While the northern regions of Bangladesh are experiencing cooler mornings with thick fog, residents of Dhaka and other parts of the country remain largely unaffected by the chill, as winter continues to delay its arrival. In recent years, the country has typically felt the onset of winter in January, with temperatures dropping significantly between January and February. Md Bazlur Rashid, a meteorologist at the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, said that while some regions are experiencing a mild chill, a proper winter is unlikely to be felt in December. "Some people are feeling a bit of cold, but there is no chance of winter being felt in December," he said. Low pressure area likely to form over Bay Tuesday He attributed the cooler sensations to changes in wind patterns rather than a true seasonal shift, adding that the country can expect winter to begin in January. “The monsoon season is no longer active.” Winter’s First Signs in Panchagarh and Nilphamari In the northern district of Panchagarh, often referred to as the ‘Daughter of the Himalayas’, the arrival of winter seems imminent. Dense fog has blanketed the area, falling like dew throughout the night and lingering well into the morning, creating a thick, misty atmosphere. According to the Met Office, the departure of the south-west wind, coupled with the presence of clouds in the sky, has contributed to this fog, signalling the forthcoming winter. In Nilphamari, the town has been engulfed in fog since the midnight of October 12, with visibility reduced to the extent that flights at Syedpur airport were disrupted on that day. The fog serves as another early indicator that winter is on its way to the northern regions, even as the rest of the country waits for its arrival. Winter Vegetables Hit Markets Despite the delayed winter, markets across the capital are already buzzing with winter vegetables, though prices remain steep. In markets such as Jinjira, Aganagar in Keraniganj, and the capital’s Karwan Bazar, Newmarket, and Hatirpool Raw Market, vegetable stalls are well-stocked with produce, including aubergine, cucumber, pointed gourd, snake beans, papaya, and bitter gourd. Winter staples such as beans, carrots, radishes, cauliflower and cabbage have also made an appearance. Dhaka’s air quality continues to be ‘unhealthy’ However, vegetable sellers at Karwan Bazar report that recent rains and floods have driven up prices. In some cases, vegetable prices have surged by as much as Tk 20 in just one week, further straining household budgets amid an already challenging economic climate. Chill to Intensify in January Though winter remains elusive in much of the country, meteorologists predict that temperatures will drop significantly in the coming months, particularly in the northern and hilly regions, where the average temperature can fall to 12°C. January is expected to be the coldest month, with average temperatures across Bangladesh dropping to around 10°C. As the colder months approach, residents in these regions are bracing for the seasonal chill. Bangladesh’s winter, though typically mild, brings a welcome respite from the high humidity and sweltering heat experienced throughout much of the year. For now, as the late arrival of winter looms, the country’s residents wait in anticipation of cooler days ahead. Read more: 10 Tasty Immunity Boosting Winter Soup Recipes for Children

Tetulia of Panchagarh district, this morning (January 03, 2024), recorded this winter's lowest temperature so far in the country at 7.4 degrees Celsius. A mild to moderate cold wave is sweeping over the districts of Dinajpur, Panchagarh, and Nilphamari, and it may continue. Dhaka recorded 14.9 degrees Celsius during this period, according to the Met office. Moderate to dense fog may prevail over the country during midnight to morning, and it may continue till noon at places across the country. Kurigram shivers as temperature drops significantly Air traffic, inland river transport, and road communication may be disrupted due to the dense fog. Night and day temperatures may remain nearly unchanged across the country. Due to dense fog, cold may prevail across the country. The weather may remain dry, with temporary partly cloudy skies over the country. Cold wave sweeps parts of country; lowest temperature recorded in Nilphamari’s Syedpur

