Bangladesh
HC orders formation of high-powered body to probe Jesmine’s death
The High Court (HC) on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to form a high-powered body to investigate the death of Sultana Jesmine in the custody of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).
The court also ordered inclusion of a judicial official of the rank of district judge and a chief judicial magistrate in the committee.
The committee will submit its report within 60 days.
The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub Ul Islam passed the orders after hearing a writ petition in this regard.
The Cabinet secretary was asked to execute the directives. The court asked the authorities concerned to withdraw those Rab personnel from duty who who arrested Jesmine.
The court issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain as to why detaining Jesmine is not illegal.
Read more: Death in RAB custody: Rajshahi police receives Jasmine’s postmortem report
Defendant counsel Manoj Kumar Bhowmick stood for the petitioner while Attorney General AM Amin Uddin represented the state during the hearing.
Earlier on March 22, 45-year-old Jesmine, an office assistant at Chandipur union land office of Naogaon Sadar upazila, was detained from Muktirmor area of Naogaon city by Rab and she died at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital two days on March 24.
Following widespread criticism over the death of Jesmine, lawyer Manoj drew attention of the HC after submitting newspaper reports regarding the issue on March 27.
Later on March 28, a petition was submitted in connection with the custodial death following an HC directive.
Parliament to open special session Thursday to mark golden jubilee
A special session of the 11th Parliament opens on Thursday marking the 50th anniversary of the legislature.
This will also be the 22nd session of the current Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad.
President Abdul Hamid will deliver a memorial speech in the House highlighting the country’s achievement and the role of the legislature on April 7.
According to the Parliament secretariat sources, this special session is likely to continue for four working days.
A resolution on the president’s speech will be adopted in the Jatiya Sangsad following discussion of lawmakers.
Talking to reporters Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury highlighted the yearlong programme taken to mark the golden jubilee of the Jatiya Sangsad.
She recalled the day when the Jatiya Sangsad sat for the first time on April 7 in 1973.
“In continuation of this, we are going to celebrate the golden jubilee of Parliament in 2023. That is why April 7 is an important day for Parliament,” she said.
She said that Leader of Parliament, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Opposition Raushan Ershad, Deputy Leader of Parliament Begum Matia Chowdhury and the Speaker are all females.
Highlighting the golden jubilee celebration activities, she said, the most important part of this activities is holding the special session of the parliament.
Before the House goes into session at 11:00am, the Business Advisory Committee of Parliament is likely to sit in a meeting with the speaker in the chair to set its duration and businesses.
In addition to the special session, there will be some events throughout the year to commemorate the golden jubilee of Jatiya Sangsad.
“We are thinking of a mutual exchange of views between the senior parliamentarians and the young generation. Senior parliamentarians will share their experiences there,” the speaker said.
“We also want to hold an international conference. That may be after the budget session. There, we will invite important people including some speakers from other countries. Hope it will be part of golden jubilee celebrations. It may be held in September or October,” she added.
Earlier in November 2020, a special session was held for the first time in the history of the Parliament of Bangladesh.
The special session was held on the occasion of the birth centenary of the great architect of independence, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Suspended DIG Bazlur Rashid granted HC bail
The High Court on Wednesday granted bail to suspended deputy inspector general (DIG) of Prisons Bazlur Rashid till April 30 in a case filed over illegally amassing wealth worth Tk 3.14 crore.
The court also fixed April 30 for hearing on the appeal against his sentence.
The High Court bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal passed the order.
Barrister Humayun Kabir Pallab and lawyer Masudul Haque stood for Bazlur Rashid during the hearing.
Earlier, on October 23, 2022, a Dhaka court sentenced Bazlur Rashid to five years imprisonment in the case.
On October 20, 2019, the ACC summoned the suspended DIG and his wife for interrogation and showed him arrested on the same day after filing the case against.
ACC Deputy Director Md Nasir Uddin pressed chargesheet against the ex-DIG on August 26, 2020. The court framed chagres against Bazlur Rashid on October 22.
Special programme taken to protect biodiversity of Halda River: Minister
The government has taken a special programme to protect the biodiversity of the Halda River, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on Wednesday.
“An action plan will be prepared to implement this programme and once it is implemented, it can be possible to protect biodiversity of 94 kilometer areas of the river,” he said while talking to reporters after attending the 2nd meeting of National Biodiversity Committee, held at the Secretariat.
Not only of the Halda River, the government is working to protect the biodiversity of all regions of the country, said Shahab.
He also stressed the need for cooperation of people from all walks of life to protect biodiversity.
