A 32-year-old man was brutally beaten to death on Thursday, allegedly by the owner and employees of a real estate company, following a dispute over the handover of flats in Dhaka’s Hatirjheel area. The victim, identified as Tanjil Jahan Islam Tamim, worked at a television channel in Dhaka. Tamim had been drawn into a long-standing property conflict involving his family. Sub-Inspector Rajib Hossain of Hatirjheel Police Station explained that Tamim’s father and two other individuals are co-owners of a plot of land in the Mahanagar Project area, where an eight-storey building had been constructed by the real estate company Pleasant Properties (Pvt) Ltd. The dispute arose when the developer repeatedly delayed handing over five flats that were promised to Tamim’s father under their agreement. Both parties reportedly reached a settlement on Wednesday to hand over two of the flats on Thursday. Read: UP member murdered, several injured over in Khulna’s Terokhada On Thursday morning, Tamim, along with laborers, was in the process of clearing one of the flats on the seventh floor when the situation escalated. The real estate company’s manager, Abdul Latif Mirza, along with owner Rabiul Alam and others, allegedly attacked Tamim, beating him severely, the sub-inspector said quoting victim’s family. Tamim’s elder brother, Samvir Jahan Islam, tried to intervene but was also attacked by the group. As the assailants fled the scene, Tamim’s family quickly called the national emergency service 999 for help. Tamim, critically injured, was rushed to a private hospital, but doctors declared him dead upon arrival. Read more: Youth murdered for 'not supplying Yaba' in Ctg’s Mirsarai 

Commuters in the capital may have to wait for some more months to get relief from the hazard they have been experiencing due to road digging in the southern part of Hatirjheel for the underground power cabling works. The delay in the works and the monsoon intensified the sufferings of the city commuters who use the Hatirjheel roads to quickly reach from Gulshan or Rampura to Moghbazar. The roads have turned muddy and the vehicles frequently get stuck in the potholes. According to official sources, the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) have been laying high voltage underground cables through digging the roads in the area to replace their overhead cables. Overhead transmission lines in Hatirjheel going underground as part of DPDC’s megaplan The DPDC has completed its works while the part of the PGCB’s works still ongoing and it needs more than two weeks to complete, said an official of the PGCB. “Now our cable joining works are going on in Rampura area. We’ll need at least two more weeks to complete the jobs,” Badruzzaman Sumon, public relations office of the PGCB, told UNB. DPDC, Desco publish schedules of Wednesday's load shedding “After completion of the works, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) will repair the roads as the area is under its jurisdiction,” he said. Then Rajuk will take initiative to repair the roads and it may take more than a month, said a source. The DPDC started the work in March this year to lay underground cables to replace the high voltage overhead transmission lines in Hatirjheel area. DPDC, Desco publish Thursday's load shedding schedules

Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) has finally started the work to lay underground cables that will replace the high voltage overhead transmission lines in Hatirjheel area. “We’ve already laid 2.2km of 132 kilovolt (kV) underground cables, out of a total length of 3.5 km. We hope, by next year people will not see any overhead cables in Hatirjheel,” Bikash Dewan, managing director of DPDC, told UNB. He informed that the cables are being laid underground through digging the roads in southern part of the Hatirjheel area and cables reach the Mogbazar through Rampura Bridge area. The Hatirjheel Lake was artificially created in a vast area of Gulshan, Tejgaon and Rampura as part of the city's beautification and environmental protection plan. But the overhead cables were out of place with the plan. Read more: Dhaka alone experiencing over 600 MW of load shedding during daytime Removing overhead cables from Hatirjheel is a part of the DPDC’s larger plan to take all its overhead cables underground from different areas in the city’s central, west and southern parts. The DPDC undertook a “Power Distribution System Upgrading Project” to improve its network and system in its command area in Dhaka city and signed a contract with the Chinese contractor TBEA in September in 2019 to implement the China-funded Tk 20,500 crore mega project. DPDC officials said that earlier they completed the design of the project in which a total of 190 kms of overhead electricity cables will be removed and taken underground from different areas in the city. Of these, about 115 kms are of 11 kV overhead lines, and 75 kms are 0.4 kV lines, they said, adding that all kinds of overhead electric cables will go underground and no cable will remain visible in a particular part of Dhanmondi area that includes Satmasjid Road, Mirpur Road, City College and Greenherald School area. Read more: Coordination demanded in underground cabling of electricity, internet lines Under the project, 40 substations will be set up in the city and cables in Dhanmondi residential areas will be laid underground. Taking overhead cables underground from Jahangir Gate in Cantonment to Motijheel is also included in DPDC’s other similar project which was already completed. “Of the areas, implementation work of the project in Dhanmondi area is in progress,” said Bikash Dewan, addingwork will be started gradually in many more areas. DPDC officials said the equipment for the project has already arrived from abroad. Under the project in the Dhanmondi area, pole-mounted transformers are being replaced with box-type transformers. Read more: Overhead electricity cables to go underground in major cities: Nasrul Hamid   Some 36 box-type transformers, 296 of 6-way ring main units (RMU), 34 of 3-way RMUs and 130 LV Cabinet will be installed to facilitate the underground cabling system, they informed. They said the project was supposed to kick off in January 2020. But the Chinese engineers who were responsible for designing the works got stuck in their hometown Wuhan following the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic. Officials said most of the materials, equipment and system were brought to the country for the Dhanmondi pilot project. Bikash Dewan said once the project is implemented, it will play a vital role in improving the power distribution system and substantially check the unexpected interruption in power supply. Read more: DPDC blames delay in launching Dhanmondi underground cable project on DSCC, hails DNCC cooperation

The musicophiles in Dhaka were grooved on Saturday night with a special musical presentation by the Korean fusion music band “E-Sang” at the Hatirjheel Amphitheatre in the capital. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea hosted this live Korean music concert, in collaboration with RTV. This was the first outdoor cultural event organized by the Korean Embassy since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Md Atiqul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, joined the event as the chief guest, alongside Lee Jang-keun, Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh. “Bangladesh and Korea have a very strong relationship. In Korea, we have a significant force of skilled manpower. Additionally, they always support our economic projects and we have a great fanbase of Korean music and culture in our country,” Mayor Atiqul said in his remarks. He also joined the collaborative performances with the Korean artists at the event. Welcoming the audience to this special exhibition of Korean music, Korean Ambassador Lee Jang-keun said, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn't arrange any event outside for two years. We are returning to organise our outdoor events in Dhaka with this one. The E-Sang Band will perform today, I hope you like it.” Read: Shironamhin to feature in ‘Concert against violence’ at DU

The chamber judge of the Appellate Division has not stayed a judgment of the High Court declaring all hotels and restaurants allotted in the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project area illegal. The leave to appeal filed by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) against the High Court judgment will be heard before a bench of the Appellate Division on June 28. Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice M Enayetur Rahim passed the order to this effect on Sunday. Attorney General AM Amin Uddin appeared for Rajuk, while senior lawyer Manzil Morshed represented the writ petitioner. Earlier, Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a rights organisation, filed a writ petition with the High Court as public interest litigation annexing a news report published on 1 August in 2018. Read: Publish list of pollutants: HC Later, the High Court bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Rajik Al Jalil declared the operative part of the verdict disposing of a rule in this regard on 30 June 2021. The same court released a 55 page verdict with four directives and nine recommendations, including the eviction of all commercial establishments from the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project area within 60 days. In the full text verdict, the HC declared the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project in the capital a 'public trust property' and all commercial establishments there, including hotels, restaurants, and shops, in the project area, illegal. The court cancelled the allotment of all hotels, restaurants, and other commercial establishments in the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project area and asked the authorities to remove all kinds of commercial establishments from the project area within 60 days of receiving a copy of the verdict. Read: 4,000 medical teams ready to provide health care in 11 flood-hit districts In the full-text verdict, the High Court suggested forming a 'Hatirjheel Lake Preserve, Development and Management Authority' under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in order to preserve, develop, and operate the Hatirjheel-Begunbari project. It also suggested appointing BUET's engineering department and the 24th Engineering Construction Brigade of the Bangladesh Army as permanent consultants for the project. It asked that international standard underground public toilets and potable water be arranged in the project area for people to use. The court also directed that the water taxi service currently in operation be stopped and recommended to create side roads, bicycle lanes and separate lanes for the physically challenged. To make the lake a fish sanctuary. The Hatirjheel-Begunbari project is named after Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, the famed Bengali scientist who was a contemporary as well as a collaborator of Albert Einstein. The High Court also recommended that the cost of conservation, development and operation of the entire Hatirjheel and Begunbari projects be allocated from the revenue budget.  

