, Oct. 21 -- There was a time when the villages of Badarganj upazila in Rangpur would come alive with the sweet aroma of sugarcane.

Whenever the factory siren sounded, life would return to the workers' settlement and the local market would become bustling. But that siren has been silent for a long time.

Although there was an announcement to reopen the mill nine months ago, Shyampur Sugar Mill - once the region's only heavy industry - remains shut.

Hopes raised by that promise have since given way to frustration, as the government taskforce's revival plan stalls in the absence of necessary funding.

As a result, over 4,500 workers from Badarganj, Taraganj and Sadar upazila of Rangpur district remain unemployed, many struggling to surviv...