THE water transports have been facing problems in their movement to different destinations in Patuakhali as most of the rivers have lost their navigability following drastic fall in the water level.
   The water level in the rivers Tetulia, Karkhana, Lohalia and Ramnabad has fallen at many points in the district hampering the smooth plying of launches, ferries and cargo vessels. The ferry ghats have been closed down at several places across the district as the launches and ferries can not approach them due to low depth of water.
   Besides, a big shoal has emerged in the River Lohalia flowing by the southern side of the Patuakhali town for what is said unplanned dredging. As a result, the launch terminals at Jhilna, Kalia and Galachipa have been become dysfunctional nowadays.
   The dredging of the River Lohalia was taken up last year. But the dredging was stopped due to fund constraint.
   An official of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority admitted that shortage of fund was standing in the way of dredging the rivers flowing through the district.
   He said they wrote to the higher authorities to allocate necessary fund for the dredging of the rivers Tetulia, Karkhana, Lohalia and Ramnabad.
   He informed that a survey team will come to Patuakhali soon for an on spot study of the rivers needing dredging for smooth navigation and the money to be required to implement the dredging programme.

MUJAHID Bahini, security forces of the Pir of Charmonai, detained 19 members of a suspected inter-district gang involved in banknote forgeries from the annual mahfil in Barisal on Sunday.
   Later the arrested were handed over to the Rapid Action Battalion.
   Two eighty-three fake notes of Tk 500 denomination worth Tk 1.41 lakh were recovered from their possessions and they admitted that they had been circulating other fake currencies among the participants of the mahfil.
   The arrested were identified as Mithu from Nabogram Road of the Barisal city, Mizanur Rahman, Suman, Abdul Hamid and Sohel from Bakerganj, Ripon, Shipon and Md Tutul from Muladi upazila in Barisal, Rashed Khan Mithu, Mamun Howladar and Md Ali
   of Nalchity upazila in Jhalakati, Sheikh Farid from Lalmohan, Bahar Howladar from Daulatkhan, Zakir Hossain of Charfasson upazilas of Bhola, Md Sabur from Galachipa, Hafizur Rahman and Sarwar Ali from Baufal upazila in Patuakhali, Rafiqul Islam of Lauhajang upazila in Munshiganj and Samsul Alam from Jamalpur upazila in Sunamganj.
   RAB sources said members Mujahid Bahini started searching the adjacent areas from early Sunday after receiving allegations from the victims on the mahfil ground about circulating fake notes of different denominations.
   After searching in Sundarban-2 and Parabat-7 launches, different shops and tea stalls, hawkers in the mahfil area till 9:00am on Sunday, the members of security team succeeded in nabbing the suspected members of the inter-district gang of fake currency.
   Pir of Charmonai Md Rezaul Karim and also chairman of Charmonai union parishad announced Tk 5,000 as reward for the Mujahid Bahini members for their success.

SCHOOLBOY Ripan is reading under fluorescent light while others in the family are enjoying TV programmes in another room. They, like many others, have changed their lifestyle by using solar energy.
   ‘This is a great encouragement to my children,’ Ripan’s mother Maleka Begum told New Age recently.
   They live at remote village Puarana Bharanga, situated in the middle point of the rivers Jamuna and Padma, in Pabna where the supply of electricity is yet to reach.
   The solar energy has brought radical changes in the lifestyle of about 400 families at some remote villages across the district.
   Use of solar energy and electricity battery is becoming popular among rural people in Bera upazila of the district due to innovative efforts by two local NGOs.
   Neither the Power Development Board nor the Rural Electrification Board has supplied electricity in the remote villages.
   The NGO efforts have also created jobs for many village women. They work in the small plants, assembling solar energy and electric battery sets. The sets are also supplied to neighbouring districts, opening up a good business prospect also.
   The Association for Socio-Economic Advantage of Bangladesh and the Organisation for Socio-Economic Advantage of Rural Area have installed solar energy systems in about 200 houses and supply battery system electricity to another 200 houses since they took the initiative in 1999.
   All the activities are managed and supervised by 45 women who have little education.
   At Char Bharanga, where the ASEAB office is situated, a small factory has been set up where solar and battery sets are assembled and recharged. Spares and equipment are imported.
   MA Karim, field manager of the project, said a solar unit which costs between Tk 18,800 and Tk 27,398, can run six lights and a TV set. An 8-volt battery costs Tk 1,850 and a 12-volt battery Tk 3,280.
   A battery has five years’ guarantee with monthly recharge facilities and back up support by the providers.
   ‘Our products are supplied to different areas of the country including Sirajganj, Faridpur, and Rajbari,’ said Kabirul Islam, production manager of the project.
   Habiba, Shimla, Krishna and Hafiza — all members of ASEAB — said a worker earns between Tk 1,500 and Tk 2,000 per month from the project. They deposit a part of their income to the organisation’s fund as savings.
   Solar energy user Motahar Hossain of village Char Sadullahpur said she had bought the solar system at Tk 2,000. His school-going son Iman and two minor daughters are very happy now as they can read under fluorescent lights and enjoy TV programmes, he added, with a pleasant smile.