Haque Specialized Group's News

Our Correspondent NAOGAON, Aug 05: In spite of having necessary manpower and machineries, the fire service station in Mohadevpur Upazila of the district has not started functioning after two years of its establishment. Complexity in upgrading the station to the second class has delayed the start-up, local people alleged. Sources at the District Fire Service and Civil Defense department said the fire service station was established at Barendra Morh area of the Upazila in early 2015 at a cost of Tk 17 million, to serve around 0.5 million people. For smooth operation of the station, it was provided a firefighting vehicle with all other equipment, a station officer, a team leader, ten firemen, one cook and a sweeper.   During a recent visit, the newsmen saw a man named Saidur Rahman living at the fire service station along with his family. Saidur Rahman said the manpower and firefighting vehicle of the station are currently being used at other fire service stations in the district.   AKM Morshed, deputy assistant director of Naogaon Fire Service and Civil Defense department said to get more facilities, an application for upgrading the station from third class to second class was submitted to the concern authorities. The service station will start functioning after approval of the application, he added. Asked, how long it may take to approve the application, Mr. Morshed said he has no idea.     ritushar.ru@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-06 00:00:04

Our Correspondent NILPHAMARI, Aug 05: The availability of different varieties of freshwater fish in the district has been declining over the years due mainly to gradual drying up of water bodies and indiscriminate application of chemical fertiliser in croplands. Indigenous species of freshwater fish particularly Koi, Magur, Shing, Bowl, Showl, Puti are facing extinction due to the aforesaid reasons. Moreover, mother fish of such indigenous species are being caught indiscriminately by the local people. In the situation the scarcity of fish has not only pushed up it price but also deprived common people of required protein. According to Nilphamari district fisheries office demand of fish in the district is 33000 tonnes while production is only 16000 tonnes. While contacted district fishery officer Hasan Ferdous Sarker said steps has been taken to cover up the shortage of fish production in the district by motivating fish farmer for increased fish cultivation. While contacted Nilphamari Sadar fish farm manager Khairul Alam said they have taken steps to increase fish fry production as more and more fish fry farm are being engaged in it.     abumusa88@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-06 00:00:04

Our Correspondent BOGRA, Aug 5:  Rearers of Sonatola, Sariakandi, and Dhunot upazilas of the district are selling their cattleheads due to acute fodder crisis. Natural grass, main fodder item of cattlehead, has been submerged as flood situation visit several times across the district in this rainy season. Price of the only dependence straw food item for the animals is increasing day by day. Some farmers said they purchase a maund of straw at Tk 700 to Tk 800, while it was Tk 500 last year. Other items of cattle feed, like oilcake and husk of rice and wheat, are also being sold in the local market at double the price than that of previous year. "I did not get the expected amount of straw for my five cows as Boro paddy was damaged by blight disease this year," said farmer Abdul Zobbar of Sariakandi upazila. He again said, "I am in a fix taking my cows having recessing the flood water from the river basin." Cattle trader Solaiman Hossain said, the cow owner of the district are facing problems feeding his cows as all grass has been damaged by the recent flood. They are selling cows in a cheap rate than two months back due to fodder crisis, he said, adding that he needs about half maund of straw everyday. District Livestock Officer Mr Shahiduzzaman said farmers in flood-affected areas will get new grass in October-November next as the field will be green with different grass item, and they will have to depend on straw till then. Many farmers collect grass from the mainland of the district and some of them sell cows due to fodder crisis, he added.     emdadul2015@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-06 00:00:04

A section of the bankers are in favour of taking more resolute measures to manage the huge amount of non-performing loan (NPL) for maintaining pace of investment flow, reports BSS. NPL, according to the sources concerned, is increasingly becoming a matter of concern for the banking sector. "We should take effective steps soon to bring down the NPL to a tolerable level," Managing Director of Southeast Bank Limited (SEBL) M Kamal Hossain told the news agency. He said ensuring asset quality should be the first things to consider for sanctioning of loans. According to Bangladesh Bank's (BB) latest data, the amount of NPL soared to Taka 734.09 billion during the January-March period from Taka 621.72 billion in the preceding quarter. M Kamal Hossain said bankers should enhance monitoring of their customers and provide them with advices on business, if necessary, so that they can make profit through investments. "If any customer faces losses, banks should give the customer favourable scopes for overcoming the losses so that they can repay the loan," he added. He also underscored the need for developing a healthy banking system by analysing customer status properly while processing loan. Terming NPL a serious problem for the financial sector, managing director of Mutual Trust Bank Anis A Khan suggested the authorities concerned to set up asset reconstruction companies (ARCs), as practiced in India, for recovery of such loans. An ARC manages underperforming assets and makes the assets, which have already become classified as NPL, profitable. Mr Khan, also the Chairman of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB), said there are various reasons, including undeveloped infrastructure, for turning a loan bad. Seeking cooperation from the borrowers to bring the NPL down to a tolerable level, he said long-term investment is better than the short-term investment for protecting a loan from being classified. Referring to the activities of the bank in reducing NPL, Mr Khan said they hold meeting with customers, monitor them and also minimise the interest rates according to their request so that they can come out of crises and pay back the loan. The BB has already asked the banks to maintain a certain level of cautiousness during loan processing to avoid any kinds of unacceptable situation in future, said BB Chief Spokesperson Subhankar Saha. "When a classified loan is identified, the BB holds meeting with the bank concerned to discuss the matter as it affects the bank's capital and CAMELS (Assets quality, Management, Earning, Liquidity, and Sensitivity) rating," he added. Mr Saha said the central bank also has relaxed the loan reschedule policy for the banks concerned and appointed observers to these banks to help them improve their situation.....

Published at: 2017-08-06 00:00:04

The government has launched a fresh project to develop the infrastructures of three land ports to boost trade with India through regional connectivity. The security features of Benapole land port will also be modernised under the project. The three new land ports are Shewla in Sylhet, Bhomra in Satkhira and Ramgar in Khagrachhari districts. "Under the Bangladesh Regional Connectivity Project-I, immigration and customs facilities will be upgraded through the necessary infrastructural development to expedite trade and business with India," a planning ministry official has said. He said the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has already cleared the project involving Tk 6.93 billion (Tk 693 crore). Bangladesh Land Port Authority is tasked with implementing the project by June, 2021, according to BSS.  ....

Published at: 2017-08-06 00:00:04