Fire destroys betel leaves on 60 bighas in Jhenidah
Women members of the families wail in despair while the betel leaf growers vainly try to douse the blaze at their vast garden at Dulal Mundia village in Jhenidah yesterday.Photo: STAR
Fire destroyed betel leaves on about 60 bighas of land of two villages--Balidapara and Dulalmundia--in Kaliganj upazila of the district yesterday. Locals and betel farmers said the fire originated from a nearby sugarcane field at noon and soon engulfed the betel-leaf orchards of the two adjacent villages covering 60 bighas of land. They said criminals might have set ablaze the enclosures, causing damage to betel leaves worth Tk 1.9 crore. The affected betel farmers are Abdul Malek, Abul Kshem, Abdur Razzak, Mahtab Ali, Ripon Ali, Daud Hossain, Khairul Islam, Shaheb Ali, Akbar Ali, Lutfor Rahman, Raiseuddin Mubarak Hossain, Ansar Ali, Idrish Ali Delwar Hossain, Mohsin Ali and Nannu Mia. While visiting the spot, the farmers told this correspondent that they cultivated betel, taking loans from banks and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). “Betel farming is the only source of our livelihood. But fire completely damaged our leaf farms", a farmer said. Kohinur Begum, wife of physically challenged Abdul Malek, said she took loan from Grameen Bank to cultivate betel. “How will I repay the loan and maintain my family?", she posed. Betel farmer Mahtab uddin of Dulalmundia village said they have taken loans from different organisations and spent those in betel farming. “We have to pass our days in acute hardship as we have lost everything in fire,” he said. Sugarcane growers -- Joynal Hossain, Moshiur rahman, Shahidul Islam, Abdul Aziz, Rezaul Islam, Moklesur Rahman, Ishahaq Ali and Zakir Hossainof Balidapara village also claimed that the fire destroyed sugarcane worth around Tk 4 lakh. Fire fighters from Jhenidah district headquarters and Kotchandpur rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze with the help of locals. Assistant Commissioner (AC land) of Kaliganj upazila SM Moniruzzaman and the the managing director of Mobarakganj Sugar Mill visited the spot.
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