United News of Bangladesh

Rising gracefully over the Kaliganga River in Ghior upazila, the concrete bridge at Baikunthapur was meant to end decades of isolation for dozens of villages, yet today it stands idle, cut off from the very communities it was built to serve. Three years after its completion, the Tk 42.34-crore structure remains unused, reminding how poor planning can turn development into despair, locals said. Read more: A decade on, Uttara lake development still stuck in limbo With no approach roads on either end, the 365-metre-long bridge has failed to deliver its promise of connectivity. For residents of at least 30 villages on both banks of the river, daily life remains shaped by hardship, risk and long detours. Rather than easing communication, the bridge has become a symbol of frustration, according to villagers. They said they continue to cross the Kaliganga by ferry boats, often at personal risk, while motorcycles, vans and rickshaws are ferried across the river one by one. “What should have been a journey of minutes now takes hours — or requires travelling nearly 15 kilometres extra to reach essential destinations,” said Habibur Rahman of Baliabadha village. Constructed under the Construction of Important Bridges on Rural Roads (CIBRR) project, the bridge’s construction began in 2018 following a tender process, officials said. They said the project included approach roads, with land acquisition factored into the overall cost. While the main bridge was completed in 2022, the crucial connecting roads never materialised. Read more: Endless delay pushes Barui Para Bridge cost to Tk 136cr; frustration grows According to the officials, the delay stems from complications in land acquisition. About 6.20 acres of land were acquired for the approach roads, and Tk 12.10 crore was allocated to compensate affected landowners. However, delays in distributing compensation cheques meant landowners did not hand over possession of their land, bringing construction to a standstill. “As a result, the bridge has remained idle for three years — a costly piece of infrastructure serving no practical purpose,” said an official, preferring anonymity.

A Manikganj court on Sunday sentenced a man to death for violating his daughter in 2012. Manikganj Woman and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge MA Hamid handed down the punishment. The court also fined the convict Anwar Hossain Anu, son of Abdur Rahman Hawladar of Jashore district, Tk one lakh. According to the prosecution, Anwar along with his wife, two sons and one daughter used to live at a rented house at East Dashra in Manikganj district town. Manikganj highway crash leaves one dead On September 1, 2019, Anwar violated his nine-year-old girl when she was asleep. A case was filed with Sadar Police Station under Woman and Child Repression Prevention Act. Police arrested Anwar Hossain a few days later. Rakibuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station and also the investigating officer of the case, submitted chargesheet against him on February 9, 2020.

A motorcyclist was killed in an accident on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Charkhand Golora area of Manikganj Sadar Upazila on Saturday. The deceased is Tara Mia, 35, son of Moslem Mia of Jagir Union in Manikganj sadar upazila. Motorcyclist killed in Manikganj road crash Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Golra Highway police station Sohel Sarwar said when Tara Mia was going to work on a motorcycle in the morning a speeding bus of Selfie Paribahan hit him, leaving him dead on the spot. Legal action will be taken in this regard, he added.    

The three-storey building of Bharanga Government Primary School in Manikganj has collapsed into the Jamuna River due to severe erosion caused by strong river currents. Md Khorshed Alam, Executive Engineer at the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Manikganj, said the school disappeared into the mighty river on Saturday afternoon.  Locals said the water level of the Jamuna had risen significantly in recent days, resulting in a powerful flow that led to erosion along the riverbank. Wazed Ali Sarkar, member of Ward No. 5 under Bachamara Union, said while some furniture, including chairs and table, was saved, heavier items such as steel furniture could not be salvaged. Nahiyan Nuren, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Daulatpur, said after being alerted about the erosion on Friday, a local engineer was sent to inspect the school. 

Although prices of some varieties of vegetables have slightly decreased, most other items are being sold for Tk 80 to Tk 120 per kilogram in Manikganj kitchen markets. During a visit to the markets on Friday morning, it was seen that ridge gourd, snake gourd, brinjal, and pointed gourd were selling at Tk 80 per kg, while yardlong beans and drumsticks were priced at Tk 120 per kg. The prices of potatoes and onions remain unchanged, with potatoes selling at Tk 25 per kg and onions at Tk 60 per kg. Green chilies and tomatoes are both being sold at Tk 80 per kg. Local garlic is priced at Tk 120 per kg, Chinese one at Tk 240, ginger at Tk 120, and turmeric at a high of Tk 400 per kg. Road crash in Pabna leaves 2 SSC candidates dead  However, the prices of okra, bitter gourd, and cucumber have fallen by Tk 20 per kg, now selling at Tk 60. The price of lemons has also dropped. Egg prices have gone down as well. A set of four brown eggs is being sold at Tk 45, while white eggs are priced at Tk 40 per. Beef is being sold at the government-fixed price of Tk 800 per kg, while mutton is Tk 1,200 and goat meat Tk 1,000 per kg. Broiler chicken is being sold at Tk 190 per kg. Fish prices have risen by Tk 20 to Tk 50 per kg. Vendors claimed that the price hike is due to a decline in river fish availability. Consumers complained that prices at the Manikganj kitchen markets were higher on Friday compared to other days, alleging that due to a lack of market monitoring, sellers are setting prices at their own will. Two SSC examinees hacked on way to exam centre in Faridpur On the other hand, vendors claim that high wholesale prices are forcing them to sell at increased rates in the retail market.    

