Twenty-six people were killed as a speedboat capsized after it crashed into a sand-laden bulk carrier in the Padma river in Madaripur yesterday. All the deceased three women, two children and 21 men were passengers of the speedboat. Bodies of 22 victims were handed over to family members till 6:00pm yesterday, said Ashiqur Rahman, inspector of Banglabazar ferry terminal
Photo: Suzit Kumar Das
The family once ruled 22 parganas or mahals in Faridpur and Barishal regions. The then British rulers of India later bestowed the family with the title Roy Bahadur Chowdhury .
All of the family members except Sukusar Roy Bahadur moved to Kolkata in India after the zamindari system was abolished in 1950, when the family lost all their estates, including the Baishroshi mansion, to the state.
Sukusar Roy Bahadur took his own life after the independence of Bangladesh. Amaresh Roy Chowdhury, a successor of the family, resides in Rajshahi.
Currently, only 30 acres of the property including the ponds and the structures remain in dilapidated state under the possession of the government. Influential locals over the years encroached on the remainder of the land that belonged to the compound of the mansion.
Fruit farming bears success for entrepreneur
Fruit trees of different kinds at the huge orchard of Mofijur Rahman Mafi, below, in Hat Gobindapur village of Faridpur Sadar upazila. Photo: Suzit Kumar Das Our Correspondent, Faridpur Our Correspondent, Faridpur
Mofijur Rahman Mafi, Photo: Suzit Kumar Das
After returning home from Kuwait in 2007, to Hat Gobindapur village in Sadar upazila, Mofijur Rahman Mafi was 26.
The young man tried to settle down and tried his luck on various business ventures including running a grocery store, growing seasonal crops and rearing cattle commercially.
But none of his efforts produced much hope.
Finally, success followed him in 2019 when he put his mind into producing different varieties of exotic and highbred local fruits that are high in demand.
RK Metal: from rags to riches
Its proprietor turns into a leading agri-machinery maker from a small-time welder
People take a look at agriculture machinery manufactured by RK Metal. Photo: Suzit Kumar Das
Paritos Kumar Malo, the proprietor of RK Metal, has shown that with a little determination and courage, anyone can go from humble beginnings to a real-life success story. It was 1997 when I borrowed Tk 50,000 from my maternal uncle to open a small welding shop but now, I earn Tk 50 lakh per year, Malo said.
RK Metal, a maker of agriculture machinery with 15 employees, is situated in the Habili Gopalpur area of Faridpur town.