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The bridge that was never built in a Sylhet village
It’s called a canal. But during the monsoon Gowali canal swells like a rivulet with a strong current. For the villagers the only way to cross it is offered by a Shako, a makeshift bridge made of bamboo poles.
“Children and old people fear for their lives while crossing the canal by the Sakho,” said 65-year-old Bashar Ali of Ramdhana Shekhargaon Paschimpara area under Alangkari Union of Sylhet’s Bishwanath upazila. A good number of locals cross the canal by this single Sakho every day to go to work and conduct usual business, he said.
Read: Mymensingh to get a modern bridge over Brahmaputra
There are still some people who would cross the canal on rafts rather than risk their life by using the Sakho, according to locals. Cattle are made to swim through the canal.
The people of this area have been suffering for over 30 years for the absence of a bridge over Gowali canal.
Locals gathered to voice their frustration when this correspondent visited the area recenty.
Read The terrible road preventing an area's residents from getting married
They escorted the reporter to the canal over which the 45-feet long and 5-feet wide Sakho has been built recently. It stands between Shekhargaon Pashim Para and Alankari Primary School road. Thick mud was spotted on both ends of the Sakho which makes movement even more difficult.
Though a majority of the local people blamed the administration and people’s representatives of the area for not building a proper bridge, some pointed to local rivalry as the cause.
Read: Padma Bridge: Installation of all roadway slabs completed
Local Union Parishad chairman Nazmul Islam Ruhel claimed that government allotted funds twice to build a bridge. But the funds returned unused due to objection by some villagers who feared it may take over their land.
Others, however, disagreed with the chairman. They said politicians make promises to build the bridge only when election comes. Post-election they forget their promises.
Ruling parties have changed, MPs came and went by but the bamboo bridge remained the same, they said.
Read Wooden bridge over River Chawai, the only resort for 10,000 people, breaks down
The villagers have to often repair Sakho with their own money to avoid accidents. Besides, the bamboos need to be changed twice a year for which locals pay money and work voluntarily.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sumon Chandra Das said the administration is aware of the people’s sufferings for lack of the bridge. Necessary steps would be taken, he said.
Read Solar posts will soon light up hilly roads in Moulvibazar, says minister
Maddhapara hard rock mine faces uncertainty as operator’s contract expires on Sept 2
Uncertainty looms large over continued operation of Maddhapara hard rock mine as the current contract with the mine’s operator is due to expire on September 2.
According to official sources, neither a decision was made to extend the current contract of Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Ltd (MGMCL) with the existing operator Germania Trest Consortium (GTC), nor any move visible to appoint a new contractor as yet.
“No new operating company has not been selected yet to take over the operation of the mine’, said a top official of the MGMCL, a subsidiary of the state-owned Petrobangla.
Read: After 11 years of losses, Maddhapara mining company turns profitable
Abu Taleb Farazi, general manager, who is responsible for operation of the MGMCL, was reluctant to talk on the issue.
The Belarus-based GTC has been operating and maintaining the mine since September 2013 under a deal worth $171.86 million USD (equivalent to Tk 1,400 crore).
After completion of its tenure, the GTC’s contract was extended by a year by the government considering the Covid-19 pandemic situation.
However, as the Covid-19 is not fully over, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division of the government has been in a dilemma over inking a fresh contact with the existing operator or a new one.
Read 10 coal-fired power projects scrapped as part of master plan revision: Nasrul Hamid
Official sources at MGMCL, however, said they had moved to appoint a new operator through tender process. But that tender had to be shelved due to Covid-19.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said that his ministry is yet to take any decision in this regard. "We’ll take a call only after consultation with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he recently told UNB.
Official sources said if no firm decision is made over the issue, the country’s lone rock miningcompany will be in crisis and mining of the rock will have to be suspended.
They said civil construction works of a number of mega projects including Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Payra Plant, Matarbari Plant and the construction of Hazrat Shahjalal Airport’s third terminal will be in trouble as they depend on the supply of rocks from the Maddapara Granite Mining Company.
Read: Hard rock mining
Besides, if the company is closed, more than 700 workers and employees will become unemployed, said an official.
Officials said the nearby Barapukuria Coal Mine in Dinajpur faced the same situation as deal with China-based CMC-XMC Consortium expired on 10 August. Two-thirds of the employees and workers at the coal mine lost their jobs.
A top official of the said, “The efforts are continuing and this will be finalised before the deal expires. We are working to complete it within the time so the activities of the company do not be hampered.”
