Jashore
Fish scales: A promising new item to diversify exports
Fish traders in Jashore have started to earn much needed foreign currency by selling fish scales.
Fish scales are sold at a rate of Tk 15 a kg in the fish markets of the district. After some processing, these residual parts of fishes are exported to many south-east Asian countries including China and Japan.
According to Export Promotion Bureau statistics, Bangladesh exports fish scales worth Tk 200 crore every year. Fish scales are used to produce batteries, electrical products, artificial cornea and bones, medicines, fish and poultry feed and various cosmetics items.
Visiting many fish markets in Jashore, UNB found fish scales in high demand. Besides charging Tk 10 for cutting a 1kg fish, fish cutters of Jashore earn Tk 20,000 extra per month by selling the scales.
“Not only scales but we also sell fish galls. Galls are used to produce fish feed, while gills of fishes are used to make soups after drying,” said Md Jahid, a fish cutter.
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Md Bablu is a warehouse owner who collects fish scales from various fish markets of Jashore on a daily basis. Talking to UNB, Bablu said that he sells fish scales to traders in Chattogram, who then export the item to other countries.
“I sell fish scales at a rate of Tk 2500 to Tk 3000 per maund (1 maund = approx. 40kg). The business was first started by a Dhaka-based trader named Shamsul Alam. Fish scales contain chemical components like collagen fibre and amino acid, which are necessary to produce cosmetics items and medicines,” said Bablu.
After talking to some traders, UNB learned the process by which fish scales are prepared for selling.
First, fish scales are collected and washed in clean or warm water to get rid of oily substances. After washing, wet scales are dried in the open to make them crispy.
Some people grind the scales in mixers and sell them as powder.
Prices of fish scales vary according to the type and size of fish from which they come. Scales of big fish are sold at high rates, while those of small fish like shrimp are sold at a different rate. Besides, the prices of fish galls and gills are also different from the prices of scales.
According to Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority, only 10-12 traders are involved in exporting fish scales. However, around 5,000 people are directly involved with the trade. A total of 2,500 tons of fish scales are exported every year, which brings home foreign currencies worth Tk 200 crore.
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Fish scale traders said that their business has the potential to grow more if they receive priority and focus from the government.
“I’ll talk to the respective authorities so that fish scale business can be expanded,” said Tamijul Islam Khan, Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Jashore.
80 gold bars seized from Jashore border
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have seized 80 gold bars weighing 9.28 kg from Kashipur-Shahzadpur border in Chougachha upazila of Jashore.
Tipped off, a team of BGB conducted a drive near the border on Saturday evening noticing suspicious movement of two Bangladeshi farmers, said Lt Col Shahed Minhaj Siddiqui, commanding officer of BGB-49 battalion.
Read more: 2 held with 10 gold bars in Jashore
The farmers fled the scene when BGB men challenged them.The law enforcers later noticed two more farmers’ roaming near the border at that time.
Later, they found 80 gold bars worth Tk 8.32 crore in four large bundles wrapped with adhesive tape in a pepper field there, said the Commander.
The seized gold bars will be deposited in the government treasury through necessary legal action.
Read more: Man held with 17 gold bars in Jashore
HSC examinee electrocuted in Jashore
A Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinee and his domestic animal were electrocuted to death in Jashore's Abhaynagar upazila Saturday, police said.
Joy Mandal, 18, was from the village Dahar Mashiahati of Sundoli union.
Read: Newlywed couple electrocuted in Keraniganj
"The 18-year-old came into contact with an earthing wire of an electric pole while taking his cow for a bath. The rope the cow was tethered to got stuck with the wire," Tajul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Model Police Station, said.
“As the cow tried to break free, the main wire of the pole got disconnected. Both Joy and the cow came into contact with the live wire and died at the scene," the OC added.
‘5 Jashore Board teachers involved in making controversial HSC question to be show-caused’
Five teachers of Jashore board who were involved in making the question paper for Bangla 1st paper of Dhaka board’s HSC exam (academic session 2021-22) that contained communal element will be show-caused first, said Professor Tapan Kumar Sarkar, Chairman of Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board.
The five teachers are Prashanta Kumar Paul, assistant professor of Dr Saiful Islam Degree College in Jhenaidah, Syed Tajuddin Shawon, associate professor of Government Victoria College in Narail, Md Shafiqur Rahman, associate professor of Satkhira Government Women College, Shyamol Kumar Ghosh, assistant professor of Mirzapur United College in Narail, and Md Rezaul Karim, assistant professor of Bheramara Ideal College in Kushtia.
Of them, Professor Prashanat Kumar prepared the question and the others were involved in scrutinizing it, he said.
Read more: Dipu Moni promises stern action against those responsible for bizarrely communal question
According to the rules, those teachers from different educational institutions under Jashore board will be ordered to show cause, Professor Tapan Kumar UNB on Tuesday (November 08, 2022).
After that punitive actions will be recommended against those teachers to Inter Education Board Coordination Committee and the Ministry of Education, he said.
