Sohrab Hossain

Our Correspondent, Patuakhali

Dhaka-4 Patuakhali upazilas: Travellers suffer without direct bus service

93 teacher posts vacant out of 125

Polytechnic Institute in Patuakhali is facing serious problems due to its shortage of teachers. While 93 of its 125 teacher posts have remained vacant for the last five years, 11 additional teachers have not been paid their salaries for the last three years.

1w ago

Patuakhali coasts exposed to cyclone

In recent times, numerous houses, educational institutions, markets, cemeteries, and places of worship in Patuakhali’s Piprakhali have been displaced; and acres of land and embankments have been eroded by the mighty Payra river.

2w ago

Boro Harvest: Good yield delights coastal farmers

Boro cultivation has brought smiles to a good number of farmers at many coastal villages in Barguna, with a bumper yield of the paddy this season.

2w ago

Tourist spots abuzz with Eid holidaymakers

Many recreational places in the port city were seen abuzz with visitors of different walks of life on Eid holidays.

Kuakata ready to welcome more Eid visitors this year

At least 2 lakh tourists would visit Kuakata in Patuakhali during the holiday from Wednesday to Sunday, assumed local businessmen related to the tourism industry

Kuakata eyeing huge turnout this Eid

While tourism related businesses in Kuakata of Patuakhali are expecting an onrush of travellers amid the ongoing Eid holiday, those in Sreemangal upazila of Moulvibazar have been left disappointed by the low number of advance bookings.

Travellers suffer without direct bus service

As Eid approaches, several lakh travellers from four upazilas of Patuakhali are facing severe inconvenience, as direct bus service between these upazilas and Dhaka have been suspended.

Oilseed cultivation spreading quickly

Farmers across two coastal districts of Bangladesh, namely Patuakhali and Barguna, as well as Tangail are increasingly growing oilseed crops in a bid to profit from the ever-higher prices of edible oil.

Illegal structures continue to plague Kuakata Beach

Around 600 illegal structures were evicted from Kuakata Beach in November 2022, thanks to the initiative of Patuakhali District Administration and Water Development Board (WDB). However, just four months later, illegal construction has resumed in different areas of the beach on government land.

Patuakhali potters make Tk 1cr Pahela Baishakh sale

A cluster of potters in Patuakhali’s Bauphal upazila, some 240 kilometres south of capital Dhaka, say they have made sales of around Tk 1 crore of earthen products, including some abroad, centring Pahela Baishakh.

Illegal structures keep sprouting along Kuakata beach

Over 200 structures have sprung up ignoring HC directive

Dredging lets first 10.2m draught vessel anchor at Payra port

For the first time since opening around a decade ago, Payra Sea Port has been able to accommodate a vessel having a draught of 10.2 metres owing to the dredging of a channel connecting it to the sea.

10.2m depth ship anchors at Payra port for first time

A foreign vessel with a depth of 10.2 metres arrived at the inner anchorage of Payra Port in Patuakhali on Thursday, the first anchoring of a larger water vessel at the country's third seaport.

Roads ending golden days of boat trade

Anyone in their forties with experience of visiting the countryside might recall the ways they travelled from one place to another.

Kuakata sees drastic fall in tourists for Ramadan

The number of tourists flocking to Kuakata Beach has fallen drastically since the middle of March, forcing hotel and motel owners to offer up to 50 per cent discounts on rents in a desperate bid to attract holidaymakers and cut losses.

Hailstorms wreak havoc on watermelon farms

Although watermelon yields have been good this year, a section of farmers in Barishal and Khulna are facing heavy losses due to heavy hailstorms and poor market price amid the final stage of harvesting.

Iftar available for only Tk 1

For many low-income families, affording a nutritious iftar meal is a challenge. The same goes for Ilias Mia, a rickshaw driver from Patuakhali’s Kalapara town.

Payra port channel now deepest in Bangladesh

Larger mother vessels will now be able to load or unload their goods directly from the jetty of Payra port as capital dredging of Ramnabad channel is now complete, according to port officials.

Payra port to see larger vessels from April

Payra port, the third seaport in Bangladesh, expects to see the arrival of larger ships from the first week of April, according to a statement from the shipping ministry issued yesterday.

Larger ships to start arriving at Payra port from April

The port will open first terminal on first week of May

Wooden trawler industry on the wane

The once vibrant wooden trawler industry in Bangladesh is losing its sheen as the use of these vessels has gradually declined over the years, according to manufacturers

Mahipur fish landing station now operational

The Mahipur fish landing station in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali has become operational with eight fishing trawlers anchoring at its pontoons since Saturday.

Watermelon farmers getting good yields, prices

Watermelon farmers in southern Bangladesh are pleased to be getting bumper yields and prices early this season as their produce can now reach markets all over the country thanks to the improved connectivity provided by Padma Bridge.

