Rajshahi, July 18 (UNB) – A court here on Thursday sentenced a young man to death for slaughtering his wife in broad daylight in the city in 2016.

The condemned convict is Aynal Haque, son of Ekram Ali of Baya Bholabari village in Poba upazila. The court also fined him Tk 50,000.

According to the prosecution, Aynal slaughtered his wife Safia Khatun alias Bulbuli, 25, on April 17, 2016 over a family feud.

Victim’s father Joynal Ali filed a case against him with Shah Makhdum Police Station in this regard.

Jahangirnagar University, July 18 (UNB)- Jahangirnagar University Student-Teacher Unity Platform organized a rally on Thursday protesting the authority’s decision to cut a large number of trees in the university campus for infrastructural development. 

Starting from the Tarzan point of the university campus around 12pm, the procession ended with a brief rally in front of the Vice Chancellor's office.

Participants urged the authorities to ensure the protection of natural balance and to stop indiscriminate tree-cutting and erection of unplanned buildings on the campus. 

Anwarullah Bhuiyan, Professor of Philosophy Department, said the university administration took initiative to erect unplanned buildings in the name of development. 

Shamima Sultana, another Professor, said the university will suffer a long-lasting loss if the authority’s decision is implemented. Apart from this, natural beauty of the campus will be threatened here. She urged the university administration to take proper plan after receiving views from all the parties. 

JU Cultural alliance President Ashiqur Rahman alleged that the authority invited them to a discussion program but finalized its own decision. He described the authority’s attitude as ‘autocratic’ and condemned it. 

Participating at the rally, Jainal Abedin Shishir, Joint Convener of the Bangladesh General Students Rights Protection Council, urged the university authority to reconsider its plan for the sake of the students of the university. 

However, the university authority undertook a megaproject for infrastructural development in the campus. On Wednesday, the design was presented in front of teachers and students.
 

Cumilla, July 18 (UNB) – Thirteen Rohingyas, including women and children, have been held in Brahmanpara upazila.

SAM Shahjahan Kabir, officer-in-charge of Brahmanpara Police Station, said the Rohingyas were caught by locals in Shashidal Majar area on Wednesday night. 

Being informed, police took them to their custody on Thursday when the detainees confessed that they fled Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp recently. 

They were sent back to the Rohingya camp through Cumilla Deputy Commissioner’s office. 

The detainees are Habibullah, 38, Rajuma, 27, Md Sohel, 9, Ashraf, 7, Samir, 4, Taslima, 2, Samia, 1, Imam Hossain, 77, Asia Khatun, 56, Monwara, 22, Rajuma, 20, Syed Alam, 25, Hamid Hossain, 25.

Dhaka, July 18 (UNB) – Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food Ministry Mohammad Nasim said that there is no alternative to creation of awareness to ensure unadulterated food items for consumers.

The meeting also recommended strengthening of necessary measures to strengthen law enforcing agencies, said an official release.

Presiding over the third meeting of the committee, its Chairman Mohammad Nasim called upon the agencies under the Food Ministry to work together through coordination in light of the laws and regulations of various countries.

An important discussion was also held on gearing up the drive against adulterated food items round-the-clock around the year all over the country including Dhaka.

On behalf of the ministry, the meeting was informed that mobile courts against adulterated food have been activated on regular basis across the country including the capital. They are checking misuse of harmful chemicals, ensuring safety of pasteurised milk, working to seize low-quality commodities from the markets after testing by BSTI. Besides, directives have been given for checking misuse of calcium carbide.

Fruitful discussion was held at the standing committee meeting for launching ‘paddy silo’ and its implementation at 200 places across the country for direct procurement of food grain to ensure fair price to the farmers.

It was informed on behalf of the ministry and the concerned directorate that proper investigation and measures looking into corruption in the field of food are being carried out.

The parliamentary committee gave directives to remove corruption completely at local and central levels in Food sector.

Among others, committee members Shadhan Chandra Majumder, Nurul Islam Nahid, Hajee Md Salim and Dhirendra Deb Nath Shambhu spoke at the standing committee meeting.

Dhaka, Jul 18 (UNB) – Acute suffering visited upon the people as flood situation continued to deteriorate on Thursday in a number of northern districts starting from Naogaon, Gaibandha, Sherpur, and Kurigram,  down to Manikganj, Sirajganj and Faridpur.

