United News of Bangladesh

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman will cast their votes at the Gulshan Model School and College centre in the capital on Thursday. The Chief Adviser will cast his vote at 10am, according to his press wing. Tarique Rahman is expected to cast his vote between 9:30am and 10am, said Shamsuddin Didar, a staff member of the BNP chairperson’s media wing. Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed will also cast his vote at the same centre around 12pm, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. A total of 127,298,522 voters (in 299 constituencies) are eligible to cast their ballots in this election. Of them, 64,620,077 are male voters, 62,677,232 are female voters and 1,213 are third-gender voters. The country has a total of 127,711,899 voters (in 300 constituencies) –64,825,154 males, 62,885,525 females and 1,220 third-gender. Nearly 800,000 officials will be engaged in election duties in more than 42,600 polling stations in the 299 constituencies, while nearly another 800,000 security personnel will protect the polling stations. Meanwhile, some 50,000 observers from 80 registered domestic organisations will monitor the election, while nearly 500 foreign observers are expected to oversee the election.  

Executive Director of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) Group Captain SM Ragib Samad on Wednesday said there is no restriction or maximum ceiling on carrying cash on domestic air routes. “There is no restriction on carrying cash on domestic routes. No maximum ceiling has been set. Therefore, any amount of money can be carried,” he told reporters responding to a question regarding arrest of Thakurgaon district Jamaat Ameer Belal Uddin with a large amount of cash. Ragib Samad said customs authorities are not involved in matters related to domestic flights as their jurisdiction applies only to international routes where duties and other customs procedures are enforced. Jamaat leader’s arrest with cash ‘stage-managed drama’, party claims   He said the airport authorities contacted customs only for verification due to the size of the amount, and urged journalists not to misinterpret the issue by suggesting that the money was released following customs clearance. “It would be incorrect to say that the release was subject to customs clearance. There was no such requirement. We simply verified the matter with them because the amount was large,” he said, adding, that there was no prior directive or instruction restricting the transportation of cash on domestic routes.

An election observation delegation from the 'Voice For Justice Observers' team paid a courtesy call on Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. The four-member delegation, led by Prof Hasanat M Husain MBE, Convenor, Voice for Justice World Forum and Consultant, UK Ministry of Education, met the Chief Adviser on Wednesday at the State Guest House Jamuna. Lamiya Morshed, Principal Coordinator for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Chief Adviser’s Office, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were also present at the meeting. EU, Japanese election observation missions meet Prof Yunus

Police recovered 10 bomb-like objects from a field, 20-feet away from Baniakandi Government Primary School polling centre in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia district on Wednesday. Jamal Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of Kumarkhali Police Station, said local people spotted two bags on the field and informed police. On information, police, Rab, Army personnel rushed to the spot and recovered the bomb-like objects wrapped with red scotch taps from the two bags. Later those were taken to the police station.  

The interim government on Tuesday published the wealth statements of the Chief Adviser, other advisers and persons of equivalent status, along with those of their spouses, offering a snapshot of their financial positions ahead of the national election. The Cabinet Division issued a notification in this regard.

A total of 26,515 police personnel have been deployed across the capital to ensure maximum security during the national election and the referendum, said DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Muhammad Talebur Rahman on Wednesday. Specialised units including the Bomb Disposal Unit, SWAT, K-9 Unit and Crime Scene Unit will remain deployed in the field alongside security at polling centres, Talebur Rahman told reporters at his office on Minto Road. Dhaka Metropolitan Police has put in place maximum security measures, he said. Police have deployed striking forces, mobile teams and reserve forces in the city, he added. Talebur Rahman said police have stepped up checkposts and patrols in the capital to maintain law and order. “There is no specific threat, but we are on the highest alert. We hope that the election would be held in a peaceful and fair environment,” he added. Assuring voters, he said they can go to polling centres without fear and exercise their fundamental right to vote. “Police are by your side,” he added. Replying to a question, he said law enforcers are fully prepared and maintaining maximum vigilance.

