RUST to educate next generation: Nahid

RANGAMATI, Mar 11: Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid urged all to come forward to help establish the Rangamati University of Science and Technology (RUST) to educate the next generation in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, reports BSS.
"Your cost would be high if any obstacle takes place in establishing the proposed university in the CHT," the education inister said while addressing a seminar on enhancement of education in the CHT held at the local pourasabha auditorium Wednesday as the chief guest.
Teachers from the three hill districts, educationists and members of civil society attended the seminar.
State minister for CHT Affairs Dipankar Talukdar, chairmen of the Taskforce on rehabilitation of Refugee Jatindra Lal Tripura and chairman of Rangamati Hill District Council Nikhil Kumar
Chakm, Superintendent of Police Masud-Ul Hassan, representatives of teachers and local elite spoke in the seminar while deputy commissioner of Rangamati hill district Saurendra Nath
Chakravarty chaired it.
"The present government has again undertaken a noble initiative to set up a university in the CHT and you are to uphold it in the greater interest of the next generation to stop continued dropout towards materializing the dream of the government to make Bangladesh Digital," the education minister told the seminar.
He urged all concerned to send all children to educational institutions as the present government has undertaken a plan to make every child pro-education by 2011.
The Awami League government took the initiative to establish a university in the CHT in 1996, but the government led by BNP cancelled it, Nahid said adding the present government would implement its commitment in phases.

Steps taken to ensure irrigation for Boro farming

RANGPUR, Mar 12: The government has taken all-out efforts for ensuring smooth irrigation and other facilities to the farmers to make the fixed Boro farming programme successful this season in the country''s northern region, reports BSS.
As per directions of the government, the concerned departments have already taken adequate steps and have been working relentlessly for the purpose everywhere as Boro plantation is nearing completion, officials and experts said on Thursday.
Noted agri-scientists and experts predicted an all-time record Boro production this season if the prevailing favourable climatic conditions would continue during the next two months as the Boro fields have now worn eye-catching looks everywhere.
Authorities of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), PDB, REB, Water Development Board, Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA) and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation are closely monitoring the steps.
The crop is now growing excellent and the farmers have brought 16,01,464 hectares, 98.65 percent of the targeted 16,22,494 hectares, under Boro farming by Wednesday in the region and the fixed farming target will be achieved by March 15 next, officials said.
While traveling vast areas in Rangpur, Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Bogra, Naogaon, Gaibandha and other places on Wednesday, this correspondent found that the Boro fields are growing excellent wearing eye-catching green looks everywhere.
The farmers were found cleaning weeds and very busy in irrigating their Boro fields using their power- and diesel-driven shallow tube wells, power- driven pumps and motors, deep tube wells of the BMDA everywhere.
Authorities of the Teesta Barrage Project (TBP) of the WDB have been providing irrigation to 44,000 hectares Boro fields under its command area in different upazilas of greater Rangpur and Dinajpur during this Boro season.
"The land area may be increased after a possible agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and India on sharing of the Teesta waters soon to usher in a huge horizon for crop farming," Executive Engineer of the TBP Dhirendranath Nath Sarker said.
Side by side, the officials and farmers highly appreciated the roles of BMDA that has been effectively providing the cheapest irrigation waters to 43,050 hectares Boro field this season against last year''s 30,920 hectares in 13 northern districts.
A total of the re-installed 1,722 Deep Tube Wells (DTWs) have been providing this irrigation to produce 2.32 lakh tonnes Boro paddies worth about Taka 326 crore this season in these districts, Superintending Engineer (SE) of BMDA Monwar Hossain said.
Officials said that the farmers are getting BMDA supplied irrigated waters at Taka 450 to 550 per bigha (33 decimals) when the private irrigation providers have been realizing charges as per their wills in between Taka 1,500 and 3,000.
Talking to BSS, former Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Agronomy of BRRI and Dinajpur Hub Manager of Cereal System Initiatives for South Asia (CSISA) and rice scientist Dr MA Mazid predicted a bumper Boro production this season.

Programmes to celebrate Independence Day

RAJSHAHI, Mar 12: Different government, non-government, socio-cultural and volunteer organizations and political parties including Awami League and divisional and district administrations have chalked out an elaborate programme to celebrate the Independence and National Day-2010 here in a befitting manner, reports BSS.
The programmes include 31-gun salute, placing of wreaths at the monument and Shaheed Minars of the martyred freedom fighters, hoisting of the national flag atop all public and private buildings, decoration of city streets with miniature national flag and coloured posters, screening of documentary films and illumination of roads and roadsides in the evening.
The programmes were finalized at a meeting held in the conference room of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) with DC Shefaul Karim in the chair early in the month.
Political leaders, officials of different government, non-government and voluntary organizations, freedom fighters, educationists, heads of the educational institutions, professionals, socio-cultural activists, business community leaders, elite and lawyers took part in the meeting.
Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has also taken programme to celebrate the day. RCC Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton will open the day’s programme by placing wreaths at Bhuban Mohan Park Shaheed Minar at zero hour, officials said.
Divisional Commissioner of Rajshahi Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan will inaugurate the day’s programme by placing wreaths at the Collectorate Building Shaheed Minar at zero hours on the day.
March past along with physical displays by police, Ansar- VDP, fire service, BNCC, scouts, children and students on the local stadium, screening of documentary films on the War of Liberation, friendly football match and sports competitions and cultural functions are other programmes of the day.

