The government has appointed new deputy commissioners (DCs) in Rangamati and Thakurgaon districts. The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification to this end on Wednesday. According to the notification, Ishrat Farzana, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Thakurgaon, has been transferred to Rangamati, while Mohammad Habib Ullah, a deputy secretary in the Finance Division, has been appointed as the new DC of Thakurgaon. The order will be effective soon, the notification added.  

Police recovered the bodies of a 40-year-old woman and her two children, with their hands tied up with a scarp, from Tirnoi River in Kashipur Kashidanga of Ranisankail upazila in Thakurgaon district on Wednesday,18 hours after they went missing. After 21 years, Thakurgaon silk factory set to resume production on August 3 The deceased were identified as Nasima, wife of Rahim Uddin and their  two children-- Shaon, 8 and Shafayet, 5. Local people spotted the bodies and informed police in the morning, said officer-in-charge of Ranisankail Police Station Gulfamul Islam. Later, police recovered the bodies from the Tirnoi River in the morning. Thakurgaon quack arrested for derogatory remarks against PM Hasina on Facebook Quoting family members, police said Nasima along with her two children went out of their house after a brawl with her husband on Tuesday evening and since then they remained missing. A general diary was lodged with Ranisankail Police Station. Bus runs over motorcyclist in Thakurgaon Police are investigating whether it is a case of suicide or murder, said the  OC.

Gourmoti, a new off-season variety of mango, could be profitable for Thakurgaon. Two mango farmers, Mahabbat Ali and his nephew Bulbul Ali, of Dakkhin Bangaon area in Ranishankail upazila have succeeded in producing the Gourmoti variety of mangoes. This variety gained popularity in the area due to its sweetness and deliciousness. Farmers expected to sell the mangoes worth Tk 40 lakh this season. Bangladesh exports 2,700 tons of mangoes to 34 countries in current season Mahabbat Ali told the UNB correspondent that he along with his nephew Bulbul planted 1000 saplings of late variety mangoes on 14 bigha of land four years back. During a recent visit to the mango orchard, this correspondent found that they used fruit bags in their orchard and a total of 400-450 maund of mangoes were to be harvested from the trees. The weight of each mango is 650-800 grams and per maund mango is being sold at Tk 10,000-12,000. Clash over ‘selling rotten mangoes’ leaves 75-year-old dead in Lalmonirhat Many thronged the orchard of Mahabbat-Bulbul and showed interest in growing this variety of mangoes. Shahidul Islam, Ranishankail Upazila Agriculture Officer, said, “This variety of mango tastes sweet and the farmers can sell them in the local market at a higher price due to its availability during off season.” Langra and Ashina mangoes recognised as GI product He also assured of providing all necessary support to farmers who wanted to grow this variety of mango on their land.

