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Environment and disaster experts have identified that one lakh people live in dangerous slopes of 25 risky hills in the port city and its adjacent areas exposing their lives to landslides in the upcoming rainy season.
   They fear that callousness of the authorities concerned and lack of awareness among landlords and tenants living on the slopes may repeat the shocking incidents that claimed 127 lives on June 2007 and 11 lives on August 18, 2008.
   Sources said over 1.50 lakh disadvantaged people, mainly self-employed persons, garments workers and day-labourers, live in some 2,428 slums in the city. Of them, nearly one lakh people live in the slums on the risky and treacherous slopes or foothills that provide cheaper shelters for them.
   Some unscrupulous and influential people have developed the slums on the hill slopes and foothills of Bangladesh Railway, Chittagong WASA, Public Works Department, Bangladesh Police, and areas of Chittagong Cantonment and Chittagong University.
   They have developed the slums for their narrow gains taking safety of lives hardly into consideration. So, the residents are at a serious risk of falling easy victims of landslides, especially in the torrential rains.
   Several committees were formed to shift and rehabilitate the affected families from the risky areas to safer places.
   Neither the affected families nor the residents of foothills have been rehabilitated till date where most affected areas got covered with risky structures again.
   While visiting the affected area of Motijhorna of Lalkhan Bazar Saturday, this correspondent saw that many thatched houses, which were damaged in landslides in 2007 and 2008, have been replaced by concrete structures and semi-pucca houses.
   Mohammad Abdul Alam, a resident of Motijhorna hill slops, informed BSS that they get the house at a cheaper price to live with their limited incomes.
   Another resident of Kushumbag, where seven people were killed in 2007, Mohammad Nurul Islam, echoed Alam saying they have rented their house to live in such a lower rate that is uncommon in the city areas.
   Recounting the incidents of 2007, Alam said, ‘We come across many road accidents in the port city everyday, but could we stop running vehicles on the road?’
   Local female ward councillor Monwara Begum Moni, who was involved in evacuating the people from the risky areas last year, said the number of people has increased in the risky foothills due to inaction of the authorities concerned.
   A landslide rehabilitation and implementation committee formed last year is yet to come up with measures that can help evacuate the people or rehabilitate them elsewhere permanently.
   Talking to BSS, Jahangir ALam, a researcher of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, said they have identified the 25 risky hills in the city and its adjacent areas.
   The hills include Parir Pahar, several hills at Lalkhan Bazar, Chittagong city corporation hills, PWD hills, and hills of Bangladesh Railway, and hills beside Natunpara Cantonment and Chittagong University.
   He said 20/30 thousand people are living in the dangerous slops of the hills.
   ‘Since the rainy season is nearing and there is no time for protection of the people from potential landslides, the authorities only can evacuate them from risky slopes after motivation,’ said Jahangir, who carried out a research titled ‘Landslide Risk Assessment of Chittagong Metropolitan Area.’
   He said the rehabilitation works have remained standstill and it is sheer a paper work; nothing has been done for the victims during the last two years.
   Khairul Alam, chief research officer of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute, stressed the need for tree plantation after reviewing the present situation of the risky hills.
   He said, ‘We could plant fibrous-rooted trees, including bamboo, cane and broom grass, for protecting the soil of the risky hills in Chittagong.’

A murder case accused was snatched away from police custody by the villagers in Sonatala upazila of Bogra on Thursday soon after his arrest.
   The police said they had arrested Sujan Chandra, son of Nirmal Muhuri, Thursday afternoon in connection with the killing of one Rubel at village Kamarpara in 2006.
   When the law enforcers were on the way to the Sonatala police station with Sujan after his arrest at village Hashraj his relatives and neighbours swooped on them and snatched way the accused from their grip.
   During the attack, eight police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were injured. Some of the attackers fled away along with Sujan, the police added.
   The police arrested eight of the attackers. They were Anwar Hossain, Shajahan Ali, Liton, Parimal Chandra, Enamul Haque, Mahbubur Rahman, Shubha and Sabuj. Latiful Islam, office-in-charge of Sonatala police station, said a case was filed against them for obstructing the police to perform their duty.

