The Alubdi Jhilpar slum in Mirpur's Pallabi has reportedly become a thriving hub for illegal drug and arms trade, with authorities seemingly turning a blind eye to the escalating crisis. Local residents allege that these illicit activities are orchestrated by Ilias Mollah, a former Awami League MP from Dhaka-16. Mollah is accused of occupying land allocated by the National Housing Authority (NHA) for journalist housing and using it to construct an illegal slum, where the trade thrives unchecked. Despite repeated complaints about the absence of surveillance and enforcement, the authorities’ inaction has left the community vulnerable. "We live in constant fear. These trades have made life unbearable, yet no one steps in to help," a local resident lamented. Community leaders have urged law enforcement agencies to act swiftly to address the issue and restore security in the area. In 2006, following a directive from then-Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, the National Housing Authority (NHA) allocated seven acres of land adjacent to the Jhilpar Mosque in Pallabi for the Dhaka Sangbadik Samabay Samity Limited to provide housing for 300 journalist families. 4 police officers, including former Mirpur Deputy Commissioner, temporarily suspended After the Awami League government assumed power in 2009, MP Ilias Mollah seized the land illegally. Mollah built a slum in one section, which he rented out, and established a cattle farm in another. Illegal electricity, gas, and water connections were arranged for the slum, with Mollah’s forces collecting monthly rent. Though he went into hiding following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, his influence over the slum persists. Organised Syndicate The slum’s illegal operations are allegedly run by Mollah's relatives and party affiliates. His nephew, Salman Mollah, oversees much of the trade, including managing slums and shops in the area. Salman reportedly collects Tk 4 lakh monthly for electricity bills and another Tk 3 lakh from illegal establishments. On the western side of the slum, figures like Chikon Haris—bodyguard of Mollah's younger brother Ali Mollah—allegedly collect an additional Tk 4 lakh monthly in rent. Drugs, including yaba and ganja, are sold openly through tong shops operated by associates of local criminal Shamsu, such as Sohel and Faruk Anwar. Other syndicate members include Fazlu, Salman’s driver, who controls a new road along the lake, and Belal and Masud, staffers of Ali Mollah, who manage areas from the temple to the intersection. Links to Arms and Terrorism Residents fear that the slum houses weapons looted from police stations during the August 5 uprising. These weapons may be used in criminal activities across Mirpur. 5 of a family among 7 burnt in fire at Dhaka’s Mirpur "The situation is dire," said Sadrul Hasan, president of Dhaka Sangbadik Samabay Samity Ltd. "Despite multiple appeals to the housing authority, little has been done. When the land was temporarily vacated, Mollah sent his people to demolish structures, and law enforcement failed to intervene." Impunity and Political Influence Over the past 16 years, Ilias Mollah has allegedly ruled the constituency with impunity. His influence extends beyond the slum to shops, markets, bus stands, and sidewalks across the area. Locals claim that complaints against him were often resolved through "arbitration" at his residence, where dissenters faced threats or violence. He is also accused of using his cadres to suppress student movements and other protests in Mirpur. The residents and community leaders continue to appeal for urgent government intervention to reclaim the land and dismantle the criminal syndicate.

Drivers of battery-run three wheelers have been staging demonstration blocking roads in Dhaka’s Mirpur, Pallabi and some other areas since Sunday (May 19, 2024) morning, demanding withdrawal of ban on the movement of the vehicle in the capital. Vehicular movement remained suspended  as of filing this report at 1:40pm, on Mirpur-10 to 11, 2, 13 and Shewrapara roads, causing immense suffering to commuters. Abu Saleh Md Raihan, joint commissioner (traffic-north) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), said three-wheeler drivers started demonstration around 9am obstructing  plying of other vehicles, resulting in suffering of common people. Sub-Inspector Mostaq Ahmed, duty officer of Pallabi police station, said though police teams were sent to the Mirpur area remove them from the roads, the protesters are yet to leave the roads. Increase vigilance on movement of three-wheelers, motorcycles during Eid holidays: Quader Witnesses said several hundred three-wheeler drivers gathered in the Mirpur-10 intersection to press home their demand in the morning. Police requested them to leave the busy road but they didn’t listen to them. Currently, the three-wheeler drivers have been staging demonstration  in Mirpur, Pallabi, Agargaon, Taltola, Kalshi and Mirpur-13 areas. Earlier on Wednesday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader instructed the authorities concerned to take steps to stop the movement of battery-run three wheelers on the roads in Dhaka city. Commuters bear the brunt as 48hr transport strike in Ctg underway in response to buses burnt by CUET students “No battery-run three wheelers will be allowed on city roads. Apart from this, the movement of three wheelers has already been prohibited on 22 highways,” he said while speaking at the advisory council meeting at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) headquarters on that day.

