BUMPER production of watermelon is likely at three upazilas in Noakhali in the current season.
   According to the local Department of Agriculture Extension, 17,300 hectares of land under sadar and Subarnachar upazilas, 240 hectares under Hatiya upazila have been brought under watermelon cultivation this year. The production target has been fixed at 50,000 tonnes.
   The DAE said about 31 thousand tonnes of watermelon were produced on 13 thousand hectares of land in the previous year.
   Khalil Azad and AS Abul Khair, upazila agricultural officers of sadar and Subarnachar upazilas respectively, told New Age that local farmers were gradually becoming interested on the cultivation of this juicy fruit as its production method is very easy. The soil in the area is also very favourable for its cultivation.
   Farmers said those who cultivated watermelon last year could fetch a good return on their investment, both money and labour.
   That has encouraged them to bring more land under its cultivation.
   Wahidur Rahman and Sumon, two brothers of a village under Hatiya, said they had cultivated watermelon on one acre of land and expected a bumper production this year.
   They said they produced about seven thousand tonnes from the land and expected that this year the production would be up to 12 thousand tonnes.
   DAE officials said watermelon cultivation is flourishing at Char Bata and Char Ershad under sadar upazila, Char Jublee, Char Bagga and Char Elahi under Subarnachar and Char Kassapiya, Char Mohiuddin and Char Latia unions under Hatiya upazila.
   Meanwhile, the DAE arranged a farmers’ gathering at a field in Subarnachar upazila on Thursday and exchanged views with the growers.
   The DAE officials explained to the farmers various ways to boost the production.

TWELVE shops were burnt and four persons were injured in a fire at Noor Market of Chilahati under Domar upazila in Nilphamari on Friday night.
   Witness said the fire originated from a shop owned by one Reaz Uddin at the market. It engulfed the other 11 shops within a few minutes. The fire victims and shop owners claimed that property worth about Tk 30 lakh was damaged.
   Fire Brigade personnel from Nilphamari reached the spot and brought fire under control after trying for two hours. four persons sustained injuries while trying to extinguished the blaze.
   Fire Brigade officials suspected that an electric short-circuit caused the fire.
   Meanwhile, the Comilla correspondent of New Age adds: A fire that broke out at Gouripurbazar under Daudkandi upazila in Comilla burned down nine business establishments early Sunday.
   Witnesses said the fire originating from an electric short circuit of a quilt shop engulfed the whole market and engulfed the other establishment at about 3:00am.
   Fire-fighters from Daudkandi managed to control the fire after two hours’ effort.

AN ELDERLY tailor was killed in a road accident on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in the Jamtola area under Sadar Dakshin upazila in Comilla on Saturday morning.
   The dead is Anu Mia, 75, a tailor of village Donaitori under Chouddagram upazila.
   The accident took place at about 7:00am when a Chittagong-bound microbus from Dhaka hit Anu when he was crossing the road keeping him severely wounded. He was taken to Chouddagram Upazila Health Complex where the doctors declared him dead.

FORTY-ONE incidents of fire took place in Comilla since January 1 damaging valuables worth about Tk 10 crore, said officials in the Fire Brigade office in the town.
   They attributed the increase of such incidents to unawareness, scarcity of water, and lack of fire control equipments and security measures and unplanned urbanisation.
   Explaining the unplanned urbanisation an official of the officials said the damage could be much lower if the Comilla town would have been built under an urban planning and the fire brigade vehicles could reach the fire spots fast.
   In most cases, the fire-fighting units cannot enter the narrow lanes or areas and the team has no choice but to spray water from long distance, which takes much time to douse the fire.

THE Rapid Action Battalion seized 184 pieces of books of primary education board meant for free distribution from a warehouse at Tapakhola Bazar under Faridpur town on Saturday noon.
   Tipped off, RAB members raided M/S Bashar Enterprise and recovered the books. They also arrested Md Bashar, owner of the shop.
   Bashar told the elite forces that that he had collected those primary schoolbooks with the help of Shahin Hawlader, a storekeeper of Faridpur Primary Education Office, to sell them in the market.
   RAB said they were trying to arrest Shahin.
   A case was filed with the Kotwali police station.