bangladesh
Width of Buriganga Old channel increased 10 times: Mayor Taposh
Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh on Wednesday said the width of the Buriganga old channel has increased ten times since the beginning of demarcation activities, eviction drives, re-excavation and waste disposal initiatives.
He made the remarks while talking to reporters after visiting the ongoing cleaning and re-excavation activities in Buriganga old channel.
“We’ve taken initiative to restore the Buriganga old channel for the first time. It was challenging and expensive,” he said.
Read: Gymnasium to be built in every ward: DSCC Mayor Taposh
The width of the canal narrowed down due to the encroachment but it has been possible to increase the width almost ten times, he said adding, the project is still ongoing.
“We had to face many challenges. A lot of cases have also been filed. We have taken the matter to the High Court and we are proceeding", Taposh went on.
DSCC started the project initially through self -financing, Taposh said, “In the meantime, we have hired consultants. Our main goal is to recover the channel properly”.
Read: DSCC evicts 188 illegal shops in Nilkhet
Chief Executive Officer of DSCC Mizanur Rahman, Chief Engineer Saleh Ahmed, Secretary Akramuzzaman were present among others, said a press release.
Nayapaltan clash: Fakhrul, Abbas denied bail for 4th time
A Dhaka court on Wednesday rejected the bail petitions of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas, in a case over the clash between police and the party activists in the capital’s Nayapaltan on December 7.
Dhaka Metropolitan Session Judge Asaduzzaman turned down the petitions when their lawyers sought bail for them.
Syed Joynal Abedin Mezbah, a lawyer of the BNP leaders, said it is the 4th time that the top BNP leaders have been denied bail in the case.
On December 9, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police picked up Fakhrul and Abbas from their homes in separate raids in the capital city.
Read more: Mirza Fakhrul, Abbas should’ve given division in jail earlier: HC
Later, they were shown arrested in a case over the clash between police and the party activists in the capital’s Nayapaltan. A Dhaka court sent them to jail rejecting their bail pleas.
On December 12, a Dhaka court rejected the bail petitions of 224 leaders and activists of BNP, including Fakhrul and Abbas.
On December 15, a Dhaka court again rejected the bail petitions of the two BNP leaders in the case.
A Dhaka court ordered to give division facility to them on December 9 and then they were given the division facility from December 13.
They were accused of instigating, planning and directing an attack on police.
Read more: 224 BNP leaders including Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas denied bail
On December 7, a Swechchasebak Dal leader was killed and around 50 others were injured in a clash between police and the BNP activists in front of the party’s Nayapaltan central office, ahead of its December 10 rally.
Police filed four cases at Ramna, Shahjahanpur, Motijheel and Paltan police stations against 720 BNP activists and over 2400 unnamed people in connection with the clash with BNP.
Of the BNP men, 450 were accused in the case filed at Nayapaltan police station, 20 in Motijheel police station case and seven in Shahjahanpur police station case.
Dengue fatalities now 273 with another death
With another death reported from dengue in 24 hours till Wednesday morning, the official death toll from the mosquito-borne disease rose to 273 this year.
During this period, 126 more patients, including 68 in Dhaka city, were hospitalised, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read more: Dengue staying through December in deadliest year
The latest death was reported from Dhaka division, taking the death toll of the division to 171.
A total of 573 dengue patients, including 326 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Read more: Dengue: 145 new patients hospitalised in 24 hrs
The DGHS has recorded 61,755 dengue cases and 60,909 recoveries so far this year.
Momen urges PUIC delegation to work for repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) delegation members to enhance diplomatic efforts with major powers and ensure safe, dignified and sustained repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
An 11-member delegation of the PUIC, including members of parliaments from Tukiye, Iran, Uganda and Secretary-General of PUIC, led by Prof Dr Orhan Atalay met Foreign Minister Momen at the State guesthouse Padma on Wednesday.
Read more: Bangladesh considering ‘pros and cons’ of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework: Momen
During the meeting, the foreign minister deeply appreciated the contribution of the Committee on Muslim Communities and Minorities for portraying the picture of the persecuted Rohingyas to the members of the OIC.