Police recovered the body of an unidentified woman from a carton in Egarosree area of Putail union under Manikganj Sadar upazila on Friday afternoon. Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Manikganj Sadar Police Station, SM Aman Ullah said that Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) for Sadar Circle Md Salauddin and he visited the scene. CID’s crime scene unit is working to identify the deceased. The body was sent to the district hospital morgue for autopsy, said the OC. Extortion fuels unrest in CHT: Home Adviser According to locals, a carton was spotted in the morning beside the Mitra-Barundi regional road. Suspicious, they informed local UP member Chitta Ranjan Sarkar, who sent village police to the scene. Upon noticing a foul smell and blood seeping from the carton, locals alerted police. Police later opened the carton and found the mutilated body of a woman inside. Legal proceedings are underway, the OC said.

The Manikganj administration intervened and stopped a child marriage ceremony in Airmara village of Betila-Mitra union in Manikganj Sadar Upazila on Thursday afternoon. Manikganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Sheikh Mezbah Ul Saberin, who led the operation, said they took immediate action after learning about the underage marriage. "We stopped the wedding ceremony as the girl is only 16 years old. Her parents have pledged not to marry her off until she turns 18 and have assured that she will continue her education," the UNO said. Honey collection in Sundarbans to begin on April 7 Locals said the girl's family was preparing to marry off the 16-year-old class-10 student from the same village to Md Sujan Mia, son of Md Kalu Bepari. The official added that they informed the family about the adverse effects and legal consequences of child marriage and warned them against attempting such actions in the future.

Police have arrested convener of Manikganj district unit Awami League from Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area. The arrestee is Abdur Razzak Raja, also a former councilor of Manikganj municipality. BGB seizes 450,000 yaba pills in Teknaf operation Amanullah Aman, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, said a team of police arrested Raja from in front of Anwar Khan Modern Medical College and Hospital around 11 pm on Wednesday. He was wanted in three cases filed for carrying out attacks on students during July uprising and arson attack on the BNP’s local office.

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC has disconnected the illegal gas connection at Mubtadi Washing Factory, a large washing plant located on the Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Manikganj as part of ongoing drive against illegal gas connections across its command areas. According to Titas Gas, the owner of the factory Md. Shafiqul Islam, was illegally using gas by installing two unauthorised service lines – one 02" (approximately 100 feet) and one 01" (approximately 300 feet) – from the existing 10" × 50 PSIG distribution line on the west side of the Dhaka-Aricha highway. A boiler with a capacity of 500 kg and nine dryers in the factory were using gas at a load of 3,300 cubic feet per hour, all through illegal connections. Titas Gas officials capped the illegal service lines and filed a general diary (GD) with the Savar Police Station regarding the matter. Titas Gas PLC has been conducting drives to identify and sever illegal gas lines since the new managing director took charge. Titas employees, cops attacked during drive against illegal gas line As part of the ongoing campaign, Titas Gas, led by an executive magistrate, has been carrying out operations in areas including Keraniganj, Kamrangirchar, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Savar, Tongi, Gazipur, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Gulshan, Mymensingh, Meghnaghat, and Narsingdi. Between September 2024 and January 14, 2025, a total of 19,077 illegal gas lines including 149 industrial, 94 commercial, and 18,834 residential connections were disconnected. Besides, 44,700 burners were disconnected, and 95 kilometers of pipeline were removed as part of the operation.

A woman was hacked to death by some unidentified miscreants at Rathura village in Ghior upazila of Manikganj district on Wednesday. The deceased was Laila Arzu, 62, wife of Sekandar Ali, a resident of Rathura village in Ghior upazila. Sekandar Ali, the victim's husband, said that his wife had been suffering from cancer for a long time. Upon returning home from a local market around 8:00 am, he found his wife's body lying in a pool of blood on the floor next to the bed, said her husband. Read: Grocer hacked to death in Natore Rafiqul Islam, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ghior Police Station, said police along with detectives reached the scene to investigate the incident upon receiving the news. The OC said the victim's body was sent to Manikganj Medical College Hospital for an autopsy and investigation is underway.