A GOOD amount of land have been brought under boro paddy cultivation in nine upazilas in Pabna as 59 deep tube-wells, remained inoperative since long, pressed into service to supply irrigation water to boro land under a project of the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority.
   Just three years ago hundreds of acres of land under the Barind project area in nine upazilas used to remain uncultivated due to lack of irrigation facilities and acute shortage of water.
   But the situation has now changed dramatically after the BMDA took measures to supply irrigation water to dry parched land.
   The authority marked the tube-wells remained inoperative for 1 to 20 years and repaired those to supply water for irrigation.
   Since the BMDA started its activities in the project area in 2004, irri and boro paddy, wheat and other crops are being grown in abundance.
   The BMDA activities have brought positive impact on the production of different crops during the last three years, the officials said.
   There has been a bumper production of irri-boro in the Barind project area this season.
   About 2500 hectares of land have been brought under boro cultivation in the current season with an output target of 15,000 tonnes of paddy.
   As many as 2,852 families are now reaping the benefits of the irrigation and other facilities in the project area.
   These facilities have improved their economic condition substantially and replaced their agony with hope. They are now looking forward for a better future.
   M Afaz Uddin Sardar, 55, a farmer of village Cak Ugrogar under sadar upazila, said he cultivated BR-29 variety on three bighas of land this year and was expecting a good harvest.
   Many farmers of the region have the same success stories to tell.
   Executive engineer of Barind Project, Pabna, said the BMDA is one of the successful projects of the country, which has brought much change in agriculture, irrigation, communication and environmental development in the district along with Rajshahi and Naogaon.

A MAN hurled acid at his wife injuring her seriously at village Char Bogadi under Manohardi upazila in Narsingdi on Wednesday midnight.
   The victim is Papia Begum, 30, wife of Kajal Miah of the village.
   According to locals, Kajal, who used to quarrel with his wife over family affairs, hurled acid at Papia, mother of two sons, when she was asleep in his room. After the attack, he hurriedly fled away.
   Her left side of the body and face were burnt. Locals took her to Manohardi Upazila Health Complex in critical condition and she was admitted there.
   A case was recorded with the Manohardi police station. But Kajal went into hiding.

THE police found out the suspected killer of a female billing-assistant of Gopalganj Palli Bidyut Samity who was missing since May 15 evening and was found dead on the premises of Bangabandhu Science and Technology University at Gobra in Gopalganj Tuesday noon.
   Sadhan Kumar Saha, husband of the victim Sabita Rani Saha, gave a confessional statement before a magistrate admitting the responsibility of the killing on Thursday.
   Sadhan confessed that he strangled Sabita following an altercation on May 15 evening and dumped the body there.
   Sabita, mother of a one-year-old boy, was missing on May 15 evening when she along with her colleague Ruma Samaddar was returning home from office at about 7:30pm.
   On Tuesday noon, the police recovered the decomposed body of Sabita. A murder case was filed and the Belabo police in Narsingdi on that night arrested Sadhan, who had been living there for the last six months.
   The police suspected that extramarital affair of Sadhan might lead him to kill his wife. The police declined to disclose the content of the confession.