Padma Bridge: A boon for watermelon cultivators in Patuakhali

Visitors making their way to Patuakhali's Rangabali upazila are often greeted with the view of trucks loaded with freshly harvested watermelons. The recurring sight is a result of the recent boom in the cultivation and business of watermelons, catalysed by the inauguration of the Padma Bridge

Wheat cultivation prospect in south brightens

Farmers in Patuakhali have successfully cultivated wheat through a method known as relay cropping, raising hopes that lands left fallow during the dry season can now be used for growing the cereal grain.

10-day BSCIC fair starts in Patuakhali

The BSCIC Entrepreneurial Fair and Buyer-Vendor Conference, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Cooperation (BSCIC) and Patuakhali district administration, kicked off at the DC Office field in Patuakhali sadar upazila yesterday.

Stealing trees from reserve forest

Trees are being looted from reserve forest areas in Patuakhali, adjacent to the flood control embankment of Kalapara upazila.

Patuakhali’s Kalapara: Houses, fish enclosures at the expense of mangroves

Destroying mangrove forests, fish enclosures and residential houses are being constructed in Patuakhali’s Kalapara. Locals alleged that rather than protecting the forests, forest department is assisting a vested quarter to cut different species of trees including chaila, keora, bine and golgach.

Here, a woman rows the boat

Akhlima Begum’s day starts at the break of dawn. Upon completing her household chores, she readies her small boat, which ferries passengers to and from Patuakhali’s Doani village of Galachipa upazila and Meermadan village of Dasmina upazila throughout the day.

Saline land now a green landscape

Farmers of a remote coastal village in Barguna’s Taltali upazila have not only become solvent by producing seasonal vegetables but also turned the salty land into a green landscape.

More and more children drowning every year

On August 29, 2022, three-year-old Abdullah and 18-month-old Fahim, the two sons of Azizur Rahman, a municipal councillor of Patuakhali’s Bauphal upazila, drowned.

Road divider or death trap?

Roads and Highways Department (RHD) recently constructed a new six-lane road in Patuakhali’s Kalapara upazila, with a divider to prevent collisions among motorists. Ironically, the divider has apparently been serving the exact opposite purpose.

Barguna’s Rakhine weavers busy making winter clothes

Rakhine weavers in Barguna’s Taltali upazila are passing busy days now as demand for warm winter clothes has surged amid a sharp drop in temperatures.

Mung bean cultivation expanding in Patuakhali

Idris Ali, a farmer of Kartikpasha village in Patuakhali’s Dumki upazila, has been cultivating mung beans after harvesting Aman paddy for about 20 years now.

Waste of Tk 13 crore

The government has constructed a fish-landing station at a cost of Tk 13 crore in Mohipur area of Patuakhali’s Kalapara upazila, but it has not been operational even after a year of its inauguration.

Nipa palm molasses, a little-known sweet with immense potential

Nipa palm molasses, little-known but has immense potential

People have been producing molasses from nipa palm trees—popularly known as Gol Pata trees—for several years in different villages Kalapara upazila, including Nilganj, Nabipur, Mithaganj and Pakhimara.

The launch ride from hell

On one fine winter evening, exactly a year ago, a launch named MV Abhijan-10 left Dhaka for Barguna around 6:00pm, with over 600 on board, although there was room for only 420.

No school in sight in isolated Char Kashem

While she had no access to formal education, Saleha Begum, a resident of Char Kashem and a mother of six, dreams of sending her children to school. But that dream is yet to be fulfilled since not a single school exists in the char.

Kuakata witnesses influx of tourists

Travel-enthusiasts, holidaymakers and tourists are planning to rush to various vacation spots across the country during an upcoming three-day holiday, which includes the weekend.

Higher coal prices add more woes for brickmakers

The price of coal in Bangladesh has flared up by some 78 per cent over the past year, hitting Tk 32,000 per tonne at present compared to Tk 18,000 per tonne previously, as depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar has made imports costlier, according to industry people.

Living in uncertainty: Jyotsna longs for a place to call home

Although her name is Jyotsna, which means a moonlit night, her reality is the exact opposite. There is only uncertainty in her life. After spending three years in jail with her mother, Jyotsna stepped into Patuakhali orphanage at the age of seven.

Taltali’s dried fish market unfazed by inflation

The demand for dried fish from Barguna’s Taltali upazila seems unencumbered by rising inflation as the region is supplying some 150 maunds to markets across Bangladesh each week amid the ongoing production season, according to traders.

Passengers bear the brunt on 2nd day of water transport strike

Passengers across the country are facing hardships for the second consecutive day due to a strike called by water transport workers.

Tap into ocean tourism in Kuakata: experts

The number of people who go on vacation in Kuakata has increased exponentially ever since Padma Bridge was opened in June this year.

300-year-old artefacts unearthed by farmer in Patuakhali

Abdul Mannan Mridha, a farmer in Kalaraja village of Patuakhali’s Galachipa upazila, found some artefacts while digging a pond in 2015.Seven years later, on November 21, Galachipa Upazila Nirbahi Official (UNO) Mohiuddin Al Helal handed over the artefacts to a delegation of the archaeology