The country is going to have another tea auction centre in Panchagarh within the next month, the north-western district bordering India, as the cultivation of tea in the plains is becoming popular. “Within one month we will get the third tea auction centre here,” Panchagarh Deputy Commissioner M Jahurul Islam said. At present, there are two tea auction centres – in Chattogram and in Sylhet’s Sreemangal. The authorities concerned have already completed preparations in this regard, said the Deputy Commissioner of Panchagarh. The number of tea gardens in the plains of Panchagarh and Thakurgaon is increasing day by day as they are bringing in more money for the farmers. Among the farmers of Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts, interest in tea cultivation has peaked. Man’s body recovered from tea garden in Sylhet Once the Panchagarh auction centre starts operation, tea producers in the northern region of Bangladesh will benefit from reduced transportation cost. In the initial stage, its activities will be conducted through a virtual platform before gradually becoming a full-fledged auction centre. “Overall, the activity of the auction centre will help develop the quality of the tea produced here,” Jahurul Islam said. With the development of small- and large-scale tea cultivation, more people are being employed while the economic base of the region is getting stronger. Tea garden workers continue strike in Sylhet As a result, in the last 14 years, there has been a drastic change in the quality of life of tea plantation workers in these districts. As per the official documents obtained from the DC offices of these two districts, it is seen that in the last fiscal year, some 12,079 acres of land in Panchagarh district and 1,457 acres in Thakurgaon were used for tea cultivation. The area of land for tea cultivation in 2005-06 fiscal was 925 acres in Panchagarh district while it was nil for Thakurgaon district. Tea garden workers: Can their wages ever be realistic? During a visit to these two districts, it was seen that farmers and major business establishments were cultivating tea in the plains. Small and large tea gardens are being developed around each house on individual initiatives. “I cultivated tea on two bigha land next to the house. I have been cultivating tea on my land since 2013. My children and I work in my garden. We picked tea leaves just a few days ago. Now, new leaves are growing,” Solaiman Islam of Tetulia, under Panchagarh district, said. Another tea farmer of the same upazila, Mumtaz Begum, said that earlier she used to grow paddy but now she has become self-sufficient by growing tea. Glimpses of ‘Smart Bangladesh’ in remote Panchagarh areas “Small tea farmers like me sell leaves to factories,” she said. In 1996, on the advice of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the people of Panchagarh took the initiative to cultivate tea in the plains. Following that, tea cultivation started in the district in 1999. With the success of the initiative in Panchagarh, tea cultivation started in Thakurgaon district too. The production of green tea leaves in Panchagarh district in 2022-23 fiscal was 9,02,74,632 kg while it was only 2,30,000 kg in 2005-06 fiscal. The production of green tea leaves was 1,09,71,757 kg in Thakurgaon in the last fiscal while it was 25,23,504 kg in 2005-06. The number of big tea gardens in Panchagarh was only one with 172 small ones. The number of big tea gardens in 2022-23 fiscal is nine with 8,355 small ones. The number of running mills was one in 2005-06 while it is 26 in 2022-23 fiscal. Employed tea garden workers were 1,475 in 2005-06 fiscal while it is 15,000 in 2022-23. The income from tea sales was Tk 1.2 crore in 2005-06 fiscal while it is Tk 280 crore in 2022-23 fiscal. Read more: Health benefits of floral teas: 10 blends you can try

Two children drowned in a pond at Nuntor village in Thakurgaon’s Ranisankail upazila early Tuesday.  The deceased were identified as Md Siam, 10, son of Makbul Hossain, and Al Amin, 12, son of Muktar Hossain. According to their family, one of them fell into the pond while trying to pick up his shoe, while the other fell while trying to save him. On information, a firefighting unit rushed in and recovered the bodies from the pond, said Gulfamul Islam Mandal, officer-in-charge of Ranisankail Police Station.    

Nandi Kumar Barman has been successful in cultivating various vegetables on the fallow land of Thakurgaon. He cultivated various vegetables on the 85 chhatak (over 1.5 bighas) vacant land in front of his house in the Zamindarpara of the municipal town. The vegetables produced on his land were able to meet his family’s needs and some of his neighbours' too. Nandi also said he benefited financially by selling the extra vegetables he cultivated. He was seen watering the vegetable fields and cleaning the weeds using modern equipment. There he cultivated various leafy vegetables including spinach, various types of grass, cucumbers etc. Nandi Kumar Barman said about three bighas (150 chhatak) of land in the Zamindarpara belonged to the late Taher Jamal Chowdhury. Some land here has been rented out to a private company (SERP) with a house on it. Also Read: Working at brick kiln, Thakurgaon’s Raju still managed to score GPA 5 in HSC As about 85 chhatak of land was lying vacant for a long time, Nandi planted red amarnath, spinach, napa cabbage, cucumber, and various varieties of grass there and made a profit. "Nandi’s cultivation of various vegetables on the fallow land is timely. If he wants, all kinds of support and advice would be given from the Department of Agriculture Extension,” said Md Sirajul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Thakurgaon. The target for the production of vegetables was set at 7,895 hectares of land in Thakurgaon this winter season. At present, almost all types of vegetables are in the market. Some more vegetables are under cultivation. There has been a good yield of vegetables this year and farmers are also getting fair prices, said the DAE official.      