The inauguration of the Padma Bridge will be celebrated in 64 districts of the country simultaneously on June 25. There will be common programmes, including a laser show in Dhaka's Hatirjheel, all around to mark the memorable occasion. Special programmes will be arranged in four districts – Munshiganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, and Dhaka – for five days. In a video conference Friday, the Cabinet Division asked all the deputy commissioners to make necessary arrangements for the said programmes. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam were present at the meeting. Also read: PM: Padma Bridge brightens Bangladesh’s image as a bold nation

To get rid of the busy life in this brick-and-mortar city, everyone wants to have a day out with family. Lakes with calm water and fresh air can be perfect destinations for spending some quality time with family, kids and friends. Due to constant urbanization and massive population growth, Bangladesh’s capital city has lost its grandeur. Now, Dhaka is the 4th least liveable city in the world according to the Global Liveability Index 2021. Even after that, there are some beautiful lakes amid this dry town. Stay with us to learn more about the scenic lakes in Dhaka city. Top 7 lakes in Dhaka for day outs with family Hatirjheel Lake This huge lake connects several areas of Dhaka city including Mogbazar, Karwan Bazar, Tejgaon, Farmgate, Gulshan, Badda, Rampura, and Mouchak. Thousands of visitors flock here almost every day to visit the lake through water boats. Furthermore, the entire Hatirjheel can be circled once in a very short time by a tourist bus. These two modes of transport have facilitated the movement of people over Hatirjheel. It also contributes to reducing the pressure of traffic on the roads of Dhaka city. The four bridges over the Hatirjheel lake are decorated with different colored lights. The illuminated bridges create an enthralling view after dusk. As there are food courts at both ends of each bridge, these places remain crowded from afternoon to late night. Besides, the artificial fountains have given an exotic look to the Hatirjheel Lake area at night. Read Best Places in Dhaka for Photography Tours: Aesthetic Capital Captured in Frame Crescent Lake This popular lake flows along the boundaries of Chandrima Udyan located just opposite the Parliament Center, the heart of Dhaka city.

The High Court on Wednesday banned all  commercial establishments _ hotels, restaurants and shops _ from Hatirjheel-Begunbari area and ordered their eviction in 60 days. The decision came in a 10-point directive issued by the virtual bench of Justice Md Ashraful Kamal and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil in response to a petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh. From a slum a few years ago, Hatirjheel-Begunbari has transformed into the capital city’s lakefront recreation centre drawing huge visitors every day. READ: Creating nuisance: Over 400 teenagers detained from Hatirjheel since Jan 26 “The area is now regarded as our lungs and it is very essential to protect it,” the bench said in their directives. The judges declared the project area as public trust property and called for forming a separate authority for its conservation, development and management under the supervision of the prime minister.  The court appointed the Engineering Department of BUET and 24th Brigade of Army as joint consultants of the project. The other directives are: building of a underground washroom, supply of pure drinking water, separate lanes for walkers, bi-cycling and disabled persons and developing a fish sanctuary. Advocate Munzill Murshid stood for the petitioner while Advocate Imam Hasan stodd for Rajuk and deputy attorney general Wayes Ali Harun represented the state. Murshid said the HC suggested naming the project after the legendary Bengali scientist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. The petition complained that commercial establishments, shops and restaurants, sprung in the area violating the project’s original layout.  READ: Time running out to save Hatirjheel This has undermined the beauty of the area and created obstacles for free roaming of the nature-loving visitors, he said.

Family members of school student Ifran Khan Rakib, who was killed in the city’s Hatirjheel area in July 2019, demanded exemplary punishment of the killers through bringing them under justice.

At least 400 teenagers have been detained during special drives over the last nine days since January 26 in Hatirjheel area, a popular recreational spot for residents of the capital, on charge of harassing visitors.