The visiting PUIC delegation thanked the Government of Bangladesh for hosting persecuted Rohingyas on humanitarian ground, and reaffirmed their continued support for settlement of the Rohingya crisis.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and Bhasan Char.
The visiting PUIC delegation met Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on December 19.
Read more: ‘No reason to worry’ about new US sanctions: Momen
The PUIC delegation also visited Rohingya Camps in Cox’s Bazar and had interaction with the Rohingyas as well as related stakeholders on December 20.
Rooftop agriculture needed to ensure sustainable food production in Bangladesh: FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has said that the cities of Bangladesh need rooftop agriculture in order to ensure sustainable food and reduce food wastage.
To stress on the importance of rooftop gardening, the UN body conducted a training workshop for the ward councilors of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) on Wednesday under a project titled Dhaka Food System (DFS).
DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam attended the event as the chief guest, while Xavier Bouan, the project’s Senior Technical Adviser, addressed the event focusing on the need to grow fruits and vegetables on the rooftops of buildings.
Read: FAO Asia-Pacific regional conference to kick off in Dhaka Tuesday
“Households can reap nutritional and health benefits from rooftop agriculture. Rooftop agriculture also has positive effects on communities and society in general. They can help people to re-establish a relationship with what they eat. This is a link that has weakened since we started outsourcing our food and relying so much on industrialized production,” Bouan said.
According to the Agriculture Information Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, approximately 4,50,000 roofs, covering 4,500 hectares, remain underutilized in Dhaka city.
A survey using images from drones conducted by DNCC concluded that only two percent of rooftops in that part of the city had rooftop gardens.
“DNCC, with the support of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Co-operatives, have announced the possibility for a ten percent holding tax rebate for city residents practicing rooftop agriculture. FAO is assisting the city’s two corporations to prepare the guidelines to implement the planned tax rebate policy,” Atiqul said.
Participants at the workshop provided their input into developing and applying a set of guidelines for city corporations that will assist officials in determining whether households practicing agriculture qualify for a property tax rebate.
Read: Hasina focuses on food security as FAO conference opens
The DFS project, funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is working with a local organization, Proshika, to develop 20 rooftop agriculture demonstration plots throughout the city and to train 550 people from slum areas.
The Local Government Division of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives is leading the DFS project implementation with technical support from FAO and Wageningen University & Research (WUR) of the Netherlands.
‘Let’s deepen this link’: Argentina’s president thanks Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh
With Argentina winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup held in Qatar, something wonderful that happened is that Bangladesh’s passionate fanbase who have been cheering on the South American football team for decades have finally received Argentine recognition and appreciation as well as global attention. And now, Argentina’s President, Alberto Fernandez has personally thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the people of Bangladesh.
On December 20, the Argentine president posted a picture of Sheikh Hasina’s letter congratulating Argentina from his verified Twitter account.
Read More: FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi’s Records, Argentina’s Road to Victory
Translation of Fernandez’s Tweet in Spanish reads: “Thank you, Sheikh Hasina and the entire people of Bangladesh.
“The union and mutual affection that we have seen in recent weeks has become inexplicable, and today both flags are flying here as well. Let’s deepen this link.”
Argentina’s Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero announced in a tweet a few days ago that he will take measures to reopen an embassy in Bangladesh, which was closed in 1978.
Read More: Argentina fan 'dies of heart attack' hours after Messi lifts World Cup trophy
Bangladesh logs 20 more Covid cases
Bangladesh reported 20 more Covid cases in 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,036,987, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read more: Bangladesh built fast response capabilities for influenza, other respiratory infection using lessons learned from Covid-19: WHO
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,438 as no new fatalities were reported.
The daily case test positivity dropped to 0.82 percent from Tuesday’s 0.75 percent percent as 2,435 samples were tested during the period.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.45 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.55 percent.
Read more: China limits how it defines COVID deaths in official count
In November, the country reported 10 Covid-linked deaths and 1,345 cases.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.
Handcuffs, leg irons should’ve been removed during funeral of BNP leader’s mother: Info Minister
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Wednesday that handcuffs and leg irons should have been removed when a prisoned BNP leader attended his mother’s funeral on parole in Gazipur on Tuesday.
The minister made the comment while talking to journalists at the conference room of the ministry at the Secretariat.
