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Mustard, a ‘yellow gold’ for Benapole farmers
The high-yielding mustard seeds from Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) have given farmers in Sharsha upazila of the district something to be cheerful about years after low yield.
Theatre scene witnesses series of jovial celebrations
Theatre has always been a major component in Bangladeshi cultural sphere- and in the last couple of months heading the festive season of winter, a couple of festivities had been held in capital, showered with jovial love by the theatre enthusiasts from both home and abroad.
Coal brightens lives of Tahirpur residents
The coal hidden beneath the cold waves of the Jadukata River flowing through Tahirpur upazila in Sunamganj lures thousands of people, mostly women and children, with prospects of making a quick buck.
Elections to DSCC, DNCC likely in January
The Election Commission (EC) plans to hold the elections to two city corporations -- Dhaka South and North -- on the same day towards the end of January next.
Faridpur Branding Fair fails to serve purpose
With the slogan, ‘Sonali Anshe Bhorpur, Valobashi Faridpur’ (Full of golden fibre, we love Faridpur’), the district administration has arranged the month-long Faridpur Branding Fair that has nevertheless failed to cover the full range of goods produced in the district.
Faridpur is the largest jute producing district in the country and golden fibre is the brand of the district.
A day before the fair began on November 30, Deputy Commissioner of the district Atul Sarkar said the aim of the fair is to create market for jute and jute products at home and abroad.
However, the fair has so far failed to serve the original purposes as many local products have largely been ignored.
During a visit to the fair recently, this correspondent found that 75 stalls were set up although 120 stalls were supposed to be there.
Jute products are being sold at only one stall set up by the district administration. Besides, three other stalls are only showcasing jute products.
A staggering 22 stalls are for cosmetic products, much to the disappointment of visitors.
Karim Group, Razzaque Industries Ltd and Golden Jute Industries Ltd have set up stalls only to exhibit their jute products. They are not selling any item.
Around 11 stalls are of clothes where saris, blazers, Modi Koti, jackets and boutiques have been put on display while 10 others of food.
Besides, there are Muktijoddha Corner, Golden Citizen Corner, stalls of the Department of Women Affairs, Social Welfare Department’s stall and Protik Mohila Samity.
There is a Bangabandhu Corner where books written by and on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman have been kept.
Bangladesh Agenda-2030 and Rashin NGO have separate stalls but they have no product to display for the visitors.
Sujan Kumar Paul of the pottery stall of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) stall said the sale volume is too low. He said they could only sell products worth Tk 500-Tk 1,000 every day.
Faisal Hasan, a representative of Akbar Shoe Stall, said the fair is yet to gain momentum.
Mongla, Inani to get wind power plants; one bidder responds
Khulna's Mongla and Cox's Bazar's Inani beach are going to have wind power plants each having 50 MW capacity, as a Chinese company was technically responsive as lone bidder in the tender floated by Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
Eti evades child marriage to win three golds
Foiling a child-marriage bid in the 6th standard by running away, Eti Khatun has gone on to win three gold medals for Bangladesh in the 13th SA Games in Nepal.
Move underway to set up mega power plant on closed KNM land
The government has taken a move to set up an 800-MW power plant on the land of the closed Khulna Newsprint Mills (KNM).
Migratory birds battle poachers in Khulna
Although the poaching of migratory birds is a punishable act, it is going on unabated here under the nose of the local administration and police.
It is even alleged that police take money from bird hunters and traders to allow their illegal act.
Migratory birds visit Bangladesh from the remotest corners of the world such as Siberia, Mongolia and the Tibetan plateau during the winter and live mostly in haor and beel areas considering the country their safe place.
But, a large number of guest birds are being caught every year by some unscrupulous people and sold.
A big bird is sold at Tk 300 in the district while the price of a small one is Tk 150. There is no scope for any bargaining as the demand for the migratory birds is so high. Even, customers are making advance payment for the birds.
Bird hunters and sellers claimed that police collect money from them on a monthly basis.
Anup Das, a bird hunter of Aranghata, said all the bird poachers have to give money to the police.
He said they normally hunt birds from beels at night undercover of dark using traps and hand those over to traders in the early morning.
Kudrat-e-Khuda, general secretary of the district chapter of Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), said the local administration needs to take strict action to stop the bird hunting.
He said local representatives should raise awareness among people against bird hunting.
Madinul Ahsan, a divisional officer of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department, Khulna, said migratory birds usually roam in the beels of Terokhada, Dumuria and Sapahar in the district.
He said they conduct drives against bird poachers regularly. “We remain alert this time, too. No bird hunter will be spared.”
Helal Hossain, deputy commissioner of Khulna, said they conduct drives regularly. “If anyone is caught with birds, he or she will be punished by mobile court.”
Jashore town now dealing with wastes
Jashore town in the country’s southwestern region is wearing a smarter look these days with a modern, state-of-the-art waste management system to go with other facilities making it a cleaner one for its dwellers.