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Relentless Garai erosion leaves many homeless in Jhenaidah
Villagers in Shailakupa upzila of Jhenaidah district are fighting a losing battle against the onslaught of Garai River.
Over the years the river has swallowed homesteads and croplands of hundreds of families -from well-off to poor- leaving them homeless.
Many have taken shelter in other people’s lands. Some could still buy new lands with whatever money they had.
Abdul Malek Mandal, a resident of Krishnanagar village, is one of them.
In past few years he shifted places for at least seven times to escape serious erosion by the river.
Once he had a tin-shed house, ten bighas of crop land but now he has become a pauper.
Read Dhaleshwari erosion takes serious turn in Keraniganj
“The demonic river has taken all I had,” sighed Malek. “There was a time when I used to help others. Now I seek help from others.”
There seems to be no respite from river erosion as the residents of Uttarpara in Krishnagar village of Shailkupa upazila in Jhenaidah district have been suffering a lot as the Garai River turned turbulent, rendering several hundred people homeless.
Like Malek, many people have lost their houses and land to the river.
Also read: Riverbank erosion displacees await rehabilitation
Abdur Rahim, another resident of Kerishnanagar village, has to shift his house in six places. Now he is living his life by working as a day labourer.
Once 40 families lived in Krishnagar village but now only five families are living there. The river erosion not only shattered their dreams but also made many people poor.
People living in the villages have been leading a prosperous life as the Garai River was a blessing for them but as years passed on, the river became aggressive and a vast tract of lands was swallowed by it.
Many people have been displaced from their ancestral lands as the erosion takes a serious turn in the village, forcing people to take shelter in another place.
During a recent visit to the river bank villages, in Sarutia, Dhalharchandra and Hakimpur unions of Shailkupa upazila, this correspondent found that fear of being homeless by erosion has gripped villagers of three unions.
Bangladesh’s delayed import of electricity from 1600 MW Jharkhand plant in India may start in November
Bangladesh hopes to get electricity from the 1600 MW coal-fired power plant in the Indian state of Jharkhand from November this year after about a year of delay, according to officials at Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB).
The import of the electricity was scheduled to begin in in January this year, officials at the company confirmed.
But the slow progress in both power plant construction and transmission line installation forced the authorities in Bangladesh and India to revise the commercial operation date (COD) and set a new schedule for August this year.
Read:Subsidy on gas and electricity should end in phases, PM tells an Ecnec meeting
But now the project may take further time to be completed, said the officials of the PGCB which was responsible to build the transmission line for evacuation of power from India.
Golam Kibria, managing director of the PGCB, acknowledged the delay.
“We hope that the transmission line will now be ready by October-November this year to get supply from the project”, he told UNB this week.
He noted that the transformers of the project were supposed to come from China a few months back. “But factory closure in China for Covid-19 situation delayed the supply,” he said.
“The pandemic has forced us to set a new COD”, a senior official working at Adani Group’s Dhaka Office confirmed to UNB.
Currently, Bangladesh imports a total of 1160 MW power from India, of which 1000 MW is coming from West Bengal and 160 MW from Tripura.
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Adani Group during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Dhaka in June 2015 to import 1600 MW power from Jharkhand.
After a long negotiation, the two sides signed two final deals—power purchase agreement (PPA) and implementation agreement (IA)—in November 2017.
As per the deals, Adani will set up the 1600 MW coal-fired power plant in Godda, Jharkhand of which the first unit will start commercial operation within 44 months and the second unit within 50 months.
Bangladesh will import electricity from the plant over a period of 25 years at a tariff of 8.612 US cents (Tk 6.890) per unit.
A Power Division document reveals that Bangladesh will pay about $23.87 billion, equivalent to Tk 1,909,75.607 crore, over the next 25 years to the Indian Adani Group to purchase the electricity from the plant.
As per the deadline set in the agreement, official sources said the Adani Group’s both the units were supposed to start commercial operation in 2020. But the Covid-19 situation forced the rescheduling of the deadline.
After missing the deadline of construction, the Adani Group was trying tGovt aims for 10% electricity from renewables by 2025o start the operation of its 800 MW first unit on December 16 in 2021, as part of the commemoration of the Bangladesh’s Victory Day, said an official of the Indian conglomerate who cannot be identified as he is not authorized to speak to media.
