United News of Bangladesh

The government has appointed new Deputy Commissioners (DCs) in 11 districts of the country. The districts are Rajshahi, Chuadanga, Khulna, Madaripur, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Habiganj, Narsingdi, Meherpur, Lalmonirhat and Bandarban. The Ministry of Public Administration issued a gazette notification in this regard on Sunday, According to the notification, Kazi Shahidul Islam, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration has been posted as DC of Rajshahi while Lutfun Nahar, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs has been appointed DC of Chuadanga. Miju Hara Jannat, Deputy Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, has been made DC of Khulna and Marzina Akter, Deputy Secretary of the Finance Division, has been posted to Madaripur. Md Abu Sayeed, Deputy Secretary at the Government Printing Press, has been appointed DC of Brahmanbaria while Ahmed Ziaur Rahman, Deputy Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, has been  made Chandpur DC. GM Sarfaraz, Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet Division, has been made DC of Habiganj, and Israt Jahan Keya, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, made DC of Narsingdi. Shilpi Rani Roy, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, has been made Meherpur DC while Md Rashedul Haque Pradhan, Deputy Secretary at the Bangladesh Power Development Board, has been made DC of Lalmonirhat. Md Saniul Ferdous, Deputy Project Director (Deputy Secretary) of the Land Management Automation Project, has been appointed DC of Bandarban. The order will come into immediate effect, the notification added.  

The funerals of four victims from Kushtia, who died when a Souhardya Transport passenger bus sank into the Padma River while boarding a ferry at Daulatdia ghat in Gopalganj’s Goalanda upazila, have been completed. Families and local residents are mourning the tragic loss. The deceased are Marzina Khatun (56), wife of Abu Bakkar Siddique of Mojmpur village in Kushtia municipality; Ayesha Binte Gias (13), daughter of Giasuddin Ripon of Samsupur village in Khoksa upazila; three-year-old Israfel, son of Delwar Hossain of Dhushundi village in Khoksa; and Rajib Biswas (28), son of Himangshu Biswas of Khagrabaria village in Betbaria union, Khoksa. Kushtia family dispute ends in tragic strangling of toddler

The death toll from the bus plunge  into the Padma River at Daulatdia ferry ghat in Rajbari’s Goalanda upazila has risen to 23. Of the recovered bodies, 21 have been handed over to relatives, said Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate Md Hafizur Rahman. The bodies of the driver and a woman have been kept at Rajbari Sadar Hospital. Divers initially recovered 21 bodies from the submerged bus. Two more victims were later taken to Goalanda Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead, bringing the total fatalities to 23. The accident occurred around 5:15pm on Wednesday at the No. 3 ferry ghat when a Dhaka-bound passenger bus of Souharda Paribahan lost control and fell off a pontoon into the river. Witnesses and transport officials said the bus had left Kumarkhali in Kushtia with a small number of passengers and picked up more along the way. Around 45 passengers were believed to be on board at the time of the accident. Following the  accudent, rail and river transport authorities, along with local administration and law enforcement, launched rescue operations. Multiple diver teams from fire service units in Faridpur and Manikganj took part in the effort.