bangladesh
Braving monsoon rain, Muslims in Bangladesh celebrating Eid-ul-Azha today
Amidst monsoon rain, Muslims in Bangladesh are celebrating Eid-ul-Azha today, with prayers and sacrificing cattle.
Eid jamaats were held at mosques and maidans across the country where Muslims offered prayers for peace at home and abroad, and harmony among communities.
The main Eid jamaat was held at National Eidgah in Dhaka. Several jamaats were held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.
Eid-ul-Azha: Modi greets PM Hasina, Bangladeshis
Bangladesh elected to Executive Council of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Bangladesh has been elected a member of the Executive Council of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) for the 2023-25 term, receiving the highest number of votes.
The election was held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris during the 32nd Assembly of the IOC on Wednesday.
Also read: National Museum to send proposal for including palm leaf scroll etching as UNESCO cultural heritage: KM Khalid
Bangladesh’s election in this council manifests global recognition of its initiatives, actions, and contributions to the multilateral fora to maintain a safe and secured maritime regime and ocean governance in the world, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh’s growing engagement in maritime issues has prompted it to float its candidature in the IOC Executive Council, MoFA said.
Also read: UNESCO reveals new AI roadmap for classrooms
It is committed to contributing to the existing critical needs of IOC concerning its wider global presence, increased budgetary allocation and value addition through fostering a technology-based oceanographic multilateral ecosystem. In the last couple of years, Bangladesh has hosted a number of meetings on maritime issues.
Most recently, it hosted the 9th IOCINDIO meeting in Dhaka in March 2023 and the Indian Ocean Conference in May 2023.
Also read: Bangladesh elected to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage committee for 4 years
Bangladesh’s election in the council would help promote its maritime diplomacy in the UN system while securing benefits for this institution and strengthening partnership with other nations, said the government.
Bangladesh has also registered its voice to change the status of IOC Sub-Committee for Central Indian Ocean to IOC Sub-Commission to be known as IOCINDIO which is expected to be approved during the current session of the 32nd IOC Assembly (21-30 June 2023).
Leader of the Bangladesh delegation, Rear Admiral (Retd) Khurshed Alam, expressed hope that this would be formally approved through a resolution within the current session of 32nd IOC Assembly.
He profusely thanked Bangladesh’s Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Khondker M Talha, and his team for their dedicated work during the election.
Bangladesh to get good news on human rights issue soon: Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Wednesday that Bangladesh would soon get good news on human rights issues.
"The United States is a friend of Bangladesh. They also want to strengthen relations with us. Bangladesh also believes in a balanced foreign policy to improve relations with all countries,” he told reporters at his Sylhet house on Wednesday.
Also read: US wants stronger relationship with Bangladesh, leaving aside ‘misunderstandings’: Momen
Momen said they are looking into the wrong information presented in the US on human rights issues.
Bangladesh has become important due to its location, he said.
Also read: US is our biggest friend: Momen
Various countries are visiting Bangladesh frequently to improve relations, said the minister.
US President Joe Biden is also keen to further strengthen ties with Bangladesh, Momen said.
Also read: ‘Very strange, no source mentioned’: Momen on report claiming new sanctions are coming
So officials from the United States are also visiting Bangladesh frequently, added the minister.
108 new dengue cases reported in 24 hours
Bangladesh reported 108 new dengue cases in the 24 hours till Wednesday morning.
The official death toll from dengue remains at 47 this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Bangladesh reports 371 more dengue cases
Of the new patients, 55 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it.
A total of 1, 336 patients, including 953 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 7, 862 dengue cases, 6,479 recoveries this year.
Read: Bangladesh reports three more dengue deaths, 399 new cases
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.
Read more: Two more dengue patients die in 24hrs; 500 hospitalised
Eid-ul-Azha: Modi greets PM Hasina, Bangladeshis
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed his warmest greetings to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and to the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of the holy Eid-ul-Azha.
Read more: Modi greets Hasina on occasion of Eid
In his letter, Prime Minister Modi highlighted that the sacred festival of Eid-ul-Azha serves as a strong reminder of the values of sacrifice, compassion and brotherhood.
Read: PM Hasina greets freedom fighters on Independence Day
He also noted that the bonds between the people of India and Bangladesh are forged in the shared history, cultural kinship as well as sacrifices of people on both sides.
Modi expressed his confidence that the holy festival “will bring our people even closer.”
Read more: Modi greets Hasina on her birthday
3 more bodies retrieved from Padma River after boat sinks in C’nawabganj
Bodies of three more people were retrieved from the Padma River on Wednesday in connection with the boat capsize in the river in Sadar upazila of Chapainawabganj on Tuesday.
With this, the death toll rose to four.
