Still no replacement for risky rail bridge
It has been two decades since the longevity of Teesta Railway Bridge in Lalmonirhat’s Sadar upazila expired. But till this day, hundreds of people cross the bridge daily, risking their lives.
2w ago
Vermicompost production, sale grow in Rangpur
About 10,000 farmers across five districts, namely Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Nilphamari and Rangpur, are benefitting from the production, use and sale of vermicompost, which is a natural fertiliser produced by decomposing organic material using earthworms.
2w ago
Families left with no roof over their head
On the bank of the Brahmaputra, 60-year-old Sekendar Ali had sown seeds of hope for his family, with just his own hands and a spade. But little did he know, the tides of the river had a different fate in store for him.
3w ago
Keeping the tradition alive
Once upon a time, flowers were cultivated in acres and acres of fields in a Lalmonirhat village, so much so that the place was named Fulgachh, which literally means a flower tree.
12 years later, justice still eludes Felani’s family
It has been 12 years since Felani, a Bangladeshi teenager, was shot dead by a member of India’s Border Security Force and left hanging from the barbed fence of the border along Kurigram, but her family is still waiting for justice.
Orange orchard in Lalmonirhat sees great success
Ekramul Haque, a farmer of Lalmonirhat sadar upazila, had leased four acres of land in Harati union back in 2018 to try his hand at growing oranges.
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 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.
Leased for fish farming, now a makeshift market
Ghoshal Sarobar, a pond on the premises of the 400-year-old Tushbhander Zamindar Bari in Lalmonirhat’s Kaliganj upazila, was leased to a local resident for fish farming. He has, however, constructed over a hundred shops illegally by filling the pond’s bank with earth.
Seasonal business flourishes as demand for date molasses soars
While date molasses is being sold at Tk 160 per kilogramme (kg) in local markets, the same product made by seasonal producers is going for up to Tk 200 per kg from the factory floor, according to traders.
Temple-based education: Teachers not getting salary for 18 months
Teachers and officials engaged in temple-based pre-primary education programmes in Lalmonirhat are in trouble as they are not getting salaries for 18 months.
Emerging Teesta-Dharla shoals hamper communication
When almost all the 26 small rivers in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram have already been dried up, the two major rivers--Teesta and Dharla -- have turned into narrow channels due to lack of water flow from the upstream, creating hindrance to the livelihood of thousands of people living in different shoal areas of the two districts.
Process of reopening Mogalhat land port underway
The process of reopening a defunct customs station and immigration checkpost on the Bangladesh-India border in Lalmonirhat has been underway since September this year, said Shahriar Alam, state minister for foreign affairs, yesterday.
Call gets louder to reopen Mogalhat land port
The reopening of Mogalhat, a decommissioned land port on the Bangladesh-India border in Lalmonirhat, has been stalled for a long time now even though resuming trade and immigration activities would be of great benefit to local businesspeople, according to officials.
Spreading light in remote corners
With a goal to build a well-read society, Sarpukur Youth Forum Library, situated in a remote village of Lalmonirhat’s Aditmari upazila, has been a hub for like-minded people who love to read and educate themselves.
Sending children to school making jute ropes
Rasheda Beram (28), a mother of two and a homemaker of a poor family in Kurigram’s Chilmari upazila barely forgot the last time she spent a day with a smile on her face.
Illegal brick kilns back in business
Local farmers are getting frustrated as two illegal brick kilns, demolished by the local administration over one and a half years ago in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, have started operation once again.
Illegal brick kilns back in business in Lalmonirhat
Local farmers are getting frustrated as two illegal brick kilns, demolished by the local administration over one and a half years ago, in Sadar upazila have started operation once again.
Farmers frustrated by poor price of peanuts
Peanut farmers in the greater Rangpur region have been left disappointed this year as prices for their produce are far below the expected level of Tk 7,000 to Tk 7,500 per maund (37 kilogrammes).
