United News of Bangladesh

India-Bangladesh trade through Benapole land port has remained undisrupted as the Petrapole land port authorities cancelled the inaugural ceremony of a passenger terminal. Earlier Petrapole land port authorities decided to suspend trade between the two countries for three days from Tuesday due to the inauguration of a passenger terminal by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.The export-import activities are going on in full swing on Tuesday, said deputy director of Benapole port Rashedul Sajib Najir. 593 metric tons of green chilies imported from India via Benapole in two daysKamlesh Saini, manager of Petrapole port authorities said due to the inclement weather the opening ceremony of a passenger terminal at Petrapole port was cancelled.Kartik Chakraborty, general secretary of Petrapole Clearing Agent Staff Welfare Association, said as the Home Minister is not coming today due to the bad weather the trade activities remained normal.

A young man was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Chandgaon area of Chattogram city on Monday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Aftab Uddin Tahsin, son of Mohammad Musa of Hajirpul, Chandgaon, was involved in local politics as a member of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). One killed by cousin in dispute over mobile phone in Bogura Md. Sabed Ali, Investigation Officer of Chandgaon Police Station, confirmed that a group of miscreants shot the victim in the Bainna Pool area, leaving him critically injured. He was rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. Police are investigating the motive behind the shooting and are conducting operations to apprehend those involved.

A dispute over a mobile phone led to the death of a boy at the hands of his own cousin in Gabtali Upazila’s Naruamala area on Monday morning. The deceased, Mobashwer Hossain, a class 6 student at a local madrasa, was the son of Shafiqul Islam. The incident occurred at around 11:30 am. Police have detained Mobashwer’s 16-year-old cousin in connection with the killing. Hotel worker killed in clash between two groups at Mohammadpur Geneva Camp Ashiq Iqbal, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gabtali Model Police Station, said that Mobashwer had taken his cousin Nabil's mobile phone without permission to play with it. Enraged by this, Nabil allegedly used a sharp Burmese knife to fatally stab Mobashwer in their home. After the incident came to light, local residents apprehended Nabil and hand him over to the police. He was later taken into custody. OC Iqbal said that the police are investigating the case further.

Local train services on Parbatipur-Chilmari route through Ramna station resumed on Monday after a pause of four and half years due to Covid-19 pandemic, making the travel more convenient and affordable for people and businessperson in Kurigram district. The train services remain halted since the Covid-19 pandemic and it has once again started running between Parbatipur and Ramna stations, sounding its whistle as it made its way through Balabari and Ramna stations. Former President of Rail-River, Communication and Environment Development mass committee, Nahid Hasan, said four local trains were operated on Ramna rail route regularly and now the train services on the route resumed today with the operation of one local train and rest three will be resumed soon. Train hits and kills 2 wild elephants in Sri Lanka as 2 of its fuel-carrying tankers derail Sources said the train services at Chilmari point were introduced in 1967 and Ramna station was inaugurated in 1977 due to river erosion in Chilmari point and since then four local trains were operational. Later, the train services of two local trains were suspended suddenly while on March 23, 2020, the pandemic forced a complete shutdown of the Ramna-Parbatipur local train service. Despite demands from locals and advocacy groups like the Rail-River Communication and Environment Development Committee, the train remained out of service for an extended period. Finally, after a prolonged period, the authorities have reinstated the local train service, bringing a sense of relief to the local population. Travelers and traders now anticipate easier and more affordable transportation options, particularly for agricultural products and goods, which will benefit farmers and traders in the region. The revival of the local train has also raised hopes for the future. If additional trains resume service on schedule, it will enhance the economic prospects of the region. Students and residents from various areas, including Chilmari, Roumari, and Rajibpur, will also benefit from improved connectivity. Expressing joy hearing the whistle of the train, Abdur Rahim Mukul, a resident of Ramna Station area, said “They had been deprived of convenient travel and goods transportation options for a long time and are now looking forward to the resumption of other train services, which they hope will restore the region's transportation tradition.” Business owners also emphasized the growing importance of the railway if the operations at the Chilmarir port expand. They called for the prompt repair of railway lines and the reintroduction of all local and intercity train services up to Chilmari. During a visit to the station, Lalmonirhat Divisional Railway Manager Md Abdus Salam assured that the railway lines would be repaired quickly and more trains would be introduced in consultation with local communities. The aim is to ensure convenient services and improved revenue opportunities for all, he added.

Erosion by the Brahmaputra River has taken a serious turn in Ulipur upazila of Kurigram district where the river is gobbling up houses, establishments and crop lands. An area of 2.5 square kilometres from Habiganj-Kheyarchar point along the bordering area of the upazila have been lost to river erosion in the past one month, making a number of people landless. A flood shelter centre and 900 bighas of crops land and 300 homesteads were devoured by the Brahmaputra during this period. Besides, the police investigation centre of Namazer Char, Namazer Char College, Gendar Alga School and College, Saheber Alga Government Primary School, Katlamari Government Primary School, Gucchagram Government Primary School, Uttar Namazar Char Community Clinic, Uttar Namazar Char Nurani and Hafizia Madrasha, Uttar Namazer Char Central Jame Mosque and roads were at risk of river erosion. Local people alleged that the authorities concerned of the local Water Development Board assured them of taking initiatives to stop erosion but no visible work has been seen yet. Getting no response from the authorities concerned, local people and students formed a human chain along the bank of the river on Sunday. Beauty Khatun, a resident of the area, said people are living an inhuman life in the upazila due to the erosion as many homesteads and crops land were gobbled up by the river. Erosion takes a serious turn in Kurigram’s Ulipur, as authorities await allocation to start tackling it As the flood water started to recede, the river erosion has taken a serious turn in the area, she said. Mozaffar Hossain, a UP Chairman, said the local Water Development Board did not take any initiatives in this regard. Rakibul Hasan, Executive Engineer of Kurigram Water Development Board, said there is no allocation for preventing the erosion right now and they will start their work as soon as the allocation is received from the government. Ataur Rahman, Ulipur Upazila Nirbahi Officer, said effective measures will be taken to protect the educational institutions from erosion after a discussion with the Water Development Board authorities.

Amid the spiraling prices of eggs at local markets, another shipment of 2.31 lakh eggs entered the country from India through Benapole land on Saturday night. Dhaka based importer ‘Hydro Land Solution’ brought it the consignment costing Tk 5.70 per egg. With a Tk 1.83 import duty at the land port, the buying price of each egg stands at over Tk 7.5.  The government has permitted import of 4.5 crore eggs in phases. By next month (November), another 90 lakh chicken eggs will arrive from India. 532 mts of hilsa exported to India in 11 days against approval for 2420 mts Shah Alam, a representative of the importer Hydro Land Solution, said the Ministry of Commerce permitted it to import of 50 lakh eggs in two months, setting a deadline by September 10. But, the importers could import some three lakh eggs in two shipments, he said, blaming the political instability for being barred from importing. Upon appeals, the ministry extended the deadline by two more months till November, the representative said. Masudur Rahman, revenue officer of the land port, confirmed that per egg costs over Tk 7.50 with tax. Bangladesh's National Board of Revenue (NBR) Thursday slashed import duty on eggs from 25 percent to 5 percent to help rein in prices. Export earnings increase by 6.78 percent in September:EPB The egg import duty cut would reduce import costs of eggs by 13.8 taka per dozen, making the country's cheapest source of protein affordable for the commoners, the NBR said in a statement. Recently low and middle income people are being forced to cut short consumption of eggs as prices soared to 200 taka a dozen over the last week in Dhaka and other parts of the country. According to the Ministry of Commerce estimates Bangladesh has a daily demand for 4 crore eggs.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) thwarted yet another attempt by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) to construct a barbed wire fence along the Panchbibi border in Joypurhat. The incident occurred early Saturday around 5:30 am in the Sonatala border area under the jurisdiction of the Hatkhola BOP camp. Lt Col Mohammad Nahid Newaz, commander of Joypurhat-20 BGB Battalion, confirmed the matter. International law prohibits any construction within 150 yards of the border. Despite this, BSF personnel began erecting a temporary barbed wire fence using bamboo poles approximately 20 yards inside Indian territory, near the third and fourth sub-pillars of main pillar 280, according to BGB sources and local residents. 7 held while trying to enter India through Dinajpur border Local residents alerted the BGB patrol team, who arrived at the scene to intervene. The BGB’s action forced the BSF to halt their construction efforts, ensuring the integrity of the border remained intact. In a related development, a flag meeting was held on Saturday evening between the BGB and the BSF. Under the leadership of Naik Subedar Naeemul Islam, company commander of Koya BOP, and AC Ankur, company commander of the 137 Battalion BSF, both sides discussed the ongoing issue of border construction. The BSF commander assured the BGB that there would be no further attempts to construct the barbed wire fence outside areas allowed under international law. On October 17, BSF members had made two attempts to build a barbed wire fence using iron poles in the same area, but their efforts were similarly obstructed by BGB personnel. Following those incidents, a protest letter was sent by Joypurhat Battalion-20 BGB to the commander of the 137 Battalion BSF.

A woman died and three others were injured in a lightning strike in Paikgacha upazila of Khulna on Saturday. Paikgacha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Tushar Kanti Das confirmed the matter. The deceased was identified as Laki Khatun, 45, wife of Tofazzal of Laxmikhali village of the upazila. 14 injured in clash between two groups of Chhatra Dal in Narsingdi The injured are Santosh Sana, son of late Haripada Mandal of Orabunia village, and his wife Subhadra Sana and Fazila Khatun of the same village were admitted to the hospital. According to local UP member Hasanuzzaman, the four individuals were collecting algae in a shrimp enclosure owned by Bhutto on Saturday afternoon when a sudden thunderbolt struck, resulting in Laki Khatun's death and injuring the others. Loco master’s quick action saves woman's life in Narsingdi Santosh and Fazila were later discharged from the Upazila Health Complex; Subhadra Sana remains hospitalised for further treatment. The body will be sent to the morgue after an initial examination, said the OC.

At least 14 people were injured in a clash between two groups of Chhatra Dal activists at the temporary office of BNP's Joint Secretary General Khairul Kabir Khokon, located at his residence in Narsingdi. The incident was triggered by a dispute between the supporters of Narsingdi Chhatra Dal President Siddiqur Rahman Nahid and former Joint Convener Zahid Hossain. According to injured Chhatra Dal members, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi had attended an event in Narsingdi earlier that day. After his departure, a meeting was set to begin at Khokon’s residence. The clash erupted when supporters of Zahid Hossain attempted to sit in the front-row chairs, prompting objections from Nahid’s supporters, leading to a clash. Mahmudul Kabir Bashar, Resident Medical Officer (RMO) of Narsingdi Sadar Hospital, confirmed that 14 individuals received emergency treatment, with four being referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced care. The attackers caused panic in the hospital complex and attempted to vandalize a room in the emergency department. Youth killed in clash between rival groups of Chhatra Dal in Chattogram Zahid Hossain said, "Nahid and his men injured four of us with sharp weapons. Recently, he also led an attack on the district Lawyers' Association. If justice is not served, Nahid will turn Narsingdi into a hub of criminal activity." However, Siddiqur Rahman Nahid denied the allegations of hospital violence, claiming that his supporters went there to check on his condition after rumors spread that he had been injured in the earlier clash. "If any attack occurred at the hospital, the perpetrators should be identified through CCTV footage and brought to justice," Nahid said. Mohammad Emdadul Haque, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Narsingdi Model Police Station, said that as of Friday evening, no formal complaints had been filed regarding the incidents.

A woman died, and her husband and son were injured in a lightning strike in Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj on Friday. The deceased has been identified as 55-year-old Halima Begum, the wife of 70-year-old Abdul Hannan. Eleven houses gutted in fire at Teknaf Abdul Hannan is currently receiving treatment at Gazaria Health Complex, said Mahbubur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Gazaria Police Station. Locals reported that Halima and her husband were working on their land near their home during a light rain when a sudden thunderbolt struck, causing serious injuries to both. They were quickly rescued and taken to Gazaria Health Complex, where doctors declared Halima dead. Abdul Hannan was admitted for treatment. Loco master’s quick action saves woman's life in Narsingdi Fortunately, their 9-year-old son, Ramjan Mia, sustained only minor injuries. OC Mahbubur Rahman stated that the body was handed over to the family following the legal procedures.