The ministry will then take further measures in this regard, said Tapan Kumar Sarkar.
Read more: SSC exams: Bangla II's MCQ component postponed under Jashore board
HSC and equivalent exams for the academic session 2021-22 began across the country with Bangla 1st Paper on Sunday (November 06, 2022).
One question in Dhaka Board’s question paper raised a controversy and drew criticism.
The bizarre and unnecessary passage said that two brothers, Nepal and Gopal (names generally used by Hindu community), had a land dispute. To punish his elder brother, Nepal sold the disputed land to a Muslim man named Abdul. But when the new owner sacrificed a cow on that land during Eid-ul-Azha, it hurt Nepal and he migrated to India.
Read more: HSC exams begin across the country
The controversial question in Dhaka Board's Bangla 1st paper 2022 HSC exam received huge criticism from people and educationists in Bangladesh for its blatant use of communal elements.
Missing child found dead in Jashore
A four-year-old girl, who went missing two days ago, has been found dead in Sadar upazila in Jashore.
The deceased was identified as Sanzida.
On information, Detective Branch of Jashore police recovered the body from her neighbour’s house in Patengakhali village of the upazila Saturday night, said Mofizul Islam, sub-inspector (SI) of Jashore DB police.
Sanzida went missing from her home on Friday noon. A FIR was lodged at Kotwali police station in this regard.
Police detained their neighbour Anjuara for questioning.
During questioning, she confessed that she had hidden the body inside a rice drum at her home, said SI Mofizul.
The body was sent to Jashore General Hospital morgue for an autopsy, said Tajul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali police station.
11 shops gutted in Jashore market fire
At least 11 shops were gutted in a fire at Balia Vokutia Colonypara market in Jashore Sadar upazila in the early hours of Wednesday.
Fortunately, no casualties were reported.
Locals said the fire broke out at a shop in the market around 4.30am and it soon engulfed the adjoining shops.
Read: Restaurant catches fire in city
On information, two fire tenders were pressed into service and it took them nearly an hour to douse the flames, fire service officer Khandaker Ashrafur Rahman said.
Fire officials suspect an electrical short-circuit at the first shop has triggered the fire. "The exact amount of loss could not be ascertained immediately," he said.
Local traders, however, claimed that goods and properties worth nearly Tk 1 crore were damaged in the blaze.
2 held with 10 gold bars in Jashore
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) today (September 7, 2022) detained two men with 10 gold bars weighing 1.166 kg from Putkhali border of Jashore.
The detainees were Md Habibur Rahman, 29, and Md aktarul Islam, 25, resident of Jashore.
Read: Man held with 17 gold bars in Jashore
Tipped off that gold bars were being smuggled to India from Jashore, a team of BGB-21 conducted a drive and detained the duo with the gold bars worth Tk 86.20 lakh from the border at noon, said battalion commander Lt Col Tanveer Rahman.
Legal action will be taken in this regard, said the officer.
Electrocution leaves two siblings dead in Jashore
Two minor siblings died after being electrocuted on the rooftop of their house in Bagherpara upazila of Jashore district on Friday.
The ill-fated deceased identified as 14-year-old Abu Hossain Akash and his five-year-old sister Nusrat, were children of Kabir Hossain of Bhaddradanga village in the upazila.
Kabir said that although he and family members came home on Thursday from his resindence in Jashore city.
Also read: Sailor dies of electrocution in Natore
“They (children) came in contact with a live electric wire connected to a mortgage signboard of a bank from which I took loan for constructing the house,” he said, adding that the accident happened around 11.30am when they were playing on the rooftop.
The impact of the electrocution left them critically injured and they were rushed to Upazila Health Complex where physicians pronounced them dead on arrival, said Makbul Hossain, Officer-in-charge of Bagherpara Police Station.
Also read: Teenager dies of electrocution in Kishoreganj
Jashore brothers electrocuted to death
Two brothers were electrocuted to death in Jashore's Bagharpara upazila Wednesday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Towhidul Islam, 42, and his younger brother Ruhul Amin, 38, of Raipur union of the upazila.
Read: College student electrocuted, another injured in Sherpur
"Ruhul came into contact with live wires while cutting hay for cows with a machine at his home. Towhidul was also electrocuted as he rushed to save his brother," Firoz Uddin, officer-in-charge of Bagharpara Police Station, said.
The brothers were taken to Jashore General Hospital and declared dead upon arrival, he added.
Rail links with Khulna resume 2 hours after oil-carrying train derails
Train communications between Khulna and other parts of the country resumed almost two hours after the derailed compartment of an oil-carrying train in Jashore was recovered Thursday night.
Around 6:35pm, a compartment of a Khulna-bound train derailed near Jashore Railway Station, Station Master Ainal Hossain told UNB.
The oil-bearing train arrived from Parbatipur with 36 compartments. The No. 31 compartment derailed as the train crossed Jashore town's Railgate area, the station master said.
The compartment could be retrieved almost two hours later, and train operation on the route resumed around 8:20pm, Aynal added.
Also read: Freight train derails in Kushtia