United News of Bangladesh

Manikganj, May 17 (UNB) – A Manikganj court on Tuesday sentenced two people to death and four others to life imprisonment for killing a private car driver in 2011. Manikganj Additional District and Session Judge Utpal Bhattacharya handed down the punishment and fined each of the convicts Tk 50,000. The condemned convicts were identified as Omar Hossain Saiful and Arifuzzaman Sajib. Both of them were tried in absentia. The lifers are Abdullah Al Mamun, Farhad Hossain, Mohammad Ali Shimanto and Azim Khan. Of them Shimanto was tried in absentia. According to the prosecution, Jahangir Alam, son of Mokhlesur Rahman of Haluaghat in Mymensingh district was strangled to death by the convicts at Kusanda in Ghior upazila of Manikganj district on January 28, 2011. READ: Woman, 2 daughters hacked dead in Manikganj: Husband held Police filed an FIR in this connection and later filed a murder case. Later, police arrested six people for their alleged involvement in the killing. Police submitted chargesheet against six people on February 26, 2012.

Low-lying areas in Sylhet city have been inundated as flood situation worsened in the district due to heavy rains and onrush of water from the upstream. Floodwater started to enter dwelling houses, shops and other establishments as Surma River is flowing above its danger level, inundating the suburbs of Sylhet city, Sobhanighat, Kalighat, Chandnighat, Chararapar, Sheikhghat, Taltala, Kalapara, Majumdarpara, Machimpur. People spent sleepless nights in different parts of the city on Monday as they had to shift their important belongings to safer places. Also read: Flood situation worsens in Sunamganj, Sylhet; thousands marooned Shelter centers have been opened at Kishori Mohan and Machimpur schools in the city for the flood victims, said Nur Azizur Rahman, chief executive officer of Sylhet City Corporation. Joynal Abedin, a resident of Charapar in the city, said, "It is true that rain and onrush water are responsible for this flood situation. But the poor navigability of the Surma River, the city's clogged drains, sewerage line clogged with garbage and the lack of proper supervision of the authorities concerned are all responsible for this misery.” Senior Lawyer and Journalist of Sylhet Taj Uddin said the rainwater in the city used to drain out through various canals through Shahparan area. But the path of drainage got clogged due to different developmental works. “Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) did not take any measure in this regard.” In order to solve water logging problem,, Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) started the work of repairing about 1100 kms of drains in the metropolitan area in 2012. According to SCC, 75 per cent of the work of this project involving Tk 300 crore has been completed.

Export of different varieties of mangoes to Europe started from Satkhira district on Tuesday. The export began formally after collecting mangoes from the orchard of Moksed Ali at Chanka village in Sadar upazila. Deputy director of Satkhira DAE Nazrul Islam, some 600 metric tonnes of mangoes will be exported this year from across the country to England, Germany, Italy, France and Denmark. Of which, 100 mts will be exported from Satkhira. Also read: Early harvesting of mangoes puts Satkhira farmers in trouble Ziel International Limited, an exporting firm, collected mangoes of different varieties including Gobindabhog, Himsagar, Langra and Amrapali from the orchard for export. According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), this year 4,115 hectares of land have been brought under mango cultivation in the district with a target to produce 50000- 60000 metric tonnes of mangoes.

Three people were injured when a bailey bridge in Lalmohan upazila of Bhola collapsed with a stone-laden truck and other vehicles on Tuesday. Locals said the Roads and Highways Department is constructing a new girder bridge over a canal in Daori Bazar area of ​​the upazila and a temporary bailey bridge was built next to the under -construction bridge for traffic movement. Also read:Worker killed, 20 others hurt as bridge collapses in Rangamati The bailey bridge collapsed into the canal around 11am when a stone-laden truck and some other vehicles were crossing the bridge, leaving three people, including the truck driver, injured. On information, police and fire fighters conducted a joint operation to salvage truck and other vehicles. Meanwhile, traffic movement on Bhola-Char Fashion road has been suspended due to the collapse of the bridge, forcing people to cross the river by boat. Also read: Barguna: Poorly planned bridges render re-excavated canal unnavigable Md Nazmul Islam, executive engineer of Roads and Highways Department, said the bridge will be repaired by Wednesday. The present width of the 94 km long regional highway from Bhola Sadar upazila to Baburhat of Char Fashion is about 18 feet. It is being widened to 30 feet. For the development of the road, four bridges and 43 culverts are being reconstructed.

