President Abdul Hamid on Tuesday expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of freedom fighter and former minister Shajahan Siraj, also vice chairman of BNP.

In a condolence message, the President recalled his outstanding contribution to Bangladesh politics, especially in the 1971 Liberation War, with due respect.

He prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed profound sympathy to the bereaved family.

Siraj served as a minister in Khaleda Zia's cabinet. He was elected to the House several times from the Tangail-4 constituency, 

He was General Secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League BCL, the student wing of Bangladesh Awami League. He was a leader of the Mukti Bahini.

Also read: Shahjahan Siraj loses battle with cancer

A female doctor, who was infected by Covid-19, died at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday.

The deceased was identified as Dr Sultana Latifa Zaman Irin, 34, a registrar of the gynecologist department of Chattogram Mother and Child Hospital and wife Dr Maizzul Akbar, organising secretary of Chattogram Unit Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA).

Dr Irin has been undergoing treatment at the Chittagong Medical College and Hospital after getting contacted with the virus and died at the ICU unit of the hospital in the afternoon, said Dr Aftabul Islam, deputy director of the hospital.

Dr Irin was a student of 14th batch of Comilla Medical College and Hospital.

Eleven physicians have, so far, died from Coronavirus in Chattogram.

Bangladesh on Tuesday reported 3,163 new cases of the novel coronavirus ,  raising the national tally to 186,894. The country also counted deaths of 33 people, bringing the total death to 2,424.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has urged Chinese companies to make more investment in different segments of power sector. 

He made the call through a videoconference while addressing the signing ceremony of two companies—NWPGCL from Dhaka and CMC from Beijing—to form a joint venture company in renewable energy sector to implement different projects in Bangladesh. 

As per the agreement, the new company, named Bangladesh China Power Company Limited (Renewable), will set up a number of solar power plants having total capacity of 500 MW in different places across the country.

The first such project will be a 310 MW solar power plant.      

The CMC (China Export Import National Machinery Corporation) has already have a partnership with the NWPGCL (North-West Power Generation Company) which earlier formed a company - BCPCL to implement a 1320 MW coal-fired power plant in Payra.

The first unit, having 660 MW, of the 1320 MW started generation to supply power the national grid. 

The virtual function was attended by Chinese ambassador LI Jimping, Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, Power Secretary Dr Sultan Ahmed, PDB Chairman Belayet Hossain and NWPGCL chief executive officer Khurshid Alam.    

Appreciating CMC’s role in Bangladesh to develop power sector, Nasrul Hamid said the Chinese company has been a prime investor in the sector. 

He urged the CMC to come forward to invest in the other sources of renewable like waste to energy and wind power besides its initiative for solar power.    

Nasrul Hamid mentioned that Bangladesh and China have a very strong relation for long as Chinese President and Bangladesh Prime Minister had a number of meeting.

He said that the government has initiated move to set up 23 solar power plants of having 1220.77 MW, mainly of rooftop and floating plants because of scarcity of non-agricultural lands. 

He said wind and waste to energy power plants are also included in the government’s initiatives. 

The government has taken up four projects costing Tk 8,000 crore to construct sustainable embankments in southwestern part of the country, Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Haque Shamim said Tuesday.

“The works of the projects will begin this year and expected to be completed within two to three years,” he said.

The deputy minister said this while speaking as a chief guest at a national dialogue on construction of sustainable embankment in the coastal area held at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

He further said the government is actively considering formation of Coastal Development Board like Haor Development Board to address the problems in the coastal areas and look into the matters.      

Shamim said special measures have been taken to ensure development of the entire coastal area.

He said initiatives would also be taken to construct super driveway from Coxs Bazar to Satkhira, protect Sundarbans and rivers and resolve drinking water crisis in the coastal areas.

Meanwhile, the speakers demanded construction of a permanent and strong embankment, having and height of 30 feet and width of 100 feet on the ground and 30 feet on the top, considering climate change and natural calamities in the region.

They stressed the need for arranging emergency funds and engaging local governments for maintenance of the embankments.

The speakers urged the government to enforce a ban on making shrimp or crab enclosures within 100 meters of the embankments immediately and take effective steps to ensure safe drinking water for the coastal residents.

They said that the coastal people’s lives and livelihoods largely depend on embankments and the people of the region wanted sustainable embankments rather than food support.

They alleged severe irregularities in implementing different projects taken to repair the damaged embankments in coastal areas.

Ekattorer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee on Tuesday demanded trial of Md Shahed and Dr Sabrina under the Speedy Trial Tribunal and ensure exemplary punishment for those involved in Covid-19 test scam.

The committee came up with the demand at a press release, signed by the committee president Prof Dr Uttam Kumar and its general secretary Dr Mamun Al Mahtab.

They said PrimeMinister Sheikh Hasina has taken so many steps for tackling corornavirus, which has been praised in the international area. But people like Shahed  and Sabrina make the success of the country questionable by issuing fake Covid-19 certifucates and tarnished the image of the country as well as destroyed the health services and public security.

They also demanded immediate arrest of Shahed and those who were involved in providing license to Regent Hospital.

Regent Hospital Chairman Mohammad Shahed has been on the run after the law enforcers raided the Mirpur and Uttara branches of Regent Hospital on charge of issuing fake covid-19 certificates in exchange for exorbitant fees.

A case was filed against Shahed on charge of embezzling more than Tk 91 lakh from a transport exporter in Chattogram.

JKG Health Care Chairman Dr Sabrina was arrested on Sunday in a case filed for issuing fake Covid-19 test certificates. Sabrina is now on a three-day remand and the case of Sabrina will handle by the Detective Branch of Police.

JKG Health Care Chairman Dr Sabrina came into spotlight following their company’s fraudulence over corona test reports.