Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the higher court judges to write verdicts in Bangla so that justice-seekers can easily understand those without depending on lawyers.

“If those who work in courts practise the writing of verdicts in Bangla, less-educated people like us can at least get the scope to understand the judgments going through those,” she said.

The Prime Minister was inaugurating a four-day programme taken by the International Mother Language Institute (IMLI), marking the Amar Ekushey, the Language Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day.

The theme of this year’s International Mother Language Day was ‘Indigenous languages matter for development, peace building and reconciliation’.

Sheikh Hasina said if the court verdicts are written in Bangla, the justice-seekers will not need to depend on their lawyers to understand those. “They (justice-seekers) fall victims to harassment in many cases also (for writing the court verdicts in English)”, she said.

“They (judges) can translate the verdicts into English after writing those in Bangla,” Hasina said.

She also said even if anyone wants to write the verdict in English, he or she can do that. “But there’ll be a condition that the verdict will have to be published and circulated in Bangla.”

The Prime Minister said the 21st February is not an asset for Bangladesh alone but also for the people of the world. “The International Mother Language Day is now observed in over 190 countries. The 21st February is the day of establishing the right to speak in our mother tongue,” she said, paying deep respects to the language martyrs and veterans.

Sheikh Hasina paid her deep homage to greatest Bangalee of all times and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, saying he had launched the Language Movement to establish the right to speak in mother tongue.

Bangladesh achieved the independence following the ways of the Language Movement under the leadership of the Father of the Nation, she said.

Sheikh Hasina, Bangabandhu’s eldest daughter, mentioned different incidents from the secret reports of Pakistani Intelligence Branch (IB) that reflected that Bangabandhu had played the leading role in the Language Movement since 1948.

Noting that IB started making reports against the Father of the Nation since 1948, she said, “We know from the reports that how he started the struggle for the mother language.”

Referring to the IB reports, she said Bangabandhu played the role for the Language Movement even from the jail.

Hasina said they will soon complete publishing a book in 14 volumes on the 23 years’ secret documents of the Pakistani Intelligence Branch. The first two volumes of the book have already been published.

Talking about the International Mother Language Institute, she said it has collected many lost mother tongues. “This institute is gradually developing as an international standard one, she added.

Emphasising on practising mother languages, she said, “Teaching in mother tongue and knowing mother language are indispensible.”

In all the countries of the world, people learn the 2nd language alongside learning their mother languages for the sake of communication in this global village, she said.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni presided over the function, while noted Indian thinker Prof Ganesh N Devy, who also Chairman of the People's Linguistic Survey of India, presented the keynote paper.

Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, Secondary and Higher Education Division Senior Secretary Md Sohorab Hossain, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo and IMLI Director General Prof Jinnat Imtiaz Ali spoke at the inaugural ceremony held at the institute.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated a sign version of the historic March 7 Speech of Bangabandhu and unveiled the cover of brail publication of her article “Valobasi Matrivasa”.

She also opened a library and an archive of writing rules of different languages at the International Mother Language Institute.

Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) – Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on Thursday said the Chawkbazar fire that claimed the lives of at least 81 people originated from a gas cylinder blast.

He made the claim while talking to reporters at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after visiting those injured in the fire incident.

The minister said Wahed Mansion, a four-storey building which caught the fire first, housed a hotel while there was a vehicle with gas cylinders for delivering those to households. “The explosion took place from any of them.”

The minister, however, said his ministry has formed a 12-member committee with Additional Industries Secretary M Mofizul Haque as its convener to find out the reason behind the inferno, assess the extent of losses and make recommendations to prevent the reoccurrence of such incident.

The committee will submit its report within five working days, he said, adding that the Industries Ministry will take necessary actions based on the report.

Replying to a query, Nurul Majid said two projects have been taken to relocate chemical and plastic factories from the old part of Dhaka to a safer place.

Earlier, the minister visited the spot at Chawkbazar.

At least 67 people were killed and around 41 others injured in a devastating fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse and raged through four other adjacent buildings in the city’s Chawkbazar area on Wednesday night.