The country is going to have another tea auction centre in Panchagarh within the next month, the north-western district bordering India, as the cultivation of tea in the plains is becoming popular. “Within one month we will get the third tea auction centre here,” Panchagarh Deputy Commissioner M Jahurul Islam said. At present, there are two tea auction centres – in Chattogram and in Sylhet’s Sreemangal. The authorities concerned have already completed preparations in this regard, said the Deputy Commissioner of Panchagarh. The number of tea gardens in the plains of Panchagarh and Thakurgaon is increasing day by day as they are bringing in more money for the farmers. Among the farmers of Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts, interest in tea cultivation has peaked. Man’s body recovered from tea garden in Sylhet Once the Panchagarh auction centre starts operation, tea producers in the northern region of Bangladesh will benefit from reduced transportation cost. In the initial stage, its activities will be conducted through a virtual platform before gradually becoming a full-fledged auction centre. “Overall, the activity of the auction centre will help develop the quality of the tea produced here,” Jahurul Islam said. With the development of small- and large-scale tea cultivation, more people are being employed while the economic base of the region is getting stronger. Tea garden workers continue strike in Sylhet As a result, in the last 14 years, there has been a drastic change in the quality of life of tea plantation workers in these districts. As per the official documents obtained from the DC offices of these two districts, it is seen that in the last fiscal year, some 12,079 acres of land in Panchagarh district and 1,457 acres in Thakurgaon were used for tea cultivation. The area of land for tea cultivation in 2005-06 fiscal was 925 acres in Panchagarh district while it was nil for Thakurgaon district. Tea garden workers: Can their wages ever be realistic? During a visit to these two districts, it was seen that farmers and major business establishments were cultivating tea in the plains. Small and large tea gardens are being developed around each house on individual initiatives. “I cultivated tea on two bigha land next to the house. I have been cultivating tea on my land since 2013. My children and I work in my garden. We picked tea leaves just a few days ago. Now, new leaves are growing,” Solaiman Islam of Tetulia, under Panchagarh district, said. Another tea farmer of the same upazila, Mumtaz Begum, said that earlier she used to grow paddy but now she has become self-sufficient by growing tea. Glimpses of ‘Smart Bangladesh’ in remote Panchagarh areas “Small tea farmers like me sell leaves to factories,” she said. In 1996, on the advice of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the people of Panchagarh took the initiative to cultivate tea in the plains. Following that, tea cultivation started in the district in 1999. With the success of the initiative in Panchagarh, tea cultivation started in Thakurgaon district too. The production of green tea leaves in Panchagarh district in 2022-23 fiscal was 9,02,74,632 kg while it was only 2,30,000 kg in 2005-06 fiscal. The production of green tea leaves was 1,09,71,757 kg in Thakurgaon in the last fiscal while it was 25,23,504 kg in 2005-06. The number of big tea gardens in Panchagarh was only one with 172 small ones. The number of big tea gardens in 2022-23 fiscal is nine with 8,355 small ones. The number of running mills was one in 2005-06 while it is 26 in 2022-23 fiscal. Employed tea garden workers were 1,475 in 2005-06 fiscal while it is 15,000 in 2022-23. The income from tea sales was Tk 1.2 crore in 2005-06 fiscal while it is Tk 280 crore in 2022-23 fiscal. Read more: Health benefits of floral teas: 10 blends you can try

The world for people of remote areas in the northern district, Panchagarh, has changed in just 15 years. They are now enjoying cashless services, which makes life much easier. People living in remote areas of Panchagarh are utilising the opportunities of ‘Digital Bangladesh’, a campaign initiated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2009. The success of transforming Bangladesh into ‘Digital Bangladesh’ has created the solid ground to move towards a ‘Smart Bangladesh’, which was announced by the Prime Minister recently. The government has set four bases — smart citizens, smart economy, smart government and smart society — to make the country 'Smart Bangladesh'. Read:Daily transaction of MFS crosses Tk3200 crore: BB The aim: every citizen will be skilled in using technology, economic activities will run through using technology, and the government will be technologically smart. What was unthinkable before 2009 is now the reality for people in remote Panchagarh, as they are getting over 20 important services at home without any hassle from union parishads. While visiting the Panchagarh Sadar Union Parishad complex, local businessman Abdullah Al Faruque, who is a beneficiary, said that he has received his required trade license by just providing his NID number. “This cashless system is facilitating any person to get his/her desired document by just providing the NID number to the system as the officials can easily verify all relevant information,” he said. The concerned official provided him the trade license within 2-3 minutes after matching the required information from his NID. Read: MFS transactions record breached again in April; number of accounts now 26.5 crore “We’ve eliminated waste of time and money which was unavoidable in the past,” Faruque said. This transformation began more than 14 years back when the Prime Minister envisioned advancing the country into a developed one by 2041. Taking advantage of the Digital Bangladesh initiative, Panchagarh district administration tookthe measures to make their services technology dependent. Digital transactions are now being used to provide services, which have reduced time, cost and travel difficulties alongside offering better services. Due to initiatives of the Awami League government, these necessary services are being availed quickly and MFS (mobile financial service) has also made it easier. As a result, revenues of the government have increased, the hassles have been reduced, and the desired service has become available. Read more: BFIU suspends cash out from 230 MFS accounts over transactions through hundi Latifa Banu, another beneficiary, said that she has been receiving maternity allowance over last two years and collecting the allowance from the UP for one-and-a-half years. “Earlier, I had to go to different shops, but now, I am just providing my fingerprint and receiving my allowance easily from the UP centre,” she said. Halima Begum, who came to Panchagarh Sadar Union Parishad to collect the citizenship certificate, said that it was not so easy before. She mentioned that after obtaining a certificate from the Union Parishad, there was the trouble of getting signatures on it. A person had to come to collect his/her certificate. “Now, if you apply with the number of the NID card, the signed certificate will be issued. I like this system,” she said. Read more: Budget will help to build Smart Bangladesh: Speakers Panchagarh entered the cashless era when this service was first introduced in the Tirnoihat union of Tetulia. With this, the union parishad of the upazila was on its way to become ‘Smart Bangladesh’. Cashless services were later introduced to other UPs. The beneficiaries can avail 20 services easily from there. People are now getting the services by visiting the uniontax.gov.bd website from the comfort of their homes. Deputy Commissioner Md. Jahurul Islam said that over 70,000 people of 43 union parishads and three municipalities in the district have received services from uniontax.gov.bd and pouroseba.gov.bd platforms. An entrepreneur of Union Digital Center said that online service was launched experimentally in Tetulia upazila in the fiscal year 2019-20, but on January 6 this year, the service started in Tirnoihat UP of Tetulia upazila through the inauguration of cashless service. Before introducing the platform, any service seeker had to visit the union parishad three times, requiring 7-15 days, on average. But, in the digital and cashless system, he/she doesn’t even need to visit UP. Read more: Budget is inconsistent with goals of Smart Bangladesh: Speakers The deputy commissioner said that after the introduction of the Digital Union Cashless Service, revenue is being deposited directly into the UP’s bank account. He said the local government system is strengthened through cashless services and this is another step towards the making of ‘Smart Bangladesh’.