The deceased--Nizam Uddin, 57, and Abdur Rahman, 62, were residents of Alatuli Chhoyrashia area under Sadar upazila, and Pakhi, 14, was from Char Devinagar area of the same upazila.
Read: 10 bodies recovered from Cox’s Bazar’ trawler: prime accused among 2 arrested, 64 sued
Both Sadar police station’s Officer-in-charge Sajjad Hossain and Alatuli Union Parishad Chairman Joynal Abedin confirmed the development, saying that the divers of Fire Service and Civil Defence department and locals recovered the three bodies from Harma area under the upazila and Sarengpur area under Godagari upazila of Rajshahi in the river from 4pm to 4:30pm on Wednesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, a boat carrying seven to eight people capsized in the river due to a heavy storm in Raninagar Tikar Parr area.
Read: Three unidentified bodies recovered from Dhaka's Azimpur and Mohammaddpur
All the people except the four managed to swim ashore. Later the body of one Enamul Hoque was recovered by locals from the river.
Eid-ul-Azha: Tight security for national congregation site in Dhaka Thursday
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on Wednesday said that tight security arrangement will be in place at the national Eid congregation site in Dhaka for the Eid-ul-Azha prayers on Thursday.
Cyber crime prevention units of the DMP will also remain active to maintain law and order, the commissioner said.
He came up with the remarks while talking to journalists after inspecting the site on the Supreme Court premises in the capital.
“The Eidgaon was being swept by the squads of bomb disposal and dog units while members of plainclothes police will be deployed along with personnel in uniform,” he said.
The entire ground and its surroundings will be monitored through CCTV cameras, he said.
Read: Eid-ul-Azha 2023: 5 jamaats to be held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque
The DMP boss said the Muslim devotees have been asked not to bring anything but prayer mats (jainamaz) and umbrellas at the ground. No one will be allowed to enter the prayer site without checking, he added.
He said members of the Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit (CTTC) will remain vigilant to detect any threat from militant groups.
Moreover, cyber units in association with other bodies will work closely to monitor activities of militant groups on social media, he said.
Read: Eid-ul-Azha 2023: Saudi Arabia sets June 28 as date
Replying to a question, the DMP commissioner said, “We are ready to face the militants anytime, and now there is no specific threat of any militant attack.”
Other senior officials of the DMP were also present during the inspection of the DMP commissioner on Wednesday.
Read more: Eid-ul-Azha 2023: 1,76,690 sacrificial animals ready in Chapainawabganj
Eid-ul-Azha celebrated today in some parts of Bangladesh
In line with celebration in Saudi Arabia, Muslim devotees of a number of villages in Satkhira, Barishal, Kurigram and Chandpur districts celebrated the holy Eid-ul-Azha on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia, other Middle East countries and a number of countries across the world celebrated the festival of sacrifice on Wednesday. But Bangladesh will celebrate Eid on Thursday.
In Satkhira, people from 20 villages in sadar upazila, including Baukhola, joined the celebration on Wednesday.
The main congregation was held at Satkhira sadar’s Ahlae Sunnat Al Jamaat Jame Mosque at 8am. Imam Mahbubur Rahman conducted the congregation with a small number of Muslim devotees.
Muslims of several villages including Islamkati, Goalchattor, Bhadra, Ghona and Mirgindanga follow Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries while celebrating Eid. The main Eid congregations of the upazila were held in Bharkhali.
In Chandpur, residents of over 50 villages in the district celebrated Eid amid much enthusiasm and religious fervour.
Read: Eid-ul-Azha 2023: 5 jamaats to be held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque
The followers of late Pir Allama Mawlana Ishaq have been celebrating the Eid keeping consistent with Saudi Arabia for 90 years.
The villagers of Barishal, Sreepur, Monihar, Barkul, Olipur, Belcho, Razargaon, Jakni, Kalcho, Menapur in Hajiganj upazila, Sachonmegh, Khila Ubhayarampur, Paikpara, Bigha, Uttoli, Balithuba, Sholla, Rupsha, Goalbhaor, Koroitoli, Noyarhat in Faridganj upazila, Mahanpur, Ekhlaspur, Dashani, Nayergaon, Beltoli in Matlab South and Kachua upazilas celebrated the Eid on Wednesday.
The main Eid congregation was held this morning on Shadra Senior Madrasa premises in Shadra village under Hajiganj upazila.
In Barishal, the holy Eid was celebrated in advance in some villages of several upazilas of the district.
Around 25,000 devotees of Babuganj, Hijla, Mehendiganj, Bakerganj and three areas of Barishal metropolis offered Eid prayers in the congregations from 8 am to 9 am.
Read:Zilhajj moon sighted: Bangladesh to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha on June 29
In Dinajpur, some 2,000 Muslim devotees in six upazilas including sadar and Chirirbandar celebrated the Eid on Wednesday.
