Day: June 14, 2024

Three people including two of a family were killed and four others injured in a collision between a private car and a cattle laden truck in Kalihati upazila of the district last night. The accident occurred at around 2:30 am in front of Bangabandhu Textile Engineering College at Bagutia on Tangail-Mymensing Highway. The deceased were identified as Abdullah Al Akhkhor, 6, his maternal grandmother Hosne Ara, 68, and the driver of the car Abul Hossain,32. Akhkhor was the son of one Abdullah Al Mamun, the Cultural Officer of Jamalpur Sadar upazila. Kalihati Fire Service sources said the cattle laden truck was heading towards Dhaka from Madarganj in Jamalpur. Critically injured four people were referred to Dhaka from Tangail General Hospital. In charge of Elenga Highway police camp Mir Shajedur Rahman confirmed. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today said according to the election manifesto of the ruling Awami League, a 500-metre green belt will be built in coastal areas to protect the country from storm surges. "As a result of climate change, 17 percent of Bangladesh will be submerged with water due to the rise in sea level," he told the inauguration ceremony of a nationwide tree planting program organised by Bangladesh Awami Jubo League at Mughda in the capital, on the occasion of the AL's platinum jubilee. "...there will be no food production in that area. The map of Bangladesh will change. Climate change has created an existential crisis for us. If there are more trees, the temperature will be lower. So, more trees must be planted to sustain the existence of Bangladesh," the minister said. Saber Hossain said a healthy environment is required to build a smart Bangladesh announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. "And a healthy environment requires enough plants. Plantati on is essential to ensure a healthy and safe world for our future generations. Felling trees is a crime," he said. Bangladesh Awami Jubo League Chairman Sheikh Fazle Shams Parash presided over the event, while General Secretary of Jubo League Mainul Hossain Khan Nikhil and central and local leaders of Jubo League were present. Later, Saber Hossain inaugurated the nationwide tree plantation programme and distributed saplings. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has established a central control room for removing sacrificial animals' waste and coordinating management activities of cattle markets. On the occasion of the forthcoming holy Eid-ul-Azha, the central control room has been opened at Shitalakshya Hall in Nagar Bhaban, the head office of DSCC, here, according to an office order today. The control room has already started monitoring the waste management activities of 10 makeshift cattle markets established in the DSCC area from today. All have been requested to contact the control room by dialing 01709900888 and 02223386014 if sacrificial animal waste is not removed on time. The central control room will be operated from 2 pm today to 10 pm on June 18 through a total of 13 sessions. Besides, another office order has been issued appointing six regional executive officers of the corporation as executive magistrates to maintain law and order at 10 leased-temporary cattle markets and stop temporary sale activities of the se asonal rawhide traders. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed today paid rich tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by laying floral wreaths at the mausoleum of the great leader in Tungipara, Gopalganj. In a special munajat on this occasion, he prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and all martyrs of August 15, 1975, said an ISPR press release. Later, the army chief signed the visitors' book there. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Prime Minister's newly appointed Press Secretary and senior journalist Md Nayeemul Islam Khan paid rich tributes and offered prayers at the mausoleum of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara in Gopalganj this afternoon. He paid homage by placing a floral wreath at Bangabandhu's grave and joined a prayer seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and other martyrs of the 15 August 1975 carnage and country's continued development and progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After laying the wreath, he stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the architect of independent Bangladesh. Deputy Press Secretaries to PM, KM Shakhawat Moon and MM Emrul Kayas were present, according to a press release of Press Wing of Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Earlier on June 8, the PM's Press Secretary, Md Nayeemul Islam Khan paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a wreath at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in the capital city. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said there is no traffic congestion on the country's roads and highways despite the pressure of vehicles during of the Eid journey. He made the remark while speaking at a press conference at the Awami League president's Dhanmondi political office here this afternoon. Quader, also the general secretary of Awami League (AL), directed the authorities concerned to discharge their duties so that nobody can set up cattle market indiscriminately increasing public suffering. Mentioning that there is no such situation in which there will be traffic jam due to bad road condition, he said the best roads ever in Bangladesh were constructed under the AL government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 'Sacrificial animal-carrying vehicles and indiscriminate cattle markets may cause some traffic congestion…it is difficult to avoid suffering when it rains. Attention should be paid to performing responsibilities and surveillance should be increased to prevent untow ard accidents and loss of life no roads,' he said. About the BNP's corruption, the AL general secretary said the corrupt are now talking against corruption. BNP is a top-to-bottom corrupt party, while BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman is a 'blessed son of corruption'. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir made a statement to justify Tarique as a good person. 