“I’ve talked with the police about the matter. They said that the matter of locking or unlocking handcuffs is the responsibility of the district administration and the Inspector General of Prison. Police have maintained caution because some militants had escaped from their custody a few days ago. Still, I think the handcuffs of the BNP leader should have been removed during the funeral,” said Hasan.
BNP leader Ali Azam’s mother died due to old age complications on Sunday. To attend her funeral, Azam had requested the Gazipur district administration for his freedom on parole on Monday. But the administration failed to do so as the formalities could not be completed on that day.
Also read: BNP MPs resigned to impede democracy: Hasan Mahmud
On Tuesday, the district administration granted Azam a three-hour parole to attend his mother’s funeral. Azam was taken home in Boali union of Gazipur’s Kaliakair upazila and was brought back to the prison after the funeral. The incident triggered criticism in media.
Will act against those trying to create anarchy: Home Minister
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan today said that action will be taken if anyone tries to create anarchy in the country.
Political parties have to do politics, abiding by rules, the home minister said at the inauguration ceremony of Upazila Ansar and VDP office in Bagha of Rajshahi.
Read more: There was no lack of security during US ambassador’s Shaheenbagh visit: Home Minister
He said that the law and order situation in the country is satisfactory and the police force is working with patriotism and bravery. “If political parties of the country do not follow rules, they will be held accountable.”
“Every force is working efficiently. Ansar and VDP are among them,” said the minister, adding that when police cannot be deployed in elections, Ansar personnel are deployed.
“Around 2,00,000 Ansar members performed their duties bravely when arson attacks were carried out in the country,” the minister said.
Regarding killings at Bangladesh-India border, the home minister said, “Talks have been held with India to stop border killings. They (India) also do not support such killings.”
Read more: Fardin Noor: Home Minister puts faith in RAB, DB investigation
Besides, India has requested the Bangladesh government to take care of the issue of free movement in the border areas, he added. “The government is also keeping an eye on it.”
If there is a problem at the border, an immediate flag meeting is being held. The home ministries of both countries are also working together to solve various problems and crises, the home minister said.
In order to make the field level activities of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP more dynamic and up to date, construction of upazila Ansar and VDP model buildings is underway in 13 upazilas of Bangladesh.
Construction of nine Upazila Ansar and VDP buildings has been completed.
Make sure people don’t suffer amid global crisis: PM Hasina urges local representatives
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asked the public representatives of the local government bodies to play their due part so the people don’t suffer amid global crisis.
"We’re trying our best to make sure the people of our country won’t have to suffer amid the global crisis. As elected representatives, you have also some responsibilities. You have to discharge the duties," she said.
The premier made the call while addressing the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected chairmen and members of two district councils –Noakhali and Chapainawabganj Zila Parishads—at her office.
She administered the oath to the two elected chairmen -- Abdul Wadud Pintu in Noakhali Zila Parishad and Md Ruhul Amin in Chapainawabganj Zila Parishad.
Read more: 100 highways opened today are gifts for the nation in month of victory: PM
Besides, LGRD Minister Md Tazul Islam administered the oath to the newly elected members of the Zila Parishads.
Hasina stressed the need for boosting food production by bringing every inch of land across the country under cultivation to face the looming food crisis.
"If all the arable lands across the country can be brought under cultivation, there will be no crisis in the country," she added.
In this regard, the PM sought cooperation from the elected representatives to create public awareness to grow their own foods.
She said the prices of every commodity, particularly imported items, have soared across the world.
She asked the people to exercise austerity in every sector and make savings to overcome the global crisis.
She asked the local body representatives to make proper use of the local development fund and quality works of the local projects to ensure balanced development in every area of the country.
Read more: Ensure security to lives and property of people living in bordering areas: PM to BGB
"I urge you all to work for the welfare of the people as elected public representatives," she said.
The PM asked the local representatives to prepare a list of the homeless and landless people irrespective of political affiliation to accomplish the government’s target to ensure abodes for all homeless people of the country.
Some 35 lakh landless and homeless people have so far been provided with houses across the country free of cost, she added.
The elections to two district councils were held on November 14 and 28 last.
Earlier the newly elected chairmen and members of 59 Zila Parishads were sworn in on November 14.