United News of Bangladesh

Four men have been caught on Sunday while attempting to join government service after allegedly securing appointments through proxy candidates who sat for their oral examinations for the post of Office Assistant (Grade-20) under the Ministry of Public Administration. The four were detained when they arrived at the ministry to join their jobs. During questioning, all of them admitted that they had not appeared in the oral examination themselves and that other individuals had taken the test on their behalf, said Md. Mansur Hossen, Public Relations Officer of the ministry. The accused were identified as Md A Alim of Gopalpur upazila in Tangail, Md Ali Haidar of Chauhali upazila in Sirajganj, Md Russell Rana Liton of Nageshwari upazila in Kurigram, and Md Masud Fakir of Sreepur upazila in Gazipur. During interrogation, they disclosed that they had paid money to different individuals in hopes of securing government jobs. Some had already made payments, while others promised to pay after joining the service. Based on the evidence, the Ministry of Public Administration filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station. An investigation would also determine whether other individuals or an organised fraud ring were involved in the recruitment scam, Officials said.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members have arrested three suspected extortionists for torturing a man and his son after kidnapping them in the capital’s Kalyanpur area. The arrestees were Md Billal, 35, Md Jumman, 30, and Sheikh Md Faisal, 35. They were arrested during a drive in Darus Salam area on Saturday, said RAB-4 Company Commander Additional Superintendent of Police K N Roy Niyoti at a press briefing at the battalion headquarters in the capital on Sunday. Police arrest 116,725 nationwide since May According to RAB, victim Md Mahfuzur Rahman, a businessman and resident of Sabujbagh, was returning home on a motorbike with his son from a relative’s house in Mohammadpur shortly after 12:30 am on July 2.

A ninth-grade student was killed after a battery-run electronic rickshaw hit the motorcycle in the capital's Dakshinkhan on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Md Shishir, 17, student of Udayan High School, son of Suman Rahman of Sadar upazila in Lakshmipur district. According to Arafat Rahman, who accompanied him to the hospital, the accident occurred around 10:30 am in the Dobadia of Mollartek. He said Shishir had gone out riding a friend's motorcycle when a speeding battery-run rickshaw struck the motorcycle from behind. The impact threw Shishir onto the road, leaving him with severe head and body injuries. Local people rescued him and took him to a nearby hospital. As his condition worsened, he was transferred to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead at around 3:45 pm. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the police camp at DMCH said the body has been kept at the hospital morgue, and the matter has been reported to the concerned police station for necessary legal action.