8 robbers arrested in Sirajganj

SIRAJGANJ, Mar 12: RAB personnel in separate drives on Sirajganj-Bogra highway near Hatikumrul Union Parishad here arrested eight members of an inter-district robber gang from two buses on Thursday, reports UNB.
Acting on secret information, the elite force raided a Dhaka bound bus from Naogaon at 12 noon and arrested five members of the gang along with 27 stolen mobile phones.
They were identified as Taru Mia, 35, Ramzan Ali, 24, Mosharraf Hossain, 24, Hanif, 25, and Rubel, 22.
Later, on the basis of their confessional statement, RAB members raided another bus in the same area at about 1pm and nabbed three robbers. The law enforcers also seized 17 mobile phones from their possession.

Massive chili farming in Joypurhat

JOYPURHAT, Mar 12: Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has taken up a massive plan to cultivate chili in all five upazilas of the district during the current (2009-2010) season, reports BSS.
DAE sources said, a total of 570 hectares of land have been brought under chili cultivation this year with a production target of 820 tonnes chili.
Of them, chili was cultivated on 200 hectares of land in Sadar upazila, 220 hectares in Panchbibi upazila, 80 hectares in Akkelpur, 35 hectares in Khetlal and 35 hectares in Kalai upazila of the district.
DAE has been providing agri-inputs among the farmers to boost chili production in the district, official sources said.

Emdadul Dies

CHAPAINAWABGANJ, Mar 12: Dr Emdadul Haque, a noted physician of the district of a massive cardiac arrest at his residence in the town this morning, reports BSS.
He was 47, family sources said.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, a host of relatives and well wishers to mourn his death.
Dr Emdad he will be buried at Fakir Para graveyard in the town following a namaj-e-janaza the central Eidgah at 7 pm on Friday.

Maize farming gains popularity in Joypurhat

JOYPURHAT, Mar 12: Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has taken up a massive plan to cultivate maize in all five upazilas of the district during the current 2009-2010 season, reports BSS.
DAE sources said, a total of 1,042 hectares of land would be brought under maize cultivation this year with the production target of 6,773 tonnes of maize.
Of the total land, 350 hectares would be brought under maize in Sadar upazila, 392 hectares in Panchbibi upazila, 250 hectares in Akkelpur upazila, 25 hectares in Khetlal and 25 hectares in Kalai upazila.
Bangladesh Agriculture Development corporation (BADC) is supplying quality seeds among the farmers through their sale centers and dealers at fair prices.
DAE have taken necessary steps to supply fertilizers and other agriculture inputs among the farmers to boost production of maize during the current season.

Worker killed at ship breaking yard in Ctg

Chittagong, Mar 12: A worker was killed while working in a ship breaking yard at Bhatiari in Sitakundu upazila early Friday, reports UNB.
The deceased was identified as Soroj Dash, 25, hailed from Boro Thakurpara village of the upazila.
Police said Soroj was injured seriously while cutting a scrap ship at Bhatiari at about 4:30 am.
He was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) where the attending doctors declared him dead.
The body was sent to CMCH morgue for autopsy.

Rajshahi airport to resume operation soon

RAJSHAHI, Mar 12: The now-defunct Rajshahi Shah Mukhdum ® Airport is going to resume by a private airline operator-Galaxy Flying Academy-on rental basis by the end of April next, reports BSS.
The academy will operate passengers'' aircrafts along with conducting pilot training.
The Airport officials told Mayor of Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton when he visited the port on Thursday to see for himself the progress of its development works. The necessary preparation, they said, for operating training program is on the final stage.
Mayor Liton, however, hoped that the region would be economically benefited upon resumption of the port.
Keeping the internal flights functioning normal, the domestic flights from the port has remained suspended since February 20, 2007 due to shortage of passengers''.
But, since then no initiative was taken to resume the port despite repeated appeals from different corners during the last three years.
According to concerned sources, six planes will be functioning here to provide training to around 100 pilots both home and abroad in addition to operating two small passengers'' airplanes on Rajshahi-Dhaka route on the basis of feasibility.
The ongoing works on construction of hanger is likely to be completed by next month while a multistoried building has been hired for the accommodation purposes of the trainee-pilots at local Naodapara, the sources added.

One killed in Bogra road crash

Bogra, Mar 12: A woman was killed and four other people, including an army man, were injured when an auto-rickshaw plunged into a roadside ditch at Belkuchi in Dhunat upazila Wednesday night, reports UNB.
Witnesses said while giving side to a speedy truck the Sirajganj bound auto-rickshaw from Dhunat upazila headquarters fell into the ditch beside the Dhunat-Kazipur road at about 10pm killing Fulera Khatun, 25, of the upazila on the spot.
The injured army man, Russell Babu, was rushed to the Bogra Combined Military Hospital in critical condition. The three other injured were admitted to Bogra Shahid Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital.

Man awarded life for rape in Magura

Magura, Mar 12: A tribunal here Thursday convicted a man and awarded him life term imprisonment for violating a teenage girl in 2008. The convict was identified as Jamirul Hossain, 28, reports UNB.
According to prosecution, Jamirul with the help of his accomplices picked up the girl of Barunatoil village in Sadar upazila on May 5, 2008 and violated her.
On information, police rescued the girl from a house of the village.
Victim''s father filed a case.
After examining the records and witnesses Judge of Magura Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Md Ruhul Amin handed down the verdict.

Robbers loot valuables from expatriate''s house

BRAHMANBARIA, Mar 12: Robbers looted valuables worth over Tk 6 lakh from the house of a Saudi expatriate at Islambada village in Sarail upazila Wednesday, reports UNB.
Witnesses said a band of armed robbers swooped on the house of Saudi expatriate Lahi Miah at dead of night and looted 16 tolas of gold jewelry, cash Tk 2 lakh and other valuables.

COUNTRY NOTES