Dhaka, May 17 (UNB)- At least three people were killed and dozens injured during a storm in the capital on Friday evening.

Two of the deaths were reported from Badda where a wall collapsed adjacent to Pran-RFL building.

Bulbul Biswash, 27, employee of a bus company, and Tapan, a tea stall worker, took shelter beside the wall when the storm started shortly after Iftar, the breaking of fast by Muslims during Ramadan.

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) pronounced them dead when they were taken there, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Badda Police Station.

Another injured person was taken to Agargaon Pongu Hospital.

Meanwhile, one person was killed and 20 wounded after a pandal collapsed at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque during the storm.

The injured were taken to DMCH.

Dhaka, May 17 (UNB) – Members of 59,842 Rohingya families in Cox’s Bazar camps have now been jointly registered and provided with identity cards by Bangladesh and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"So far, the government and UNHCR have registered 270,348 refugees in the settlements in Cox’s Bazar district," UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic told reporters at a press briefing in Geneva on Friday.

Each day, over 4,000 Rohingyas are registered at six different locations, where more than 450 staff are working long hours with the goal of completing the process by late 2019, said the spokesperson.
 
"Comprehensive registration is important for improving the accuracy of data on refugees in Bangladesh. It provides national authorities and humanitarian organisations with a better understanding of the population and their needs," said Mahecic.

A Joint Response Plan (JRP) launched in February 2019 seeks to raise US$ 920 million for humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees and vulnerable Bangladeshi host communities in 2019.

As of mid-May, the JRP is just under 18 percent funded (US$ 165.2 million), according to the UNHCR.  

"This is deeply worrying given that we’re approaching the second half of 2019," said the spokesperson.

Mahecic said it is vital that humanitarian agencies receive early and flexible funding in order to continue delivering lifesaving assistance and improve the living conditions for refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

Rohingyas, living in Cox's Bazar are stateless. 

Despite living in Myanmar for generations, the Rohingya lost their citizenship following a change in Myanmar laws in 1982. 

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya people in crowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar, 741,000 of these being people who have fled from Myanmar since August 2017.

The registration exercise, which began in June 2018, is about safeguarding the right of Rohingya refugees to be able to return home voluntarily to Myanmar in future, the UNHCR added.

Data will facilitate the planning of programmes and the targeting of assistance to where it is needed most, particularly for people in acute need, such as women and children heading families and people with disabilities.

Included in refugee registration is basic biodata and other important information, including on family links. 

The UNHCR uses a Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS) that captures unique data, including fingerprints and iris scans. 

At the end of the process, Rohingyas receive an ID card that includes a photo and key information, such as name, date of birth and place of birth. 

The card also indicates Myanmar as the country of origin. 

All Rohingyas over the age of 12 receive the card, and families also receive an attestation showing the details of all family members, including younger children.

Information on the document is in English and Bengali, to facilitate interactions with national authorities. 

The UNHCR developed the documents in cooperation with the Bangladeshi government, and the ID cards and attestations carry both the government and UNHCR logos.

The UNHCR and the Bangladeshi authorities meet regularly with members of the refugee community, including imams, elders, teachers and other leaders, to explain the benefits of registration and respond to questions and concerns. 

Outreach teams, composed of refugee volunteers, go into the community to talk about the registration process and encourage people to register.

The UNHCR said Rohingyas are living in an environmentally fragile part of Bangladesh that is prone to natural disasters. "With the cyclone season underway and the monsoon season approaching, the registration will also help reunite families in case they get separated during storms," said Mahecic.

Dhaka, May 17 (UNB)- The National Committee to Protect Shipping, Roads and Railways (NCPSRR) on Friday made a series of recommendations to make journeys safe during the Eid-Ul-Fitr holidays.

NCPSRR chief Mohamed Shahid Mia and General Secretary Ashis Kumar Dey came up with the suggestions in a joint statement.

They have been prepared after taking issues, such as weather, into consideration, said a press release.

The recommendations include increasing mobile courts, and deployment of adequate law enforcement members on Shimulia-Kathalbari and Paturia-Daulatdia routes. 

Other suggestions include preventing overloading of launches on Shimulia-Kathalbari and Paturia-Daulatdia routes.

The NCPSRR also recommended preventing illegal and unfit vessels from plying, ratcheting up coast guard and river police’s activities, and announcing weather forecasts at launch terminals.   

Shahid and Ashis said homebound people would prefer waterways to roads due to traffic congestion and accidents on highways.  

This will put extra pressure on waterways, they noted. Besides, the weather has been unpredictable.

They urged the government implement the recommendations to avoid accidents.

Dhaka, May 17 (UNB)- Four Bangladeshi youths, led by veteran mountaineer MA Mohit, will go on an expedition to scale Mount Pharchamo in the Himalayas.

The team will leave Dhaka on May 21, Bangla Mountaineers and Trekking Club (BMTC) told the media at Jatiya Press Club on Friday.

BMTC planned the expedition sponsored by Ispahani Tea Limited, Azim Group and Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited.
 
“We hope to return on June 10 after scaling the approximately 20,300 feet high mountain,” team member Riasad Sunvi told UNB.

Other members are - Bahlul Maznu, Shayla Parvin and Riasad Sunvi. Bahlul and Shayla are seasoned climbers but it is Riasad’s first expedition. He has completed basic mountaineering training in India.

National Professor Anisuzzaman said that mountaineering is a risky but enjoyable job and hoped the rich will come forward to help the mountaineers.

Charge of Affaires of the Nepalese embassy Dhan Bahadur Oli encouraged Bangladeshi climbers to pursue their dreams.

Antarctica and North Pole expeditor Enam Ul Haque sought corporate support for mountaineers’ expeditions.

Dhaka, May 17 (UNB)- An organisation of readymade garment workers on Friday demanded to pay their wage and festival bonus before the 20th Ramadan.

At a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club, the Garments Workers Front (GWF) also demanded an end to lay off workers, attacking and filing cases against them.

They sought exemplary punishment of attackers who tortured GWF Finance Secretary Saiful Islam Sharif.

GWF President Ahsan Habib Bulbul said that the owners do not pay the wages and bonus in due time.

“They pay a meager sum in the eleventh hour. We urge the government to take necessary steps to clear salaries and bonus before the 20th Ramadan,” he said. 

GWF General Secretary Selim Mhamud, Vice-President Khalequzzaman Lipon and Joint Secretary Jahangir Alom, among others, spoke at the programme.