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Smuggling of timber goes on rampant in the coastal belts as a number of organised gangs of smugglers are active in the region in collusion with influential quarters.
   Different types of timber including Sundari are being trafficked from Sundarban to many other parts of the country through the rivers Sugandha Payra, Shreemanto, Andhermanik and Ramnabad.
   Local people alleged that several syndicates were involved in the smuggling of wood from Sundarban for long in convenience with the forest department officials and influential locals.
   The smugglers go to the Sundarban, largest mangrove forest in the world, at dark night, cut wood and later sell those to different markets in Patuakhali, Barguna, Jhalakati, Barisal and Pirojpur.
   The correspondent while visiting Swarupkati Bazar in Pirojpur found that some smuggled wood on open sale under the nose of the law enforcing agencies.
   Even some eminent political leaders and businessmen are connected with the smuggling, local sources said, adding that some of them (politicians, businessmen) have turned millionaires from small traders.
   Patuakhali district forest office sources said there were more than one hundred saw mills and more than fifty per cent of them operate without license.
   Forest department officials sometimes file cases against owners of these saw mills but they avoid trouble by bribing some dishonest officials.
   The police and different intelligence agencies have already taken
   some tough measures to stop the smuggling in the region.
   The police said law enforcers supported by the coast guards had seized smuggled timber worth about Tk 20 lakh and two trawlers from separate places under Swarupkati upazila in Pirojpur and Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali in the last one week.
   Such depredation of mangrove forest to the awareness of the authorities concerned is unfortunate, which will threaten ecology in the region, said Suvash Chandra Biprovedanti, coordinator of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association in Barisal.
   Abdul Hakim, president of Swarupkati Timber Traders Association, said a large number of people living in the adjourning areas of Sundarban were engaged in timbre smuggling.
   Shahjahan Khan, officer-in-charge of Swarupkati police station, said despite sincere efforts, they were unable to check timber smuggling as politically influential groups were behind the crime.
   Moreover, the forest is so remote, making it difficult for the local administration to check the smuggling.

The boro cultivators are facing severe problems in harvesting their paddy in Kurigram, a poverty-stricken district of the country’s northern region, for lack of agriculture day labourers.
   The crisis has pushed up daily wage of the farm labourers significantly in the district.
   Local people and cultivators said a good many day labourers have gone to many other districts including Bogra, Comilla and Feni by working where they could earn higher wage.
   The farmers fear that increase in wage of the labourers would push up their production cost.
   On a spot visit at Kaligonj,Noonkhawa, Bhitarbond under Nageswari
   upazila, Jatrapur, Holokhana, Kathalbari and Mogolbacha under sadar
   upazila, this correspondent found that harvesting of boro paddy was going on in full swing.
   The farmers in the areas are now busy reaping and threshing their paddy.
   They are seen carrying harvested paddy in cart, push cart, van and power tiller almost all day long.
   The farmers are in apprehension that they might not be able to complete harvest of paddy in time for want of sufficient number of labourers.
   Last year, labourers had to be paid wage of Tk1200 to 1500 for reaping and threshing paddy per one acre of land. But this year it stands at Tk2500 to 3000, the farmers said.
   In spite of hike in wage, shortage of day labourers still prevails in the region, they added.
   Meanwhile, some paddy fields in the low lying areas have been water logged in the recent rainfall. So the farmers have had to start harvesting paddy at higher wage.
   Some farmers said they were compelled to delay harvesting paddy in absence of day labourers.
   ‘We are in fear that huge paddy might be damaged if there is any nor’wester before harvest,’ farmers said.
   Talking to New Age, farmers Monnaf Ali, 45, Eakub Ali, 42, and Jabber Haji ,72, of village Gajaibari under Mogolbacha union of sadar upazila, said that they had paid a labourer Tk 100 wage per day last year but they (labourers) were now charging Tk 125 to 150.
   ‘We are reaping and threshing paddy with two brothers and a nephew for want of labourers hurriedly fearing rain and nor’wester,’ said Kachua Miah, a farmer of Chilmari upazila.

A day-long children drama festival was held on the premise of Hatibandha Sahoruddin Sarkar High School on Sunday.
   A cultural organisation Rupantor organised the programme funded by PLAN, Bangladesh.
   Deputy commissioner Alauddin Fakir was present as chief guest and the special guests were Hatibandha Upazila Chairman Bodiuzzaman Velu and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Ashrafuzzaman.
   Different cultural organisations of the district performed in the festival.

Unidentified assailants killed a Jatiyatabadi Juba Dal activist in village Piarakhali at Ishwardi in Pabna early Monday.
   The police and locals said an armed gang had swooped on the house of Abdur Razzak, 35, at around 12:30am and shot him dead.
   The police recovered the body in the morning and sent it to the Pabna General Hospital morgue.
   The Ishwardi police officer-in-charge, Lelin Alamgir, said the motive behind the murder was not clear to them yet.

Three labourers were killed and two others injured after a truck skidded off the Cox’s Bazar-Kotwali bypass and fell into a ditch Monday evening.
   The Cox’s Bazar sadar police officer-in-charge, Abul Kashem, said the Cox’s Bazar-bound sand-laden truck fell into a roadside ditch at around 6:00pm, leaving two, including the helper, dead on the spot.