EAM Asaduzzaman

The school health centre in Saidpur municipality town, the lone hospital of its kind in the district, has virtually failed to achieve its goal due to lack of awareness campaign and publicity.

Academic activities at Chilahati Government College in Domar upazila are being hindered badly as the institution has been facing different problems for long.

Several government primary schools situated in the Teesta river basin areas in Dimla upazila are witnessing an increase in their dropout rate due to relocation of those institution far from the actual place.

Haziganj village is becoming a hub for handmade products crafted from recycled materials as a few factories in the remote area of Gorgram union under Nilphamari sadar upazila are enjoying success in this regard.

The history of indigo farming under British rule is still cause for indignation among many in Bangladesh as it reminds of the tyranny faced in having to cultivate the plant in place of food crops.

After a decade-long battle, Nripendra Nath Roy is now a freedom fighter officially.

Ceramic factories in underdeveloped regions of northern Bangladesh are struggling for survival as other than absence of natural gas, the ongoing US dollar crisis has led to a roughly 40 to 50 per cent increase in production costs.

While the government aims to expand railway services across Bangladesh, the country’s largest locomotive workshop in Saidpur of Nilphamari is still unable to operate at full capacity as it lacks adequate manpower, funds and machinery.

Establishing a gas transmission line in the country’s northern districts has almost been completed, but people and industries in the region will not benefit from the progress immediately because of a lack of a distribution network.

Nilsagar, a large man-made waterbody in Nilphamari, was once abuzz with the chirping and fluttering of thousands of migratory birds during winter. However, things changed after 1999.

Small export-oriented garment factories in Saidpur of Nilphamari are struggling to recover from setbacks faced during the Covid-19 pandemic, when orders from abroad took a steep dive owing to lower demand amid economic uncertainty.

In 1997-98 fiscal, a bridge was constructed over Bhulli river, connecting Nilphamari and Dinajpur. However, over half of the concrete structure washed away into the river following a flood in 2017.

Efforts to turn Saidpur airport in Nilphamari into an international airport are underway as making it a key transit point would boost connectivity with Nepal, Bhutan and the Seven Sister states of India, according to government officials.

Life is easier now for Abu Taleb, 45, a potato farmer of Saddyo Puskuruni village in Rangpur.

Farmers in three northern districts, living in the area covered by the Teesta Irrigation Project, saved around Tk 95 crore in irrigation costs during the ongoing Aman season as they got surface water from the Teesta through the canal network at a cheap rate.

Farmers are enjoying good sales of early harvest potatoes, which cost an astonishing Tk 400 per kilogramme (kg) after hitting markets in Dinajpur and its neighbouring districts by the end of last week.

Flour mills in eight northern districts of Rangpur division are struggling to continue production as wheat has become scarce in international markets amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, two major exporters of the cereal grain.

Under a project, a farm in Nilphamari was ready for a welcome change, as authorities were supposed to make its land more suitable for the production of seed potatoes.

Weeds and bushes have taken over the buildings, making them a safe habitat for poisonous insects. The plasters have already fallen off, revealing the inner bricks and iron rods, while doors and windows no longer exist.

Although many industrial estates under the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) seem to be in shambles, the one in Nilphamari paints a picture of success.