Mahmudul Alam Babu, chairman Sadhurpara UP in Jamalpur who is a suspect in the murder of Banglanews24.com journalist Golam Rabbani Nadim, was detained from Debiganj upazila of Panchagarh district early Saturday (June 17, 2023). Members of Rapid Action  Battalion (RAB) detained Babu and two others around 5 am in Chilahati union of the upazila, said Jamal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Debiganj Police Station. Also Read: Journalist injured in attack by miscreants in Jamalpur dies  They were trying to flee the country by crossing the border, RAB sources said. RAB will later brief the media on this detention. Golam Rabbani's wife, Monira Begum, alleged that her husband was killed on the orders UP chairman Mahmudul Alam Babu due to his news reporting. Also Read: Take immediate action against journalist Rabbani's killers: Sultana Kamal-led MSF Golam Rabbani was returning home on June 14 when he was attacked by a group of terrorists in Bakshiganj upazila. The assailants physically assaulted him before fleeing the scene, leaving him unconscious. He died at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital the following day. Monira claimed that her husband had been subjected to various forms of harassment before the incident, and it was the chairman's associates who carried out the killing. She demanded exemplary punishment of those involved in the incident. Also Read: TIB condemns killing of journalist Rabbani

A stone quarry worker who was shot and injured allegedly by the members of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) at the Korotoa River at Bagulahagi in Tetulia upazila, died on Sunday night. The deceased was identified as Palash Hossain, 35, son of Abdur Rahman of Bagulahagi village. Lieutenant Colonel Zubayed Hasan, commanding officer of BGB-15, said Palash along with some other Bangladeshi nationals were collecting stones from the Korotoa River at noon. At one stage, the BSF members from Gingrich camp opened fire on them, leaving Palash injured. Later, he was taken to Panchagarh Modern Hospital from where he was sent to Rangpur Medical College and Hospital for better treatment. But later at night, he succumbed to his injuries at the Rangpur Medical College and Hospital. However, BGB members sent a letter to BSF protesting the incident.

Reacting to Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir calling the Ahmadiyya community’s recent religious event in Panchagarh “controversial”, a spokesperson of the community said it “goes against their constitutional right”. “The government gave permission to hold this controversial event,” Fakhrul said in a press conference on March 13, video of which has generated reaction among netizens on social media. Speaking on the issue, Ahmad Tabsir Chowdhury, a spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya community, said, “First, Mirza  Fakhrul puts the blame squarely on the government, saying the attack on our religious event was staged by the government to divert public attention, and now he finds it convenient to call our congregation ‘controversial’.” Also Read: Fakhrul says govt allowed the Ahmadiyya religious event, calls it ‘controversial’ Referring to their constitutional right, Ahmad said, “Our religious gathering was set to be held within our premises. We have a right to hold such peaceful events.” Ahmad questioned: “How can he disregard our rights by calling our congregation ‘controversial’? We didn’t seek permission from the government to hold our event in a busy commercial area like Paltan in Dhaka. Rather, we planned to hold it inside our premises, it was on our property.” “When such irresponsible remarks come directly from a major political leader like Fakhrul, we are gravely disheartened,” the Ahmadiyya community spokesperson said. He further requested all political parties to at least maintain a modicum of decency while making comments on issues involving any minority community. Also Read: Govt orchestrated attacks on Ahmadiyya only to gain political mileage: Fakhrul Fakhrul’s remark came at a time when Basherkella – a pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Twitter account – condemned police action to stop the violence over the Ahmadiyya religious event and called for “boycotting” the community. The Ahmadiyya community has called it a “hate campaign” against them. Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum issued a statement on March 5, asking the government to officially declare the Ahmadiyya community “non-Muslim”.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said  that majority of the attackers on Qadiani community’s event ‘Salana Jalsa’ are BNP and Jamaat supporters. “Police have the names of those people who carried out the attack on Qadiani community’s event ‘Salana Jalsa’ in Panchagarh. Most of them were BNP-Jamaat supporters.  They created chaos and attacked there.  The incident took two lives”, said Hasan Mahmud. The minister made the remarks while sharing views with the newly elected committee of Bangladesh PhotoJournalist Association at secretariat. Mentioning that Panchagarh occurrence was not any isolated incident the minister said that as the BNP does politics with communal extremist groups they are trying to make more such incidents happen.  Read more: Jammat, BNP involved in Panchagarh violence: Asaduzzaman “It is being looked into whether the Rohingya camp incident was related to any sabotage,” said Hasan Mahmud while replying to a question about the recent fire incidents. He also claimed that the Science Lab building explosion and the Sitakunda fire were just accidents.  

