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River erosion turns grave
in Netrakona villages
300 houses devoured in three days
Our Correspondent . Netrakona

River erosion has taken a serious turn in different border villages of three upazilas in Netrakona with at least 300 dwelling houses and 600 acres of crop land devoured in the last three days.
   The people living near the Sumeshowary and Kongsa rivers here are passing days with fear as the two rivers are fast eroding houses and crop land, local sources said.
   The erosion-hit villages are Shibgonj, Dakumara, Kamarkhali and Birishiri under Durgapur upazila, Fakirar Bazar and Dashdar under Barhatta upazila and village Borail under Netrakona sadar upazila.
   Sudden swelling of the rivers due to last few days’ torrential rain and onrush of hilly waters from neighboring India have worsened the situation, the locals said.
   The Sumeshowary and Kongsa have devoured at least 300 dwelling houses and about 600 acres of crop land in the last three days, rendering over 1,000 people homeless.
   Most of the erosion victims have taken shelter in the neighboring villages, local sources said.
   During a visit to the erosion-affected areas, our correspondent found a good many people preparing to move to safe places along with their belongings.
   Local people had tried to protect their areas from erosion by dumping sands, piling of bamboo and timbers along the river banks, but their efforts went in vein due to strong current of the rivers.
   Every year, a vast track of cultivable land and a large number of dwelling houses go under river water due to erosion, leaving hundreds of people homeless.
   Kamarkhali Bazar, once a big market place in Durgapur upazila, has been reduced to nearly half in the last three years due to erosion.
   More than 400 families used to live at village Ranikong in Durgapur upazila four years ago. But now the number of families come down to a half in the
   village.
   Local people told New Age that they had urged the authorities concerned several times to construct embankments to protect them from erosion but no steps have not yet been taken.
   When contacted, the executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board, Netrakona, Mohammad Didarul Alam said they had submitted a project proposal for building erosion protection embankment along the banks of two rivers.
   ‘But we are yet to get any response to the proposal,’ the BWDB executive engineer said.

Betel leaf production continues
to decline in Noakhali
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Noakhali

Betel leaf production continues to decline in Noakhali as farmers are losing interest in cultivating this cash crop due to manifold problems.
   Price hike of farming inputs, absence of marketing facilities and paucity of
   fund are the main reasons for gradual decline in production of betel leaf in the district, growers said.
   Official sources said about 450 growers of Hatiya, Subarnachar and Companiganj upazila of the district are now engaged in cultivating betel leaf on six hundred acres of land.
   A farmer needs Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 to cultivate betel leaf on one bigha of land.
   Betel leaf cultivator Tankkesar Das of Subarnachr said they had no adequate money to cultivate betel leaf. Non-availability of bank loan have put them in great difficulties.
   The prices of farming inputs like bamboo, straw, oil cakes, ropes, jute sticks have gone beyond buying capacity of the farmers.
   Besides, transportation system in remote villages is also hampering the marketing of betel leaf.

Tk 10,000 aid given for only
surviving daughter Sagorika
Our Correspondent . Barisal

The local administration has given Tk 10,000 in aid for rearing the 18-month old Sagorika, the only surviving daughter of Tanjira Begum who along with her four daughters were butchered in the remote Khalishar Uttar Par village of Mehendiganj upazila in Barisal early Tuesday.
   The Mehendiganj upazila nirbahi officer, Khan Md Nurul Amin, on Saturday, handed over the money to Jahangir Hossain Bepari, husband of Tanzira.
   Suspended police sub-inspector Shahjahan Boiragi and Shahid Boiragi, two brothers of slain Tanjira Begum, who were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing, passed the third day of the 10-day remand in police custody on Saturday.
   Sub-inspector Abu Awal, also investigation officer of the case, said the police had seized some sharp weapons and a torch light, used in the killing, from the house of Shahidul.

Six fake SSC examinees held
Our correspondent . Jamalpur

Six fake SSC examinees under the Bangladesh Open University were arrested during the mathematics exam in Sarishabari upazila under Jamalpur on Friday.
   The police said on-duty magistrate nabbed the six while they were taking Mathamatic examination of behalf of others at Reaz Uddin Talukder High School.
   The arrested are Rabiul Islam of village Sangkher Paey, Mamun Mia of village Tiamjani, Wazed Ali of village Sataria and Abu Rayhan, of village Babhabega under Sarishabari upazila and Shukur Mia of village Nagar in Madarganj upazila and Abdul Alim of village Chatutia in Gopalpur upazila under Tangail.
   The examination centre secretary, Wazeda Parvin, field a case in this connection.

Man killed in road mishap
Our Correspondent . Kurigram

A pedestrian was killed as a bus ran over him on the Rangpur- Kurigram Highway in the Khalilganj area under Kurigram sadar upazila Saturday afternoon.

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