Power outages disrupt normal life

Our Correspondent

JAMALPUR, Oct 11: Acute power outage coupled with voltage fluctuation are seriously disrupting normal life and hampering production in mills and factories in all the seven upazilas in Jamalpur district.
The people of all the villages under seven upazilas of the district suffer a lot as power supply remains suspended most of the time a day consumers widely alleged.
Production in different mills and factories in the district are being hard hit due to frequent and undeclared local shedding and voltage fluctuation.
We have to count huge production losses as power outages force us to stop operation of our mills and factories several times round the clock a mill owner said to The News Toady. If the situation continues we will have no other alternative but to close our mills he added.
Student of different educational institutions including schools, colleges and madrashas in the district bear the brunt of frequent power outages.
The students can not study as power supply remains suspended for hours together everyday and night some student widely alleged.
Despite repeated complains the authorities concerned are yet to take any steps to ensure smooth supply of electricity in the district consumers alleged.
official sources at Jamalpur Palli Bidyut Samity said the existing power crisis in the district results from inadequate supply from the power development board. It is mentioned here that PBs of the country does not generate the power, they purchase the power from PDB. But matter of great regreat that PDB is quite indifferent regarding the matter.
About 90,000 power consumers in 68 unions of 1362 villages in Jamalpur including Roumari and Rajibpur of Kurigram district. Kazipur of Sirajgonj district in various catagories like residential, commercial, industrial and irrigation according to JAPBS sources. Erratic power supply is also badly affecting business in different hats and bazars of the rural areas and also hampering treatment at hospitals and health complexes.
Alimuzzaman a student of nine in Narikeli High School said to The News Today "We are facing great problem in preparing our lessons due to severe loadshedding.
Rahim Mia a trader of Nandina Bazar under sadar upazila said businessmen are suffering huge loss everyday due to frequent loadshedding round the clock.
"We are compelled to down the shutters of our shops soon after sunset everyday and as a result have count huge financial losses everyday he also added.
Tota Mia of Kumarpara of sadar upazila a rice mill owner said they are the worst sufferers as production in all the mills and factories have sharply declined.
High cost production is also forcing us to retrench labourers he also added.
Belaluddin General Manager of Jamalpur Palli Bidyut Samity told The News Today that inadequate supply from the PDB is causing power crisis in the rural areas of the district.
The PDB supplies only 7 to 8 mw power to the JAPBS against the demand of 27 t0 28 mw he added.
Consumers of Jamalpur PBs have urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to ensure unhindered power supply in the district without any delay.

Farmers in quandary with huge unsold potato

RAJSHAHI, Oct 11: Farmers and businessmen have been facing an awkward situation with huge unsold potato owing to its low price here in the markets, reports BSS.
Sources said the farmers and businessmen are incurring a loss of about Taka 300 per sack of potato. In this situation, they are fearing that there will be a decline in potato cultivation in the next season.
Talking to BSS they viewed that the production cost is not being recovered after selling the potato stored in the cold storage due to reduced price. At present, the price of a sack of 85-kg potato is Taka 980 to 1,020 and there has been apprehension of further worsening the rate with the appearance of early varieties of winter vegetables.
Side by side with the bumper production during the current season, the farmers produce all other vegetables in huge quantity owing to favourable climatic condition round the year and they did not witness any increase of potato price.
During the harvesting period, the price of 85-kilogram sack was Taka 1,000 to Taka 1,100. Whereas, the production cost was Taka 1,300 to 1,400 per sack including the rent of cold storage and transportation cost, they added.
Rahim Uddin Sarker, a national award winner potato-farmer of Paba upazila here, informed that he had cultivated potato in 12 bighas of land spending Taka 25,000 to 26,000 per bigha and stored 500 sacks of potato in cold storage. He sold out 300 sacks of potato at the rate of Taka 1,050 to 1,100 and the rest 200 sacks remained stockpiled in the cold storage.
"I am worried that I have to incur a loss of at least Taka 60,000 if I sell 200 sacks of stored potato at a rate of Taka 1,020," he said adding "all my neighbour farmers will incur losses if they sell their produce at the same rate."
Office-secretary of District Potato and Vegetable Traders'' Association Bazlur Rahman said that he had purchased 578 sacks of potato and stored in a cold storage and 188 sacks of those are in the storage.
He said the businessmen, who have borrowed money from the banks and owners of the cold storages to operate their business, have been passing their days with anxiety over repayment of their loans.
In the current season, about 28 lakh sacks of potato were stored in 18 cold storages in the district and all were overloaded due to the bumper production.
About sixty percent of the total stored potato remained stockpiled in the cold storages as the farmers and traders are reluctant to receive their crop due to its reduced price whereas seventy-five percent of the stored-potato were sold during the same period of last year.
Sources with Department of Agriculture Extension said, the farmers cultivated potato in 35,000 hectares of land in the district.

Barisal SBMC reopens today

BARISAL, Oct 11: Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College, closed on August 25 following the death of a youth, reopens today, reports UNB.
Three male and two female student dormitories were opened today (Saturday) after a decision taken at the Academic council meeting on October 6. The authority closed the institution on August 25 for an indefinite period in the wake of a tense situation prevailed on the campus and its adjoining areas following the killing of a local plumber, Murad, by some students of the college.
The college authority had formed a probe body in connection with the killing but the committee is yet to submit the report.
Victim’s father Kamal Mistri filed a case against five students of the college.

Housewife hacked to death

THAKURGAON, Oct 11: A housewife was hacked to death by terrorists at Faridpur village in Sadar upazila Thursday evening, reports UNB.
Police said terrorists hacked Sahera Begum, 28, wife of Delwar Hossain, to death while she was cooking in their house in the evening.
A case was filed against Poshirul, Chandu and Nuru in this connection.
Police detained Poshirul, Chandu and her husband Delwar for interrogation.

