Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrested a local Jubo Dal leader from Chandgaon area of Chattogram city early today (November 28, 2023) for his suspected involvement in police constable Amirul’s killing on October 28 during BNP’s grand rally in Dhaka. Read: Ctg BNP leader arrested on eve of Oct. 28 rally dies of 'heart attack' in jail Murad Chowdhury, general secretary of Chattogram north district Jubo Dal, was arrested around 1 am on Tuesday, said Nurul Afsar, senior assistant director of RAB-7. Later, RAB handed him over to the police, he said. Read: 721 arrested by RAB on charges of sabotage since Oct 28 Jubo Dal leader Murad Chowdhury, along with his followers, took part in BNP’s grand rally in Naya Paltan area of Dhaka on October 28, RAB informed.

Police on Thursday arrested at least 20 BNP leaders and activists in Chattogram during a nationwide 48-hour blockade called by the BNP and other like-minded opposition parties. A press release of the city BNP unit said that during the day-long peaceful protest, 20 leaders and activists were arrested from different areas of the metropolis and the district. 14 BNP leaders, activists detained in Chattogram BNP leaders and activists in Chattogram took out protest rallies and blocked roads in different parts of the city on Thursday (November 23) demanding the resignation of the government and the cancellation of the announced election schedule. 2 motorcyclists killed in Chattogram road crash Emdadul Haque Badsha, organising secretary of Chattogram Metropolitan Jubo Dal, is among the arrestees. He was arrested from in front of Parkview Hospital in Katalganj of the city this evening, Manjur Quader Manjur, officer-in-charge (OC) of CMP's Chawkbazar Police Station, confirmed. 609 shelters ready in Chattogram ahead of cyclone 'Midhili' Earlier, BNP president Mosharof Hossain Dipati was arrested from Halishahar area of the city.

Two motorcyclists were killed when a pick-up van hit their motorbike on Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway in Satkania upazila of Chattogram district on Sunday.  The deceased were identified as Manmat Boiragi, 35, son of Swachindra Nath of Barishal district and Arif Hossain, 33, son of Yunus Ali of Chapainawabganj district. Read: Cops, journalists among 10 injured during BNP-police clash in Sunamganj Khan Mohammad Irfan, officer-in-charge of Dohazari Highway Police Station, said the accident occurred near Dream House Community Centre around 11:30 am when the fish-laden pick-up van hit the motorbike coming from the opposite direction, leaving one motorcyclist dead on the spot and another injured. The injured died on the way to a local hospital. Read: 2 minor cousins drown in Narayanganj pond  Two motorcyclists met the tragic death while heading towards Lohagarah from their Satkania residence. Police seized the pick-up van but could not arrest the driver.

Chattogram district administration has prepared 609 cyclone shelters to deal with cyclone 'Midhili' over the Bay of Bengal.  Deputy Commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman provided the information at an emergency preparedness meeting held on Thursday night. The DC confirmed the readiness of 609 cyclone shelters to tackle the approaching cyclone. Two trucks set on fire in Dhaka, Chattogram Among these, 116 are situated within Chattogram city, while 493 are spread across the Chattogram district. Moreover, directives have been issued to upazila nirbahi officers and district secondary and primary education officers to identify and prepare various educational institutions as additional shelter facilities, said the deputy commissioner. On the instructions of the deputy commissioner, the district relief and rehabilitation officer presented the relief situation in the meeting. The district relief and rehabilitation officers said the district administration currently possesses cash amounting to Tk 22.30 lakh for relief purposes, 244 metric tons of rice, Tk 6.80 lakh for cattle feed, Tk 6.80 lakh for baby food, 472 bags of dry food, 1000 blankets, and 47 thousand ORsaline in stock. 2  killed as covered van rams into two vehicles in Chattogram The meeting was attended by heads of various district-level government departments, representatives of city corporations, the upazila chairman's office, the upazila nirbahi officers, the assistant commissioner (land), upazila project implementation officer, various NGOs, media workers, and activists of voluntary organizations. The deputy commissioner has directed to open control rooms in emergency service providers, especially hospitals, electricity, gas, water and city corporations, organize emergency meetings of disaster management committees at the upazila level, and take the activities of all departments as per their respective SOP. Woman's body found hanging in Chattogram Apart from this, various NGOs, voluntary organisations, media have been instructed to participate in disaster management, to continue the awareness activities in the coastal and mountainous areas, to contact the district relief and rehabilitation officer and the district administration's control room number in case of any emergency. The deputy commissioner said all sorts of preparations have been made to address any potential disaster.

