Betel on 22 bighas of land set ablaze in Jhenidah

Criminals set ablaze betel leaves on 22 bighas of land at Raigram village in Kaliganj upazila of the district yesterday afternoon.

The affected growers are Narayan Samaddar, Nishid Das, Nitai Das, Madai Das, Baloram Das, Uttam Das, and Sadhan Das.

They claimed that unidentified criminals set fire to their gardens at around 4:30pm, causing damage to betel leaves worth about Tk 12 lakh.

On information, fire fighters from Kaliganj, Jhenidah Sadar and Kotchandpur upazilas rushed to the spot and doused the flames with the help locals after an hour of frantic effort.

Shamsul Islam, an official of Kaliganj Fire Station, said criminals set fire to a betel garden in the afternoon and It soon engulfed five other adjacent gardens.

Narayan Samaddar, one of the affected farmers, said he took Tk 80,000 in loan from a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and cultivated betel on 35 decimals of land.

“Fire completely destroyed my garden. I don't know how I will repay the loan and maintain my family,” he said.

Being informed, Kaliganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Monowar Hossain Mollah and Officer-in-Charge (OC) Anwar Hossain visited the spot.