World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved $370 million in financing to improve sanitation and solid waste management services in Dhaka and nearby areas, aiming to cut water pollution and restore rivers and canals. The support will fund the Metro Dhaka Water Security and Resilience Program, which seeks to strengthen the capacity of local and national institutions to tackle water pollution in greater Dhaka. The region accounts for about half of the country’s formal employment and nearly one-third of its GDP, said a press release on Wednesday. The programme will introduce a result-based system to help city corporations and the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) deliver measurable improvements. Under the project, 550,000 people will receive safely managed sanitation services, while 500,000 people will benefit from improved solid waste management. Priority will be given to communities most affected by pollution and service gaps. “Waterbodies are the lifeline for millions of people in greater Dhaka. But rapid and unplanned urbanisation and industrial growth have outpaced the city's capacity to manage wastewater and pollution, affecting public health, the environment and the economy,” said Jean Pesme, World Bank Division Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan. He said the programme would help build the institutional foundations needed to reduce pollution and gradually restore the health of Dhaka’s rivers and canals. Dhaka faces serious wastewater and water pollution challenges and  about 20 percent of residents are connected to a piped sewer system, while just 2 percent use functional fecal sludge management services, said the press relesae. More than 80 percent of untreated wastewater and sewage is discharged into the city’s interconnected waterways. Over half of Dhaka’s canals have either disappeared or become clogged, worsening pollution and reducing water flow. To address these problems, the programme will take a comprehensive approach involving the public and private sectors, as well as city corporations. It will improve service delivery, strengthen regulations and help revive rivers and canals by reducing pollution and restoring flow capacity. Industrial pollution remains a major concern. Around 80 percent of export-oriented garment factories are located in Dhaka, and more than 7,000 factories discharge an estimated 2,400 million litres of untreated wastewater into waterways each day. This contributes to skin diseases, diarrhoea and neurological conditions. The programme will encourage private sector participation, particularly from industries in and around Dhaka, to scale up industrial effluent treatment and water reuse to improve water efficiency and reduce pollution. “The programme is part of a multi-phase, long-term engagement supporting Bangladesh’s broader water security and resilience agenda,” said Harsh Goyal, World Bank Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist and Task Team Leader of the project. He said this phase would focus on reducing pollution discharge into Dhaka’s water bodies, strengthening monitoring and regulatory systems, introducing a comprehensive water quality index for Dhaka’s rivers, establishing digital real-time pollution monitoring and preparing integrated restoration plans for four major rivers around Dhaka. In the first phase, the programme will cover selected areas in Dhaka and Narayanganj. It will expand primary waste collection services, especially in underserved communities near major canals and rivers, and upgrade recycling systems.  

The Ministry of Public Administration has opened a control room to address complaints and information received from field administrations regarding the national election and referendum. The decision was announced in a notice signed by Deputy Secretary Shariful Islam on Tuesday night. According to the notice, the control room has been set up at Room 1802 of Building No. 1 of the ministry. The designated contact number is +8802226641118. The control room will operate from February 10 to February 14 in two shifts daily, from 9:00am to 2:00pm and from 2:00pm to 8:00pm.  Concerned officials and staff members of the ministry will perform duties in the control room during the period. A joint secretary will remain in charge of coordination each day, while two to three officials and staff members will be assigned per shift. The notice further said that officials on duty will communicate with the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Election Commission or the relevant returning officers as necessary to take appropriate action based on complaints or information received from the field administration. The move comes as part of efforts to ensure proper coordination and timely response during the election period.

A four-day holiday began on Wednesday as Bangladesh prepares for the 13th Parliamentary Election and the referendum scheduled for Feb 12. The two-day government-declared general holiday on Feb 11 and 12combined with the weekly holidays on Friday and Saturday (Feb 13 and 14), has created a four-day consecutive break across the country. All government, semi-government, autonomous and private offices along with educational institutions will remain closed on Feb 11 and 12 to ensure voters can exercise their franchise without hindrance and to facilitate polling. Bangladesh Bank has also announced closure of all banks and financial institutions on Feb 11 and 12. Besides, Shop Owners Association have decided to keep shops, commercial establishments and shopping malls closed across the country on Wednesday and Thursday. Despite the general holiday, essential services will remain operational in the public interest. A large number of people have Dhaka ahead of the holidays.

The Burimari Land Port in Patgram, Lalmonirhat, will remain closed for three consecutive days starting Wednesday (Feb 11) ahead of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad election and referendum, officials said Tuesday. The port’s import-export activities will be suspended on Wednesday and Thursday as part of special election arrangements, and Friday is already a weekly holiday, resulting in a three-day closure. Faruk Hossain, president, and ASM Niyaz Nahid, general secretary of the Burimari C&F Agents Association, confirmed the closure in the evening. The C&F Agents Association issued a letter on February 9, citing instructions from the Ministry of Public Administration. The letter informed stakeholders, including customs authorities in Burimari, India’s Changrabandha, Bhutan, port authorities, BGB-BSF commanders, importers-exporters associations, drivers, workers, bank branches, police, immigration offices, and intelligence agencies, about the special holiday on February 11 and 12. Normal operations will resume on February 14. Meanwhile, Burimari Land Port Immigration sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a letter directing the suspension of inbound and outbound movements through the immigration checkpoints from 6:00 am on February 12 to 6:00 am on February 13 to ensure smooth election activities. Faruk Hossain said, “Following government instructions for the 13th parliamentary election, import-export activities will remain closed for two days, plus the weekly holiday on Friday, making it a total of three days. Business operations will resume on February 14.” SI Saifur Rahman of the Burimari Immigration Police confirmed receiving the ministry’s letter regarding the election. Assistant Commissioner of Burimari Customs Delwar Hossain said traders had requested closure for two days, and along with the weekly holiday, the port will remain inactive for three days.