United News of Bangladesh

Fire broke out at two separate spinning mills in Narayanganj and Narsingdhi on Monday, the fire department said.     No casualties were immediately reported. Details, however, are still sketchy. In Narayanganj the fire was reported in the morning at Mita Spinning Mills in Bhulta area of Gawsia. Also Read: Fire at Sylhet hawkers market doused On information, five firefighting units rushed to the spot around 8:30am and are working to douse the blaze. No casualties were reported and the cause of the fire and losses from it could not be identified immediately. In Narsingdhi the fire broke out at Joj Mia Group Spinning Mills at Baganbari of Madhabdi in Narsingdhi Monday morning. Five firefighting units rushed to the spot at 9:15am and extinguished the fire around 11:45am. No casualties were immediately reported. Also Read: Fire breaks out at Ctg mosquito coil factory    

Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims, means happiness and festivity: People buy new dresses and enjoy the day with special dishes.  But not so for over three lakh families in the 165 char areas ( river shoals) of Gaibandha district. They are too poor to buy new dresses and make special meal for the festival. This year too there won’t be any joy as the char people can hardly manage  three meals a day. Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in Bangladesh on Tuesday. Eid means no special day for them as most of the people in the char areas are jobless and landless. Also Read: Three die in bus-auto collision in Gaibandha It is difficult for them to arrange good food and new dresses on the occasion of Eid. They have no lands of their own and so they migrate to different districts to work as day labourers. The char people are deprived of their basic needs including education, work, food, health and shelter. The residents are living in abject poverty. Besides, they struggle to survive are natural disasters like flood are common. They are also deprived of getting any relief under government programmes. There are four chars along the Teesta river—Kapasia, Belka, Sripur and Haripur in Sundarganj upazila of the district. During a recent visit to Kapasia char, north-east of Gaibandha district town, this correspondent spoke with some families. The residents of Lalchamar village claimed that they did not receive any relief materials. As a result, the men have to go to different other districts during paddy harvesting season to work as day labourers to earn a livelihood.  Moyna Begum, a woman of the village, said her husband Moynul Mia had gone out for work and did not return yet. “I could not buy anything for my three children for Eid. My husband has promised to return soon and buy everything.” The condition of many day labourers' families in Haldia of Saghata upazila, Phulchhari, Gazaria, Uria, Kanchipara of Phulchhari upazila, Kamarjani, Mollarchar, Arendabari of Gaibandha Sadar upazila and 16 unions of the district is no better. People of the char areas in a group had gone to other districts where they stay for months. On the night before Eid, they usually return home to celebrate the festival with their families. Also Read: Khalid inaugurates pilot launch service in Gaibandha Ainul Haque from Lalchamar Char said this year too many people from the char areas have gone to many brick kilns and paddy fields but they are yet to return home. The women from many of such families could manage to buy sugar and vermicelli, a special Eid food, after taking loans. They hardly can manage to get pulao and meat or buy new dresses for their children. Saiduzzaman, chairman of Mollarchar union of Sadar upazila, said it is difficult to meet the demand of all with whatever little relief received from the government. Aminuzzaman Rinku, chairman of Ghagoa union, said the people of char areas have no job and most of the time the male person of a family remains out of home for work in other districts. Eid here does not bring anything special for them, he said.          

A fire that broke out at a hawker's market at Laldighirpar in Sylhet city early Monday, has been doused, officials said. The fire started around 3:30am at the market. On information, several firefighting units have brought the fire under control after three hours of frantic effort.  No casualties were reported immediately. Also Read: Fire breaks out at Ctg mosquito coil factory Mamun Parvez, duty officer of Sylhet Fire Service Control Room, said 17 firefighting units doused the fire around 6:30am. The reason behind the fire and the details about damages could not be known immediately, he added. The tin-shed hawkers' market has around 3,000 shops of cloths. Businessmen feared that their clothes worth Tk crores were gutted by the fire. Abdus Sobhan, secretary of the market managing committee, claimed that the fire originated from the Bismillah cloth store and gutted around 15-20 shops in the market. Also Read: Fire at Zaman Tower doused People also looted clothes and valuables during the fire, he claimed. This could not be independently verified.      

Two sisters were found dead on Sunday two days after their father took them with him promising to buy dresses for Eid-ul-Fitr in Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha. Police recovered the bodies of Hashi,12, and Khushi,13 from the Teesta River at Haripur village on Sunday after they remained missing for the last two days, Iftekharul Mokaddem, officer-in-Charge of Sundarganj police station. Aduri Begum, mother of the two girls,  alleged that their father and her ex-husband Hamidur Rahman, resident of Kani Charitabari village, killed the two girls. Also read: Woman found dead in Magura Aduri Begum said she was living with her two daughters at her father’s house in Bajra village in Kurigram since Hamidul divorced her over a family fued. “Two days ago Hamidul came to Bajra and took Hashi and Khushi saying he would buy Eid dresses for them. But they remained missing since then,”said Aduri Begum. Meanwhile, locals of Haripur village on Sunday noon found the floating bodies of the two girls in the river and informed police. Also read: 55-yr-old Hindu woman found dead in Kushtia OC Iftekharul Mokaddem,” We are investigating the matter. It might be a murder incident  as the father remained absconding since the recovery of the bodies.”

