Youth hacked dead by ‘cousin’

Kushtia: A young man was hacked to death allegedly by his cousin at Jhalupara area of Sadar municipality on Monday night, reports UNB.

The deceased was identified as Mithun Mandal, 28, son of Enat Ali Mondal of the area.

Mithun locked into an altercation with his cousin Mawla Mandal Shimul around 9 pm, said Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Kushtia Model Police Station.

At one stage, Shimul hacked Mithun with a sharp weapon, leaving him critically injured, said the OC quoting witnesses.

Later, the injured was taken to Kushtia General Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

On information, police recovered the body.

The reason behind the murder could not be known immediately, said the OC.

Security conference on Padma Bridge held in Munshiganj

Munshiganj: A conference over security of the Padma Bridge project organised by the Army was held in the Bridge Service area -1 in Dogasi of Srinagar in the district on Monday, reports UNB.

Army Brigade 99 organised the conference where different issues were discussed including security of Padma Bridge project and its adjacent areas, strengthening the traffic system on the highway, enhancing the operation of detectives, and controlling and securing the transportation of foreign project workers in the project area.

Brigadier General Md Masudur Rahman, who presided over the conference, sought “joint efforts of all the representatives” in implementing the project securely.

Lieutenant Colonel Nisadul Islam Khan Captain of Army 28 East Bengal, Major Md Sohel Rana, Acting Captain of 58 East Bengal, top officials of Construction Supervision Consultant, Shariatpur Additional Deputy Commissioner, Md Mizanur Rahman, Madaripur Addissional district Magistrate Mohammad Nur Hossain, and Lauhajang Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Monir Hossain were present among others.

Rajshahi DAE fixes 9.03lakh tons Aman production target

RAJSHAHI: The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) here has set a target of producing around 9.03-lakh tons of transplanted aman rice in the region including its vast Barind tract during the current season, reports BSS.

Additional Director of DAE SM Mustafizur Rahman told BSS today that the rice is expected to be produced from around 3.38-lakh hectares of land in the districts of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabgonj and Natore.

The enthusiastic farmers are now very busy transplanting T-Aman seedlings everywhere in the region amid suitable climate condition with frequent rainfall.

Agriculturist Rahman said congenial weather is helping the farmers’ transplant Aman seedlings this season and the fixed target is expected to be achieved.

He said DAE are providing all necessary assistances to farmers adding seedlings transplantation on 2.85 lakh hectares was completed till Sunday last.

Dr Tomal Lota Aditya, director (Research) of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), said BRRI has, so far, developed 41 Aman varieties including 39 inbreeds which are suitable for cultivation in the country.

“We have released seven drought tolerant varieties including one aromatic for the Barind area,” she said, adding that some of those have gained popularity among farmers during the last couple of years.

She also mentioned that the conventional Parija and Swarna varieties are being replaced by some of the new varieties. DAE official Rahman said Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA) is ready to provide supplementary irrigation if required. In addition, the farmers are keeping thousands of their shallow tube wells ready for supplementary irrigation if any drought situation occurs during the transplantation and farming period of the major cereal crop in the region, he said.

The farmers have already prepared seedbeds on more than 19,184 hectares of land in the region this time. Jaidur Rahman, a farmer of Karnahar village under Paba Upazila, said he will cultivate aman paddy on around 35 bighas of land and he completed transplantation on around 20 bighas. They cultivate more than seven high yielding, two hybrid varieties during the Aman season and more or less five of those are very much popular among the farmers, said ATM Rafiqul Islam, Project Director of BMDA.