Torching of Several Orchards in Jhenidah Sparks Protest
Punish culprits, demand betel leaf growers
Betel farmers block Dhaka-Khulna highway at Dulalmundia point in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenidah district yesterday demanding immediate arrest and punishment of the culprits involved in torching their orchards.Photo: STAR
Betel farmers blocked Dhaka-Khulna highway near Dulalmundia bus stand in Kaliganj upazila of the district yesterday morning demanding immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the culprits involved in torching their orchards. They staged the protest soon after betel leaves on about one and a half bighas of land were torched at Raigang village of the upazila at around 8:00am. This was the fourth arson attack on betel-leaf farms in the area in a month. Fire fighting units from Jhenidah and Kotchandpur rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. Locals and the affected farmers alleged that criminals set fire to betel leaf orchards on around 131 bighas of land at adjacent Raigram and Dulalmundia villages in 22 days from February 9, causing damage to betel leaves worth about Tk 5 crore. The first such attack on orchards on 60 bighas of land was made on February 9, the second on 20 bighas of land on February, 20, the third on 50 bighas of land on February 22, and the latest on one and a half bighas of land yesterday. Several such incidents of arson took place in Kaliganj upazila last year, but law enforcers and local administration failed to identify the culprits involved, locals alleged. “We have no other alternative but to go for agitation as no action has been taken yet against the persons responsible for setting fire to our betel-leaf farms,” said the affected farmers. Hearing the news, local lawmaker Abdul Mannan, ASP Mostafizur Rahman UNO Anjumanara Begum and Officer-in-charge (OC) Md Faruk Hossain went to Dulalmundia bus stand area at around 10:00pm and assured the agitating farmers of taking steps to identify the culprits within the next 24 hours. On assurance of the lawmaker and the officials, the betel farmers withdrew the road blockade at around 11:00am. Around 100 farmers of Raigram and Dulalmundia villages cultivated betel, taking loans from banks and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). “Betel farming is the only source of our livelihood. But the criminals set our orchards afire,” they said. Two affected farmers-Nitya Mohan Dutta and Madan Mohan DuttaRaiganj village told this correspondent that they would not cultivate betel further as they incurred a huge loss.
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