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After years long practice of private tuition, a section of the government school teachers are now engaged in coaching centre business at different places in Faridpur town.
   It is learnt that a group of eight to ten teachers of Faridpur Zila School has opened a coaching centre at two rented rooms of Dwip Shikha Pre-cadet School in Jheeltuli area of the town two weeks ago, where the SSC candidates are receiving coaching from 9:30 am to 11:30pm.
   Ashutosh Biswas, a biology teacher of the Zila School and also in-charge of the centre, told New Age that they had opened the centre with an aim to keep the sense of their school students keen ahead of the SSC examinations, as they had no classes in the school now, which might create a gap with the teachers.
   For the service, they charge no money from the students, he added.
   But some of the students told this correspondent that the teachers had asked them to pay Tk 1600 per month for each of the science students who had studied in the morning and day shifts last year.
   Some of them also said that most of the 80 to 100 examinees of Faridpur Zila School were going to the centre mainly to keep good relations with the teachers only to ensure graining higher practical examination marks for their SSC exams.
   The guardians of the students are anxious as their children are now more inclined to receiving coaching at the centres than using their time in preparation for the final exams.
   Conscious section of the town said that such type of teaching by the government school teachers whether it is at their houses or any other places in exchange for fees is a complete violation of the school teachers’ rules of business.
   A section of the code published by the education ministry clearly mentions that no school teacher who receives government salary should engage himself or herself in teaching in any form in exchange for money outside their schools.   
   Replying to a question about her teachers’ involvement in coaching centre business, Durga Rani Das, acting headmaster of Faridpur Zila School, said that this was none of her duty to look after what the school teachers did outside the campus.
   When contacted, Nasir Uddin Ahmed, additional deputy commissioner (general) of Faridpur, told New Age, ‘I have heard of such illegal practice by the school teachers, adding, ‘If the allegations are found true, actions will be taken against them accordingly.’

Water crisis driven by unilateral withdrawal of Teesta water by India is likely to hit Rabi crop farming in Rangpur area under Teesta Barrage Project.
   Ignoring verbal agreement with Bangladesh, India has recently withdrawn water from Teesta unilaterally much ahead of dry
   season.
   This has made the TBP almost inoperative. Talking to BSS, the TBP executive engineer, Atiqur Rahman, said India had recently closed all gates of its Gozaldoba Barraige much ahead of dry season that pushed down water flow to its thinnest level in the midstream of the Teesta.
   The overall ecology, environment and biodiversity in the region are now facing a formidable threat due to serious scarcity
   of water in the Teesta, he said.
   Due to thin water flow in primary, secondary and tertiary canals of the barrage, farmers in this region fear Boro and other
   Rabi crop farming in the TBP command area may face a serious setback in this season.’
   The river itself has already dried up throughout its courses in Bangladesh side helping huge sandy shoals and chars to
   emerge in the mainstream beginning from the Gozaldoba Barrage in India that has already stopped navigation totally’, official of Water Development Board said.
   At least 10,000 cusecs of water is required to keep the TBP operative for providing irrigation facilities to only 60,000
   hectares of lands in the present command area.’
   Unfortunately, we are now getting the lowest ever flow with only around 200 to 300 cusecs against 800 cusecs at this time,
   not at all sufficient to save the river itself from drying up,’ Atiqur Rahman said.
   He said both Bangladesh and India reached a verbal understanding in 1996 to use the Teesta’s 40 per cent water by
   India, 35 per cent by Bangladesh and the rest for normal flow of the river during the dry season until both the nations reached a full agreement in future.
   ’But we never got even 10 per cent of the total water flow against 35 percent as per the understanding of 1996,’ the TBP
   engineer said, adding that the situation has further worsened now, much ahead of the dry season.
   Farmers in the region said the government should take steps to make a treaty with India as soon as possible to ensure Bangladesh share of Teesta water for protecting environment and biodiversity in the region.

Prices of different kinds of winter vegetables are still high in the kitchen markets of three upazilas in Narail, despite their adequate supply, much to the sufferings of the commoners.
   Brinjal is now selling at Tk 28 per kilogram against Tk 12 to 14 last year, cauliflower at Tk 32 per kg against Tk 16 to 17, cabbage at Tk 14 against Tk 6 to 7, bean at Tk 28 per kg against Tk 16, spinach at Tk 20 per kg against Tk 10 and lalshak is selling at Tk 24 per kg against Tk 12 to 14 in the last winter.
   Potato, gourd, radish, arum, tomato and other vegetables are also selling at exorbitant prices putting heavy strain on the
   budget of the wage earners and the people of the low income group. Traders of the municipal market in Narail town attributed the high prices of different kinds of vegetables to their low supply and high demand in the markets.
   This year’s flash flood caused extensive damage to vegetables on nearly 2,000 hectares of land in Lohagora, Kalia and sadar upazilas, local Department of Agriculture Extension sources said. Khaza Ahmed, a vegetable seller at Rupganj Bazar, said they were charging higher prices from the customers as they had to buy them at high prices.