk of Tentulia upazila in Panchagarh.

SEVERAL thousand people of 22 villages of Ratnapalong union under Ukhiya upazila in Cox’s Bazar have been under blackout since first week of July due to shortage of transformers.
   Three persons including an engineer had been transferred allegedly for their links to transformers theft.
   According to deputy general manager, Cox’s Bazar Palli Bidyut Samity, Ukhiya zone, Noor Hossain, 17 transformers were stolen from 22 village of the upazila during the last one month.
   The villages included Cortbazar, Talipara, Baruapara, Kelasorpara, East Ratnapalong, Khankarpara and Dail Para.
   Assistant engineer of the samity Mohammad Musa, wiring inspector Mohammad Jakir and cashier Monwara Begum were transferred by the authorities for their alleged involvement with an organised gang responsible for the theft.
   Sources concerned said the thefts were committed after joining of Musa three months ago.
   People of 22 villages urged government for immediate action for setting up of transformer and supply of electricity.

The only one Germ Plasm Maintenance Centre for the development of silk industry in the country is going to be closed down due to lack of money.
   After the present government assumed power, the centre was established at Sakoa under Boda upazila in Panchagarh with the financial help from the World Bank.
   The aim of the centre was to carry out research for creating the different species of silkworms and preserving them.
   After the tenure of agreement with the World Bank expired in 2003, it was not renewed. The research work has now been suspended.
   Already the centre has invented and preserved 36 bi-cycle and 12 multi-cycle species. According to scientists, these species are totally environment-friendly and long lasting. The invention of these long lasting species adds new dimension to national silk industry.
   About six hundred families residing of the germ plasm centre have become self-reliant producing the cocoon.
   A scientific officer of the germ plasm centre told the news agency that cultivation of different species of silk became popular not only in the area but also in other remote areas in the country including Rajshahi, Chapainaw-abganj and Manikganj.
   Another officer of the centre said that the budget for the research has been reduced, but he was not sure if it was for money crisis.
   Now-a-days the production of cocoon has been identified as profitable cash crop. As there is heavy demand of Bangladeshi silk in different countries including Japan, the importance of silk has also increased. The textile traders are being benefited from the industry. Besides this, the silk industry has become an important sector for earning foreign currencies.

Action-In-Development, a non-government organisation, has taken a noble initiative to impart education and training to hearing and speech impaired children for making them self-reliant.
   AID has set up a special education centre at its complex in Jhenaidah town last month for the hearing and speech impaired children. The physically challenged children will be given education and training at the centre for three years. The children of the extremely poor families will be given education, training, food and lodging free of cost. Service charge will be realised from the disabled children of the economically solvent families, according to the sources in the AID. The special education and training centre for the hearing and speech impaired children started functioning from the last month with 15 disabled children.
   The sources pointed out that the poor parents of the physically challenged children strongly harboured the view that they (handicapped children) would ultimately end up as street beggers. Dismissing this fear as baseless, the sources maintained that with education and training these physically handicapped children could be turned into an assent.
   Quoting a survey report of the AID and other NGOs, Fatema Jahan Ruma, teacher of the special education centre at Shatbaria in Jhenaidah town, said the number of children with hearing and speech impairment in the district is around 1,600. Overwhelming majority of the physically disabled children belong to the poor families. The parents consider such children as burden on them, she added. Ruma said education, training and some instrumental aids could make such children as worthy citizens of the country.
   Lauding the friendly atmosphere in the education centre, Kamala Khatun, mother of a handicapped child, said toys and game tools here were fascinating to the children.
   Several other guardians echoed her.

A man allegedly killed his wife at Churamankathi under Jessore sadar upazila early Tuesday.
   The deceased is Karuna Begum, 22, wife of Shariful Islam of the area.
   The police said Shariful married Karuna, daughter of Abdul Aziz of Mirzapur under Chaugachha in Jessore, about seven years ago.
   The victim's family claimed that after the marriage he began to torture Karuna for dowry. On the night of the incident, Shariful tortured her and she was taken to Jessore General Hospital where the attending doctor declared her dead.
   She was buried at her father's family graveyard after a post-mortem examination.
   A case was lodged with the Kotwali police station accusing Shariful Islam. The police arrested Shariful. Cruel father slaughters his daughter in Gaibandha
   Meanwhile, a UNB report from Gaibandha adds: A man allegedly slaughtered his minor girl to falsely implicate his brother in a murder case at a remote village under Gobindaganj upazila early Monday.
   The deceased is Mollika Khatun, 4, daughter of Monayem Khan of village Hamidpur Kirtipara.
   Locals said Monayem Khan took her daughter to a secret place beside his house at midnight and slaughtered her with a sharp knife.
   After the killing he was shouting that his brother Al-Amin killed his daughter. But after sometime sensing danger he fled from the scene.
   There was a longstanding dispute between Monayem and his brother Al-Amin over a plot of land, said the locals.
   A case was filed with the police in this connection.