Deputy Minister of the Ministry Begum Habibun Nahar, Secretary Dr. Farhina Ahmed, Additional Secretary (Environment) Sanjay Kumar Bhowmik, Director General of Department of Environment Dr. Abdul Hamid, Chief Conservator of Forests Department of Forests Md. Amir Hossain Chowdhury and representatives of various ministries, departments and research institutes spoke at the meeting.
Read more: Neglect endangering red-listed dolphins in Halda River
After receiving the recommendation by the technical committee of the Ministry of Health, It has been decided to send the Vibrio cholerae biological sample responsible for cholera disease to The Wellcome Sanger Institute in Britain as per ICDDRB's request for joint research.
Findings from this research will enable Bangladesh to conduct advanced research on the cholera genome that will help eliminate cholera.
5 more dengue patients hospitalised in 24 hrs
Five more people were hospitalised with dengue in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
The new patients were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Nineteen patients, including twelve in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 862 dengue cases, 834 recoveries, and nine deaths this year.
The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.
Gausia, Rajdhahi Super and some other markets in Dhaka seem risky: DG
A survey will be conducted as some markets in Dhaka including Gausia Market and Rajdhani Super Market seem risky, said Brigadier General Md. Main Uddin, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense on Wednesday.
“We will start a survey from tomorrow to check whether these markets have entrance and exit points following Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) and fire extinguishing system,” he said while talking to reporters at the main gate of the Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarters.
The survey will be conducted with the owners of the markets and they will be informed about the next course of action, he added.
Also read: Bangabazar fire: A barrack of police headquarters burnt
Talking about Bangabanzar Market fire, he said 12 firefighting units are still working to fully douse the flame at Bangabazar Market.
Govt to assist Bangabazar businesses to recover from fire damages: PM Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday (April 05, 2023) said the government will assist the Bangabazar businesspeople as much as possible after estimating the damages caused by Tuesday’s fire.
“I’ve already assured that we will help them as much as we can. We’ll assess who incurred how much loss,” she said addressing an event at her official residence Ganabhaban.
The event was arranged to receive Tk 316.91 crore as first and second installments of the loan provided by the government for construction of Padma Bridge.
Road Transport and Bridge Minister Obaidul Quader handed over a cheque of Tk 316,90,97,049 to the Prime Minister as the first and second installments of the loan taken from Bangladesh Bank at a low interest rate under an agreement signed between the Finance Division and the Bangladesh Bridge Authority.
Read More: Repayment of Padma Bridge loan starts with Tk 316.91 crore given to govt
Terming the fire as a very tragic incident, Hasina said it is too much to bear the suffering and crying of so many businesspeople ahead of the Eid-ul Fitr.
She said the government undertook a project to construct a planned market there following the fire incidents in 1995 and 2018. But a good number of people obstructed it and filed a writ petition and then the High Court stayed the project.
“Hadn’t it (the project) been stayed at that time, we could have built a good market and then such a terrible accident would not have happened,” she said.
The premier, however, lambasted a number of unruly people who attacked nearby the headquarters of the fire service. Their behavior has angered her, she said.
Read More: Bangabazar blaze: DSCC forms probe committee
The firefighters rushed to the spot soon after fire broke out to extinguish the blaze.
The PM said she asked to identify the attackers and take proper action against them. “Proper action will be taken against them. Case will be filed against them,” she said.
She said if anyone attacks the members or vehicles of the fire service or other public property in future, they won’t be spared.
Bangladesh can immediately generate 1,700 MW-3,400 MW power from renewable sources: IEEFA
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) has found that Bangladesh can immediately generate 1,700 MW-3,400 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources with a reduced cost between Tk 5.25 and Tk 7.6 against the existing cost Tk 8.84 per unit from the conventional fossil fuels.
Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), the US-based research organisation, from its analysis also showed that Bangladesh needs up to US$1.71 billion annually till 2041 to achieve its target to generate 40m percent of electricity from renewable sources.
The report, released on Wednesday, said the average electricity generation cost is likely to cross double-digits in Bangladeshi Taka (Tk) terms in FY2022-23.
“Our analysis shows that the existing power system can immediately incorporate 1,700 megawatts (MW) to 3,400MW of solar during the day and, subject to the feasibility of location and availability of sufficient wind speed, 2,500MW to 4,000MW of wind power at night to reduce the use of costly furnace oil-based power generation,” said the report’s author Shafiqul Alam, energy finance analyst of IEEFA.
Such a move will also help reduce the average electricity generation cost.
According to the report, estimates show that the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) from rooftop and utility-scale solar is around Tk5.25/kilowatt-hour (kWh) (US$0.05/kWh) and Tk7.6/kWh (US$0.072/kWh), respectively.