Two people were killed  in a collsion between a private car and an auto-rickshaw  in the port city on Sunday.The deceased were identified as RajuDash,40, the auto-rickshaw driver from Halishahar area and Josna Ara Begum, 75, passenger of the private car. The accident occurred around 2:30 pm near Kalushah bypass at Banglabazar area on Sitakunda-Patenga road. Also read: 2 killed in Ctg road accidents The private car heading towards the city from Mirsarai collided with the battery driven auto -rickshaw coming from the opposite side of the road leaving its driver Raju dead on the spot, said the witnesses. Josna Begum was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital in a critical condition where doctors announced her dead , said Zakir Hossain, Officer-in-Charge of Akbar Shah police station.“Josna’s son Maruf and the car driver remained unhurt. The car was seized but the driver managed to flee”, said OC Zakir Hossain. Also read: Two bikers killed in Dhaka road crash

Residents of Shadra and Shamserpur villages in Hajiganj upazila of Chandpur district are celebrating  Eid-ul-Fitr on Sunday in line with the celebration in  Afghanistan, Niger and Mali. The main congregation of Eid-ul-Fitr was held at  the Shadra Darbar Sharif Madrasah premises at 10:30 am led by Pir of Darbar Sharif Mufti Allama. Dr Mufti Baki Billah Mishkat Chowdhury, head pir of the Darbar Sharif told UNB, “ As per Hanafi, Maliki and Hambli if the moon is sighted in the western part of the earth and the news reaches the eastern part of the earth through reliable means, then fasting is Farz  (obligatory) for Muslims in the eastern part and Eid is also obligatory or wajib”. Also read: Crescent moon not sighted; KSA, UAE to celebrate Eid Monday “As the moon was sighted in Afghanistan, Niger and Mali on Saturday and we received the news through a reliable source we are celebrating Eid today. Besides, Eid Jamaat  was also held at Khanka, Askona at Sadarghat area in Dhaka and Badarpur Darbar Sharif in Patuakhali,” he said.

Launch services on the Shimulia-Banglabazar route have been suspended for an indefinite period from Saturday evening due to stormy weather. However, the ferries on the route were operating as usual, said Shafiqul Islam, assistant director-general of Bangladesh Inland and Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC). Read: Over 500 vehicles stranded at Narsinghpur ferry ghat Besides, passengers stranded at the launch ghats have been instructed to cross the ferry. The authorities suspended the launch services from 7 pm on Saturday due to the upcoming nor'wester, locally known as Kal-Baisakhi. BIWTA Assistant Director and Mawa Port Officer, Shahadat Hossain said the launch services on this route will remain suspended until further notice. 85 launches were operating on these routes from 6 am to 8 pm but it was running till 10 pm due to Eid.  

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members on Friday rescued a man who allegedly had gone into hiding out of frustation in January, 2021. According to a press release of Rab-6, Rafiq Hossain,32, left his house around 10:30 am on January 7 and did not return. Also read: Central character in rail tickets scam in RAB custody On January 13, Rafiq’s family filed a general diary (GD) at Sonadanga police station.Later, a team of Rab-6 conducted an operation in Shahin Beach area of Cox's Bazar and rescued Rafiq, added the release. During the preliminary interrogation, Rafiq confessed that he went into hiding to get rid of frustration after losing his job. Rafiq was handed over to Khulna's Sonadanga police station, said Commander Mostaq Ahmed, lieutenant colonel of Rab-6.

Two people were killed and another was injured as lightning struck Saturday at different places in Khansama upazila in Dinajpur. The deceased were identified as Shah Alam, 45, from Pukurpara village in Bher Bheri union and Mazeda Begum, 40, wife of Fazlul Haque from Subarnakhuli Dangapara village. Sheikh Kamal Md Hossain, In-charge of Khansama police station, said Shah Alam died along with his two cows by the lightning strike while milking them at his yard around 9:30 am. His wife sustained injuries from the lightning and was admitted to a local hospital. Also read:  Lightning kills 2 in Sunamganj Haor Meanwhile, Mazeda died as she was struck by lightning while working in the yard of her house, he said. Talha Bin Jashim, senior station officer of Dinajpur Fire Service and Civil Defence said, "Fire tenders have cleared uprooted trees from several roads in Khansama upazila and Birganj upazila since morning to allow transport movement. The trees fell down when a nor’wester swept over the area from 3 am to 7 am on Saturday." Also read: Schoolboy killed by lightning strike during nor’wester in Sherpur

A nor’wester coupled with hailstorm and  thundershower hit Joypurhat, Thakurgaon and Nilphamari districts Friday midnight, leaving a man dead and destroying houses and trees. Sanjay Kumar Mandal, 28, was killed as a tree fell on him at Joypurhat sadar upazila as the storm started around 9:30 pm. Shafiqul Islam, Deputy Director of Joypurhat Department of Agricultural Extension said Boro paddy, jute, corn, banana on 12,700 hectares of land in the district during the two hour long storm. Read: 2-month ban on Hilsa catching to end Saturday midnight A storm swept over Thakurgaon around 12:10 am with heavy rain, hailstorm and lasted for around 40 minutes. Hundreds of trees including a century old Pakur tree at  Thakurgaon Government Boys’ School premises were uprooted during storm across the city and adjacent villages. Roads were blocked by broken tree branches while tin roofs of many houses were seen blown away in the district. Electricity supply was disrupted in many areas though it was restored in parts of the Thakurgaon city after Friday noon, said the locals.   Abu Hossain Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension said corn, Boro paddy were damaged along with mango and litchi trees during the storm accompanied by hailstorm. “Our officers are trying to estimate the extent of damages from the field,” he said. Read: No gas in parts of Dhaka, Savar and southern districts for 48 hrs from 10 pm on May 3 In Nilphamari a storm started around 1 am and lasted for over 10 minutes ,damaging hundreds of houses and Boro paddy. Golam Mostafa, principal of Nilphamari Model College,  said the storm blew away the tin roof of a building and smashed the upper part of the main gate of the college. Deputy Commissioner Khandakar Yasir Arefin said he has been informed about the losses and will take necessary steps after visiting the affected areas.