Dhaka’s ambitious Metro Rail service, connecting Uttara to Motijheel, has significantly impacted the traditional public transport ecosystem, especially affecting bus services on the Mirpur-Agargaon-Farmgate-Paltan route. The introduction of this modern transit option has led to a sharp decline in bus ridership, with operators reporting a 30-40% reduction in the number of buses on this route. Transport proprietors are bracing for a further decline in bus numbers as the warmer months approach, predicting that the allure of the metro’s air-conditioned comfort will draw even more commuters away from buses. The diminished appeal of buses, once a staple for Dhaka’s commuters, is particularly noticeable during peak metro operational hours, despite an observable decrease in traffic congestion. Read more: Quader provides update on Metro Rail extension till Tongi The potential extension of metro rail service hours beyond the current 7:10 am to 8:40 pm timeframe threatens to exacerbate the financial strain on bus operations, prompting owners to consider rerouting their fleets or selling them off. “From a daily tally of 500-600 buses, we’ve plummeted to just 300-400 buses on the Mirpur-Agargaon-Farmgate-Paltan route,” stated Md Shahjahan, Managing Director of Shikhor Paribahan, highlighting the scale of the downturn.

A total of nine arson attacks were reported across the country from 8 pm last night to 6 am today (November 12, 2023), according to the Fire Service and Civil Defence. Of these, 7 arson attacks were reported in Dhaka’s Jatrabari, Gulistan, Gabtoli, near Notre Dame College, Rupnagar, Sutrapur and Mirpur areas, said Talha Bin Zashim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defense Media Cell, this morning. All the arson attacks in Dhaka were on buses ahead of the countrywide 48-hour blockade of roads, rail lines and waterways. Read: Arsonists set fire to another bus in Dhaka's Mirpur Moreover, the miscreants also set a pickup van and a bus on fire in Gazipur and Barishal respectively in the same period. Supporters of BNP and its associate bodies brought out a procession in favour of the blockade this morning in Barishal city and they also burnt tyres on the streets. Read: Fire Service records 15 arson incidents across country in 37 hrs till Thursday evening At a virtual press briefing, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Saturday called upon the country’s people and BNP supporters to observe the blockade and make it successful. Read more: 13 arson incidents reported in 27 hours till this morning: Fire Service

Ten people were dead and 27 were injured in 1,475 fire incidents that occurred across Bangladesh last month (October 2023), Fire Service and Civil Defence has said. Of them, 163 fire incidents occurred in Dhaka city where three persons died and 15 suffered injuries, according to a press release issued by the Fire Service today (November 07, 2023). Read: 21 arson incidents reported in 38 hrs till Monday evening: Fire Service The number of fire incidents in Dhaka increased by 8 in October, from 155 in September, reads the press release. According to the statistics, on average more than 5 fire incidents occurred per day in Dhaka city in October, and Mirpur saw most of the fires. However, monthly statistics showed that the number of fire incidents across the country decreased by 102 in October from 1,577 in September. According to the press release, 501 fire incidents occurred in Dhaka division, 55 in Mymensingh, 239 in Chattogram, 213 in Rajshahi, 149 in Khulna, 59 in Sylhet, 66 in Barishal, and 193 in Rangpur last month. Read: Fire Service records 12 arson incidents across country in 11 hrs till Sunday morning As many as 167 people were dead and 830 were injured in other accidents, and the fire service participated in rescue operations involving 846 incidents, it said. Of them, 690 were road accidents, according to the press release. Apart from this, there were 10 accidents caused by gas cylinder explosions, 13 due to faults in gas lines, 21 elevator accidents, 3 lightning incidents, and 58 drowning incidents. Thirty-eight people drowned in rivers, ponds and other water bodies across the country last month. Among them, 44 occurred in Dhaka city areas alone, killing 8 and injuring 7. Read: Mob sets fire to Fire Service vehicle in Dhaka's Shahjahanpur The fire service also said their offices across the country provided services responding to 4,817 calls over incidents of fire and accidents in October. Besides, the fire service also provided ambulance services in response to 1,139 calls. In the month of October, 1,164 patients were transported and provided services across the country.

Some arsonists on Sunday tried to set fire to one of Dhaka University's student carrier BRTC buses in the capital on the first day of a 48-hour countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP and like-minded opposition parties. The incident took place in the capital's Mirpur area around 4 pm. Maksud Kamal takes charge as 29th VC of Dhaka University However, they failed to set fire to the bus. DU transport manager, Mohammad Kamrul Hasan, said, "As far as I know, some miscreants tried to set fire on one of our Double decker BRTC buses, named Choitali, when it was carrying local passengers, not our students." Bangladeshi nurses practically efficient but face problems abroad due to language barrier: FM Asked about the damages from the fire, he said, "We have hired those buses from BRTC and they mainly take care of those vehicles. However, the fire caused no severe damage to the bus or life, except burning some portions of seats. Passengers on the bus managed to extinguish the fire." DU proctor Prof. Makshudur Rahman, said, "The information floating in the social media is baseless. Some people tried to set fire to a match when the bus was returning from a dawn trip and it was carrying regular passengers. When the passengers noticed it, they extinguished the fire. BRTC will take care of this and it is not related to us." Students must develop other skills alongside education: Mustafa Jabbar "Actually some people are trying to portray a fearful situation by exaggerating the incident so that we postpone regular classes and exams. But it is not expected to be," he added.