On the other hand, the average electricity generation cost of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) was Tk 8.84/kWh (US$0.084/kWh) during the FY 2021-22. It is likely to cross double digits in Tk during FY2022-23.
Bangladesh should aim for renewable sources to make up 40 percent of its total power generation capacity by 2041, says the new report which charts a path for the country to transition its electricity sector away from dependence on expensive imported fossil fuels and ease its growing subsidy burden.
The report estimates that a more ambitious clean energy capacity target of 40 percent by 2041 (without storage facilities) would require an annual investment of US$1.53 billion to US$1.71 billion from 2024 through to 2041, which is less than the power sector’s fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 subsidy burden.
It adds that a faster transition to renewable energy would free up financial resources that otherwise end up as subsidy payments.
“Bangladesh’s electricity generation model appears unsustainable without a clear transition pathway. Therefore, policymakers should raise their renewable energy targets and reflect the same in the upcoming Integrated Energy and Power Master Plan (IEPMP),” said Shafiqul Alam.
“The government should also translate the renewable energy policy target into a year-wise action plan backed by a monitoring mechanism to track progress,” he adds.
The report finds that high prices of fossil fuels and resultant increased power generation costs have led to a surge in the subsidy required by the country’s power sector. For FY2021-22, the subsidy reached Tk 297 billion (US$2.82 billion), nearly 152% higher than FY2020-21 and a whopping 301 percent higher than FY2019-20.
“Rising subsidies eventually compel the government to pass the rising cost on to the consumers. This results in a spectre of price hikes for electricity and different fuels in quick succession. Despite these price hikes, the subsidy burden of the power sector in FY2022-23 could still be higher than the previous year,” said Alam.
Instead, the report finds that accelerating the transition of the electricity sector to renewable energy can free up financial resources and enhance the country’s energy security.
The report calls on the government to ring in policy changes to promote the adoption of renewable energy. For example, the report suggests the government lift the current cap on rooftop solar installation capacity by up to 70 percent of the sanctioned load of industrial and commercial buildings.
Similarly, it also recommends waiving applicable duties on fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) walkways, imported inverters, mounting structures and direct current (DC) cable, ranging from 15.25 percent to 58.6 percent for rooftop solar projects.
“Such moves will send the right market signals about the government’s vision for the electricity sector’s transition,” says Alam.
Finally, the report says Bangladesh needs to have a map of funding channels, including local resources and international sources. For this, Bangladesh can draw on lessons from Indonesia and Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition plans to fund its electricity sector transition.
From India’s experience, the report finds that risk mitigation measures, such as risk guarantee funds, will shield the project developers. Furthermore, competitive renewable energy procurement through auctions will help reduce renewable energy tariffs and help Bangladesh contain the rising electricity generation cost, said the IEEFA report.
Prominent entrepreneur Rokia Afzal Rahman no more
Rokia Afzal Rahman , a former advisor to a caretaker government and renowned entrepreneur, passed away at a hospital in Singapore on Wednesday. She was 82.
Rokia had been undergoing treatment at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Singapore where she breathed her last around 2 am, said family sources.
She was also the chairperson of Media World Ltd, Midas Finance and director of Media Star and ABC Radio.
Also read: PM shocked, saddened to learn MP Shikhor’s mother passed away
Rokia left behind two daughters, one son and a host of relatives to mourn her death.
The body of Rokia will be brought to Bangladesh on Thursday.
6 sentenced to death in Natore college student gang-rape case
A Natore tribunal today sentenced six people to death and four to life imprisonment in a case filed over gang-rape of a college student in 2012.
Those sentenced to death are: Sabbir Ahmed, Rezaul alias Rabbi, Nazmul Haque, Rajibul Hasan, Ripon and Shahidul.
Those who got life imprisonment are: Manirul Islam, Khairul Islam, Ataul Islam and Rezaul Karim.
Natore Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Muhammad Abdur Rahim handed down the punishment. The court also fined them Tk one lakh each which would be provided to the rape survivor.
According to the prosecution, Sabbir Ahmed was in a relationship with a college student of Chandai village in Baraigram upazila of the district.
On October 19, 2012, Sabbir took the girl to Kalam Mirzapur village. Later, he along with his friends raped the girl near Mirzapur Eidgah field.
Also read: Fugitive cop sentenced to 15 years in prison surrenders in court
The victim lodged a complaint in this connection and police registered a case with Baraigram Police Station.
Police also submitted chargesheet against 11 people.
After examining records and witnesses, Judge of Natore Women and Children Repression Tribunal handed down the punishment and acquitted one chargesheeted accused, Nasir, as allegation brought against him could not be proven.
END/UNB/Corr/MAS/KW