A construction worker died after falling from the fifth floor of an under-construction government school building in the capital's Khilgaon on Saturday morning. The deceased was identified as Md Shamim, 22, son of Sadikul Islam of Jagannathpur village in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila. He had been staying at the construction site. Rakibul, a manager of the contracting company, said around 8:10 am Shamim was operating a crane at a building of Khilgaon High School to lift bricks and sand when he accidentally fell from the building. 2 HSC examinees among 3 killed in Narsingdi road crashes He suffered fatal injuries and died on the spot, he said. However, he declined to disclose the name of the contracting company. Officer-in-Charge of the Khilgaon Police Station Md Shafiqul Islam said police recovered the body after receiving information about the incident and sent it to the Dhaka Medical College morgue for post-mortem examination. Legal proceedings are underway, the OC added.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) on Thursday announced a Tk 4,527.74 crore budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, with a focus on urban development, revenue collection, drainage improvement, waste management and dengue control. DNCC Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam Khan unveiled the budget at a press conference held at the corporation's conference room on Thursday afternoon. DNCC to work with RAJUK, WASA to prevent waterlogging, lake bank erosion: Administrator Announcing the budget, the administrator said it had been prepared considering the realities of urban development, revenue collection and implementation, describing it as a timely, practical and development-oriented budget. He said the budget had been structured in line with the government's "Clean Dhaka, Green Dhaka" slogan. According to him, the budget gives priority to controlling dengue mosquitoes and other vector-borne diseases, preventing waterlogging, repairing damaged roads, modernising drainage and manhole systems, ensuring faster household waste collection, expanding and modernising the Aminbazar landfill, accelerating waste-to-energy projects, improving road lighting and road safety. Besides, modernising city corporation markets, preparing a practical plan for hawkers, undertaking development initiatives for slum dwellers, modernising cattle market management, renovating the Gabtoli and Mohakhali bus terminals, reclaiming and restoring canals to maintain water flow, and strengthening tree plantation and cleanliness programmes to build a planned, modern and liveable city, the DNCC Adminisrrator added. The administrator further said he had assumed office four months ago and, despite budgetary constraints, the city corporation had undertaken various initiatives with the overall support of the present government. He said these included construction and repair of roads, measures to reduce waterlogging, strengthening cleanliness activities, dengue control programmes, successful measles vaccination campaigns, prompt removal of sacrificial animal waste, improved waste management through the Aminbazar landfill, rapid field inspections and measures following recent heavy rainfall, raising public awareness for faster household waste disposal, conducting mobile court drives to free footpaths from illegal occupation, intensifying canal recovery and cleaning activities, strengthening tree plantation under the "Clean Dhaka, Green Dhaka" initiative, and distributing educational and sports materials among students. The administrator said all activities in Dhaka city do not fall under the jurisdiction of the city corporation, noting that RAJUK, WASA and the Public Works Department are also involved. He said the city corporation is working in coordination with the relevant agencies to build a waterlogging-free Dhaka North, adding that public cooperation is essential to achieve the goal. He urged city residents to be more aware, saying greater public awareness would help reduce waterlogging, build a dengue-free city and ensure a cleaner urban environment. He added that the city corporation remains engaged in providing services to residents around the clock. DNCC Chief Executive Officer, Chief Engineer, Revenue Officer and other departmental heads were present at the press briefing.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Md Shafiqul Islam on Monday said the city corporation will work in coordination with RAJUK, WASA and other relevant agencies to prevent lake bank erosion and ensure that rainwater no longer remains stagnant on roads in the DNCC area. Speaking to reporters during a visit to the eroded lake bank and waterlogged area in front of Manarat University on Road No. 104 in Gulshan-2, the administrator said a coordinated approach is essential to address the city's recurring waterlogging problem. DNCC administrator claims zero tolerance for tender irregularities under his watch "If city residents become more aware and the drainage system is further improved, rainwater will no longer remain stagnant on roads in the future," he said. He urged residents not to dump waste indiscriminately and called on them to help keep drains clean to ensure smooth drainage. Replying to a question from journalists, Shafiqul Islam said the canals under DNCC that have been encroached upon must be recovered to effectively tackle waterlogging. He said the city's waterlogging problem and the resulting public suffering cannot be resolved unless the canals are restored. "To save the city and build a better urban environment for the future, it is essential to free the canals from encroachment," he said, seeking cooperation from journalists and city residents in the canal recovery drive. The administrator said mosquito infestation has already declined in many parts of the city following the cleaning of several canals and drainage systems, including the Muslim Bazar Canal. He also instructed DNCC officials to take necessary measures for the quick removal of water accumulated on roads and to implement long-term steps to prevent future waterlogging. Later, the administrator visited the Namapara area in Khilkhet to inspect the drainage outlet and directed officials to renovate the Namapara Canal to restore proper water flow and improve drainage. DNCC Chief Waste Management Officer, Chief Engineer, Chief Health Officer, the administrator's private assistant and local BNP leaders, among others, were present during the inspection.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain on Monday said the government will take its next decision regarding Ad-din Medical College Hospital after a fresh inspection to verify whether the institution has addressed the deficiencies identified by the authorities. "If the inspection finds the situation satisfactory, the government will take the decision accordingly," he said while speaking at a press briefing on healthcare services in flood-affected areas at the Secretariat. Ad-din Hospital chief dares Health Minister to prove offer of ‘crores in bribe’ claim The hospital authorities had applied for a fresh inspection after claiming to have corrected the shortcomings, the minister said. Asked whether the government is reconsidering its decision revoking the hospital's licence, he said action had been taken following the deaths of six children, adding that the government would have faced criticism had it failed to respond to the incident. Sakhawat said the hospital had earlier been instructed to address various infrastructural shortcomings, including deficiencies in its Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and the authorities later informed the ministry that the required corrective measures were being implemented. According to him, officials of his ministry will conduct a fresh inspection to assess the actual situation before making any decision. The minister also said the ministry has not yet granted the hospital any final clearance, and a decision will only be taken after the re-inspection. Regarding the affected families, he said he was informed that the hospital authorities provided financial assistance for them. However, Sakhawat noted that a case over the incident is currently pending with the court and that any decision on the legal matter will be made in accordance with the judicial process and the law. On May 27, six newborns died in the postnatal ward at Ad-din Medical College Hospital in the city’s Moghbazar area within three hours. The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) later cancelled the licence of the hospital.