A bus of Shikor Paribahan was set on fire by unidentified miscreants in Dhaka’s Murpur 11 on Sunday amid the countrywide 48-hour blockade enforced by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties. HAAB writes to PM for refixing hajj airfare The incident took place around 7pm and two firefighting units  rushed to the spot around 7:04pm, said Tanha Bin Zasim, station officer of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Control Room (media cell). Another bus set ablaze at Banglamotor No casualties were reported. Earlier, at around 3:45pm, a BRTC double-decker bus was set on fire by unidentified miscreants in Dhaka's Mirpur area, in front of the Government Bangla College. 48-hr countrywide blockade: Violence, arson attack, clashes marks 1st day blockade

Commuters can now take the Metro Rail using Mirpur-10 station, as the government opened it for public this morning (March 01, 2023), nearly two months after the inauguration of the country’s much-awaited metro rail. According to the Metro Rail authority, the train can pick up and drop off passengers at Mirpur-10 station from today. With this, five out of nine Metro Rail stations have been opened, so far. Also Read: Metro Rail: Uttara Centre station to open on February 18, Mirpur-10 station on March 1 The government started the operation of Metro Rail service on December 28 last year on a limited scale, and there was no stoppage between Uttara North and Agargaon stations. On December 29, the government made the metro rail open to the public. Later, the government opened Metro Rail’s Pallabi and Uttara Centre stations on January 25 and February 18, respectively. Four other stations -- Uttara South, Mirpur-11, Kazipara and Shewrapara -- will be opened to the public in phases. Read More: Dhaka Metro Rail Uttara to Agargaon Route: A Detail Overview

The 230 kV grid line from Aminbazar-Agargaon failed at 5:50 am today (February 21, 2023)— leading to no electricity in the western part of Dhaka city, including the entire Mohammadpur and Mirpur areas. Officials from both Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) and Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited  (DPDC) confirmed the development. “The grid transmission line tripped at 5:50 am,” Badruddoza Sumon, Public Relation Officer of the PGCB told UNB. Further explaining, he said due to the dense fog, sometimes grid lines can break down. Also Read: National power grid failure: Blackout across Bangladesh This is not a technical fault of the system, he added. He informed that the PGCB engineers are trying hard to restore the system by checking transmission towers. Aminbazar-Mohammadpur grid line is one of the main sources supplying electricity to some of Dhaka city’s important establishments, including the Prime Minister’s official residence and Dhaka cantonment. Power supply continued through alternative sources to those important establishments although regular consumers are without electricity. Read More: Committee to review existing deals on coal purchase for power generation Maniruzzaman, executive engineer of the Mohammadpur power distribution division of the DPDC, said power supply could not be restored until 9 am.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (February 19, 2023) inaugurated the Mirpur-Kalshi flyover to vehicular movement. The flyover has been constructed to ease commute in Mirpur, Mirpur DOHS, Pallabi, Kalshi, Mahakhali, Banani, Uttara and Dhaka airport. The prime minister opened the flyover to traffic from a function at Kalshi intersection, adjoining Balur Math, in Dhaka. The 2,335m long flyover has been built under the Road Widening and Development Project from ECB Square to Mirpur and the Construction of Flyover on Kalshi Circle Project, which got ECNEC approval on January 9, 2018. Read more: Want peace, but ready to resist external attack: PM Hasina Under the project, 3.70km stretch of road from the ECB square to Kalshi was also widened. Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and the Bangladesh Army (24 Engineer Construction Brigade) implemented the project at a cost of around Tk 1,012 crore. According to the project details, the flyover looks like the English alphabet ‘Y’. The previously four-lane roads have been widened to six lanes to ease commute. Read More: Remove posters, writings from Dhaka’s flyovers in 2 weeks: HC The main four-lane flyover runs from ECB square towards Kalshi and Mirpur DOHS, while a two-lane ramp descends from Kalshi intersection to Kalshi Road. The project also includes extension of a PC girder bridge, construction of two foot bridges, a public toilet, two police boxes, a 7.40 km RCC drain and saucer drain, a 1755m RCC pipe drain, retaining wall, 3383m communication duct, 8 lakh-linear metre sand compaction pile, separate cycle lane, and six bus bays. On her arrival at the venue, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam, Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, Dhaka-16 MP Md Elias Uddin Mollah, and Local Government Division Secretary Muhammad Ibrahim welcomed her. Read More: Flyovers to be constructed in haor region, not roads: Planning Minister.