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Monday held Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP responsible for anti-Ahmadyya violence in Panchagarh that left two people dead and dozens injured. Talking to reporters at his Secretariat office the home minister said that local Jamaat activists and BNP leaders were involved in obstructing the Ahmadyyas from holding their religious event and besides torching their houses. He said several thousand Ahmadyyas live in the area and their Salna Jalsa has been an annual event there.“But this year, the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP leaders obstructed them. They also carried out arson attacks on their houses and raided the venue of event,” he said.He said the clashes claimed a member of the Ahmadyya community, while an activist of Jamaat-e-Islami died during the violence, he said. Earlier reports said that the violence on Friday left two people killed and at least 50 others injured.Already seven cases have been filed in this connection while 81 people have been arrested so far. BNP leader Fazle Rabbi was among the arrestees, said the minister. Read more: Clash over Ahmadiyya event: Over 8,200 sued, 81 arrested in PanchagarhFollowing interrogation, Fazle Rabbi admitted that he was there to stop the religious event and he also led the protest from behind the scenes, said Asaduzzaman.A RAB member was also injured and a vehicle of the agency was also vandalised during the violence, he said.However, the situation in the area is normal now and more cases are under way, he added.Replying to a question about any advance information from an intelligence source about the Panchagarh incident, the minister said “Efforts are on to investigate why the members of the community got so angry this year? Whether there is any negligence on the part of law enforcers will be found out. Already a probe committee has been formed in this connection and action will be taken if we find any negligence over the issue.”Responding to a question about the BNP allegation that the government has created the incident to repress the BNP, the minister said “Awami League never goes against the people of the country. Where Awami League is in charge of providing security to the people then why would they do such an incident? Those who were behind the incident are spreading rumours to hide them.” On the massive fire at Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp, Asaduzzaman said the government is investigating whether there was any sabotage in it.“We are investigating to find out what caused the fire and whether there was any sabotage or conspiracy,” he said.The government has taken steps for sheltering those who lost their houses in the fire. He said Rohingyas can go to Bhashan Char as the government has taken huge preparation for resettling the displaced Myanmar nationals on the island. “If they want they can go voluntarily they will be taken there,” he said.

Demanding that the government officially declare the Ahmadiyya community “non-Muslim”, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum issued a statement on March 5. The statement released on Jamaat’s website says: “Bangladesh is a Muslim majority country where 90 percent people are Muslims. In this country, Qadiani (Ahmadiyya) community is committing reckless activities against Islam. The Islam-loving people will never accept it. The government’s role in this regard is questionable.” “The government should resolve the Qadiani crisis permanently paying full heed to the public views and also to declare Qadiani Non-Muslim officially,” the statement added. On Friday, a protest march against an Ahmadiyya religious event moved towards the Ahmednagar area in Panchagarh. As police stopped the procession at Chowrangi intersection, the men started throwing brickbats at the law enforcers, according to reports. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells to disperse them, witnesses said. Two men died and scores, including policemen, sustained injuries in the clash. Some journalists covering the violence were also among the injured. Shops in Panchagarh town were closed down as violence induced panic among people. The angry mob also looted around 20 houses belonging to the Ahmadiyya community located in Ahmednagar. According to a report published in The Daily Star today, the Ahmadiyya community in Panchagarh district are living in fear of further attacks from hardliners. Many members of the community, particularly the elderly, women and children, have left their houses and are taking shelter in educational institutions or relatives’ homes, adds the report. Meanwhile, since Friday’s violence, a series of tweets were posted from the verified account of Basherkella – known as a “Jamaat mouthpiece” – with “police brutality” and “boycott Qadiani (Ahmadiyya)” in hashtags. Members of the community are calling this a “hate campaign” against Ahmadiyyas.