A 22-year-old assistant of a bus driver burned to death after the Asim Paribahan bus was set on fire by miscreants in Dhaka’s Demra area early Sunday (October 29, 2023).  The incident happened at around 3 am on Sunday, said Demra Police Station Sub-Inspector (SI) Saidur Rahman. Read: Streets empty, vehicles burnt and vandalised in Dhaka as BNP-Jamaat observe hartal The deceased was identified as Md Naim, 22, son of Alam Chowkidar of Barishal’s Kotwali upazila. Naim used to live in Demra’s Hajinagar area.   The driver, identified as Robiul, 25, has sustained burn injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.  SI Saidur said the bus was parked on the side of the road during the incident and both the driver and helper were sleeping inside. Read: Nationwide hartal underway to protest attack on opposition rallies The identities of the miscreants are yet to be ascertained, the police official said.  Meanwhile, the body of the deceased was sent to Sir Salimullah Medical College (Mitford Hospital) for autopsy. 

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), as a transaction advisor for the Government of Bangladesh’s Rampura Amulia Demra Expressway public–private partnership (PPP) project, has mobilized $261 million of private sector capital for a four-lane, 13.5 km expressway. It will ease traffic congestion and provide better connectivity between the capital Dhaka and other major cities. The project is being funded through a $193 million senior loan from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Bank of China, DBS Bank Limited, and Infrastructure Development Company Limited, a nonbanking financial institution based in Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s estimated growth higher than forecast for FY 2023: ADB The remaining $68 million is provided by sponsors as equity contributions, ADB said on Thursday. ADB assisted in project structuring, negotiation, tender execution, and provided support for commercial award and financial closure. “We worked with the public authorities in Bangladesh to prepare, market, and attract private sector partners to design, build, finance, operate and maintain this expressway,” said Head of ADB Office of Markets Development and PPP, Cleo Kawawaki. ADB increases support for rural roads improvement in Bangladesh “It will provide commuters with quicker access to their destinations by improving connectivity between Dhaka and eastern and southeastern districts of Bangladesh, including the cities of Chattogram, Narayanganj, and the northeastern city of Sylhet.” Kawawaki said that the Rampura Amulia Demra PPP project was delivered under an availability payment mechanism with partial revenue linked to US dollar and taka exchange rate movements, whereas the first road transaction, the $370 million Dhaka Bypass Road PPP, was structured as a minimum revenue guarantee. ADB appoints Fatima Yasmin as Vice-President for sectors, themes “ADB has therefore helped establish the pathway for both types of payment mechanisms in Bangladesh for future private sector investments in the infrastructure sector,” she said.  The deal—part of a programmatic approach taken by ADB to develop road PPPs as an asset class for investments—is the second successful financial closure of a PPP transaction with ADB as transaction advisor in Bangladesh. ADB is currently advising the government on the Joydebpur Mymensingh Expressway PPP project, which will improve connectivity to 10 special economic zones. The Rampura Amulia Demra Expressway will be designed, constructed, financed, operated, and maintained during a 25 year concession period by a consortium comprising China Communications Construction Company Limited and China Road and Bridge Corporation.  Read more: Purbachal Expressway: Next megaproject unveiling up govt's sleeve?

When Taslima Keya rented a flat in Demra a few months ago she thought she struck a good deal as the house had gas connection. It did not take long for her to realize that she made a mistake. “True we have the gas connection, but most time of the day the line remains dry,” said Keya, a homemaker. Also read: Some areas in Dhaka to see disruption in gas supply Saturday At Keya’s flat the natural fuel, supplied by Titas Gas, is available only after 1:30 pm which disrupts cooking her breakfast and lunch. Also, she faces trouble in preparing the dinner as the gas pressure goes down in the evening. “This on-again off-again supply of gas has made our living in this area difficult,” said Keya, who is thinking of moving to a new location. The erratic supply of the cooking fuel has severely affected her daily routine. “What we are doing now is cooking all day’s meals at one go when the supply is available,” she said. Another housewife Ayesha Islam Jharna, who lives in an adjoining area of Demra, has even a grimmer story to tell.   Read HC rules on govt decision to not provide new household gas connections

The residents of Demra area under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) are disturbed by the stench of waste materials dumped in their area and the infestation of mosquitoes and flies.

A vehicle carrying BNP candidate in Dhaka-5 by-polls Salahuddin Ahmed came under attack in the city’s Demra area reportedly by ruling party activists on Wednesday.

A court here on Tuesday sentenced two youths to death for the rape and murder of two four-year-old girls in the city’s Demra area on January 7 last year.