He said international tender was floated several times to appoint a contractor for this company, but foreign companies are found to be reluctant to come to Bangladesh amid the Coronavirus situation.
Read G-7 to put off agreement on when to end coal-fired power generation
A mining industry source alleged the decision to appoint a contractor was being delayed due to an unscrupulous section of the officials who want to put the company into crisis.
“This corrupt syndicate wants to capitalise the crisis situation to appoint a contractor of choice from their ill motive”, he added.
Annual report of the company shows that after a repeated loss of previous 10 years, MGMCL has recorded a profit in the past two financial years for the first time since it began commercial operations in 2007.
The company made a profit of Tk 7 crore in 2018-19 and Tk 22 crore in 2019-20 after reporting losses for 11 years, according to its latest annual report.
Read Japan mulls ending support for exporting coal-fired power plants
In the previous fiscal, the company produced a whopping 1.67 million metric tonnes (MT) hard rock and sold 721,000 MT at Tk 163.14 crore. Similarly, it produced 823,000 MT and sold 863,000 MT at Tk 207.81 in 2018-19.
Officials at MGMCL claimed the mine is expected to cross a benchmark of Tk 50 crore in its profit margins at the end of the current financial year.
He said the company mined 1.1 trillion tonnes of rock during the time which was 20 percent higher than the normal time.
Read Extraction of local coal for power generation not feasible: Nasrul Hamid
Shaheed Brigadier General Jamil Uddin Ahmed: invisible, yet forever an inspiration
The rueful month of August is remembered as one of the darkest days in history for the brutal assassination of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members on August 15, 1975. On that day, the then Director-General of DGFI (Directorate General of Forces Intelligence), Shaheed Brigadier General Jamil Uddin Ahmed, ‘Bir Uttam’, was the only one to sacrifice his life to save Bangabandhu.
Marking the 46th death anniversary of the assassinated martyrs and National Mourning Day 2021, the country’s premier news agency United News of Bangladesh (UNB) recently organized a first-ever video interview featuring seven grandchildren of the brave-heart remembered as ‘Colonel Jamil’: Masud Jamil Khan, Rumessa Mailloux, Jamil Khan, Nahar Khan, Armaan Jamil Hossain, Shaan Jamil Hossain and Zahra Jamil Rahman, together for the first time from home and abroad.
The special interview, hosted by noted visual artist Sourav Chowdhury, commemorated the valiant patriot who his grandchildren never met in person due to his heroic sacrifice and untimely departure. The grandchildren also fondly remembered their late grandmother Anjuman Ara Jamil, former Member of Parliament and an iconic entrepreneur in the country.
Also read: Brig. General Jamil: A profile in duty and courage
Sourav Chowdhury: Being the eldest grandchild, how do you view your grandfather and honour his legacy?
Masud Jamil Khan: Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet my grandfather in person - however, I always receive mass admiration from everywhere as the grandson of Colonel Jamil and my grandmother Anjuman Ara Jamil, a former Member of Parliament representing Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga. She established the Jamil Foundation, empowering local women - which we are proudly continuing as their legacy. As the Deputy Managing Director of the Cosmos Group and also a father of three beautiful daughters, I always feel that the patriotism, sacrifice and dedication of our grandparents have always inspired us to gloriously move with confidence, pride and dignity.
Sourav Chowdhury: Cosmos Foundation has been focused on working towards preserving Bangladesh’s history and culture, namely the works and legacy of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu. Could you tell us about this?
Masud Jamil Khan:Through our Cosmos Foundation and its artistic wing Gallery Cosmos, we have been organizing several cultural activities to fulfill our commitment to the society - including special exhibitions, art camps, workshops and more, at home and abroad. We have published special books on the Father of the Nation, namely "Bangabandhu: Epitome of a Nation" and "Brave Heart". Written by Enayetullah Khan, these books are incomparable as these have featured exclusive memoirs of Bangabandhu and also our patriotic grandfather, and I hope we will see further publications in the future."
Sourav Chowdhury: Jamil Khan, you are currently joining us from San Diego California in the US. You are named after your heroic grandfather and you have a lot of similarities too, I hear. Could you tell us about your grandfather?
Jamil Khan:We grew up hearing the stories about our brave-heart Nana (grandfather) from my mom, my Nanu (grandmother) and my aunts. Recently, I learned that my Nana Bhai liked photography, and I like photography too - my photography exhibition was held in Dhaka back in December 2004. Nana bhai liked to travel, I like to travel as well. To preserve his legacy, I have plans to feature his heroism through writing and archiving publications, photographs and more.
