Dhaka, Aug 19 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate third Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ‘Gangchil’ on August 22 (Thursday).

After the inauguration by the Prime Minister at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 11am, ‘Gangchil’ will fly for Dubai in its maiden flight at 5pm on the day, Managing Director and CEO of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Capt Farhat Hassan Jamil said on Monday.

The third Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was added to the Biman’s fleet on July 25.

In 2008, Biman signed a deal to purchase 10 aircraft from US aircraft manufacturer Boeing. Of these, Biman has already received four new Boeing 777-300ERs, two 737-800s, and three 787-8s Dreamliner. 

Gangchil has 271 seats -- 24 business class and 247 economy class -- The business class seats can be flattened to 180 degrees straight.

Dhaka, Aug 19 (UNB) – A court here on Monday granted bail to Tasvir Ul Islam, chairman of Quasem Industries Ltd till, August 29 in a case filed over the forgery in the design of Banani’s ill-fated FR Tower.

Dhaka Senior Special Judge KM Imrul Kayes passed the order when his lawyer Ehsanul Haq filed a petition before his court seeking bail.

Ehsanul said the court granted bail to his client considering his age and physical ailment.

On Sunday, the Anti-Corruption Commission arrested Tasvir, one of the owners of the building, from Segunbagicha area in the case. 
 
The ACC had filed two cases against 23 people for their alleged involvement in illegally extending Banani’s FR Tower beyond the permitted number of floors.

The building caught fire on March 27 last that left 25 people dead and 73 others injured.

During investigation, the ACC found that the 23-storey FR Tower had no fire alarm while it has narrow exit points and staircases and the fire exits are blocked.

The authorities had legally obtained permission for a 15-storey building but they made the FR Tower a 23-storey one over time.

The ACC sued 20 and five people respectively in the two cases filed over illegal extension of FR Tower from 16th to 18th and 19th to 23rd floors.

The accused also include SMHI Faruque, owner of the land on which FR Tower is built; Liakat Ali Khan Mukul, chairman of Rupayan Housing Estate Ltd, the housing company that extended the building illegally; Muhammd Shawkat Ali, member of Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR); Syed Nazmul Huda, sub-divisional engineer of Public Works Department (PWD); and Shamsur Rahman, executive engineer of PWD.
 

Dhaka, Aug 19 (UNB) - Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Md Atiqul Islam on Monday announced that a combing operation will be launched on Tuesday to eliminate Aedes mosquitoes.

The mayor said this while talking to reporters after inspecting mosquito-elimination drive at Mohakhali bus terminal in the capital.

“Today, we visited the bus terminal’s surrounding areas and found some abandoned tyres. Aedes mosquitoes usually lay eggs in stagnant water. So, I asked the magistrate to fine those who kept the tyres Tk 5 lakh,” he said.

“City corporation staff will visit houses in each area during the combing operation. Actions will be taken if Aedes larvae are found. We’ll also conduct drives at all bus terminals, hospitals and police outpost areas,” he also said.

Atiqul said the staff will mark the sites where Aedes larvae will be detected, the first-time offenders will be given warning. Later, actions will be taken against them after 15 days if larvae are found there again.

“We’ve brought 200 new fogger machines and 150 spray machines to terminate the dengue, inducing Aedes mosquitoes. We’ll inform media our latest activities,” he said.

Replying to a question over the effectiveness of pesticides, DNCC entomologist Kabirul Bashar said  new pesticides have been brought in the last week and these are 97-98 percent effective.

Dhaka, Aug 19 (UNB) –A college student died after falling off the rooftop of a building in the city’s Gendaria area on Monday.

The deceased was identified as Sabbir Hossain Rafi, 18, a first year student of BAF Shaheen College and son of Kamal Uddin of Sadar upazila in Gopalganj district.

Bacchu Mia, in-charge of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital police outpost, said Rafi went to the roof of the four-story building around 11:30 am and fell down.

Later, he was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
 

Dhaka, Aug 19 (UNB) – The Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday arrested land owner of FR Tower SMHI Faruque in a case filed over the forgery in the design of the  Banani’s ill-fated building.

ACC Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya said an ACC team, led by its deputy director Abu Bakar Siddique,  arrested Faruq from Gulshan area. 

The commission arrested another owner Tasvir Ul Islam, also  chairman of Quasem Industries Ltd , from Segunbagicha area on Sunday.

Tasvir, also President of Kurigram district unit BNP, embezzled Tk 5.65 crore from GSP Finance Company (Bangladesh) Ltd through loan, said the ACC.

The national anti-graft body earlier arrested assistant director of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) Shah Md Badrul Alam on July 30 over the design forgery.

It had filed two cases against 23 people for their alleged involvement in illegally extending Banani’s FR Tower beyond the permitted number of floors. 

The building caught fire on March 27 last that left 25 people dead and 73 others injured. 

During investigation, the ACC found that the 23-storey FR Tower had no fire alarm while it has narrow exit points and staircases and the fire exits are blocked.

The authorities had legally obtained permission for a 15-storey building but they made the FR Tower a 23-storey one over time. 

The ACC sued 20 and five people respectively in the two cases filed over illegal extension of FR Tower from 16th to 18th and 19th to 23rd floors. 

The accused also include Liakat  Ali Khan Mukul, chairman of Rupayan Housing Estate Ltd, the housing company that extended the building illegally; Muhammd Shawkat Ali, member of Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR); Syed Nazmul Huda, sub-divisional engineer of Public Works Department (PWD); and Shamsur Rahman, executive engineer of PWD.