Kongkon Karmaker

Ragging at Dinajpur HSTU: 4 students leave campus in 4 years

Not only were the students physically assaulted by the seniors but the victims also experienced severe mental trauma following the incidents.

3w ago

Indigenous languages in the North: Left to die out

Santhali, Kurukh, Sadri, Mundali -- these are just some of the many languages spoken by the indigenous communities of the flatlands in Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions.

16 Northern Districts: Rising input cost worries Boro farmers

Saiful Islam has lately been busy preparing his five bighas of land to grow paddy. But he reckons he will have to spend Tk 25,000 more than he did last season for the cultivation as the cost of just about everything has gone up.

Locomotive workshop facing worker, fund shortages

Although Bangladesh Railway has expanded its efforts to provide rail transport in more areas of the country, its central locomotive workshop in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur is unable to operate at full force owing to a shortage of workers and funds.

Homemade agro-machinery making a difference

Rafiqul Islam, who lives in the Dashmile area of Dinajpur sadar upazila, has innovated various types of agricultural machinery that provide a cheap and easy way for famers to achieve higher production.

Rangpur City Polls: Intra-party feud, ‘wrong pick’ to blame for AL’s rout

Intra-party feud and selection of “wrong candidate” caused the ruling Awami League to suffer a humiliating defeat in Tuesday’s mayoral polls in Rangpur city, said local politicians and civil society members.

Rangpur Mayoral Election: JP’s Mostafa wins, AL polls only 8pc

Jatiya Party’s Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa was reelected Rangpur mayor while the ruling Awami League candidate, in the fourth position, managed to bag only 8 percent of the vote in the city corporation polls yesterday.

Rangpur city polls: EVM glitch delays JP candidate’s voting by 30min

Jatiya Party mayoral candidate Mostafizar Rahman of Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) had to wait about 30 minutes to cast his vote due to a glitch in electronic voting machine (EVM).

Rangpur City Helm: AL, JP battling it out today

Both the ruling Awami League and opposition Jatiya Party said they would win the Rangpur City Corporation election today.

RCC polls: Campaign ends amid fears of violence

As election campaigns for Rangpur City Corporation ended at midnight, the Election Commission said there were concerns over violence at almost one-third of the 229 polling centres.

Most voters don’t know how to use EVM

Around 90 percent of Rangpur city dwellers still have no knowledge on how to use electronic voting machines (EVM), and many are unaware of the fact that the city election will be held through EVM, said mayoral candidate Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa yesterday.

Rangpur city polls: AL eyes victory, JP worries over EVM

With the Rangpur City Corporation election only a few days away, mayor and councillor candidates are passing busy times campaigning to ensure votes.

RFL Group opens 2nd bicycle factory

RFL Group opened its second bicycle factory in Rangpur’s Gangachara upazila to meet the growing demand in both local and export markets.

RFL Group opens second bicycle factory in Rangpur

RFL Group opened its second bicycle factory in Rangpur’s Gangachara to meeting the growing demand in the local and export markets.

Ex-RCC mayor claims he has zero annual income

Mostafizar Rahman, former mayor of Rangpur city, claimed that he did not have any annual income for the last 5 years even though he withdrew over 80 lakh in honorarium during this period.

Shyamasundari Canal: Once Rangpur’s lifeline, now merely a drain

Many Rangpur dwellers, including Maharani Shyamasundari, died following an outbreak of mosquito-borne malaria in 1890s.

Rangpur city polls: JP relieved, AL troubled over rebels

While the Jatiya Party has apparently succeeded in talking its rebel candidates out of the upcoming Rangpur city mayoral race, the ruling Awami League is still facing a difficult situation with two of its rebels already having filed nomination papers.

Dollar crisis cuts trade thru land ports in half

Cross-border trade through land ports in Bangladesh has halved over the past month as importers are facing severe difficulties in opening letters of credit (LCs) amid the country’s US dollar shortage.