Sourav Chowdhury:Rumessa Mailloux, thank you for joining us from Toronto, Canada. Please tell us about your thoughts and feelings on your grandfather.
Also read: Cosmos Foundation and Liberation War Museum sign MoU
Rumessa Mailloux: I was born nine years after my Nana’s passing, so we couldn’t meet in person. However, I was blessed to hear the stories regarding how charming, handsome, sincere, charismatic and humble of a person he was. He is the pride of our family and our nation, as he was the only one who sacrificed his life for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - the greatest leader and founding father of Bangladesh.
His legacy is being continued through his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Three years ago, my son did a project on Nana Bhai and I am so proud he shared his story with his Canadian mates, who were amazed to know about our family history. A true hero lives forever and remains immortal because of the heroic acts, and I hope my Nana and Nanu have reunited peacefully in heaven.
Bangladesh's wicketkeeping conundrum ends both in Sohan, Mushfiq
Bangladesh’s dilemma over whether to give the wicketkeeping job only to experienced Mushfiqur Rahim or talented Nurul Hasan Sohan has found a solution by splitting the position between them in the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand.
Russel Domingo, Tigers’ head coach, has said both Mushfiqur and Sohan will share the wicketkeeping in the five-match series starting from September 1.
Mushfiqur was out of action during the T20I series against Zimbabwe. He also missed the five-match T20Is home series against Australia. Now he is back, but his place in the XI as a designated wicketkeeper is no longer assured.
Mushfiqur is considered Bangladesh’s best batsman in every format of international cricket. But a popular belief is he could be better as a batsman only if he gives up his keeping gloves.
The 34-year old batsman never accepted the idea. He has always been rigid to hand over the position to someone else.
Also read: Mushfiqur Rahim stands against racism
His position as a wicketkeeper came to serious scrutiny when Sohan made it to the playing XI after a long gap between his latest comeback and the last international fixture.
Sohan came in and proved his mettle once again as a wicketkeeper, which left Domingo in a state to find out a solution to the problem of selecting from between Mushfiqur and Sohan.
“Sohan will keep wicket in the first two games. The plan is to split wicketkeeping duties in this particular series, make it two games each and make a decision in the fifth game. I think it is important to have those options covered,” Domingo told a virtual press conference on Monday when an inevitable question was finally raised.
Also read: Mushfiqur Rahim uncertain in Test series against New Zealand
Mushfiq has always been the first choice wicketkeeper to the coaches of the Bangladesh national team after the retirement of his predecessor Khaled Mashud despite not being the best in the country. His ability as a batsman has played a big role behind this stance of the coaches.
But over the last few years, with the emergence of Liton Das, who is known as a better keeper than Mushfiq, Bangladesh is facing a never-ending conundrum to decide who keeps the wicket. And now, the dilemma has been intensified with Sohan, the best keeper of the country in popular opinion, made comeback to the national team.
Bangladesh management is also sweating over the decision of opening positions. Tamim Iqbal, arguably the number one opener of Bangladesh, is out of the setup due to an injury, which brought three— Soumya Sarkar, Liton Das and Mohammad Naim— in the contention.
“Liton is back in the squad. I will need to sit with the selectors over the next day to find what the XI is going to be. We have three guys who can open the batting – Soumya, Liton and Naim. With the selection panel, we will make a decision in the next 24 hours,” Domingo said in this regard.
Bangladesh coach also said the competition that the team is in about selecting the best opening pair is good.
“Competition for places is always a great situation to be in. You cannot just have eleven players who you think will win games for you. It has to be a squad, particularly with the pandemic bubble life and travelling restrictions. It is an important part of a team’s performance to make sure that you have a squad of players available who can perform,” Domingo added.
Bangladesh coach also said that this series is going to be a chance for them to fix the errors of the batting department ahead of the T20 World Cup which will take place in Oman and UAE in October this year.
“Batting conditions have been really difficult. It would be great if we got some bigger scores, but that depends on what conditions allow you to do. I think bowling confidence and getting into a winning habit is also very important, so we must make sure we continue to do that,” Domingo noted. “Winning the series is important. We are playing at home, so we want to continue gaining confidence before the World Cup.”
Also read: Marvellous Mushfiqur guides Tigers to 246
Bangladesh may announce the World Cup squad before this home series ends. Bangladesh coach said it would be good if the squad is announced before the series starts.
“I think the squad needs to be announced a day or two before the New Zealand series is complete. I think we have a pretty good idea who will be in the squad. It would be great to announce the World Cup squad before we play this series, to put players’ minds at ease. They can go out there and play, without the fear of World Cup selection just around the corner. But I don’t think we can do that yet,” he added.