Benapole Transport Agency Owners Association has called off their indefinite strike demanding adequate cranes and forklifts for the country's largest land port.  The decision to withdraw the strike scheduled to begin from Tuesday  was taken after assurance from the port authorities to fulfill the demands at a joint meeting, said Azim Uddin Gazi, general secretary of Benapole Transport Agency Owners Association. Also read: Benapole transport owners call indefinite strike from Tuesday “If the demands are not met within June 16, the association will announce stricter programmer  in this regard,” he said. Mamun Kabir Tarafdar, Deputy Director of Benapole Port said,” A decision has been taken to add three new cranes and three new forklifts within next 15 days. And within next two months all the old cranes and forklifts will be changed.” Also read: 8 held over clash at Benapole port, trade resumes Earlier, Nayan, a representative of the owners, said that almost all the cranes and forklifts at the port have become obsolete. As a result, they have to pay extra money to rent trucks every day which is causing huge losses, Nayan added.

Two siblings died reportedly after inhaling toxic gas accumulated inside a septic tank of an under-construction building at Hajiganj Bazar in Haziganj upazila of Chandpur district on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Rabbani, 38 and Mohon, 22- two sons of Sajeman Ali of Nachole upazila in Chapainawabganj district. Also read: Madrasa girl ‘kills self’ in Chandpur Zobair Syed, officer-in-charge of Hajiganj Police Station, said the two brothers went to clean a septic tank in an under-construction building in the area around 9:30 am. Mohon first climbed down the septic tank. When no response came from Mohon after a long time, Rabbani then got into the septic tank. As he didn’t come out, local people informed the matter to local Fire Service men who rescued them. Also read: Seeing elder brother’s body, man dies in Chandpur Later, they were taken to Hajiganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead.

Residents of low-lying areas in Sunamganj city have been forced to leave their houses, with the flood situation worsening in the wake of the Surma river breaching the danger mark. Due to incessant rains in neighbouring India’s Meghalaya district over the last few days and onrush of upstream hilly waters, many rivers in Sunamganj have breached the danger mark. Also read: Flood situation worsens in Sunamganj, Sylhet; thousands marooned “Water is flowing above the danger level at Sholaghar point of the Surma river in the city, along with other rivers like Jadukata River in Tahirpur. Adding to the woes, 102mm of rainfall have been recorded in Sunamganj in the last 24 hours," said Jahurul Islam, executive engineer of the Water Development Board. Meanwhile, in Chhatak upazila, water levels have crossed 152cm in the Surma river, said Md Mamunur Rahman, Chatak upazila nirbahi officer.

Rail communication has resumed between Dhaka and Mymensingh after three hours of suspension in Gazipur.   Eyewitnesses said a few steel "angle irons" fell on three rail tracks from a speedy truck at Sripur-Gosinga road level crossing around 8pm on Monday. Fortunately, no casualty was reported in the incident. Also Read: Dhaka’s rail links with Ctg, Sylhet restored after 10 hrs The rail communication between the capital and Mymensingh remained suspended for three hours as Brahmaputra Express and Mahua Express remained struck on the two sides of the rail line due to the incident. Shamima Akter, station master of Sripur Railway Station, said rail communication has resumed after three hours of pause.  

A Chattogram court on Monday granted bail to BNP Chattogram city unit convener Dr. Shahadat Hossain in two sabotage cases filed by the police. The court of the 5th additional session judge Nargis Akter passed the bail order as Shahadat appealed after appearing before the court. Shahadat’s lawyer advocate ASM Badrul Anwar said, on March 13, the court had issued an arrest warrant against Shahadat as he didn’t present before the court and submitted a time petition through his counsel. Also read: BNP leader Ishraque freed on bail Police filed two separate sabotage cases against the BNP leader at Chakbazar police station on November 21, 2018, on a charge of blasting cocktails at Mehedibag in the port city. Meanwhile,district session judge Abdul Aziz Bhuiyan on Monday granted the time petition of Dr. Shahadat till May 26 in another case filed with Kotwali police station on charge of the attack on police. Also read: BNP leader Moyeen Khan hospitalised

Heavy rains and onrush of upstream hilly waters have worsened the flood situation in Sunamganj and Sylhet districts leaving thousands of villagers marooned in their inundated homes. In Sylhet, the low-lying areas of the district have been flooded due to onrush of water from the upstream, rendering nearly one lakh people marooned, officials said on Monday. The flood situation is also serious in the bordering Kanaighat, Companiganj, Jaintapur and Jakiganj upazilas of the district as the water levels of three rivers are flowing above danger marks. Also read: Flash flood: Low-lying areas in Sunamganj, Sylhet inundated The floodwater started to enter dwelling houses, shops and other establishments as Surma River bust banks flowing above its danger point, inundating the suburbs of Sylhet city, Sobhanighat, Kalighat, Chararpar, Sheikhghat and Masimpur areas.