e_Paper (25 November 2016)

6
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2016
DT
Farmers of five
districts asked
to stop wheat
cultivation
• Tribune Desk
The Department of Agricultural Extension
has advised the farmers of
five southwestern districts not to
cultivate wheat, as these districts
saw the breakout of ‘wheat blast’
disease last year.
According to DAE officials,
wheat blast was spotted in Kushtia,
Meherpur, Chuadanga, Jhenidah
and Jessore last year where many
wheat farmers were adversely affected
due to the alien disease.
“Farmers are discouraged to
cultivate wheat in seven districts
of the country, including the five
southwester districts, to check any
wheat blast outbreak further,” said
DAE Deputy Director of Jossore office
Emdad Hossain Sheikh.
He claimed that the DAE had already
taken various programmes
to make the farmers aware of the
wheat blast disease.
He said: “There is no alternative
to suspension of wheat cultivation
to check it.”
“Even though wheat seeds
do not carry the virus of the
disease, it may remain in weeds
of the arable land. The disease can
break out next year as well. So,
farmers are asked to stop wheat
cultivation in these districts this
year,” he said.
Caused by a fungus, wheat blast
is one of the most fearsome and
intractable wheat diseases first discovered
in Brazil in 1985, reports
UNB.
According to official estimates,
the blast disease last year affected
15,000 hectares of wheat fields in
Jessore, Kushtia, Chuadanga, Meherpur,
Jhenidah, Magura, Barisal,
and Bhola causing up to 40% of
crop damage. •
News
Leaders and activists of Longudu upazila, Rangamati Awami League unit greet Lawmaker Diponkar Takuldar in a reception
where about 100 of BNP men joined Awami League yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
100 BNP leaders, activists join
Awami League in Rangamati
• Ziaul Haque, Rangamati
At least 100 leaders and activists
of the BNP joined the ruling party
Awami League in Longudu upazila,
Rangamati on Thursday.
Local Awami League lawmaker
Diponkar Takuldar and also the
member of Awami League central
committee welcomed BNP men
with wreaths after they joined the
ruling party at a playground in
Longudu area.
The event was arranged to congratulate
State Minister for Ministry
of CHT Affairs Dipankar Talukdar,
MP, as he was selected a
member of Awami League central
committee in the last conference.
In his speech, Dipankar Talukdar
urged local indigenous and
Bangalees to work together to bring
peace in the hill tracts.
Firoza Begum Chinu, MP, Brisk
Ketu Chakma, chairman of Rangamati
Hill Tracts district, and Jhorna
Khisha Vice-President of Bangladesh
Mohila Awami League,
among others, were present at the
programme. •
KUSHTIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Students suffer as two dorms
remain closed for two months
• Kudrote Khoda Sobuj,
Kushtia
Education of 250 students
at Kushtia Polytechnic Institute
is seriously hampered,
as two residential halls have
remained closed after a clash
between two BCL rival groups
in September.
Some students of the institution
told the Dhaka Tribune
that Bangladesh Chhatra
League members of Lalon
Shah and Mir Mosharraf Hossen
halls got locked in a deadly
clash on September 28,
leaving a number of students
critically injured.
After the incident, the authorities
declared the halls
closed for indefinite period
and ordered the students to
vacant room soon.
Suithomai Marma, a student
of Lalon Shah, said:
“Now I am staying at a mess in
Aruapara area.”
“I have to live with eight
other persons at the mess and
my education is being seriously
hampered as the environment
of the room is not
favourable for studies,” he
added.
“Living cost at the mess is
high, but poor quality food is
served there,,” he also said.
Living at messes,
we have to face
many problems,
including lack
of books, note
sheets as we
cannot do library
work regularly
Kashed Ali, another student
of the hall, said: “After the
clash, many students like us
had to take shelter at several
messes, but the BCL cadres
who committed the crime,
are roaming on the campus
freely.”
“Living at messes, we have
to face many problems, including
lack of books, note
sheets as we cannot do library
work regularly,,” he added.
Nahidul Karim, a fourth
year student, said he had to
come from Chuadanga everyday
by train as he had no ability
to stay at mess.
“I get up early in the morning
and get on the train around
5am. I have to return to home
in the evening,” he added.
Many student of the two
halls echoed the voices of
Kashed, Nahidul and Suithomai.
Imran Hossain, BCL president
of Lalon Shah Hall, said
they had held meeting with
the hall authorities several
times and requested them to
open the two halls as the situation
became normal and
peaceful.
Nuruzzaman, principal of
the institution, said: “We want
to open the halls but local
Awami League leaders asked
us not to open it now sensing
the adverse situation.” •