The main congregation was held at a community centre in sadar upazila of the district.
They have been celebrating the Eid in line with Saudi Arabia since 2007.
In Kurigram, the Eid was celebrated in four upazilas-- Bhurungamari, Chilmari, Rowmari and Char Rajibpur of the district.
Read more: Eid-ul-Azha 2023: Saudi Arabia sets June 28 as date
Amid relatively lower demand during Eid vacation, 3 large power units start generation
When the country’s overall electricity demand dropped to 8,200 MW during a national holiday when all the offices, industries and establishments are closed on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, three large power plants announced the start of operations of their three generation units.
These are—second unit (660 MW) of Rampal power plant, second unit of (800 MW) of Adani Power Plant in India and first unit (612 MW) of S Alam’s SS Power plant in Banskhali in Chattogram.
Normally, the demand for electricity in Bangladesh is 12,000 MW at day peak time and goes up to 16,000 MW during peak hours in the evening.
The National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) data shows both the demand and supply was 7,917 MW at 12 noon on Wednesday when there was no official load shedding.
“The demand may go up to 9,000 MW”, said a top official of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
He said both relatively rain-driven calm weather and closure of offices, industries and commercial establishments led to this drastic fall in electricity demands in the country.
In such a retatively much lower demand situation, the three new units have added electricity to the national grid.
Of these, Adani Group has already announced the commercial operation date (COD) of second unit of its 1600 MW Godda power plant on June 26, exclusively set up in Jharkhand in India to supply electricity to Bangladesh.
Read: Despite further increase in power generation country reels under severe power cuts
“Today (Wednesday), the second unit of Rampal 1320 MW (660X2) was synchronised with national grid at 8:51 am”, Shamim Hasan, director public relation of BPDB, said in a text message.
The Alam Group in a press release said its SS Power Plant will begin supplying electricity again today (Wednesday, June 28) at 2 a.m. on an experimental basis, despite the official inauguration being scheduled after Eid-ul-Adha.
Electricity equivalent to a maximum of 612 MW as per demand will be supplied experimentally every day.
This decision has been made in response to the public's demand for electricity and with the aim of addressing the national power crisis.
The SS Power authority is optimistic that this timely initiative will effectively contribute to resolving the power shortage in the country.
With its experimental run of power supply, the SS Power Plant is anticipated to have a significant impact on stabilising the national grid and alleviating the negative consequences of power outages.
Additionally, the plant is dedicated to meeting the energy requirements of the nation with utmost determination, aiming to provide uninterrupted power supply for the country's economic growth, industrial operations, and the everyday lives of its people.
Read: After record, country’s power generation again drops below 15,000 MW
Md. Ebadat Hossain Bhuiyan, Chief Financial Officer, SS Power Plant, said, although the official inauguration of the power plant is scheduled to be held after Eid-Ul-Adha, they have decided to resume supplying power to the national grid on an experimental basis, considering the national interest and the demand of the public.
“We are expecting that the power plant will commence full-fledged electricity supply to the people of the country next month, in accordance with our scheduled inauguration plan."
Due to the global crisis of the US dollar and energy, several power plants in Bangladesh have faced disruptions in production.
That is why load shedding has affected people’s daily life. In this circumstance, electricity supply from one of the two units of the SS Power Plant to the national grid started on May 24.
After the successful completion of the experimental power supply process, the power plant was temporarily shut down on June 8 as planned, and the commissioning process started, the S Alam Group said.
Read more: Power generation rises to 15,304 MW setting new record
Heavy rains: DNCC's Quick Response Team working to handle waterlogging
The Quick Response Team (QRT) of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has been working to reduce the waterlogging caused by excessive rains since Tuesday.
Water has already been drained from the main roads. About 20 trees that were uprooted on the roads due to rain have also been removed and traffic movement has been restored, according to a press release.
Also read: Rain brings relief, disrupts pre-Eid traffic movement in Dhaka
Five pumps of DNCC in Kalyanpur have been in use since the morning to remove the waterlogging caused by heavy rains.
Quick response teams are being sent to the areas where waterlogging is still seen and the drains of those areas are being cleaned and water flow is being ensured.
Also read: Light to moderate rain may continue in Dhaka, other divisions: BMD’s weather forecast
If there is any water logging anywhere, citizens have been requested to take pictures through the “Shobar Dhaka” app and mention the location.
DNCC hotline can also be reached by calling 16106.
Also read: Rain, few vehicles on the street during Eid holidays make Dhaka air quality ‘moderate’
The departments concerned, including the engineering department and the waste department, have been working since late Tuesday night under the direction of DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam. The waterlogging situation is being monitored round-the-clock and action is being taken, according to the press release.