Thakurgaon’s Raju Hossain’s life has always been a story of struggle with poverty. He had to work in a brick kiln to bear his education expenses. His sacrifice and hard work paid off, as the recently published HSC results gave him and his family a reason to celebrate. Concerns over his future still remain, however. Raju passed with the highest grade, GPA 5, from humanities group. He appeared in the HSC exams from Ranisankail Degree College in Thakurgaon under Dinajpur Education Board. “Though I should be celebrating, I’m actually very concerned right now. I have no idea how I would manage all of the necessary university expenses. I want to study law,” Raju said in a tensed voice. Raju recalled always working and often having only one meal a day at times. Also Read: Ramjan defies poverty with GPA-5 at HSC, but his university education uncertain “I still didn’t lose hope and continued my studies,” the youth said. After his HSC exam, he sought loans from an NGO to pay for his coaching class – for university admission – fees. However, he had to quit taking coaching classes because it was difficult to cover all the expenses with that amount. Raju’s father Anwar Hossain is a van-puller, and his mother Nazma Begum works in a cold storage facility. Because of the family’s financial situation, Raju’s younger sibling had to drop out of school. Raju began working various jobs in the hopes of improving his family’s financial situation. He worked as a van-puller in addition to working in a brick kiln. Read More: HSC Results: Jashore Board secures highest pass rate & Dhaka excels in GPA 5 “My son suffered a lot. I’m overjoyed with his accomplishment. At the same time, I am concerned about how he will continue his studies,” Raju’s mother said. Raju’s teacher, Ranisankail Degree College’s lecturer, Safikur Islam Alam said, as Raju had to work as a day labourer, he was not regular in classes. “We are aware of his hardship. We are proud of him,” he said. The teacher urged the local affluent people to come to Raju’s aid so that the bright student can continue his studies and fulfil his dream of studying law. Read More: Physical constraint couldn’t deter Jashore girl to score GPA 5  Local Union Parishad chairman Abdul Bari said he was not aware of Raju’s case. “I’m delighted to learn this. I will personally assist him with his educational expenses,” he said. Sohel Sultan Zulkar Nain, UNO of Ranisankail, said the upazila administration will help Raju. “Raju has proven that if there’s a will, there’s a way. I will personally help him too.” A total of 10,11, 987 examinees, out of 11,77, 387, passed the 2022 HSC exams under 11 education boards of the country. Read More: GPA system in SSC, HSC under review: Secretary Of them, 1,76,282 students secured the highest grade, GPA 5, this year.

Two people were killed in Sadar upazila after a truck rammed into a motorcycle Wednesday, police said. The deceased were identified as 40-year-old Rashedul Islam and 30-year-old Md Arshad from the Shahapara area of Thakurgaon municipality. "The accident occurred around 4pm as a Dhaka-bound truck from Panchagarh mowed Rashedul and Arshad down with their motorcycle in front of a filling station. The duo died from the impact of the crash," Md Kamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Thakurgaon Sadar Police Station, said. Read more: Transwoman found dead in Thakurgaon "We seized the truck, but its driver managed to flee," he added.

A girl allegedly committed suicide after failing the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination in Molanipara village of Thakurgaon Sadar upazila on Monday. Shrabanti Rani,15, daughter of Ramesh Chandra of the village, appeared in the SSC examination from Mathurapur High School. Read more: Mymensingh girl commits suicide over SSC result Kamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of sadar police station said that Shrabanti's family members scolded her after learning that she failed to pass the exam. Shrabanti killed herself after swallowing pesticide after that, added the OC. Read more: Barishal student ‘commits suicide’ after failing in exam

A couple and their daughter were killed as a bus hit their motorbike on Thakurgaon-Baliadanga road in Sadar upazila of the district Sunday morning. The deceased were identified as Masudur Rahman, 55, his wife Hasina Begum, 45 and their 14-year-old daughter Meger Negar Simi. They were residents of Mathurapur village in Sadar upazila. Police and witnesses said riding on the motorbike the couple was taking their daughter to a madrasha as her annual examination was going on. Read more: Road accident: 4 of a family killed in Brahmanbaria The Dhaka-bound bus of ‘Hanif Paribahan’ rammed into the motorbike in Hariharpur area around 9.30am, leaving Hasina dead on the spot and two others critically injured, they said. Masudur and his daughter succumbed to their injuries after they were admitted to Sadar Hospital, said Shihab Mahmud, a physician of the hospital. Kamal Hossain, Officer-in-charge of Sadar police station, said drive is on to arrest the bus driver. Read more: 4 of a family killed in Nawabganj road crash