Sohrab Hossain

In order to evade tolls, Patuakhali-bound goods-laden trucks are using alternative roads, avoiding the weighing scales installed on Payra bridge in Lebukhali area on Dhaka-Patuakhali highway.

Neary a year after missing the deadline, construction work of four bridges in Rangabali upazila, located far from the mainland, has remained half done due to alleged negligence of the contractor concerned.

Around 300 farmer families pass the busiest time of the year from December to April producing molasses, worth crores of takas, from the juice collected from mangrove Gol (Nipa palm) trees in different areas of Patuakhali

A project, a promise of education, a chance to break free from the shackles of illiteracy.

The overall tourism industry in Bangladesh performed well throughout the outgoing calendar year despite facing adversity in the final quarter due to ongoing political unrest, according to industry people.

After losing his overseas job during the pandemic, Al Amin Howlader, a 35-year-old former expatriate from Patuakhali, encountered repeated setbacks in his quest for alternative employment. He turned the tide of his fortune by establishing a small factory in his village, crafting decorative motor parts from fibreglass.

The Gangamati Reserve Forest in Kuakata, Patuakhali, which acted as a natural shield against Cyclone Sidr in 2007 and other such calamities, is under threat due to tree felling and soil extraction.

A school playground now lies silent behind its fenced net, devoid of the laughter and joy of children.

Brickfields in Bangladesh have incurred losses of around Tk 1,200 crore as heavy rains amid cyclone Midhili on November 16-17 hindered production early this season

In the quiet village of Purbo Atkhali in Patuakhali’s Galachipa upazila, 82-year-old Sirajul Islam Hawladar is known among all for planting trees -- his lifelong passion.

The tourism industry of Bangladesh has been hit hard by the ongoing political unrest as people are unwilling to travel for fear of violence amid strikes and blockades across the country, according to businesspeople.

Jagabandhu Mishtanna Bhandar, located in the New Market area of Patuakhali’s Kalapara, has been a place of delight for people in the region for nearly a century. 

Art has no limit, and Zakir Hossain Munshi, a fisherman by profession, is an example of this statement.

In Bangladesh, the peak season for the tourism and hospitality sector begins in September and continues until March. And the upcoming long weekend is going to provide an initial boost to the sector, with operators in major holiday destinations coming up with various offers.

In Bangladesh, the peak season for the tourism and hospitality sector begins in September and continues until March. And the upcoming long weekend is going to provide an initial boost to the sector, with operators in major holiday destinations coming up with various offers.

Around 15 tonnes of non-biodegradable waste are dumped into the Bay of Bengal by fishermen of Patuakhali every year, says a study. 

The Payra sea port’s first terminal is expected to be up and running by October, facilitating transport of goods from mother vessels and speeding up operations in the country’s third major seaport. 

A fish landing station in the Mahipur area under the Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali remains unused although two years have passed since the facility was built at a cost of Tk 13 crore.

The construction of an export processing zone (EPZ) in Patuakhali will begin soon after all land acquisition costs are cleared within the next one month or so, according to project officials.

The Patuakhali-Kuakata highway, a common route for tourists to visit Kuakata beach, has become unusable in recent times due to numerous potholes. Passenger, tourist buses and other vehicles are plying this road daily with the risk of accidents ever lurking.