Himu's Window

Published On: 2008-04-24 Sports Cricket Rajshahi lights for tri-series Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi Four hundred flood light bulbs of Rajshahi Divisional Stadium are being taken to Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka for holding the day-night tri- series in June. The decision was taken in order to prepare the Mirpur venue eligible for the international cricket match in a low cost of about Tk 2 crore. For holding international cricket matches, there must be 2200 lax lights (light unit) from the floodlight towers, but the Mirpur venue now has only 800 lax lights, as it was prepared as a football stadium. "The present floodlights of Mirpur Stadium are eligible for holding football matches, not for cricket. This is why, floodlight bulbs of Rajshahi will be taken to Mirpur for a short period of time", said Badruddin Ahmed, deputy director, National Cricket Council of Rajshahi. "This would save around Tk 10 crore for fresh purchase of floodli...

Weary of the scorching heat, buffalos stream in towards the Padma River to quench their thirst and have a relishing bath. The photo was taken from Sreerampur in Rajshahi yesterday.   Heat wave, water-power crisis disrupt life in northern dists Mercury rises to 39.4 degree Celsius in Rajshahi: Weathermen say no respite in sight Anwar Ali, Rajshahi   The persisting heat wave, coupled with power load shedding and water crisis have disrupted life in northern districts. The hear wave may continue a couple of days more, weather men said yesterday. The mercury rose to 39.4 degrees Celsius in Rajshahi while humidity in air was recorded at 12 per cent yesterday, sending people on streets panting for water and cool air. Shahidul Islam, a senior weather observer said, "Such low humidity reduces possibility of rain". Meteorologist Sadekul Islam at the Met office here said, "Possibility of rain in next three days is bleak". Quoting from monthly weather repor...

Father kills 2 babies, makes suicide attempt A father drowned his two infant daughters in a pond and made a suicide attempt afterwards at Paschimbhag village in Puthia upazila yesterday. Locals retrieved the dead bodies from the pond and found the father, Bablur Rahman, 35, beside the pond in a critical state. He is currently undergoing treatment for poisoning at Puthia Health Complex. The victims are identified as Rehana, 1-½, and Sohana, 3. Bablu used to be a day labourer until he sustained back injury a few months back. As the injury rendered him incapable of supporting his family -- wife, a son and two daughters, he had been staying at his mother-in-law's house at Dasmaria, said his relatives and locals. The living child, Shajib, 10, is a student of local Brac School, they added. They also said remorse and guilt for not being able to provide for the family might be behind Bablu's actions. Asela, Bablu's wife, said he looked distressed in the past severa...

11 JMB men get life for sedition A Rajshahi divisional court yesterday awarded life terms to all 11 militants of Jama'aul Mujahidin, Bangladesh (JMB) in a sedition case filed for taking combat training to fight against the state in 2005. Judge M Sajedul Karim of the first court of Rajshahi divisional special judge also fined the accused Tk 20,000 each, in default of which they are to spend two more years in jail. The convicts include Enamul Haque and Golamur Rahman alias Golam Mostafa, both regional JMB commanders and followers of executed militant leader Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai and arrested militant kingpin Asadullah Al Galib respectively. The others sentenced are – Rajshahi University Arabic student Ibrahim Hossain, madrassah teacher Jaharul Islam, madrassah students Merajul Islam, Shah Wali Ullah, Zakir Hossain, Mansur Rahman, Biplob Hossain, Abu Zafar and Mozammel Hossain. They were arrested from Mozammel's house at Puthiapara in Paba upazila on July 18, ...

Barely making ends meet Anwar Ali, Rajshahi "Life goes on somehow…a bit better than many others," Islam, a philosophy teacher at a government college, blurted in a choked voice with tears welled up in his eyes. Islam, who represents the middleclass and lives in a rented house in the Ghoramara area with his wife and their two-year-old child, has already reduced his family spending and stopped attending social events only to survive the spiralling prices of rice and other commodities. "I no longer can afford to maintain my status as a first class government official. I cut back on several necessities, yet the monthly deficit is increasing so fast that it's about to drive me crazy," said Islam, unwilling to give out his full name. "Nevertheless, I feel relieved when I see that the conditions of my lower level colleagues and the ones at private colleges are even much worse," he added. Even a year ago, he could save a little money af...