Govt focuses on investment to fast-track economic growth, create jobs: official document
The government is focusing on bigger investment, both local and foreign, to generate jobs and fast-track development to help the economy offset the advese impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
"The government will take effective steps to build infrastructures and provide other policy supports to improve the investment-friendly environment,” according ti an official document obtained by UNB.
To increase investment and generate employment, it said, steps have been taken to establish 100 Economic Zones across the country, which will provide employment opportunity of an estimated one crore people.
Approval has already been issued for the establishment of 97 Economic Zones.
It said that production has already been begun in 9 Economic Zones and the development work in 28 Economic Zones is in progress, which can offer employment to around 40,000 employment seekers.
“In addition, employment opportunities for another 8 lakh people will be created,” the document added.
Also read: Govt to provide training to 10,000 top executives to boost IT sector
Till date, investment proposal worth US$ 27.07 billion from a total of 210 investors has been received in these Economic Zones.
“Of the total amount about US$ 1.60 billion is foreign investment.”
As classrooms remain locked, RU teachers roll back time to take classes under trees
All classroom activities of the educational institutions of Bangladesh remain suspended for nearly one and a half years following the COVID-19 outbreak. Last week, Unicef confirmed it to be the second-longest pandemic-related school closure in the world. One effect of this naturally is a growing distance between students and studying.
The institutions have been closed for in-person study since March 18, 2020. The closure has been extended numerous times, and the latest extension announced on Thursday by the Education Ministry takes it till September 11 - meaning there is no possibility of the classes resuming in-person before that date.
Many universities are running their classes online. However, some of the departments of public universities have not started online classes yet.
Read: Educational institutions to remain shut until Oct 3
Private universities are completing semesters by taking exams online. Thus, the students of those universities are being deprived of practical learnings.
Last week marked a groundswell of opinion in favour of reopening, with symbolic protests taking place across some institutions around the country, before the authorities backtracked once again.
One of these symbolic acts was at Rajshahi University, where a group of teachers declared they would start taking classes under a tree on campus if the classrooms are not opened. They then went ahead and started taking classes last Monday.
RU Mass Communication and Journalism department associate professor Abdullah Al Mamun declared in a Facebook post that teachers were ready to take this seemingly quixotic step and a few teachers including Anthropology department associate professor Bokhtiar Ahmed and Folklore department assistant professor Md Amirul Islam expressed solidarity with him.
Read: DU admission tests rescheduled amid pandemic
Talking about the long closure of the institutions, Abdullah Al Mamun said the government is opening the economy and garments industries to improve the country’s economy, but on the other hand, they are producing the unskilled population by closing the educational institutions. This will affect the country’s future, he said.
"Developed countries may have the technological opportunities but we have many obstacles for running online classes," he added.
RU Anthropology department associate professor Bokhtiar Ahmed said, "This is a terrible thing that the educational institutions are closed for a long time. This costs a lot and causes economic, social and educational losses for this country. They could take online exams one year ago but they are taking the decision to take exams online now."
He too pointed out that students from rural areas can’t join online classes due to network and device shortages. Online classes are thus not at all fruitful, he said. There are many differences between distance learning and face-to-face learning.
Md Amirul Islam said such long-term closures cause "negative impacts" on students.
"Few students saw doctors to cure their mental illness as they were suffering from depression during the long closure. Some of them committed suicide. Therefore, we want to come back to the classroom as early as possible," Amirul Islam said.
The teachers say there are many ways to protest against any decision of policymakers, and they chose to take symbolic classes so that their students can also come and collaborate with them, as that would help their message reach the policymakers.
Govt mulls a watchdog for defaulting loans, financial stability: official document
The government is mulling formation of a watchdog that would deal with the systematic problems of non-performing loans that have troubled some banks and financial institutions over the years, according to an official document.
To be named as Financial Stability Council (FSC) the forum will suggest steps to maintain financial stability, improve the resolution regime for financial institutions and design macro-prudential regulations and instruments.
The country’s banking system has long been afflicted with defaulting loans with bad borrowers harming the good and honest businesses. It has been a major concern in the financial sector, the issues even taken to the country’s apex court.
There were more than 300,000 loan defaulters listed in various banks and financial institutions as of January 25, 2021, according to a statement by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in Parliament. The number was 334,982 as of October 2020.
Due to the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the official document said, deferral facility has been provided for loan classification for a period of one year from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
To facilitate the repayment of outstanding loan instalments, from January 2021, the borrowers have been given an opportunity to increase the term of the existing unclassified term loan account by a maximum of 50 per cent.
