Eid brings little joy to Manta community
For the people of the boat-dwelling Manta community in Barishal, Eid celebrations are rather short-lived. The hardships they face on a daily basis return the very next day.
25 March 2026
Demand surges for traditional puffed rice during Ramadan in Barishal division
Women in 21 villages keep earthen ovens burning from dawn to dusk
9 March 2026
Lawyers’ protest brings court activities in Barishal to a standstill for three days
Arrest of bar chief and case against 12 lawyers trigger court boycott, leaving thousands of litigants stranded
26 February 2026
Over a quarter of Barishal polling centres hard to reach
Officials seek helicopters, logistics support
3 February 2026
From boats to ballots
For the first time, members of the river-dwelling Manta community in Barishal are set to exercise their voting rights in the upcoming 13th national elections.
1 February 2026
Parts of Lalar Dighi being filled up
The National Housing Authority’s Rupatali unit in Barishal has been filling up a portion of Lalar Dighi, the largest natural waterbody in the city, raising serious environmental and legal concerns.
17 January 2026
As winter nears, nurseries in Barishal pin hopes on flower seedling sales
To recover, they have expanded cultivation this year, using more land and producing a wider variety of seedlings
11 November 2025
The mantas: A life adrift
Despite centuries of life on the water, the Mantas remain invisible in official records.
17 October 2025
19 fishermen from Bhola haven't returned from sea for two weeks
Relatives claim they are now at West Bengal jail
22 September 2025
Where have all the big hilsa gone?
Large-sized hilsa have almost disappeared from markets across the southern region, with traders reporting that most of the catch now weighs between 200 and 400 grammes.
19 September 2025
Patients suffer as hospital building work drags on
Despite being more than a century old, the main building of Barishal General Hospital has remained incomplete for four years, forcing patients to receive treatment in cramped tin-shed rooms.
23 August 2025
Hilsa: From full nets to lighter hauls
This year, fishermen have been returning with lesser catches and bigger losses.
20 August 2025
Bhola municipality: Key roads lie dilapidated
A significant number of roads within Bhola municipality, including several vital ones, are in a dilapidated state, causing immense suffering to locals.
4 July 2025
Barishal hospital: Overcrowded medicine ward puts patients at risk
Patients and their families have alleged severe mismanagement, overcrowding, and poor healthcare services at the medicine ward of Barishal’s Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH), which is currently operating out of a cramped five-storey building not originally designed to serve patients.
4 July 2025
Fading away in silence
Around five kilometres away from Jhalakathi district town, past the buzzing Kirtipasha bazaar and post office to the outskirts where the urban cacophony begins to fade, a colossal relic of Bengal’s feudal history rises like a spectre through the foliage- the Kirtipasha Zamindar Palace.
27 June 2025
Aedes larvae found in 31% Barguna town homes
A government study has found Aedes mosquito larvae in 31 percent of the samples collected from homes in Barguna town.
24 June 2025
Jibanananda archive and library still locked a year after completion
The archive remains closed as no staff have yet been appointed for its operations
9 June 2025
Left adrift, Eid is just another day for the Manta
Living in boats on the Arial Khan river, the Manta survive on fishing and loans -- without access to education, proper documentation, or state support
8 June 2025
Thrill gone from Barishal’s rawhide market
Madrasas shift to direct sales, disrupting traditional trade
7 June 2025
‘There’s no fish there’
Fishermen in Bhola borrow to celebrate Eid amid Hilsa crisis
7 June 2025