Duty officer at the Fire Service Central Control Room Rasel Shikder told UNB around 9pm that the firefighters recovered 67 bodies from the spot.

Selim Reza, Additional Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka, also said 67 bodies were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

However, Major AKM Shakil Newaz, Director (Operation and Maintenance) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, at a press briefing on the spot in the morning told reporters that a total of 70 bodies were recovered from the buildings.

Besides, duty officer at the Fire Service control room Rasel Shikder told UNB around 4:15pm that 11 others succumbed to their injuries at the DMCH.

Shakil Newaz said 41 people were rescued alive while the flame was doused at 6:30am. A total of 39 units of firefighters took part in extinguishing the fire.

Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) - A total of 40 deceased, out of 81 killed in the devastating fire at a chemical warehouse in the city's Chawkbazar area, were identified as of Thursday night.

Relatives identified them at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue since noon, sources at the hospital said.

Of them, the bodies of 38 were handed over to their families as of 8:40pm.

Of the identified deceased, 36 are Arafat, Shahadat Hossain, Helal Uddin, Enamul Haque Kazi, Mosharraf Hossain, Kamal Hossain, Siddique Ullah, Wasi Uddin, Syed Khabir, Jummon, Ali Hossain, Yamin Khan Roni, Morshed Alam, Mithu, Sajib, Hafez Md Kawsar, Abdur Rahim alias Dulal, Mahir, Sonia, Abu Bakkar Siddique, Imtiaz Imroze Rasu, Masud Rana, Mabubur Rahman Raju, Ashraf Haque Rajan, Omar Faruk, Md Ali, Apu Raihan, Jasim Uddin, Md Raju, Md Nayan Khan, Ayesha Khatun, Anwar Hossain, Siam Arafat, Mojibur Hawladar, Alauddin Mahi and Nur Hossain.

Selim Reza, Additional Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka, said they were gradually handing over the bodies to their relatives.

The government is providing Tk 20,000 for the burial of each deceased, he said.

At least 67 people were killed and around 41 others injured in a devastating fire that broke out at a chemical warehouse and raged through four other adjacent buildings in the city’s Chawkbazar area on Wednesday night.

Duty officer at the Fire Service Central Control Room Rasel Shikder told UNB around 9pm that the firefighters recovered 67 bodies from the spot.

Selim Reza, Additional Divisional Commissioner of Dhaka, also said 67 bodies were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). 

However, Major AKM Shakil Newaz, Director (Operation and Maintenance) of Fire Service and Civil Defence, at a press briefing on the spot in the morning told reporters that a total of 70 bodies were recovered from the buildings.

Besides, duty officer at the Fire Service control room Rasel Shikder told UNB around 4:15pm that 11 others succumbed to their injuries at the DMCH.

Shakil Newaz said 41 people were rescued alive while the flame was doused at 6:30am. A total of 39 units of firefighters took part in extinguishing the fire.

Keraniganj, Feb 21 (UNB) – A teenage boy died as he was pushed down from the rooftop of a building allegedly by two of his friends here early Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Jisan, 14, son of Abul Kalam. Hailing from Shibchar upazila of Madaripur district, Kalam was living at Kaliganj Koibartyapra here with his family.

Victim’s mother Hazera Khatun claimed that Jisan’s friends Sifat and Shakil called him out of their house at dead of night and took him to the rooftop of a six-storey building in the area.

Later, they pushed him off the rooftop, she said.

The teenager was taken to Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital in the capital where doctors declared him dead.

On information, police recovered the body and sent it to the hospital morgue for autopsy, said sub-inspector Obaidul Haque of South Keraniganj Police Station.
 

Dhaka, Feb 21 (UNB) – Expressing deep sock at huge loss of lives in Chawkbazar fire incident, leader of the opposition in parliament Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad on Thursday urged the government to launch an investigation into the incident.

In the statement, he also demanded the governments take proper actions against those  responsible for the fire incident.

The Jatiya Party Chairman also urged the government to upgrade the fire extinguishing system after properly evaluating its current capacity.