Fresh potato prices far higher than previous years

Farmers are enjoying good sales of early harvest potatoes, which cost an astonishing Tk 400 per kilogramme (kg) after hitting markets in Dinajpur and its neighbouring districts by the end of last week.

6 years without classrooms, teachers or labs

Academic works of the mechanical engineering department at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur are being hampered due to the absence of permanent classrooms and laboratory facilities.

Unsold potatoes from last year: Farmers, traders counting losses

Md Shafiqul Islam, a potato trader in Dinajpur, kept around 2,000 bags of potatoes in cold storage this year in hopes of recovering his losses from the previous season.

Three-wheelers ruling Rangpur when strike called to ban those

The highways and roads of Rangpur are now crowded with the three-wheelers, including battery-run auto-rickshaws, when transport owners are observing strike “to ban” these small vehicles ahead of BNP’s rally in the city today (October 29, 2022).

3 hours' journey made in 9: Rangpur rally venue packed

The Collectorate Eidgah ground in Rangpur, which is the venue for today’s BNP divisional rally, was flooded with BNP supporters and activists this morning (October 29, 2022).

Dinajpur BSCIC estate a growing health hazard

The Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) industrial estate in Dinajpur is causing untold sufferings for people living and working in the area as the rice mills present are pouring copious amounts of ash and other pollutants into the environment.

Perilla, a promising oilseed crop

Perilla frutescens, an exotic oilseed plant with numerous health benefits, has high export potential as there is considerable global demand for the crop, especially in China, Korea and Japan, according to experts.

Panchagarh boat capsize: Death toll now 50

Twenty-six more bodies were recovered yesterday, taking the death toll from Sunday’s boat capsize in Panchagarh to 50, and rescuers fear the number may increase further as over 30 persons were missing.

Made in China, repaired in Bangladesh

In 2013, the government imported 20 sets of DEMU (diesel–electric multiple unit) trains from China’s Tangshan Railway Vehicle Company Limited.

Bus crash kills 8, exposes irregularities

The two buses that collided head-on in Rangpur early yesterday, leaving at least eight dead and over 50 injured, should not have been on the roads at all as neither had route permits.

Surface water for irrigation the best solution to drought

The use of surface water has become the ultimate solution for irrigating croplands across the country as depleting underground reserves amid lesser rainfall and higher fuel costs have left farmers with little option.

Granite mining hits rock bottom

State-owned rock producer Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Ltd (MGMCL) could not resume granite production for more than three months. The reason is a crisis of explosives, leaving the government to incur a production loss worth around Tk 1 crore per day.

Trains on Dinajpur, Rangpur routes see 20% passenger rise after fuel price hike

North-bound trains are seeing an increase in passengers due to lack of public transport following the latest major fuel price hike in Bangladesh.

India-Bangladesh Oil Pipeline: Dev work 90% complete, officials say

Diesel imports from Numaligarh Refinery Limited in India’s Golaghat district to an oil depot in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur will likely begin at the end of the year if the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline is completed on time, according to project officials.

Costlier fuel to hit farmers hard

The government move to increase the price of diesel by a high margin has caught many farmers off guard.

Solar irrigation pumps prove a boon for farmers

Farmers who depend on rainwaters to grow Aman paddy in Dinajpur have been left distraught from early July owing to a drought-like situation in the absence of rains.

Dry spell rings alarm for Aman cultivation

It’s rainy reason in Bangladesh and agricultural land is supposed to be wet with monsoon rains by now.

Potential of Hili land port remains untapped

Hili land port in Hakimpur upazila of Dinajpur provides ample opportunity to facilitate cross-border trade between Bangladesh and India but its potential remains largely untapped even though both governments have taken a number of initiatives to this end.

Floods reach Rangpur: Experts fear heavy losses in fish, cattle and agriculture

The recent floods in northern Bangladesh are now affecting farmers in five districts of the greater Rangpur region as significant amounts of land in the economically disadvantaged area have gone underwater.