'Mirza Fakhrul did many things due to the threat of Tarique. Now he is saying that he (Tarique) could not be punished,' Quader added. He said Tarique has been convicted and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stated that now the BNP leader should be brought back to the country and to ensure justice. As long as Tariq Rahman remains the leader of BNP, it is not possible for BNP to make a political reemergence, he said. About the remand of an AL leader over the killing of lawmaker Anar, the AL general secretary said it is not right to call anyone a criminal before case is filed and the verdict is declared. 'Was there such an example of placing a district secretary on police remand during BNP regime and General Ershad's tenure? The Awami League has showed the honest and courage to do so,' he said. Replying to a statement of Mirza Fakhrul that the incumbent government is the enemy of BNP, Quader said a government that will guarantee BNP's election victory with absolute majority can be a friend of that party. AL Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Organising Secretaries BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam, Afzal Hossain and Sujit Roy Nandi, Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, Education and Human Resources Secretary Shamsunnahar Chapa, Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Aminul Islam Amin and Deputy Office Secretary Advocate Sayem Khan were, among others, present at the press conference. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

A motorcyclist was killed in a road accident after being hit by a pickup van on the Sylhet-Tamabil highway in Chiknagul Panichara area under Jaintapur upazila of the district in the early hours of today. The deceased was identified as Moinul Hossain Ayani, 55, son of late Esa Member of Umanpur village under Chiknagul union of Jaintapur upazila of the district. He was the Deputy Manager (Service) of Sylhet Gas Field Limited. According to local sources, the accident occurred when he was going home from the main gate of Panichra gas field riding a motorcycle. On the way, a Jaflong-bound pickup van hit his motorcycle from behind around 12:20 am, leaving him seriously injured, Jaintapur Thana Police official said. Later, he was taken to Sylhet Ibn Sina Private Hospital where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Chiknagul Union Parishad Chairman Kamruzzaman Chowdhury confirmed the matter. Police seized the pickup van from the spot, the police official added. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) is determined to ensure safe removal of sacrificial animal waste within the night followed by the Eid day in the city as the city corporation has adopted massive measures to this end. As part of the efforts, the RCC has fixed the selective spots for slaughtering sacrificial animals on the forthcoming day of Eid-Ul-Azha in the city. City Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton revealed this while addressing a meeting with all of his divisional heads at his city bhaban office here last night. RCC Panel Mayors Nizam-Ul-Azim and Abdul Mpmin, Ward Councilors Towhidul Haque and Belal Ahmed, Chief Executive Officer Dr Sharif Uddin, Chief Engineer Nur Islam, Chief Health Officer Dr Anjuman Ara Begum and Chief Conservancy Officer Sheikh Mamun also spoke. Mayor Liton said the city corporation is working for safe removal of sacrificial animal waste within the stipulated time so that the city residents can see a neat and clean environment within the shortest possible time. He urged the city dwe llers to slaughter the animals only in selected places for keeping the metropolis along with its air and water free from pollution and other contamination. The mayor laid the importance of planned and hygienic slaughtering of animals for protecting the public health from any sort of infectious disease including the lethal COVID-19 virus. He said collective efforts of all quarters has become a crucial issue to control the community level zoonotic disease particularly Covid-19 and anthrax. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

BSMMU Super Specialized Hospital will be upgraded to a world-class healthcare facility through recruiting skilled medical professionals and equipping with modern medical technologies to ensure better treatment facilities aiming to discourage the people to go abroad. "A significant number of people are going abroad for receiving better treatment . . . our main aim is to stop the trend of going overseas for taking healthcare services," BSMMU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Deen Md Nurul Haque told BSS. The BSMMU-run super specialized hospital needs to be equipped with highly efficient physicians and advanced medical equipment, he said, adding, "We want to restructure the super specialized hospital giving it a corporate shape and flavour to attract the health service seekers, who are going to different countries including India for treatment purpose." On September 14, 2022, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-awaited Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Super Specialized Hospital, f irst of its kind in the country, aiming to provide specialized treatment at a cheaper cost. "After taking charge as VC of BSMMU, I have identified some problems of the Super Specialized Hospital . . . I am taking initiatives to address the problems to make the hospital a global standard one," Prof Nurul added. As per the existing recruitment procedure, the BSMMU authorities can recruit doctors, nurses and other medical professionals but, "BSMMU vice chancellor must be empowered by giving authority to recruit highly efficient physicians, surgeons and other medical professionals on contractual basis from different countries," the VC said. By bringing in foreign experts, BSMMU can improve the skills and knowledge of its existing staff through collaboration and knowledge sharing, he added. "Besides, we can also recruit experienced and skilled medical professionals from our country under contractual basis," Prof Nurul said, adding "If the existing recruitment procedure is not changed, the Super Specialized Hos pital will be like other general hospitals of the country." "We must increase service charges at the Super Specialized hospital as it will provide global standard treatment. Public hospitals are taking very nominal service charge whereas the leading private hospitals including Evercare, Square and United hospitals are charging very high," the VC added. "The Super Specialized hospital aims to be a more affordable option than leading private hospitals of Dhaka city, offering almost 50 percent less service charges...our