A court in Manikganj on Thursday sentenced two persons to life-term imprisonment for raping a teenage girl after abduction.
   District and sessions judge Abdul Kuddus Mia handed down the verdict against Zahangir Alam, son of Suruj Mia of village Betila and Shariful Islam, son of Fazlul Haque of Char Mokimpur under sadar upazila of the district and also fined them Tk 10,000 each.
   According to the prosecution, the convicts kidnapped Mausumi, daughter of Mohidur Rahman of Char Matta under the Manikganj sadar police station, on her way to school on April 23, 2008 and raped her, confining at a house in Dhamrai in Dhaka for 10 days.
   Later, acting on a tip off, the police rescued her from the house and arrest the two.
   Chaina Begum, mother of the victim, filed a case with the Manikganj sadar police station against them.

Students who got GPA-5 in the SSC and Dakhil Examination under Rajshahi Education Board and Madrashah Sikkha Board this year, were accorded reception on Thursday.
   Natore district unit of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Sebir organised the reception at Natore district council auditorium on Thursday.
   Md Nasiruddin, president of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Sebir, presided over the function while Mirza Galib, central international secretary of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Sebir, was present as chief guest.
   Dr Md Ayub Ali, Professor of Statistic Department of Rajshahi University was present as special guest.
   A total of 422 GPA-5 holders were given reception. Each of the meritorious students was given crest, book and greeting card.
   After the reception, a colourful cultural programme was arranged.

Bottle gourd farming has gained a widespread popularity among the farmers in Jaipurhat.
   The vegetable which has a high demand is now being cultivated on a large scale in the district.
   This year, 5,000 acres of land were brought under bottle gourd cultivation in the district,
   said sources in the Department of Agricul-tural Extension, Jaipurhat.
   Jamal Uddin, a farmer at Dargapara under Panchbibi upazila, who has gained economic self-sufficiency through farming of the vegetable, told this correspondent, ‘Cultivation of bottle gourd is highly profitable. I grew bottle gourd on one acre of land only this year and earned Tk 1 lakh. I expect more profit. The vegetable is on a good demand in the market.’
   Amena Begum, a housewife of Puranapail village under sadar upazila, has changed her lot by cultivating bottle gourd.
   She cultivated bottle gourd on her half bigha of land and earned Tk25,000 within six months.
   She said, ‘I’m very much satisfied with the profit from the vegetable. Farming of bottle gourd does not need much land. So, one can cultivate it here and there in the homestead.’
   Many other farmers like Jamal and Amena have greatly benefited from farming of the vegetable in the district.
   Bottle gourd is now being sold at Tk 10 to 12 per kilogram in the local market. Normally a bottle guard has a weight of up to five to ten kg.
   So, it yields higher profit in shorter time than any other crops, said many farmers in different areas of the district.
   Hamidul Islam, a trader at Natun Hat, said most of the consumers seek bottle gourd when they come to buy vegetables in the market.
   The vegetable has good demand in all seasons and its price always remains fair both at retail and wholesale levels, he added.
   Mohashin Ali, deputy director of Joypurhat DAE, said, ‘Bottle gourd cultivation is gaining popularity in the district. We appreciate and support the farmers to cultivate the vegetable which has a high demand in the market and farmers can cultivate it in an easy process.’

An eight-year girl was raped by a youth at Dimla upazila in Nilphamari Thursday morning.
   Local people said, one Ferdous Alam, 18, son of Azizul Islam of village Natabari took the victim, who was a student of Class III, forcefully to a bamboo cluster when she was going to school and raped her.
   Hearing screams, local people came and rescued the girl in critical condition. But the culprit managed to flee away from the spot.
   The girl was taken to Dimla upazila health complex in critical condition.
   The victim said Ferdous tried to strangle her but fled away when she screamed.