Rice prices still high despite higher yield
Aman paddy harvesting season has begun, but the general mass is struggling to buy rice as the price of the staple food is still high in the local market.
Kans grass straw boosts income of char farmers
Kans grass has emerged as a significant source of income for farmers in char areas of Kurigram and Lalmonirhat, where the perennial herb native to the Indian subcontinent grows easily on sandy soil.
Northern smile
The bumper yield of Aman paddy and good prices has brought big smiles to the faces of rice growers in six northern districts.
Poor families suffer as OMS sale halted in 2 dists
The sale of essentials at subsidised prices under the OMS programme has been halted in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram since Thursday, putting several thousand poor families in distress.
Writing with foot, Manik scores A+ in SSC
Life has been one living struggle for 16-year-old Manik Rahman. Lacking two hands and having paralysis in one leg, Manik managed to score an A+ in the SSC exam by writing with his only usable foot.
Dhankurani’s Indurdhan: A farmer-friendly tradition that helps ultra poor
A Dhankurani can collect between five to eight kilogrammes of paddy from each rathole. Every season, each of them collects around three to four maunds of paddy by digging between 25 to 30 ratholes in 10 to 12 days.
Baliamari border haat to reopen in December
The border haat in Baliamari char under Kurigram’s Rajibpur upazila is set to reopen its doors in the first week of December, ending a roughly two-year hiatus that began with the onset of Covid-19.
3 Kurigram villages lost to river erosion
Three villages in Kurigram now exist only on paper as they have been entirely devoured by Dudhkumar river.
Kamat Angaria, where Bhasani’s memories are still fresh
Memories of the legendary political leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, who died on this day in 1976, still remain fresh in Kamat Angaria, a remote village in Bhurungamari, Kurigram, located just four kilometres away from the Assam border.
BSCIC estate in Lalmonirhat: Only plastic processing centres thrive
Commercial activities at an industrial estate of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Lalmonirhat are gradually winding down as it lacks a business-friendly atmosphere, according to entrepreneurs.
Survey on to reopen Lalmonirhat-Moghalhat rail route 26 years after closure
Twenty-six years after the closure of the Lalmonirhat-Moghalhat rail route, railway authorities have been carrying out a survey to reopen it.
Celebrations beyond the barbed wires
Dipali Rani (55), from Lalmonirhat’s Patgram upazila, came to Nabinagar Meserghat border yesterday noon to meet her daughter Sheuli Rani, who has been residing at Cooch Behar of West Bengal for the last 15 years.
Divided by border, united in prayer
Every year on the occasion of Brideshwari Puja, a fair is organised in a bordering area of India and Bangladesh, in the presence of thousands of people from both countries.
Their guardian angel
Setara was a playful child, curious about the world and always up for helping everyone around her. To contribute to her community, she wanted to keep on studying in school.
‘Afraid of losing it all over again’
In just one month, the sand-filled geo bags, dumped to prevent river erosion in Teesta shoal, are washing away.
“We don't want relief materials; we want a dam to prevent erosion”
Several hundred people, who were recently affected by erosion of the Dharla river, formed a human chain for an hour on the river bank in Phulbari upazila in Kurigram this (September 11, 2022) noon demanding a dam to prevent erosion.
Bilkis Banu, mother to 74 children
Biologically, she is a mother of two. But she is known to be a mother to 74 children, all of whom are growing up and getting all their needs fulfilled under her care.
Teesta sorrows everflowing
When Bangladesh and India were about to ink a deal on sharing the Teesta water in 2010, people living by the river in Rangpur region dreamt of better days.
Farmers in Lalmonirhat losing interest in tea cultivation
Farmers in Lalmonirhat are losing interest in tea cultivation as a lack of processing facilities in the area is preventing them from raising enough capital to sustain the business, according to growers and traders.
When it rains, grandpa Ali comes to rescue
Umed Ali, a 66-year-old boatman from Kurigram’s Baraibari is a popular figure in his village.