Another 48-hour blockade, called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties to press home their one point demand, began this morning (November 15, 2023) with traffic movement on the streets. The latest blockade started at 6 am today and will end at 6 am on Friday. Dhaka city is witnessing an increase in vehicular movement and commuters on the streets. People were seen rushing to their respective destinations. Rickshaws are dominating the city roads. 48-hour blockade: Two buses set ablaze in Gazipur Earlier on Tuesday, miscreants set four buses on fire in Dhaka’s Mirpur area ahead of the blockade called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties. Meanwhile in Chattogram city, Awami League and its associate bodies will hold peace rallies at 19 points against BNP-Jamaat’s blockade. The points include Darul Fazal Market premises, Kathgarh, Saltgola crossing, Badamtoli, Bohaddarhat, Naya Bazar, AK Khan, City Gate, Wasa, Muradpur, Kaptai Road, Oxygen, Aman Bazar, Moti Tower, Bakolia Access Road, Natun Bridge, Andorkilla and Dewanhat intersection. After a pause for a day, BNP and like-minded opposition parties called yet another 48-hour countrywide road-rail-waterway blockade beginning from Wednesday to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration. 228 BGB platoons deployed to beef up security across the country amid BNP-Jamaat's 48hr blockade BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme at a virtual press briefing on Monday afternoon. BNP and other opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have been enforcing blockades across the country since Oct 31. BNP’s like-minded parties announce fresh 48-hour blockade from Wednesday

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday (November 11, 2023) inaugurated the much-awaited 102-kilometre Chattogram-Cox's Bazar dual-gauge single railway line setting yet another milestone in the country's communication network. The southern region wore a festive look as she unveiled the new rail route (from Dohazari in Chattogram to Cox’s Bazar) for train movement at a ceremony at newly constructed Cox’s Bazar Railway Station.  The premier flagged off a train and then travelled by it from Cox’s Bazar Railway Station to Ramu Railway Station. Read: Oyster-shaped railway station adds greater tourist attraction to Cox’s Bazar She bought her own ticket from the counter of the railway station. She waved the green flag before boarding the train. She also blew the whistle signalling the start of the train. Addressing the inauguration programme, the prime minister said, “Today Cox's Bazar has been linked to the country's railway network.  I am really very delighted for being able to attend the inaugural ceremony physically, " she said. "I have kept my promise by inaugurating the railway. This was a longstanding demand of this region. This is a day of feeling proud," she said. Read: Railway Minister to inspect Dohazari-Cox's Bazar line before inauguration Talking to reporters during the train ride, the prime minister said that this train link will contribute a lot to country’s GDP and economy. “Transportation of goods, people and tourists will be expedited resulting in increase the GDP and more vibrant economy,” she said. She mentioned that Cox’s Bazar has the longest sandy sea beach in the world. “But we could not build this tourist spot up to the mark. We have to make sure that tourists can come here comfortably,” she said. PM Hasina said that apart of tourists conveyance the trade and commerce of this area have been given importance. “We are building a deep seaport, power station, building an economic zone here,” she said. She also mentioned that Bangladesh will be linked with trans Asian railway by this rail line. “This rail line will go to Ghumdhum from Ramu, later from Ghumdhum it will be linked with South and South East countries.” Read: Chinese-built railway opens via Bangladesh's Padma Bridge On her arrival at the venue, the prime minister was received by Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan and local MPs. Local artists greeted her with traditional songs and dances.  The railways minister presided over the programme. Asian Development Bank (ADB) country director for Bangladesh Ginting and Railways Ministry secretary Md Humayun Kabir also spoke at the event.

A-64-year-old man died after being hit by a speedy  train on Dhaka-Chattogram rail track in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram district on Monday. The deceased was identified as Farid Ahamad, a resident of Sonapahar area under Jorarganj union of the upazila. 48hr blockade: Bus burnt in Chattogram’s Oxygen Mor Locals said they spotted the body of Farid lying on the railway track in front of BSRM Factory in the Sonapahar area in the morning and informed police. Later, police recovered the body and sent it to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital morgue for autopsy, said Amzad Hossain, sub inspector of Sitakunda railway police outpost. 3 motorcyclists killed in Chattogram road accident However, police suspected that Farid might have died after being hit by train. Local Jubo Dal leader held with arms in Chattogram

