Dhaka, Jan 23 (UNB) - The long-pending elections to the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and its hall unions will be held on March 11.

Dhaka University (DU) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman announced the Ducsu election date on Wednesday.

According to a DU press release, the university students will be able to cast their votes from 8 am to 2 pm on the day.

Earlier, the university authorities held several meetings with its hall provosts and Ducsu election advisory panel over holding the overdue polls.

The last election to Ducsu was held on July 6, 1990.  In the last 28 years, the Dhaka University students could not cast their votes for selecting their representatives as the election process was closed.

On January 17, 2018 the High Court ordered Dhaka University authorities to take steps to organize DUCSU elections in six months.

Earlier on January 6, the Supreme Court vacated its earlier order that stayed a High court order asking the Dhaka University authorities to take necessary steps within the next six months to hold the Ducsu election.

On November 1,2018, the DU authorities published the draft voter list for elections.

VC Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman published the draft voter list at Abdul Matin Chowdhury Virtual Classroom of the university.

"A total of 38,493 regular students --23, 984 male and 14, 509 female -- will be able to exercise their voting right during the Ducsu and hall union polls," said the VC.

"Students of different evening master’s courses, training courses and seven affiliated colleges of DU won’t have the voting right in the polls," Prof Akhtaruzzaman added.

Earlier, the Dhaka University authorities announced dates for holding Ducsu election for at least seven times, but they failed to hold the polls every time.

Myemsningh, Jan 23 (UNB) – Students of Syed Nazrul Islam College carried out an attack on Kotwali Model Police Station and vandalized it following an assault of a lecturer of the college by a police constable at Town Hall intersection in the city.
 
Mansur Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, said an altercation ensued between Sharif Ahmed, a lecturer of the English Department of the college and constable Aslam Hossain over dashing an auto-rickshaw by a private car.
 
At one stage, a scuffle took place between them.
 
When the news spread, the students of the college put up a barricade on the Town Hall intersection and brought out a procession protesting the incident.
 
The students swooped on the police station and vandalised its windowpanes. They also pelted brickbats to police, witnesses said.
 
Later, police fire four rounds of bullets to disperse them and arrested three students in this connection.
 

Naogaon, Jan 23 (UNB) – An endangered Nilgai--the largest antelope in Asia--was rescued from Jotbazar in Manda upazila on Tuesday.

Seeing the Nilgai roaming in the area, locals caught it after a chase and informed the local police and Livestock officials about it.

Mozaffar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Manda Police Station, said the Nilgai was rescued from the village and later handed over to the livestock officials.

Such Nilgai was never seen in the area, said locals.

Nilgais used to be found in the north of Bangladesh until the 1940s, particularly in Tetulia area. They were declared extinct afterwards, the officials said.

Sirajganj, Jan 23 (UNB) – Around 400 bales of jute were gutted in the fire that broke out at National Jute Mill at Raipur in Sadar upazila on Wednesday.

The fire was ignited at the loom section of the mill around 6:30 am and spread soon, said Abdul Hamid, deputy director of Sirajganj Fire Service.

On information, five firefighting units went to the spot and extinguished the blaze after four hours of frantic effort.

However, the reason behind the incident could not be known immediately.
 

Munshiganj, Jan 23 (UNB) - Around 900 meters of the much-hyped Padma bridge is visible now following the installation of another span named F-6 on the pillars no 36 and 37 on Wednesday.

The 150 meter span, weighing 3,140 tones, was installed at Jajira point around 10 am.

This is the sixth span of Padma Bridge at Jajira point, and the seventh span of the Padma Bridge overall.

The works of Padma Multipurpose Bridge became visible with the installation of 150-metre first span on the pillars no 37 and 38 on October 30, 2017. Later, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th and 5th spans were installed on the pillars no 38-39, 39-40, and 40-41 respectively in 2018.

Besides, the F-1 span (super structure) was kept on the pillar no 4 and 5 in Mawa point due to the construction works of pillar no 6 and 7.

Earlier, the span was taken to the Jajira point on Tuesday afternoon by the 3,600 ton capacity floating crane ‘Tian -E’ from the Mawa Kumarbhog Construction Ward, five kilometer away from the Jajira point. 

Engineers concerned of the Padma Bridge authority, said the span was kept at near the jetty for several days as it could not be floated due to poor navigability. 

The construction work on the country's largest bridge started in December in 2015.

The 6.15-km bridge will have a total of 41 spans, each 150 meters long.

According to the engineers concerned, a total of 41 spans will be installed on 42 concrete pillars. 

Besides, 17 spans were ready to fix while the work for constructing 18 more in underway.