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“But the initiative was not successful because of the failure on both the sides—Adani Group and BPDB”, said the top official adding that neither the transmission line nor the plant was ready.
The PGCB took up the project to build a 28-km 400 kV Rahanpur-Monakasha double circuit transmission line at a cost of Tk 225.49 crore to evacuate from the power plant at Bangladesh border point. Indian company Transrail Lighting Limited was appointed as contractor for the project.
As per the annual report of the PGCB, the project achieved Cumulative Physical progress of 91 and financial 87.57 up December 2021.
PGCB official document said the project will facilitate supply of imported power from India to Bangladesh national grid and to meet the growing power demand in Rajshahi and Rangpur regions, the agricultural economic centre of the country, and capital Dhaka.
Adani Group officials said the company has to build a 100 km transmission line on the Indian side to reach electricity from the plant to the Bangladesh border.
Rising food prices despite record stocks defies analysis
The food stock of Bangladesh has reached a new height of 20 lakh tons, with warehouses full of rice and wheat. Despite that, food prices are soaring.
Market analysts and Food Ministry officials are mystified as to the reason behind food prices soaring in the domestic markets.
According to the daily food grain situation report of the Ministry of Food, the total food grain stock in the country on February 9, 2022 was 20.02 lakh tons. Of this, the stock of rice was 16.94 lakh tons, wheat 2.77 lakh tons and 49,000 tons was paddy.
Whereas the secure food stock level for the country is 10 lakh tons, the stock of food grains crossed 20 lakh tons.
Past data shows that there has never been such an official stockpile of rice earlier. At this time last year, the amount of food grains stored in the government warehouses was 7.21 lakh tons. Of this, the stock of rice was 5.37 lakh tons, which was the lowest in a decade.
Read: Power transmission from Payra and Rampal plants to Dhaka to wait for another 7-8 months
Citing "current stock is satisfactory", the report said that aman paddy, rice and wheat procurement activities were being conducted from domestic sources and stocks of food grains were recorded due to import of rice from abroad.
Despite good yields of aman and record production of paddy in the last boro season, several markets in the capital were visited recently which showed that the price of rice (old) is rising.
According to the trading corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) coarse rice was sold at Tk 46 to 48 per kg in the capital's markets on Wednesday, February 17. It showed that prices have risen by 4.35 percent in one year. A fine variety of rice (Miniket-Nazirshail) has been sold at Tk 60 to 67 per kg. In a year it has increased by 7.6 percent.
Teacher shortage hampers educational activities at Ramgarh Govt School
Academic activities at Khagrachhari Ramgarh Government Boys High School are being hampered seriously due to manifold problems, including crisis of teachers.
The posts of headmaster and assistant headmaster have been lying vacant for long, disrupting academic activities.
Only 15 teachers are available at the school while there is a need for 27 teachers to ensure lessons of 700 students. As a result, providing lessons to the students in the many subjects in most cases become quite difficult.
Six posts of assistant teachers in English and Bengali are lying vacant and only two teachers are struggling a lot to provide proper lessons to the students.
Read: Language movement hero Dhirendranath Datta's home awaits follow up on assurances
Besides, there is no teacher in mathematics, threatening a risk in the future of the students.
Talking to the acting headmaster of the school, Abdul Quader, said “We have informed the matter of teacher shortage to the Director General of the Department of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) but no steps has been taken yet to recruit a teacher.”
If the situation persists for long then it will be difficult to provide good lessons to the students, he said.
Meanwhile, the local administration did not take any steps to ensure security as some drug addicts often entered the premises, creating panic among the students.
Harunur Rashid, an assistant teacher of Bangla, said it is so difficult to run the classes with one teacher as there are no other teachers in this subject.
Read: Re-excavation of canals giving new hope to Cumilla residents
Expressing concern over the overall educational activities, Belal Hossain, a guardian said “Most of the guardians of the region are so much concerned over the future of their children as they are not able to sent to their children outside the district for education purpose due to financial crisis.
Biswa Pradeep Kumar, Chairman of Ramgarh Upazila, said “Necessary steps will be taken to recruit more teachers at the school as well as resolve other problems.”