BNP on Saturday called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in Chattogram for Sunday in protest against the arrest of the party’s standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury from his Dhaka residence. A press release was issued in this regard on Saturday. Md Idris Ali, office coordinator of the city unit BNP, said Chattogram metropolitan, north and south district units of BNP  called for the daylong hartal protesting the arrest of Amir Khasru, also a former minister. Read : Jubo Dal leader hacked after abduction in Natore The party’s leaders and activists were urged to observe the hartal peacefully, said the release. Ambulance, vehicles carrying newspapers, journalists and fire service will remain out of purview of the hartal, it said. The hartal will be enforced along with the two-day countrywide blockade set to begin from 6:00 am on Sunday. Read : Over 250 BNP, Jamaat fellows sued in 2 cases over clash with Chhatra League, police in Sylhet BNP’s Vice-Chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Mir Md Nasir Uddin, chairperson’s advisors Golam Akbar Khandaker, SM Fazlul Hoque, central committee’s Organising Secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shamim and city unit BNP Convenor Dr Shahadat Hossain, among others, urged the party activists to observe the hartal peacefully. Early Friday, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police detained Amir Khasru from his Gulshan residence in the capital. Later, he was shown arrested in  police constable Aminul Islam murder case filed with Paltan police station. Read : No innocent BNP leader or activist being arrested: Razzaque The constable sustained severe injuries in clashes with BNP men during the October 28 grand rally in Dhaka. Later he died. A Dhaka court on Friday placed the BNP leader on a six-day remand in the case.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram earned Tk 25 lakh toll on the first weekly holiday since its opening, as some 7,000 vehicles went through it from 8 am to 8 pm on Friday (November 03, 2023). Tanvir Rifat, assistant engineer (toll and traffic) of the tunnel, shared the information with UNB. The pressure of vehicles was high on the first weekly holiday since the tunnel had opened as thousands of commuters thronged it — causing traffic congestion on both sides, he said.Vehicles took 30 to 45 minutes to cross the tunnel instead of the usual 3.5 minutes due to the heavy traffic. Belayet Hossain, toll manager of the tunnel, said the high number of commuters in vehicles contributed to the traffic gridlock on Friday. Read: Bangabandhu Tunnel: Tk 7.1 lakh toll collected on 2nd day Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country’s first underwater tunnel on October 28. Tk 12,13,300 was collected as toll, as 5,429 vehicles used the tunnel on the first day it opened to traffic (October 29). On the second day, some 3,205 vehicles went through the tunnel and Tk 7.1 lakh was collected as toll. The tunnel opened for vehicular movement at 6 am on October 29. Traffic movement remained low due to the ongoing countrywide hartal called by the opposition parties on Sunday. Read: Tk 1.48 lakh toll collected in 7 hours since Bangabandhu Tunnel opened As many as 14 boxes were set up at Anwara end to collect the toll. A total of 12 categories of vehicles will be able to go through the Bangabandhu Tunnel. The minimum toll for traffic movement in the tunnel has been set at Tk 200, and the maximum is Tk 1,000. Motorcycles or three-wheelers will not be allowed in the Bangabandhu Tunnel. Read more: Bangabandhu Tunnel opens for traffic

Initial work on a tunnel project to build ‘One City, Two Towns’ on the model of Shanghai city of China, on both banks of the Karnaphuli River in Port City Chattogram, began as early as 2017. This project is jointly funded by the governments of Bangladesh and China (G2G). Though initially estimated to cost some Tk 8400 crore, over time that has ballooned to Tk 10,698 crore. Bangladesh government provided Tk 4,619 crore, while the China Exim Bank contributed over Tk 6,000 crore to support the project. Motorcade from PMO makes trial crossing through ‘Bangabandhu Tunnel’ in Ctg The project aims to replicate a 'One City Two Towns' concept, similar to Shanghai in China, on both sides of the Karnaphuli River. The main tunnel has a length of 3.32 kilometres, with each of the two four-lane tubes measuring 2.45 kilometres. Additionally, there will be a 5.35 km link road at both the west and east ends of the main tunnel, along with a 727-metre-long flyover at the Anwara end. BB will release commemorative note of Tk50 to mark launch of Bangabandhu Tunnel The tunnel is situated at a depth ranging from 18 to 31 metres beneath the Karnaphuli River. Vehicles will enter the tunnel from Outer Ring Road, Elevated Expressway, Kathgar Road, Airport Road, and Patenga Beach Road through the tunnel’s north side. Vehicles will run at a speed of 80 km per hour through this tunnel. Despite huge challenges, Bangabandhu Tunnel completed with "high quality, efficiency": Project Manager According to the project documents, the tunnel will connect the proposed Asian Highway with the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway and reduce the distance from Chattogram to Cox's Bazar by 40 km.