Continuous rainfall since early Sunday has triggered waterlogging in many parts of the capital, causing inconvenience for commuters. Rain started pouring down shortly after midnight and continued until Sunday morning. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) recorded 82 mm of rainfall in Dhaka between 6:00am and 12:00pm, said meteorologist Hafizur Rahman. Due to the downpour, roads in many areas, including Malibagh, Mouchak, Moghbazar, Green Road, Karwan Bazar, Panthapath, Jigatala, Dhanmondi, West Tejturi Bazar, West Shewrapara, Mirpur-10, Kazipara, Paltan and Madhubagh, went under water. In many areas, vehicles were seen moving slowly while pedestrians wading through waterlogged roads. Nazmul Hossain, who was travelling from Rampura to Mouchak, said at 10:00am that the road from Malibagh Railgate to Mouchak remained waterlogged. After getting down from the bus at the Railgate, he had to wade through knee-deep water to reach his destination, he said. Commuters reported similar difficulties in other parts of the city, with water in some places rising to the footrest of rickshaws. There was also a shortage of buses due to the rain and waterlogged streets, forcing many people to rely on rickshaws or walk.  

A DESCO assistant lineman was electrocuted while disconnecting an illegal electricity connection at Korail slum in the capital's Banani area on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Haider Hossen, 35, son of Md Mohsin Forazi from Purbo Fulhar village in Rajapur upazila of Jhalakathi district. He lived with his family in Uttar Badda. Missing auto-rickshaw driver found dead in N’ganj Shukkur Gazi, the victim's brother-in-law, said both he and Haider worked for the Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO), Haider served there as an assistant lineman. Haider contacted a live wire around 2:30pm while he and some of his colleagues were conducting a drive to disconnect illegal electricity connections in Korail slum. His colleagues immediately rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared him dead around 4:30pm, Shukkur added. Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the police camp at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said the body had been kept at the hospital morgue and the matter had been reported to the concerned police station.

Large swathes of the capital, including Moghbazar, Eskaton, and Banglamotor, suffered extensive power outages today after a fire broke out at an electrical substation near the FDC intersection. The incident occurred at approximately 1:30 PM on Saturday behind the Uttara Center building in the Tejgaon area. Upon receiving information about the blaze, three units from the Fire Service and Civil Defence station in Tejgaon rushed to the spot. Firefighters worked swiftly to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent structures. Lima Khanam, a duty officer at the Fire Service Central Control Room, confirmed the incident. The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damages could not be determined immediately. The fire significantly disrupted the power grid distribution system, plunging major residential and commercial zones into darkness. Residents of Moghbazar, New Eskaton, and Banglamotor reported continuous power outages lasting over six hours following the mishap. Utility officials stated that emergency maintenance operations were quickly mobilized to isolate the damaged components and restore electricity to the affected areas sequentially.