‘Think simple' works well

Crude bombs exploded there. Clashes were witnessed in the neighbourhood too and many got injured in the process.

But with flowers blooming, the area still looks immaculate. This has been made possible by a nature lover, Md Putu Mia Talukdar.

A businessman by profession, he has so far spent around Tk 2 lakh for the beautification of the central reservation of Shatmatha-Tinmatha road near Govt Azizul Haque College in Bogra.

Cocktails were blasted in the area during clashes between the college students and law enforcers. Police retaliated by clubbing troublemakers and lobbing teargas shells. Some of the incidents left several people injured.

Yet the area has not lost its graceful air due to the flowers. Asked about his initiative, Talukdar said being a diabetic patient, he used to go to the Bogra municipality park for a walk to keep his blood sugar levels under control.

A few months later, he thought of making a flower garden as the park was about two kilometres away from his residence at Jan-e-Shaba Housing Limited.

As he had no land available, he selected the one-kilometre stretch of the road -- from Karatoa Multimedia School and College of Jamilnagar to Power Development Board of Puran Bogra.

Then he bought 10,000 flower plants and a submersible water pump for watering the plants with a hosepipe. He hired a caretaker for nurturing the plants and secured a electricity connection to operate the water pump.

Students, commuters and residents from nearby areas in the town come here for a walk. They don't pluck flowers from the plants to make sure that the natural beauty of the area is not affected.

A student at Govt Azizul Haque College, Shimu Akhtar said she is charmed by the beauty of the street garden. Teachers and students of the college are encouraged by the noble initiative of the businessman, she added.

Talukdar now plans to grow herb and fruit plants in the area.