3 sentenced to life term

JHALAKATI, Feb 1: Three people were sentenced to life term imprisonment on Wednesday for forcing.a girl to sex trading, court sources here said, reports UNB.

The prosecution story, in brief, was that the accused Kader Miah. his wife Sltara Begum and brother in law Mohammad Chan Miah in the name of giving job on April 28. 1997 brought Julekha. 12. of old college road to Dhaka and later forced her to sex trading keeping in different hotels in Dhaka, Comilla and Barisal. Police later rescued her on July '97 along with three other teen-aged girls from a hotel in Barisal and sent Julekha to her mother. Julekha's mother Lally Begum field a case against the accused. She also in another complaint accused them for abducting her elder daughter who remained still unraced. Additional District and Sessions Judge SM Abdur Rouf after examining the witnesses and records awarded the punishment under the Women and Child Repression Control Court-2.

Move to rehabilitate erosion-hit men

BHOLA. Feb 1: Commerce and Industries Minister Tofael Ahmed said the government has adopted a project namely "as-rayan" to rehabilitate the people affected by river erosion, reports BSS.

The project is aimed at creating employment opportunities along with ensuring shelter of the affected people, he said while visiting several erosion-prone areas of the district. He. how-ever. urged the people to face any possible disaster with courage so that they would not be dependent on government assistance alone. During visits at Rajapur. Purba and Pashchim Ilisha. Bheduria and Dakkhin Dighaldi the minister also distributed warm clothes among the distressed people.

Gas pipe line work progressing

NARSINGDI. Feb 1: The construction work of Narsingdi-Siddhirganj gas transmission pipe line- under Third Natural Gas Development Project is progressing fast, reports UNB.

The under construction 41-Km long and 20 inches diameter pipe line will be able to supply 250 million cubic feet gas per day. according to official sources. A total of Tk 308.57 crore will be spent in the project with the financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank. Meanwhile, work on 26-km long and 20 inches diameter Monohardi-Narsingdi gas transmission pipe line has already been completed and commissioned on June 14 last year. Besides, after the completion of the installation of Narsi'ngdi-Siddhirganj pipe line a gas transmission network will be established to supply gas in the mills and factories in greater Dhaka region.

Smuggled Indian goods seized

FENI. Feb 1: Smuggled Indian goods worth overTk 2.21 crore were seized from different parts of the district in last January, reports UNB.

According to official sources. BDR jawans seized Indian goods including saree. clothes, cosmetics, phensidyl, sugar and timber raiding Modhurgram. Korerhat Mohammad Ali bazar and Muhuriganj areas. They said the goods seized only in the month is almost half of the total goods seized in the last year which stood at Tk 4.51 crore. Three people were arrested in this connection. Official sources said the smugglers were active during the last month with the advent of Eid-ul-Fitr.

1 killed in Satkhira road mishap

SATKHIRA. Feb 1: One person was killed and another was injured in a road accident near Bakal bridge under sadar thana of the district on Tuesday, reports BSS.

Police sources said, a Satkhira bound truck ran over two motor cycles riders from the opposite direction. Rezaul Islam. 25. died on the spot. Robiul Islam Robi was injured seriously. He was admitted into Satkhira Sadar Hospital. The body of Rezaul Islam was sent to sadar hospital morgue for autopsy. A case has been lodged with sadar thana. The driver managed to escape with the truck.

Discussion on shishu mela

MADARIPUR. Feb 1: A day-long shishu mela was held here at the office premises on December 28. reports BSS.

The shishu mela was inaugurated by Abdul Khaleq Mia. TNO sadar thana. Ten stalls were set up at the mela. About 200 primary school teachers and 400 students from different areas of the sadar thana participated in the shishu mela. A cultural function and a discussion were held on this occasion.

Many candidates for a few posts

KUSHTIA. Feb 1: Three hundred and nine candidates have come out successful in the written test for 54 posts of assistant teacher of primary school now lying vacant in the district, reports BSS.

A total of 4.912 candidates recently appeared at the written test conducted by the district primary education department. Now the successful candidates will have to face viva, an official source said.

Devastating fire in Gaibandha From Our Correspondent

GAIBANDHA. Feb 1: A devastating fire that broke out at village Pashchim Kuptala under Gaibandha sadar thana on January 21. in which property worth about Taka two lakh were reduced to ashes.

In the evening the fire originated from the kitchen of Abul Hossain and soon the fire engulfed the adjacent areas. The fire destroyed all the belongings of six families. The victims are now residing under the open sky.

Warm clothes distributed

COMILLA, Feb I: Warm clothes were distributed among the cold-stricken distressed by the Comilla Ansar and VDP on January 25, reports BSS.

About three hundred cold-hit people received the warm clothes. District adjutant of Ansar and VDP ABM Ruhul Amin distributed the warm clothes. Engineers Institute of Bangladesh. Comilla unit also distributed warm clothes among the cold-hit distressed. Comilla unit chairman Engineer Mel Mohsin, honourary secretary Naiem Ahmed Khan and Engineer Abdur Razzak distributed the warm-clothes.

Tk 3.09 lakh distributed among poor men

JHENIDAH. Feb 1: District Administration distributed Tk 3.09 lakh among the 3090 distressed people of the district on the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Fitr, reports UNB.

Official sources said the recipients who got Tk 100 each were selected by the competent authorities. The amount was distributed from the relief fund of the Prime Minister, the sources added.

Wheat farming programme

SUNAMGONJ. Feb 1: About 3000 hectares have been brought under wheat cultivation in 10 tharias of Sunamgonj district in the current season, reports BSS.

An official source said the target of wheat production has been fixed at 6000 tonnes.

Poor people get warm clothes

From Our Correspondent

KISHOREGANJ. Feb 1: Deputy Commissioner's office has distributed worm clothes among about two thousand poor people of the district in the last few days.

According to official sources, the clothes were collected from elite and general public of the district. The distribution ceremony was participated by the Deputy Commissioner. AMM Farhad. Ponce Super Chowdhury Ahsanul Kabir. ADM Subhash Chandra Sarkar, TNO of sadar thana Ashok Madhob Roy and Journalists of the district. Severe cold wave paralysed the district recently.

Manpower shortage in Agri Deptt

From Our Correspondent

CHAP AI NAWABGANJ. Feb 1: A total of 22 posts of officers and employees of Agriculture Extension Department has been lying vacant in Chapai Nawabganj district.

According to the concerned office sources, the vacant posts are. as on January 1 Training Officer 4. Subject Matter Officer -2. Assistant Agriculture Extension Officer - 2. Junior Agriculture Extension Officer -1. Upper Division Clerk-1. Plant Protection Instructor-!, LD Clerk-1, Fitter-1. OBM Operator-1. Assistant Mechanic-5, Spray Mechanic-1 and MLSS -1.

Training course

MEHERPUR, Feb 1: A week long training course jointly sponsored by the Livestock Department and a local non-gov-ernment organisation (NGO) was held recently at sadar thana livestock office, reports BSS.

Fifty farmers of the thana were imparted training on the modern method of cultivation of Para-Napier grass. Resource persons of the livestock department conducted the training programme.