B’baria district jail yet to shift to new building

BRAHMANBARIA, Oct 11: The district jail could not be shifted to the newly constructed building, due to shortage of manpower. Prisoners are living a subhuman condition in the old jail as three or four times more prisoners are living in it than its accommodation capacity, reports UNB.
At present, there are 1100 prisoners in the old district jail against the capacity of 283 prisoners.
The new building has been constructed a month back at a cost of Tk 21.67 crore with an accommodation capacity of 650 prisoners. But the authority could not move to the new building due to the manpower crisis, sources said.
Construction work of the new building started on 17 acres of land at Urshiura village, in the outskirts of the district town, during the fiscal 1997-98.
Public Works Department was expected to complete the construction work by five years. But they took 11 years to complete the work.
Home Ministry informed Public Works Department that the new jail would be inaugurated on August 15. As per its instruction, the department completed its work before August 15 but the jail is yet to be shifted.
Sources said there are some 34 staff members in the old jail but it needs 200 in the new building.
The district jail will be shifted to the new building soon after resolving its manpower crisis, official sources said.

SM Sultan''s 14th death anniversary observed

NARAIL, Oct 11: The 14th death anniversary of SM Sultan, one of world''s reputed artists, was observed in a befitting manner in Narail, reports BSS.
The day-long programmes began with placing of wreaths at the grave of the late painter, who is appreciated at home and abroad for his works that usually depict strength of rural folks in ''strong muscles''.
SM Sultan foundation, the district administration, Narail press club and SM Sultan Shishu Charu and Karukala foundation organized different programmes to mark the anniversary, which also included fateha, milad mahfil, Quran khwani and child art competition.
More than 100 children took part in the art competition at Shishu Swarga, a child art center dreamt and established by Sultan, a confirmed bachelor died at 70 in 1994.

525 tonnes of rice allocated

UP secretary arrested with stealing VGF rice in Naogaon










Sapahar upazila on Wednesday, reports UNB.
Under the programme, each of the families will get 15 kgs of rice. There are 1,000 selected poor and destitute families in each of the 31 unions and each pourashavas of the district.
CHUADANGA, Oct 11: The government has allocated 525 tonnes of rice for distributing among the distressed families in four upazilas and four pourashavas of the district under VGF programme, official sources said, reports BSS.
The upazilas are Sadar, Alamdanga, Domurhuda and Jibannagar and the four pourashavas are Chuadnaga, Alamdanga, Darsana and Jibannagar.
A union parishad (UP) secretary was arrested for his involvement with stealing rice allocated under VGF programme from the storeroom of Tilna union parishad in district
Of those seven unions are in Sadar upazila, thirteen in Alamdanga upazila, seven in Damurhuda upazila and four in Jibannagar upazila.
The distribution of rice has started and is expected to be completed by this month.

COUNTRY NOTES

Five killed in road accident

Our Correspondent
MYMENSINGH, Oct 11: At least five persons were killed including three women and seven persons were injured in a road accident at Dharsharpar on Mymensingh-Haluaghat road in Haluaghat upazila here this night.
The victims were identified as Khodeja (50), Sabina Yeasmin (30), Mamun (15), Rokshana (35) and Mainul (30).
Police said, the accident took place when a Haluaghat bound less from Dhaka hit a tempo coming from opposite direction killing five tempo passengers on the spot and injuring seven others at around 8:45 pm.
The injured persons were admitted at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH). The bodies were sent to MMCH for autopsy. A cases was lodged.

Boat race held in Patuakhali

Our Correspondent
BARISAL, Oct 11: A colorful boat race was held at Nibaron Kobirajer Dighi in Dashmina upazila under Patuakhali district Thursday noon.
Grameen Phone sponsored the traditional boat race on the occasion of Bijoya Dashami of Hindu community to patronize the traditional village culture and express solidarity with the local and regional customs.
Six teams participated in the competition and the teams led by Hashem Kamar, Gouranga Shil and Haripada got the first, second and third prizes respectively.
Deputy Commissioner Muuhammad Riaz Ahmed distributed the prizes among the winners as chief guest.
Mehdi Hassan, Dashmina Upazila Nirbahi Officer, presided over the function and Farhad Hossain, general manager of GP Barisal region attended as special guest.

Workshop on HIV/AIDS held

Our Correspondent
GOPALGANJ, Oct 11: A daylong workshop was held at Ansar and VDP office conference room of the district, concept on "HIV/AIDS" reproductive health and violence against women.
The workshop was arranged by district Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) and financial assistance ministry of Home and United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) jointly.
Md Moklesur Rahman, district adjutant, Ansar and VDP of the district presided over the workshop. Dr Nazrul Islam Deputy Director (DD) family Planning, Gopalganj discussed on HIV/AIDS given different conception among the participants.
Samsuddin Mridha, officer Ansar and VDP Gopalganj sadar and Sahajahan Sardar trainers of Ansar and VDP Gopalganj also were addressed on the occasion.

2 drug peddlers detained

Our Correspondent
LALMONIRHAT, Oct 11: Lalmonirhat Sadar thana police detained two drug peddlers including 60kg narcotics substances and a car from the Tista Bridge adjacent road early morning on Wednesday.
The arresters were identified as Mizan, the son of Haban Ali of Abani Piyadapara village of Bhaga thana in Rajshahi district and another was Anwar Ali, the son of Mozam Ali of Mondalpara village in Kurigram district.
A case was filed against four person according to their confession when the another convicts were Aktar Ali, the son of Abdul Jabbar of Kusumpur village of Parbortipur thana under Dinajpur district, Sofiqul Islam, the son of Shamser Ali of Kaliyarchar village of Kurigram district.