main aim is to stop the patients from going abroad as they (patients) are spending a handsome amount of money while they go to different countries for treatment purpose," Prof Nurul added. Prof Mohammad Atiqur Rahman, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) of BSMMU said, "As part of the massive campaign, BSMMU will make the super specialized hospital a state-of-the-art one with incorporating updated version of medical technology and recruiting highly skilled manpower." After inception of the Super Sp ecialized Hospital, it is providing healthcare services in a limited scale as there is insufficient number of healthcare professionals, he added. Physicians and other health workers of BSMMU are working in the Super Specialized Hospital on a part-time basis, Prof Atiqur said, adding recruitment of 2,758 medical professionals is under process. "We will recruit 2,758 medical professionals following the existing recruitment system of the health and other relevant ministry to ensure healthcare services in a large scale," he added. The authorities will recruit efficient and experienced doctors, surgeons from different countries to upgrade the healthcare system of the hospital to world-class standard for stopping the trend of going abroad to receive improved treatment services, Prof Atiqur commented, who was supported by the BSMMU VC as well. The total healthcare services of the Super Specialized Hospital have been divided into five centres -- Emergency Medical Centre, Cardiovascular and stroke centres, hepatob iliary and liver transplant center, Kidney Disease Centre and Maternal and child healthcare centre, the pro-vice chancellor said. All five of its healthcare service centers are set to become global standard facilities equipped with the latest medical advancements, he added. Prof Atiqur said, "There are 750 beds in the Super Specialised Hospital while it has 100-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 64 cabins." Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

A 3-kilometre (km) long tailback has been created in front of the toll plaza of Padma Bridge, as the homebound rush began to pick up on Friday. Starting from Mawa end of Munshiganj, the tailback went beyond Kamarkhola of Sreenagar upazila this morning, causing immense sufferings to the homebound passengers. Motorcycle booths were increased from one to two due to heavy traffic. Currently, there are seven toll booths working at the toll plaza to ease the traffic congestion. The toll plaza authorities said that the Electronic Toll Collection System-ETC, which started on a trial basis 11 months ago for collecting tolls on moving vehicles, has not yet been fully operational. The authorities said the cars were moving slowly due to the pressure of vehicles, but they were doing their best to keep traffic flowing. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Prominent security analyst Major General (retd) Abdur Rashid passed away today. He was 70. Rashid breathed his last while undergoing treatment at a city hospital in the morning. He left behind his wife, a son, a daughter and a host of relatives and admirers to mourn his death, said a press release signed by AL office secretary Barrister Biplab Barua. Awami League (AL) General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of Rashid. In a condolence message, Quader prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Cattle markets in the city and nine upazilas in Khulna district have gained momentum, as two days left for Eid-ul-Azha, the second-largest festival of the Muslims. Cattle market operators said apart from the local traders, the wholesale cattle traders continued to send livestock to the markets in the city and upazilas from different districts in the division. A total of 157 traditional and makeshift cattle markets, including the KCC's Zoragate cattle market, have been set up, and 136 medical teams have already been formed for the cattle markets in the division. "This year, the availability of sacrificial animals is higher than last year. So, there is no shortage of cattle supply to the markets, though there are no imported cattle available in markets this year," Azad Hossain, a cattle trader in the city's Nirala Prantika area, said while talking to this correspondent at Zoragate cattle market today. But market observers and buyers said the prices of cattle are slightly higher than the previous year, as t he price of a medium-size cow ranged from Taka 1,50,000 to Taka 3,50,000, and a goat is being sold between Taka 35,000 and Taka 60,000. Shazahan Mia, owner of 'Shazahan Agro Farm' located in the city's Nirala Prantika area, told BSS today, "I have brought 23 cows to Zoragate cattle market. The price of my small-size cow is Taka 1,20,000 to Tk 1,60,000, and the price of my medium-size cow is around TK 2,50,000 to 3,00,000." Traders attributed the higher price to the soaring price of animal feed and transport costs. Sheikh Palash, a businessman in the Kalibari Ghat area, said, 'I have come to Zoragate cattle market to buy a medium-size ox. But the price is a little bit higher than last year.' 'Price will be declined on the day before Eid day, as I witnessed sufficient supply," he hopped. Talking to BSS, Panel Mayor of KCC Rafiuddin Ahmed Rafi and also Secretary General of the KCC's cattle market said KCC earned over Tk 2.19 crore selling over 6,020 sacrificial animals last year at KCC's Zoragate makeshift cattle market. He hoped KCC would earn over Taka 2.75 crore from the sale of over 12,000 sacrificial animals this year. Director of the Khulna Divisional Livestock Department, Dr. Nurullah Md. Ahsan, said a total of 9,26,209 sacrificial animals were sacrificed last year in the division. According to the Livestock Office, the demand for sacrificial animals in Khulna division this year stands at 11,06,532, but this year, farmers of the division reared 16,19,417 sacrificial animals targeting Eid-ul-Azha in the division. Market operators installed adequate currency screening machines in all the cattle markets to detect fake currencies. Additional Commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police Sarder Rakibil Islam said, "We have taken three-tier security measures, including close circuit cameras, at the Zoragate cattle market." "Besides, we have introduced a flawless traffic management system to ease traffic congestion in and around the market in the city," he added. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha