Others
School days shortened for Ramadan
Secondary and higher secondary educational institutes will remain open till April 20 with two weekly holidays, authorities said on Monday amid demand that educational institutions be closed for Ramadan.
The decision was taken at a ministerial meeting on Monday, MA Khair, Public Relations Officer of the Education Ministry told UNB.
READ: Govt primary schools to remain open till 20th Ramadan: Minister
The two weekly holidays will be on Friday and Saturday, he said.
Earlier the ministry requested secondary and higher secondary institutions to continue in-person classes till April 26 to make up for the academic losses of Covid-19 situation.
Gas crisis persists as Bibiyana field yet to resume full production
Gas crisis persisted across the country for the second day Monday as Bibiyana gas field failed resume full production.
The consumers in many areas in the city and elsewhere complained they are not getting gas which forced them to use an alternative oven to cook their meals in the holy Ramadan.
The country’s gas production drastically fell by about 450 MMCFD (million cubic feet per day) on Sunday, the very first day of Ramadan, following a technical fault developed in the Bibiyana gas field.
Officials said the gas field process system noticed that sand was coming out from two production wells which forced the authorities concerned to halt the production of the wells.
The incident had a big impact on the overall gas production as many areas experienced disruptions following the fall in the pressure of gas supply as an outcome of the fault.
Also read: Consumers experiencing shortage, low pressure in gas supply
The major impact was on the power generation as the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) had to shut down a good number of power plants immediately which led to load shedding at different districts across the country.
Both the Chevron and Petrobangla officials were trying to fix the problems as early as possible. But no significant progress was made yet.
However, Chevron Bangladesh in a statement said that it is making progress in returning the Bibiyana Gas Plant to full capacity, with production at one of the two process trains affected at the plant and one well in the field resuming Monday.
The plant is running at a reduced rate after suspension of operations at two of its two trains and six production wells in the field on April 3 following the discovery of some production anomalies.
Also read: Illegal gas connections still in system despite repeated moves: Titas MD
Safety of workers, nearby communities and protection of the environment are top priorities for teams working to bring the second train and all remaining wells back online. The cause of the unplanned shutdown will be investigated, it added.
Official sources said the country’s gas production was recorded at 2524.4 MMCFD of which Bibiyana was producing 886.9 MMCFD on April 3 while its production capacity is 1200 MMCFD.
The BPDB data shows that the operation of over 20 power plants, having a generation capacity of 2069 MW remained closed for gas shortage.
Meanwhile, state-owned Petrobangla in a statement said that gas shortage may occur in different parts of the country due to the reduced supply of gas for emergency maintenance work of Chevron-operated Bibiyana gas field.
Regretting the people’s temporary inconvenience from the gas shortage, Petrobangla hoped that the gas supply situation would be normalized as soon as possible by completing the maintenance and repair work.
Meanwhile, consumers in many areas in the city including Mohammadpur, Shekhertek, Rayerbazar, Dhanmondi, Shankar, Kanthalbagan, Mudhubazar, Kalabagan, Rampura, Wari, Maghbazar, Arambagh, Fakirapul, Banasree, Gopibagh, Mirpur, and Iskatan complained that they are not getting gas for cooking their meals.
The low pressure in gas supply also put the CNG-run motor vehicles in problem as the vehicles had to be waiting in long queues for refuelling when the government had rescheduled the operation time of the filling stations.
As per the latest order, the CNG stations must be kept closed for 6 hours a day from 5 pm to 11 pm during the holy Ramadan to facilitate gas supply to household consumers and power plants.
Cop suspended for harassing woman for wearing Teep
A police constable accused of harassing a female college teacher for wearing teep has been suspended, said police.
The suspended policeman was identified as Nazmul Tarek, a constable (Protection division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said Biplab Sarkar, deputy commissioner of Tejgaon Division, on Monday.
The punitive action was taken against the policeman as he admitted his guilt, said a press release of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).
Besides, a two-member probe body has been formed to investigate the incident and the committee was asked to submit its report within three working days.
READ: Cop who ‘harassed woman for wearing Teep’ identified
Earlier in the day, the DMP identified the police constable who allegedly harassed a college teacher for wearing ‘teep’ in the city’s Farmgate area on Saturday, triggering condemnation from women’s and rights groups.
The issue went to the Parliament when actress-turned-lawmaker Suborna Mustafa raised it in the House on Sunday, demanding punishment to the offender.
The harassed teacher Dr Lata Samaddar, a lecturer of the Theatre and Media Studies Department at Tejgaon College, filed a general diary at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station.
She said the incident took place in front of Shezan Point shopping mall in the Farmgate area.
“Following the GD, police identified the constable after two days of frantic effort,” said Biplab.
