Sohrab Hossain

After waiting for 19 years, all Motaleb Mridha wants is to see the killers of his eldest son punished.

Heavy rain over the last few days has caused waterlogging in different areas of Patuakhali, severely damaging Aman seedbeds.

Patuakhali’s Baufal Upazila Health Complex is in a terrible shape due to the dilapidated four two-storey buildings of the complex, along with a lack of specialised physicians.

As many as 147 iron bridges out of 200 have been unusable in Barguna for a long time due to a lack of maintenance and repair, causing immense suffering to thousands of locals.

Eight illegal dams, built for fish cultivation, have caused waterlogging in 500 acres of agricultural land in the Patuakhali Sadar upazila. As a result, Aman cultivation in the area has been disrupted.

Another 1,320MW coal-based thermal power plant is in progress in Patuakhali’s Kalapara area. The first of its two units (660MW each) will come on stream in June 2024 and the second unit in October.

The Shuvo Sandhya Beach in Barguna’s Taltali upazila has been facing serious erosion by the Bay for the last couple of years.

A bunch of students in uniforms attending lectures under a tree -- this is what this correspondent saw when he first stepped inside Uttar Tiakhali Government Primary School in Barguna’s Amtali upazila.

“The terminal is full of potholes, all of which transform into ditches following drizzles. Speeding vehicles often spill that water on our clothes,” shared Abdul Halim, a local who frequently commutes through the Patuakhali central bus terminal.

The availability of a simple electricity-run milling machine is helping farmers in Patuakhali double their earnings from a legume crop.  

The Sonakata Tengragiri Ecopark has seen a decline in number of tourists due to the suspension of construction works on the bridge linking the area to Barguna’s Taltali upazila’s FakirHat Canal for one and a half year.

Crafted by a group of Rakhines, expelled from the Arakan around 1783, the 240-year-old Srimangal Buddha Bihar (Buddhist temple) in Patuakhali still stands tall today amid chaos as the indigenous community keeps fighting for the full possession of its land.

Mung bean exports from Bangladesh have decreased as foreign buyers are less interested in purchasing the legume this year given their reduced quality and size resulting from severe droughts during the growing period.

Operations at Payra port have slowed down significantly following the temporary stoppage of coal imports for the Payra Thermal Power Plant in Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali.

Patuakhali’s scenic coastal town of Kuakata is grappling with the persistent issue of non-biodegradable plastic waste, including one-time use plastic products and polythene, which are causing significant damage to the environment and neighbouring rivers.

Polytechnic Institute in Patuakhali is facing serious problems due to its shortage of teachers. While 93 of its 125 teacher posts have remained vacant for the last five years, 11 additional teachers have not been paid their salaries for the last three years.

In recent times, numerous houses, educational institutions, markets, cemeteries, and places of worship in Patuakhali’s Piprakhali have been displaced; and acres of land and embankments have been eroded by the mighty Payra river.

Boro cultivation has brought smiles to a good number of farmers at many coastal villages in Barguna, with a bumper yield of the paddy this season.

Many recreational places in the port city were seen abuzz with visitors of different walks of life on  Eid holidays.

At least 2 lakh tourists would visit Kuakata in Patuakhali during the holiday from Wednesday to Sunday, assumed local businessmen related to the tourism industry