In Naogaon, at least ten new villages in Atrai Upazila were flooded here on Thursday to add to another 20 flooded earlier in Koshba and Bishnupur nunions, leaving 50,000 people stranded in the area. Atrai River was flowing 90cm above the danger level.

Embankment at Koshba, Bishnupur and Hatkalupara unions were flooded. On the other hand 30 points including Jotbazar, Bandubi, Bagatipara, Goalmanda, Kalikapur, Dariapur Beribadh and Khudiadanga were identified as risky.

Manda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khandakar Mushfiqur Rahman said dry food, candles and saline were distributed among flood-hit people.

In Gaibandha, the normal life came to a grinding halt after the district town went under water on Thursday evening. The town was inundated after gushing water breached 20 points of the city embankment, said Roksana Begum, the acting deputy commissioner of the district.

At the confluence of the Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers, the water was flowing nearly six feet (191cm) above the danger level at Fulchhari point, said Mokhlesur Rahman, executive engineer of the Water Development Board.

The water of the Ghaghot River has risen 91cm above the danger level. More than 700 schools across the district have been shut down.

In rural areas, people are sharing shelters with their precious livestock but the shortage of fodder is turning out to be a headache for them. The administration said it is distributing relief materials but many affected people said they did not receive anything.

In Sherpur, swelling of the Old Brahmaputra River has led to the inundation of new shoal areas, croplands and houses in the district.

Water Development Board said the river rose by three feet within 24 hours and was flowing just below the danger level at Sherpur Ferryghat Point at 6am on Thursday.

Sherpur's relief office said 172 villages in 35 unions of five upazilas had been flooded after heavy rains leaving at least 63,000 people stranded.

Fifty-two educational institutions have been forced to suspend academic activities after they went under water.

Sherpur's road communication with Dhaka and the northern region will be cut off if the situation does not improve.

Meanwhile, two more children drowned, taking the death toll to six in the last five days.

In Manikganj, the ferry communication on Paturia-Dauladia route was greatly disrupted due to strong current and increasing water level on Padma River.

Each ferry was taking double the usual amount of time to cross the river every time, congesting movement of hundreds of vehicles for hours. Many goods-laden trucks have been waiting to cross the river for past three days.

Each passengers bus has to wait for hours to cross the river as three ferry services stopped operating for technical glitches.

Executive Engineer of Paturia pontoon Swadesh Prasad Mandal said most of the ferries are very old and unsuitable to operate against such strong currents.

“We are trying our best to fix the ferries,” he added.

In Kurigram, the overall condition of flood remained unchanged as water level of Brahmaputra River has been flowing 130 cm and 101 cm above the danger level at Chilmari and Nunkhawa points respectively. Water of Dharla River was also flowing 109 cm above the danger level inundating Roumari, Razibpur and Chilmari upazilas.

A teenage girl Bobita Khatun, 16, daughter of Bablu Mia of Ulipur upazila, drowned in flood water. So far flood claimed 12 lives in the district.

At least 6 lakh people from 60 unions were living in inhuman conditions due to lack of food, pure drinking water and sanitation.

Sources of Deputy Commissioner’s office said 417 educational institutes were damaged by the flood while 15,160 hectares of land went under flood water.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Hafizur Rahman said so far they distributed 500 tonnes of rice, and 2000 packets of dry food among the flood-hit people.

In Faridpur, water of Padma River has been flowing 34 cm above the danger level. Relief and rehabilitation officer Md Saidur Rahman said 45 families of Sadarpur upazila and 14 families from Bhanga upazila were affected by the flood.

A monitoring cell has been set up at Deputy Commissioners’ office in this regard, he said.

Roksana Rahman, Additional Deputy Commissioner said low-lying areas of 50 villages of 13 unions in four upazilas were waterlogged due to rapid increasing rate of water.

They distributed 27 metric tonnes of rice among the flood-hit people, he said.

In Sirajganj, 90,000 people were marooned as water of Jamuna River was flowing 99 cm above the danger level, said Ranjit Kumar of Water Development Board.

Flood Control Room officer Ataur Rahman said at least 60,000 people from Chouhali, Kazipur, Shahjadpur, Belkuchi and Sadar upazila remained stranded under flood water.      

Local administration has been distributing relief materials among the flood-affected people, he said.