Language movement hero Dhirendranath Datta's home awaits follow up on assurances
The ancestral house of Dhirendranath Datta, the unsung hero of Language Movement, remained neglected for long, thanks to the local administration’s ineffectiveness.
Martyr Dhirendranath Datta, a language activist and politician, used to live in Dharmapasha in Cumilla city, but now the house is on the verge of destruction.
In 2010, the then Information and Cultural Affairs Minister visited the house and assured of taking steps to protect the house and transform it into a ‘Language Movement Hero Dhirendranath Datta Memorial Museum’ but no steps have been taken yet.
READ: The forgotten Language Movement hero
However local people demanded to take steps in renovating the house and taking the initiative to open a language museum to share the true history of the language movement to the next generation.
According to history, in the Pakistan Constituent Assembly session held on February 23, 1948, Datta demanded the use of Bangla along with English and Urdu for conducting its proceedings.
He also served time in jail several times for his role in the Language Movement.
Dhirendranath Datta and his son Dilipkumar Datta, were arrested on the night of March 29, 1971 from the house in Dharmasagar in Cumilla and taken to Mainamati Cantonment and was tortured to death.
Since then, the infrastructure of the house has been broken. After seeing the house now, there is no way to tell that a famous veteran politician of undivided Pakistan used to live here.
Ahsanul Kabir, a cultural personality, said “The house of Dhirendranath Datta is not only for the people of Cumilla but also the pride of all people across the country. But it is unfortunate that, the house is lying in a dilapidated condition.”
He also stressed the need for the government’s initiative to protect the house.
Advocate Nazmul Bari Chowdhury, member secretary of Martyr Dhirendranath Datta Memorial Council, said “We have taken so many movements in different times demanding protection of the house. We also submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the deputy commissioner but to no avail.”
Cumilla City Corporation Mayor Monirul Haque Sakku, said “It is not possible to do everything from the city corporation. Earlier, we constructed the stadium gate in the name of Dhirendranath Datta at a cost of Tk 22 lakh. If the families of Datta demanded to renovate the house then the Cultural Affairs Ministry will take steps.”
An unauthorized open-air ‘library’ on Dhaka University campus raises eyebrows
Just across the TSC at the western entrance to Suhrawardy Udyan an open-air makeshift ‘library’ has recently sprung up raising some eyebrows.
Tanvir Hasan Saikat, a former member of Dhaka University Central Student Union(DUCSU) and Deputy Social Service Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League , has got no permission from the university authorities to set up a wooden shelf with about 80 books.
Just a few days ago the DU authorities evicted from the same site a number of tea stalls on grounds of keeping the place clean and get rid of unwanted gathering.
Saikat, however, defended his move saying he has done it as part of his social service, which is a part of his organisation, BCL.
"Doing social service is my organizational responsibility,” he told UNB. “think it will help us develop our reading habit and thinking power."
"This is not only a library. I will arrange debates and poem recitation programmes here. This is the little starting of my big dream", he added.
He did not mind in setting up the book corner without taking any permission from the university authorities.
READ: Route to Central Shahid Minar on 21st February
DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman, however, welcomed Saikat’s initiative launched on February 13.
DU proctor Prof. AKM Golam Rabbani has slightly different view, Asked to comment on it he told UNB "Establishing libraries is not a bad idea but this place does not demand any library because we have Public library, central library and science library in the neighbourhood.”
“On the other hand this place is not suitable for reading too", Prof. Rabbani said adding that only a few days ago the authorities cleared the gate of Suhrawardy Udyan by removing the stalls to make the surrounding peaceful.
“The University does not allow such establishment on the campus area and the library of Saikat, set up recently at the gate of Suhrawardy Udyan, is not permitted by DU authority", he added.
"Tanbir Hasan Saikat has taken a great initiative. His move may make the place really productive. I personally appreciate his work,” said the VC.
READ: DU to resume physical classes from Feb 22
He further said “It’s a library though. It is just a practice of a new culture but if we find anything wrong or any disorder regarding this issue, we will take proper steps", he said.
Explaining his move Saikat said he cleaned the place which was being used by floating shops. “I’ve set up chairs and tables where people can sit and read books for free,” he said.
Asked what kind of response and cooperation he expects from the initiative, he said, "I started the initiative with my own funds. For all intents and purposes, I don't need any money."
The makeshift establishment, called Jhapi, contains more than 80 books in the book shelf placed in three categories: a. Bangladesh, Bangabandhu and Independence. b. Bangla Literature and c. Foreign literature.
"If anyone wants to donate books, he will be welcomed", Tanbir said.
Salman Siddiki, president of Student Front DU unit, said that at first sight it may look like a good job.
“But if you observe this more closely, you will see that it is a plan of destroying an old culture. There were tea stalls, where students used to have various types of political talks and cultural discussions together. Students from different organisations used to gather there,” he told UNB.
"As Tanbir Hasan is an activist of Chhatra league, students of other organizations may not feel encouraged to go there,” he said adding that “This is a plan of grabbing the place and they did it with the cooperation of University administration.”
Re-excavation of canals giving new hope to Cumilla residents
Residents of Chandina upazila and Chouddagram upazila of Cumilla district are dreaming of a new beginning as the re-excavation work of Kazipara canal and Kanail canal is going on in full swing under the supervision of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC).
According to the local farmers and BADC, the authorities concerned will excavate the 3.5 kilometer area of Kazipara canal and 4-km area of Kanail canal.
After the re-excavation work, the crops of 3000 acres of land along the two canals will be protected after removing waterlogging problem during monsoon.
READ: Demarcation of 29 canals started in city
2000 farmers will be benefitted by the re-excavation of the canals as they will irrigate their crops land by the water of the canals during dry season.
During a recent visit at Barera in Chandina upazila along Kazipara canal, this correspondent found that many crops land turned into fallen land due to lack of irrigation.
‘Broom flowers’ of Sitakunda hills being exported to Middle East
Nationally called ‘Uluful’, locally better known as ‘Jharu Ful’ (Broom flowers) grow naturally in the hills of Sitakunda in Chattogram.
It’s used in every house, every day, in the form of a broom to keep the house clean and tidy. Due to its huge demand, broom flowers are being exported to different countries including the Middle East every year.
Many families in Sitakunda live by collecting and selling this natural product. Many believe, if it is produced commercially, it will create employment for the people in the hills. As a result, Socio-economic conditions will change and if exported worldwide it will be a significant revenue source for the state.
People living in the hills collect the flowers from distant areas and sell those at the local market.
It grows naturally in the winter season. It can be collected from the last week of January to the first week of April. No fertilizers or pesticides are not required for this, said locals.
Power transmission from Payra and Rampal plants to Dhaka to wait for another 7-8 months
The transmission of electricity from newly built Payra and Rampal plants over Padma River to Dhaka's Aminbazar has to wait for at least 7-8 months.
Work on construction of a high voltage 400 kV double-circuit power transmission line to cross mighty river through Padma Bridge is yet to be completed. BPDB, meanwhile. counts huge financial loss.
According to official sources, the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) had undertaken the 164.6 km long Aminbazar-Maowa-Mongla transmission line project in 2016 at a cost of Tk 2505.37 crore.
Also read: Another gas-fired rental power plant gets extension
The most significant part of the project was the Padma River Crossing which remains incomplete because of the ongoing construction work of the Padma Bridge project.
Tulip farming opens new opportunity for farmers in Tetulia, Jashore
Enterprising farmers in parts of Bangladesh are changing the landscape with colourful Tulip flowers.
Thanks to their entrepreneurship tropical Bangladesh has for the first time joined the cold countries and region like the Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey and Kashmir (India) in growing the spring-blooming flowers.
In Bangladesh Tulips are being grown in Sariyaljot and Darjipara villages of Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh border and also in Godkhali of Jashore, famous as flower capital, during the winter.
The Tulips grow best in full sun in the North and partial shade in the South. Tulip bulbs, pointed end up, need to be planted in well-drained soil with a pH between 6 and 7, according to experts.
And this climate and soil can be found in Bangladesh too. And so Tulips have mesmerized the people of northern parts of Bangladesh this year.
Last year, in Gazipur, a local flower farmer Md Delowar Hossain cultivated Tulips for the first time in his garden -- 'Moumita Flowers'. But now, the dazzling display of Tulips has now enveloped the landscape of Northern parts of the country.
How Tulips bloom in lands of Tetulia & Jashore
Farmers in Sariyaljot and Darjipara villages of Tentulia said Tulip's buds come in just 18 days of nurture and start blooming in 20-21 days.
Agriculturists say this plant is a perennial and tuber species that belongs to the family Liliaceae. In the case of tulip flower cultivation, it is tolerant to 15 degrees Celsius during daytime and 10 degrees Celsius at night. The buds of this flower come within 18-20 days from the day of planting and last for 25-60 days.
A meeting with journalists was held on January 26 at Tetulia Mahananda Cottage on Eco-Social Development Organization's (ESDO) value chain pilot project to determine the feasibility of expanding tulip flower cultivation in the northern part of the country.
ESDO Senior Assistant Program Coordinator (APC) and Tulip Flower Cultivation Project Coordinator Md Ainul Haque discussed various aspects of the project.
He said the ESDO, a non-governmental development partner organization in collaboration with the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), under the Valuation Piloting Project to determine the feasibility of expanding tulip flower cultivation in the northern part of the country.
Around 40,000 bulbs brought from the Netherlands have been planted in three plots on 40 decimals of land of eight marginal farmers of Sharialjot and Darjipara villages of Tetulia union of Tetulia upazila.
Tulip flower bulbs (seeds) were officially planted on January 1 this year in the presence of ESDO Executive Director Dr Muhammad Shahid Uz Zaman, Director (Administration) Selima Akhtar and other officials of the Department of Agriculture.
"Besides the bulbs, we provided the farmers with free chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, husks, shade nets and fencing nets. Besides, it has been developed by cultivating flowers in the hands of farmers," said Project Coordinator Md Ainul Haque.
Flower growers here said that they planted tulips here in winter although it is a spring flower abroad.
Twelve varieties of tulips of different species have been cultivated under this pilot project in Tetulia. Among them--Antarctica (White), Dutch Sunrise (Yellow), Purple Prince (Purple), Timeless (Red White Shade), Milksake (Light Pink), Barcelona (Dark Pink), Ad Rem (Orange), Lalibela (Red), the France (Red), Ripley (Orange), Denmark (Orange), Strong Gold (Yellow) and other species of tulips are in full bloom and new flowers are blooming in the gardens every day.
Meanwhile in Jashore's Godkhali, Tulips have been planted experimentally in only five decimals of land. About a month after sowing the bulbs, Tulips started blooming.
Many did not even imagine that foreign flowers would be cultivated in this region.
Flower grower Ismail Hossain said the dazzling tulips of different colours have started blooming in his garden from the second week of January.
The costs & potentials of Tulip farming
Due to low temperature in winter in Panchagarh district, there is huge potential for cultivation of tulips.
Mukta Begum, Anwara Begum, Sumi Akter, Ayesha Begum, Hosneara Begum, Monowara Begum, Morsheda Begum and Sajeda Begum, all female members of ESDO and farmers of Sharialjot and Darjipara villages of Tentulia, have proved that possibility.
They said the total cost of bulbs or seedlings, shed nets, fencing nets, chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers, pesticides and labor costs is around Tk 30 to 32 lakh. The bulbs or seeds from the Netherlands were bought at Tk 61.80 per flower for the cultivation, said ESDO Senior Assistant Program Coordinator.
If 40,000 tulip flowers can be sold at the rate of Tk 100, the farmers will earn Tk 8 lakh in just two months from 40 decimals of land.
At other times of the year, locals and exotic flowers can be cultivated in these lands. They have also created a small amusement park in the flower garden and introduced entrance fees for tourists and flower lovers. In this way, they can earn extra money without selling flowers, said the female flower growers.
Success in planting and growing tulips in Panchagarh as the Himalayan daughter or winter-prone region has raised the possibility of exporting tulips to meet the local demand in the future. They said they will cultivate tulips on about five decimals of land next year if they make a financial profit by selling flowers.
They also said that in the beginning they had unknown fears and anxieties but they succeeded in cultivating flowers by using their labour and talent on the advice of ESDO and Agriculture Department.