As a result of these initiatives, classified loans have declined compared to that of the previous year, said the document.
Also read: Banks, financial institutions asked to initiate process to recover default loans
The formation of the FSC has long been demanded by the international development partners.
The World Bank proposed constituting such a body in 2011 while the International Monetary Fund also recommended forming a council to oversee the financial sector.
The government has been on it for some time. Several meetings have been held to discuss its details.
Finance ministry, the central bank, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission, the Microcredit Regulatory Authority and the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority as well as relevant government agencies such as the National Board of Revenue will be included in this FSC, according to the sources.
Also read: Bangladesh Bank suspends interest on bank loans for April-May period
The finance minister will chair the FSC while senior secretaries of the finance ministry and the heads of all financial regulators would be members.
The deputy governor of the BB in charge of the financial stability department will act as the member-secretary, as per the source.
The government has opted for making some stress testing guidelines considering the systemic risks to ensure stability in the financial sector, said the document.
It also decided to create financial stability map in future in line with international best practices.
Cox's Bazar Airport set to get a spectacular maritime runway
Bangladesh is set to add another feather to its development journey with the formal groundbreaking inauguration of the runway extension work along the Sea at Cox's Bazar Airport on Sunday.
This maritime runway, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, is seen as a major step towards promoting Cox’s Bazar, the country's popular beach town, to an international metropolis.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to virtually inaugurate the groundbreaking ceremony and unveil the foundation stone of the runway extension at 10am, said an official.
Read PM inaugurates work on Cox's Bazar Airport’s runway upgradation
Apparently inspired by Hong Kong International Airport, the government of Bangladesh has taken the runway expansion project at the Cox's Bazar Airport by reclaiming land from the sea.
Upon completion of the project, all types of large aircraft will be able to take off and land on the maritime runway, officials said.
The US$ 185 million project will help boost the development of Cox’s Bazar and the neighbouring regions, they said.
Read Bangladesh unlocks tourism
The government is currently implementing a large number of projects in Cox's Bazar under a mega plan to develop the tourism city like Singapore and Hong Kong.
Experts seek roadmap for reopening educational institutions
As the Covid infection rate continues to fall, health experts advised the government to immediately take adequate preparations along with a roadmap to reopen the educational institutions in Bangladesh gradually.
They think the government should first reopen the universities and then colleges, high schools and primary ones within the next month by bringing teachers and eligible students under the vaccine coverage on a priority basis.
Read Closure of schools, colleges extended again until Sep 11
They also called for preparing national Covid prevention and control guidelines based on health sciences to ensure academic activities in the educational institutions with safety even if the virus transmission goes up further.
The government shut the educational institutions on March 17, 2020 after the country had reported its first Covid-19 cases on March 8. Then the closure was extended several times. The latest extension was supposed to continue till August 31.
Also read: General holidays extended till May 30
But the government on Thursday extended the closure of secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions until September 11.
On Tuesday, Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said educational institutions in the country will be reopened soon if the coronavirus infection rate continues to decline.
Roadmap
Talking to UNB, public health expert MH Chowdhury (Lenin), chairman of the medicine department at the Health and Hope Hospital, said the government needs to prepare a roadmap quickly before reopening the educational institutions based on health sciences.
Read Protest 'classes' start Thursday at JU
Meghna erosion devours lands and displaces thousands in Lakshmipur
Meghna River that has featured in films, poems and folklores has now turned into a curse for villagers living along it.
In the last 10 years the river has swallowed croplands, houses, school buildings leaving thousands homeless. It has eroded its banks by its strong tide. The onslaught goes on unabated both during the dry season and the monsoon.
Around 170 sq km area in Ramgati and Kamalnagar upazilas of Lakshmipur in the last 10 years as erosion by the river continues, according to data derived by reviewing and analysing government documents and interviewing the residents in these areas.
Read Tagore’s historic Kuthibari is threatened by river erosion, locals scream for help
Last Monday, Char Balua Government Primary School building in Ramgati upazila collapsed into the riverbed within seconds, a sad portrayal of the helplessness of people in these areas to river erosion.
According to the survivors of the Meghna erosion on the Laxmipur coast, the severity of it has been three times more in the last 10 years compared to any time in the past.
Lakhs of people had lost their land to Meghna and became homeless during this time.
Read Climate migration in Bangladesh may increase 7-fold by 2050: ActionAid
In addition to the erosion, abnormal tidal water has been inundating localities and inhabited land , adding to the miseries of the residents.