Farm mechanisation a solution to labour crisis

The use of machinery for agriculture, particularly tilling land, harvesting crops, threshing grains and packing produce, is rising in northern districts such as Dinajpur and Rangpur as it is cheaper and more efficient compared to manual farming methods, according the Department of Agricultural Extension.

Haribhanga farmers eye better prices as Covid curbs go

The harvesting of Haribhanga, a variety of mango native to north-western districts such as Rangpur, will begin in the once Monga-stricken region on June 20, according to officials of the local administration.

Litchi growers, traders eye better profit this time

Litchi growers and traders in northern districts such as Dinajpur are expecting good profits this season following two years of pandemic-induced losses as they are getting better prices for their produce with the market having gained momentum over the past two weeks.

Cattle farmers in north grapple with high feed prices

Farmers and entrepreneurs who rear cattle for meat and milk in the country’s northern districts are currently suffering from an abnormal hike in feed prices.

Commercial snail farming gains pace

People mainly from the ethnic community of Ramchandrapur village under Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur usually spend a portion of their day catching snails in Dhepa river, which once was a significant source for edible breeds of the shelled gastropod.

Litchi growers eye bumper yield

With litchi season creeping ever closer, farmers in Dinajpur are spending busy days caring for their orchards in order to ensure maximum output of the mouth-watering tropical fruit, weather permitting.

Garlic farmers fret over losses for 2nd year running

Garlic farmers in the country’s northern districts have been left dismayed as the price of the highly-popular cooking ingredient has fallen at wholesale and retail levels due to a supply glut amid the ongoing peak harvesting season.

Plastic recycling takes hold in northern districts

Bangladesh’s northern region has turned into a plastic recycling hub as many people in eight districts are now engaged in turning hazardous waste such as discarded PET bottles and disposable syringes back into resources for these products.

Dwarf coconut trees offer shortcut to success

Kazi Abu Saad Chowdhury, a resident of Ghoraghat upazila in Dinajpur, has found an answer to his financial woes in the form of Vietnamese dwarf coconut trees.

Hard-rock dealers violating contract

The hard-rock mined by Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited (MGMCL) in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur is getting costlier for end-users as dealers are charging higher rates than that of the state-run company.

Farmers sell wheat spikes to make higher profit

In a worrying trend, a group of farmers in northern districts are selling wheat spikes as cattle feed in order to make a higher profit since they don’t get fair prices for the final produce.

February 28, 2022

Higher input cost makes boro cultivation costlier

Farmers in Dinajpur and Rangpur are spending busy days in their fields to cultivate boro, the largest crop in Bangladesh.

February 16, 2022

Sunflower overtakes tobacco in Rangpur as farmers switch cash crops

Sunflower cultivation in Rangpur is expanding as farmers in all eight upazilas in the district are opting for the oilseed crop considering its higher profitability compared to tobacco.

February 6, 2022

Rains trigger fear of loss among farmers in north

Vast swathes of cropland in the northern districts have been affected due to water-logging caused by rainfall that lasted from Friday morning until early the next day, with farmers apprehending losses.

January 25, 2022

Rice farmers delighted at Kataribhog’s price hike

Farmers in Dinajpur who cultivate aromatic Kataribhog rice are now delighted at prices having substantially increased recently as demand has gone up.

January 12, 2022

Rangpur farmers find better returns from medicinal plants

The amount of land used to grow medicinal plants in Panchgachhi union of Rangpur’s Pirganj upazila has expanded significantly as farmers now find such crops more profitable considering that demand increased manifold over the past decade.

January 10, 2022

Indomitable spirit

Despite having multiple physical complications including visual impairment, 40-year-old Abdus Salam runs his family like any ordinary person without stooping low. Despite the cruxes, Salam is traversing the path of life with his head high.

December 20, 2021

A hero without a cape

She was an eccentric woman in her thirties. She had no recollection of her last address and was seen lurking at the corner of a bridge at Kalitola in the city of Dinajpur, be it during the harsh grasp of winter, in summer or in pouring rain. It was as if that was her abode.

December 6, 2021