Money-spinner strawberry draws government attention National Seed Board to approve variety for expansion of cultivation Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Strawberry grown at the yard of Dr Manjur Hossain in Rajshahi University. Photo: STAR Strawberry, a money-spinning nutritious and delicious foreign fruit adapted in Bangladesh, may get government registration soon for cultivation across the country after experiments yielded encouraging results in Rajshahi and Natore. "Once registered, strawberry cultivation will be expanded with government patronisationin, said Braja Hari Das, deputy director of Rajshahi Directorate of Agriculture Extension (DAE). With great export potential, the sweet and attractive fruit will open a new horizon for farmers, he told this correspondent. "A strawberry variety has been sent to National Seed Board and the process for registration is underway", said Dr Shafikul Islam, senior scientific officer of Rajshahi regional Fruit Research Centre (FRC). Experimenta...

Published On: 2008-04-07 Arts & Entertainment Heritage publishes its first quarterly journal Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Heritage, an archive of Bangladeshi history, published its first issue of quarterly journal Sthaniya Itihash (Local History) at the hall of Shahidullah Arts Building, Rajshahi University (RU) recently. Noted historian and former Chairman of History Department, Dhaka University, Professor Muntasir Mamun, attended the publication ceremony as the chief guest. Professor Emeritus, RU, Dr ABM Hossain along with Professor SM Latif and Professor Nurul Hossain Chowdhury spoke at the programme well attended by intellectuals and history students. Professor Atful Hye Shibli, former Pro Vice-Chancellor chaired the event. Professor Abul Kashem, History Department, RU edited the journal that includes 15 essays focusing th...

Published On: 2008-04-03 National 15 evicted indigenous families in Patnitala finally get land deeds Finally, Naogaon district administration distributed deeds of permanent settlement of about 1.33 acres of khas land among 15 landless indigenous families in North Kazipara in Dibor union under Patnitala upazila. Some local land grabbers evicted them from the lands in November last year. The deeds were written at a simple ceremony, held at Patnitala on March 31. Sudhir Tirki, president of Patnitala unit of Jatiya Adibashi Parishad, Gulu Murmu, president of the upazila unit of Adibashi Samaj Unnayan Shangathan, Rakhi Mrong, publication secretary of Bangladesh Adibashi Odhikar Andolon and organising secretary Kerina Hasda were present on the occasion. The 15 people who got the land deeds are Nikhil Ekka, Khuyu Kujur, Kison Kerketa, Shusil Toppo, Buddhinath Kujur, Banu Ekka, Khuyu Ekka, Hembo Ekka, Subol Lakra, Rupchan Ria, Chanua Nania, Palanu, Anil Toppo, Rabi Ekka an...

Bumper boro harvest on horizon   This boro season is expected to see a bumper harvest of the rice variety with a possibility of surpassing the Department of Agricultural Extension's (DAE) yield projection of 1.75 crore metric tons (MT). DAE officials, however, said bacterial leaf streak (BLS) and bacterial leaf blight (BLB) infested about 26,000 to 27,000 hectares of boro fields in 32 south and south-western districts where the crop is standing on 26 lakh hectares of land. "This is negligible. The infected fields hold less than one percent of the total production. Besides, a massive awareness campaign has already been launched to check the spread of the bacterial infections," said DAE Acting Director General Dr Shahidul Islam. DAE officials nonetheless cautioned that the outbreak might spread if strong nor'westers with heavy rain hit the country before the harvest starts by the end of this month. Meteorologist Ayesha Khatun said quoting from an expert...

Commercial cultivation of strawberry promises hefty gains for farmers Anwar Ali, Rajshahi   Quamruzzaman's (inset) strawberry field at Harishpur in Natore left,and Dr. Manjur Hossain with plucked fruits in Rajshahi city. Photo: STAR     Farmers will soon get a new highly value added fruit for commercial cultivation, thanks to years of tireless efforts by two persons. Rajshahi University Botany teacher Dr Manjur Hossain evolved a variety of strawberry suitable for cultivation in Bangladesh's climate. Horticulturist Quamruzzaman of Natore commercially cultivated the variety on 1.5 bighas of land this year. The red juicy and nutritious fruit produced by them was supplied to posh markets in Dhaka recently. With farmer-level price of around Tk 300 per kg, the commercially viable fruit has great export potential and will benefit farmers enormously, the pioneers said while talking to this correspondent at their fields recently. It can be harvested within two...