On Saturday, the lecturer of Tejgaon College was allegedly harassed and verbally assaulted by a policeman for wearing ‘teep’ on her forehead in Farmgate area while going to her workplace.
She also alleged that the policeman also threatened her and tried to hit her with his motorbike when she resisted.
Women in Bangladesh and other South Asian nations wear teep, better known as bindi, on their forehead as part of culture.
Road crashes claim 589 lives in March: Report
As many as 589 lives were lost while 647 people were injured in 458 road accidents across the country in March, showing an increase of 13.43% from the month of February, according to a report.
Besides, at least 19 people were killed in five waterway accidents while 17 others killed and eight others injured in 11 train accidents during the period.
Road Safety Foundation (RSF), an organisation that campaigns for safer roads, on Monday revealed this information in a new report on accidents on Bangladesh’s roads this year.
Also read: Road accidents claim 166 lives, Covid 85 in Bangladesh in March: BHRC
The report was prepared based on accident news carried by seven national dailies, five online news portals and electronic media.
On average, 19 people were killed in a day in the month of March while the average rate per day was 16.75 in the month of February, the report said.
Besides, the total number of motorcycle accidents was 221 during the last month, which is 38.42 per cent of the total accidents.
According to the RSF findings, at least 162 pedestrians were killed in road accidents, which account for 27.50 percent of the total deaths.
Some 73 drivers and their assistants were also subjected to road fatalities and that is 12.39 percent of the total deaths.
According to the RSF report, 167 accidents occurred on national highways, 179 on regional highways, 68 on rural roads, 39 on city roads and five accidents occurred in others places.
Also read: 20km long tailback on Dhaka-Ctg highway following road crashes
The Dhaka division witnessed the highest number of accidents with 23.93% from 25.54% while accidents while Sylhet experienced the lowest number of accident and casualty with 5.94% deaths from 5.67% accidents.
2 killed in Rampura, Gulshan road crashes
Two people were killed in separate road accidents in the city’s Rampura and Gulshan areas on Monday.
At Rampura, a 31-year-old man was killed when a covered van ran over him in front of Rampura TV Centre around 5am.
The deceased was identified as Sadman Sakib, son of Zahurul Haque of Sadar upazila in Bogura district.
Also read: NSU student killed in city road crash
Sadman met the tragic incident while crossing the road on his way home after finishing his night shift at work.
At Gulshan, a 48-year-old businessman was injured when a pick-up van struck the road divider as its driver lost control near the Gulshan-2 circle around 6am.
Abdul Latif, hailing from Kishoreganj, succumbed to his injuries around 9 am at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
Also read: Worker dies falling off city flyover
The two bodies were kept at the mortuary of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in –charge of the hospital police camp.
Sweden signs 5-year grant deal with TIB
Sweden and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Monday signed a five-year grant agreement aiming to strengthen the existing cooperation in preventing corruption.
Under the agreement, TIB will implement its core project “Participatory Action against Corruption: Towards Transparency and Accountability (PACTA)” during 2022-2026.
In addition, TIB is supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK and the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) of Switzerland in this project. Sweden will contribute 50 million Swedish Kronor (around US$ 5,340,000) for this project.
Also read: TIB urges ACC to clear the air about Sharif Uddin's removal
The signing ceremony was held at the Embassy of Sweden with the Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka, Christine Johansson and Executive Director of TIB, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, as signatory parties, respectively.
The project's overall objectives are to contribute to curbing corruption as means of developing a more inclusive, equitable and non-discriminatory society consistent with Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
The project will involve more people in the social movement against corruption grounded on data-driven community monitoring to identify governance deficiencies, promote transparent service delivery and facilitate social accountability.
Also read: EC formation law: TIB seeks focus on public expectation
Speaking at the event, Head of Development Cooperation- Christine Johansson, said, “Combatting and preventing corruption is central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a key priority for the Swedish Government. It is with great pleasure that I today renew our longstanding partnership with TIB.”
Expressing gratitude for the continued support, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of TIB said they are honoured and inspired to sign this 4th successive round of partnership agreement between the Embassy of Sweden and TIB with the shared objective of strengthening the social movement against corruption in Bangladesh in order to achieve higher standards of transparent and accountable governance for inclusive development, social change and justice.
IGP addresses conference in Delhi on cyber-crime
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Benazir Ahmed on Monday said that cooperation between law enforcement agencies across countries will have to increase in order to curb the growth of cyber-crime in the international arena.
The IGP made the point while addressing the 2nd National Conference on Cyber Crime & Digital Forensics organized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, says a press release of Police headquarters here on Monday afternoon.
The Chief of Bangladesh Police spoke on "Strengthening International Cooperation for Combating Cyber Crime."