The last of the Monidas artisans
Sushil Chandra Monidas (42) learned the craft of making musical instruments from his father Kalachan Monidas when he was 12 years old. When he lost his father at the age of 20, he took over the business.
Paper flowers bring good luck to Rangpur families
Many families in Rangpur division have been in the trade of making paper flowers for a long time and many of them have changed their luck.
Lone teacher for 203 students
On the banks of the Brahmaputra stands a primary school in a remote char at Chilmari upazila of Kurigram.
Bringing a wind of change
Six years ago, Shyamoli Akhter used to be a playful seventh-grader -- who loved studying, playing, and roaming around the village with her head held high.
Cultivation of zinc-rich paddy growing in Rangpur
Zinc-enriched paddy cultivation is expanding day by day across five districts of the Rangpur division thanks to increased demand for the crop given its immunity-boosting properties.
‘Not even a plate of rice this Eid’
Rokeya Bewa (56), a flood victim from Hatia union of Kurigram’s Ulipur upazila, waited for the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) rice on Eid day. However, she did not get it and had to borrow half a kilo of rice to cook a meal.
Eid without rice: Kurigram flood victims yet to get VGF rations
Most of the flood victims in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram are yet to receive their share of the flood rations even though 863 metric tonnes of of Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) rice was allotted for 86,315 poor families on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.
Flood in The North: Crops worth Tk 134cr damaged
With water receding, the grim scenario of damages caused by flood is becoming visible in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat. Around 24,000 farmers have been affected in the two districts. Crops worth Tk 134 crore on 16,383 hectares of land were damaged, according to the department of agriculture.
Villagers in Kurigram put up bamboo wall to control water flow of Brahmaputra River
Villagers in Kurigram are putting up a 50-meter bamboo wall to control the flow of water in the Brahmaputra River to save their village Durgam Porar Char from flooding.
July 2, 2022
Sale of sacrificial animals: Fear of loss weighs heavily on cattle farmers
Cattle farmers, particularly those from flood-hit areas, are in fear of incurring losses from the sale of sacrificial animals ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha due to flooding, rising prices of cattle feed and a lower number of customers.
July 1, 2022
Floods in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram: Crops worth Tk 134cr damaged
Crops on around 16,383 hectares of land have been damaged due to floods in Lalmonirhat and Kurigram districts. “Aush” paddy, jute, maize, nuts and various vegetables have been damaged in the floodwater.
June 24, 2022
As floodwaters recede, erosion begins at Brahmaputra-Teesta-Dharla rivers
The flood situation has started improving in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts as the water level of major rivers is decreasing. However, this has led to a new issue.
June 24, 2022
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.
June 22, 2022
Sufferings mount in northern districts
Thousands of flood victims in the northern districts continue to fight for survival with little access to relief materials, and the situation is unlikely to improve today.
June 19, 2022
Burimari Land Port: Travellers suffer for lack of banking facility
Burimari Land Port in Lalmonirhat lacks banking facility, causing suffering to people especially those who are travelling to neighbouring countries.
June 18, 2022
Disregard for deadlines
Works of 55 government projects on rural development in Kurigram are yet to start even though the implement deadline expired around a year ago.
May 22, 2022
Farmers making a mint from small-scale mint farming
A good number of farmers in Rangpur have been earning unexpected profits from growing mint, a medicinal crop, on small patches of land.
May 14, 2022
Teesta erosion: Part of dam caves in 10 months after repair
Some 150 families are in fear of losing their homesteads in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila as part of a flood protection dam across the Teesta collapsed.
May 13, 2022
Teesta bank erosion: 150 families in Lalmonirhat fear losing homes
Nearly 150 families who are residents of the riverbank area of Teesta in Khuniagachh village of Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, are living in fear of losing homestead and cropland as a flood protection dam, which was renovated by Water Development Board (WDB) just 10 months ago, already collapsed.
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