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A bridge over the River Dharala at Shimulbari-Kulaghat point in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila has become a crying need for the people of three upazilas of Kurigram.
   The people of Fulbari, Bhurungamari and Nageshwari upazilas, despite being inhabitants of Kurigram, have to keep communication with the Lalmonirhat town for their regular activities as they find it closer than their own district town.
   For absence of the bridge, more than one lakh people of 70 villages under the three upazilas have to cross the River Dharala by boat at Shimulbari-Kulaghat point at Kulaghat union for traveling to the Lalmonirhat headquarters.
   The people of this region have to cross the river to avail themselves of buses and trains bound for Dhaka, Rangpur, Bogra, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Natore, Khulna and other districts.
   Traders and farmers are often deprived of fair prices of their goods as they cannot carry those to their destinations in time for want of the bridge.
   The buyers even cannot reach the village markets with their transports to purchase agricultural produces because of absence of the bridge. 
   Awami League Shimulbari union unit president Titumir Chowdhury said, ‘Successive governments have not taken any initiative to construct a concrete bridge over the river at the point although more than 38 years have already elapsed since the country’s independence.’
   Some locals said that the authorities concerned should construct the bridge immediately taking sufferings of the people into account. 
   During monsoon, people’s sufferings multiply. They have to pay Tk 10 per head to cross the river by boat and additional Tk 5 for a bicycle, Tk 10 for motorcycle, Tk 50 for microbus and Tk 30 for power tiller.
   The school and college students also have to bear the brunt of the bad communication system during rainy season.
   ‘We cannot attend classes in time for want of the bridge,’ said Sabbir Hossain, a HSC student of Lalmonirhat Government College.  
   Shamsul Haque, a teacher of Fulbari Degree College said, ‘People’s easy access to medical treatment and education is hampered for lack of the bridge which is a longstanding demand of the residents of this region.’
   Several others lamented saying that whenever election nears, candidates woo voters assuring them of removing their woes through building the bridge.
   But, the election over, they become almost forgetful about their pledges.
   There seems to have been no exception also in the case of Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Ghulam Muhammad Quader who fought the December 29 parliamentary polls for the Lalmonirhat-3 constituency as a Jatiya Party candidate, they said.
   GM Quader and his elder brother JP chairman HM Ershad made a promise in their election campaign to construct the bridge very soon, if their party wins the Jatiya Sangsad seat.
   People of the three upazilas are still waiting to see implementation of the poll pledge of the JP chairman and his younger brother lawmaker for Lalmonirhat-3 constituency.

The police recovered decomposed body of a woman from village Shekra under Sailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah early Thursday four days after she had gone missing.
   The deceased is Mazeda Begum, 50, wife of Mokbul Hossain of village Shekra.
   The Sailkupa police station officer-in-charge said that Mazeda Begum had gone out of her house on June 8 to visit the
   house of one of her relatives in Jhenidah town. Since then she remained missing.
   The police on early Thursday recovered her decomposed body from a mango orchard of one Abdus Salam at village Shekra.
   The police and victim’s family members suspect that she was murdered after abduction.
   Rahima Khantun, daughter of the victim, filed a case with the Shailkupa police station in this connection.
   On the other hand, villagers said that Mazeda Begum took loan of Tk 60 to 70 thousand from some NGOs and rich persons of the village at high interest.
   Irregularity in repaying the loan might be a reason behind her killing, they suspect.

Transplantation of Aus paddy seedlings has been completed in 11 southern districts under Barisal Agriculture Extension Zone last week.
   Department of Agriculture Extension sources said the farmers prepared seedbeds on 12,902 hectares of land. The target of Aus cultivation was fixed on 3,10,399 hectares of land, but the farmers brought 2,05,833 hectares under Aus cultivation in the region this season.
   A total of 8,08,032 tonnes of Aus is expected to be produced in BAEZ area in this season, the sources added.
   Of the total land 26,345 hectares were brought under hybrid variety of Aus while 88,326 hectares under upashi variety and 1,12,487 hectares under high yielding local variety of Aus.
   Altogether, 28,532 hectares were cultivated in Barisal district, 14,545 hectares in Pirojpur district, 3,725 hectares in Jhalakathi district, 34,815 hectares in Patuakhali district, 19,830 hectares in Barguna district, 62,255 hectares in Bhola district, 12,529 hectares in Faridpur district, 3,250 hectares in Madaripur district, 4,314 hectares in Gopalgonj district, 8,111 hectares in Rajbari district and 13,927 hectares in Shariatpur district.

At least five shops were burnt at Saltha Bazar under Saltha upazila of Faridpur on Saturday.
   According to fire service and local sources, the fire originated from an electric short circuit at a cotton shop of one Afzal at Saltha Bazar and quickly engulfed four other adjoining shops.
   Fire fighters from Boalmari and Faridpur fire station rushed to the spot at put out the flame within half an hour.
   The fire service estimated the loss in the fire at Tk 5 lakh while shop owners claimed it to be above Tk 10 lakh.
   Saltha upazila chair-man Md Delwar Hossain visited the spot and assured the affected shop owners of compensation.

A teenaged boy was killed by lightning strike in Roumari upazila of Kurigram Friday afternoon.
   The deceased is Abdullah, 16, of village Tunkir char under the upazila.
   Locals said Abdullah sustained wounds as a thunderbolt hit him at 4.30 pm while returning home with cattle.
   With severe burn injuries, he was rushed to Roumari Upazila Health Complex where the on-duty doctors declared him dead.

One person was killed and three others injured in a road accident in Nageswari upazila of Kurigram on Friday.
   Sources said the accident took place at North Beparihat under the upazila at 11:00 am when a Bhurungamari-bound truck coming from Nageswari upazila lost control over the steering and fell into a roadside ditch.
   The helper of the truck Afzal Hossain died on the spot.
   The injured were identified as Ashraful Alam Monju, 38, general secretary of the Awami League Nageswari upazila unit, Bidu Saha, 36, and Ashraf Hossain, 40.
   They were admitted to the local upazila health complex.
   Police detained the truck. A case was filed in this connection.