Also read: IGP urges police members to stay away from crime
In his speech, he presented background information and various incidents to depict how cyber-crime manifests from the regional to individual level.
The IGP called for increasing regional cooperation in cyber-crime prevention.
The conference was attended by Interpol representatives, police representatives from Japan, Australia and the Maldives, as well as technical experts.
Also read: Police aviation wing will boost the agency’s capability: IGP
Bangladesh reports one death from Covid-19, new cases 61
Bangladesh logged one Covid death and 61 fresh cases in 24 hours till Monday morning, taking the total caseload to 19,51,831.
As per the latest government data, the country’s total fatalities stood at 29,123 during the period.
On Sunday, 56 new cases were reported with no death.
The latest deceased was a woman from Chattogram division aged between 41 and 50 years.
Also read: Global Covid cases top 491 million
The daily positivity rate slightly decreased to 0.78 per cent from Sunday's 0.78 per cent after testing 7,787 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Of the 4 deaths recorded from March 28 to April 3March, 100 per cent received two shots of Covid vaccines, the DGHS mentioned.
All of the patients who died during the week had Comorbidities. Comorbidity means the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions in a patient.
Besides, the mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.49 per cent.
The recovery rate rose to 96.54 per cent with the recovery of 842 more patients during the 24-hour period.
Also read: Bangladesh reports no death from Covid-19, new cases 56
The country reported first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 last year along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
On January 28, Bangladesh logged its previous highest daily positivity rate at 33.37 per cent reporting 15,440 cases and 20 deaths.
Besides, the country registered the highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year, while the highest number of daily fatalities was 264 on August 10 last year.
Forests cover 14.10pc lands in country: Minister
The country’s forest coverage stands at 14.10 per, while the tree-covered area is 22.37 per cent, said Environment and Forests Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on Monday.
A number of projects are now being implemented to raise the tree coverage to 24 per cent of the country by 2025 as per the 8th five-year plan, he told Parliament, replying to a scripted question from Awami League lawmaker Benjir Ahmed (Dhaka-20).
The minister said the government has set a target to create 29,124-hectare mangrove and block garden as well as 1,574-km strip garden under the Forest Department in the current fiscal year of 2021-22.
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In reply to another question from ruling party MP AKM Sarwar Jahan (Kushtia-1), Shahab Uddin said the social forestation programme continues throughout the country.
The forest minister said a total of 102,229-hectare woodlot and block gardens were created in the lands of the Forest Department under the social forestation programme from 1980-81 fiscal to 2020-21 fiscal year.
Besides, some 76,752-km strip gardens were developed in other lands including fellow lands, roads, highways, railways and water dams throughout the country in the same time as part of the social afforestation programme, he said.
Responding to a scripted question from AL MP Didarul Alam (Chattogram-4), the minister said the number of tigers is 114 in Sundarbans as per the latest census conducted in 2018.
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But 106 tigers were found in 2015 when the camera trapping method was applied for the first time in the Sundarbans tiger census, he said.
Besides, some 100,000-150,000 deer, 165-200 crocodiles and 40,000-50,000 monkeys are there in the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans, he added.
Have enough fertilizer in stock, no shortage: Agriculture Minister
Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Monday told Parliament that there is sufficient stock of fertilizer in the country against the demand.
“The amount of stocked fertilizer is enough against the demand. There is no shortage,” he said, replying to a starred question from ruling party MP Nurunnabi Chowdhury (Bhola-3).
The Minister placed a statistic in the House over the stock of different fertilizers till March 22, 2022 and their demands in April, 2022.
The amount of stored urea is 475,000 metric tonnes (mts) against the possible demand of 70,000mts in April, as per the statistics.
Besides, the stock of TSP is 186,000 mts against the demand of 22,000mts, while MOP is 341,000mts against the demand of 21,000mts and DAP 389,000 mts against the demand of 51000mts.
Dr Razzaque said the production in the country’s different fertilizer factories and the import of fertilizers will also continue.
Read: Bangladesh, US relations to reach new heights: Blinken to Momen
It was estimated that the demand for urea is 2,600,000mts in the country in the 2021-22 fiscal year, while that for TSP is 750,000mts, MOP is 750,000mts and DAP is 1,650,000mts, he said.
Alongside the local production, BCIC, BADC and private firms are importing the necessary amount of fertilizers to the country, as per the estimated demand, the minister added.
Meanwhile, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury told Parliament that some Tk 832 crore was collected as land development taxes in the last fiscal year 2020-21 through the land offices across the country.
The amount was only Tk 224 crore in 2008-09 fiscal year, he said replying to a scripted question from AL MP Mamunur Rashid Kiron (Noakhali-3).