The Bangladesh Today (12-02-2018)

METRO
MoNDAY, FeBRUARY 12, 2018
3
Bangladesh Hajj agency and Haji Kalyan Parishad organized a press conference at National Press
Club yesterday demanding Prime Minister's handling over reducing the plane fair of Hajj passengers.
Photo : Star Mail
Bangladesh attains
autarky in fish,
meat production
DHAKA : Bangladesh has
attained self-sufficiency in
fish and meat production,
reports UNB.
Fisheries and Livestock
Minister Narayon Chandra
Chanda announced this at a
press conference held at the
Secretariat on Sunday.
"After 46 years of our
independence, the country is
now self-sufficient in fish
and meat production," said
the minister.
The minister said that the
fish sector is contributing
3.61 percent in country's
total gross domestic
production (GDP) and 24.41
percent in country's
agricultural GDP.
According to a report from
the fisheries ministry,
country's fish production
(41.34 lakh metric tonnes)
Rupa murder case
verdict today
TANGAIL : A court here will
deliver its verdict on Monday
in a case filed over the murder
of law student Zakia Sultana
Rupa after gang rape in a
running bus on August 25 last
year, reports UNB.
Women and Children
Repression Prevention
Tribunal Judge Abul
Hossain fixed the date on
February 5 after closing
arguments of both sides.
On January 23, the court
concluded the recording of
depositions of witnesses in
the case when 27 witnesses
out of total 32 testified
before the court.
On October 25 last, a court
accepted the chargesheet
against the accused-bus
driver Habibur, its
supervisor Safar Ali, and
helpers Shamim, Akram and
Jahangir-in the case.
Rupa, 27, was murdered
after gang rape in the
running bus while returning
to Mymensingh from Bogra
on August 25 last.
GD-229/18 (5 x 3)
has well surpassed the target
(40.50 lakh MT) in 2016-17.
A total of 84,000 MT fish
production was increased in
the year.
According to Preliminary
Report on Household
Income and Expenditure
Survey (HIES) 2016 of
Bangladesh Statistic Bureau,
on an average per capita fish
consumption is 62.58 gram
daily, which is surplus than
the daily requirement.
"According to per capita
individual's demand,
Bangladesh has become selfsufficient.
We have been
able to restore our heritage
'Mache Bhate Bangalee',"
said the minister.
In 2016, according to a
report of United Nation
Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO),
Bangladesh ranked fourth in
collecting fish from inland
water bodies and the fifth
largest producer in fish
production, said Chanda.
Besides, in 2016-17 fiscal,
the meat production was
71.54 lakh MT as against the
target of 71.35 lakh MT. Now
one is getting 121.74gram
meat daily, which is more
than the requirement, added
the minister.
While responding to a
question about meat price,
he said that the initiative will
be taken by March 15 to
lower the prices.
Besides, Chanda added
that the Hilsa production
has been increased 66
percent in least eight years.
So the Hilsa will be
exported after fulfilling
local demand.
Shajahan for strengthening base of
education for better Bangladesh
DHAKA : Shipping
Minister Shajahan Khan
yesterday underscored the
need for strengthening the
base of education further by
utilizing information and
communication technology
(ICT) to build a better
Bangladesh, reports BSS.
"We will have to put
emphasis on technological
education. We should keep
our children away from
venomous bite of drug
addiction and involvement
in militancy," he told a
ceremony of giving stipend
among offspring of
Bangladesh Inland Water
Transport Corporation
(BIWTC) officers and
employees at BIWTC office
here.
The minister said the
government has been
working relentlessly to
provide time-befitting
education to the new
generation.
To build Digital
Bangladesh as dreamt of
Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, there is no
alternative to technological
education.
Khan sought cooperation
from all to turn Bangladesh
into a middle income
country by 2021 and
developed country by 2041.
Acting Secretary of
Shipping Ministry Md
Abdus Samad, BIWTC
Director (administration)
Pranoy Kanti Biswas,
BIWTC Officers' Association
President Ashiqur Rahman
and Employees Union
President Md Mohsin
Bhuiyan, among others,
addressed the function with
BIWTC Chairman
Mohammed Mafijul Haque
in the chair.
Worker dies
in Sylhet
stone quarry
SYLHET : A worker was
killed while he was
extracting stones from a
quarry at Shah Arifin tila in
Companyganj upazila on
Sunday, reports UNB.
The deceased was
identified as Basir Miah, 42,
son of Rupa Miah, resident
of Putamara village.
Dilwip Kumar Debnath,
officer-in-charge of
Companyganj Police
Station, said that the
accident occurred when a
portion of mud collapsed on
Basir, leaving him dead on
the spot.
Rudder sensors
to be set up
along border:
BGB DG
DHAKA : Border Guard
Bangladesh (BGB) Director
General (DG) Major General
Abul Hossain yesterday said
rudder sensors would be set
up to safeguard the border,
reports BSS.
"Rudder sensors would be
set up to protect the border
and the process is going
on...We have already
reduced the distance
between the Border
Observation Posts (BOP),"
he said at a press conference
at BGB headquarters here.
The BGB is now a
disciplined force due to the
modernization by the
present government, Abul
Hossain said, adding, "Give
us some more time, we
would implement the zero
tolerance policy against
drug".
He said "We have also
formed 'Quick Response
Force' and increased the
mobile patrolling."
The DG said the BGB has
played an active role in the
Rohingya issue. Myanmar
crossed border line by APC
helicopter 18 times, but the
BGB foiled their
conspiracies, he added.
Abul Hossain sought
cooperation and suggestion
for ensuring better services.
Commuters on Dhaka-Narayanganj rail route
suffer for 'unbearable overcrowding'
NARAYANGANJ : The
sorry state of Dhaka-
Narayanganj rail route now
has turned worse, though it
was the first broad-gauge
rail track of the then British
India government, reports
UNB.
Some 1.4 lakh commuters
use Dhaka-Narayanganj
route every day, said a senior
official at Bangladesh
Railway.
According to commuters,
they have to struggle and
suffer each day to ensure a
place for at least standing in
a compartment due to
shortage of train.
"In most cases, I've to
travel in trains standing.
Each of the seven
compartments of Demu
Train remains full of
commuters and packed with
baggage. Three people have
to share a two-man seat.
But, the authorities are least
bothered. I think they
should increase the number
of compartments
immediately," said Hafiz
Uddin, a passenger who
travels on this route every
day.
Private bank employee
Sahabuddin who resides in
Dhaka needs to travel to
Narayanganj every working
day. He shared his
experience with this
correspondent saying,
"Usually, it should take 45
minutes to reach
Narayanganj, but most of
the time trains take 15 to 30
minutes extra. Sometimes,
trains do not leave station in
time."
The distance between
Dhaka and Narayanganj is
18 kilometers. Apart from
the weekly and official
holidays, 16 pairs of
passenger trains make 32 up
and down trips on this route
from 5:30am to 11:00pm,
according to sources at the
Bangladesh Railway.
BNP to form human
chain in city Monday
DHAKA : As part of its
countrywide scheduled
programme, BNP leaders
and activists will stage a
human chain in the city on
Monday protesting the
jailing of its chairperson
Khaleda Zia in a graft case,
reports UNB.
Talking to UNB, party
senior joint secretary
general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi
said their party leaders and
followers will observe the
programme from 11am to 12
noon in front of the Jatiya
Press Club also demanding
the release of Khaleda
immediately.
He said their party's
district, thana, upzila and
city units will also observe
the programmes at their
convenient time and places.
Earlier on Saturday, Rizvi
announced a three-day
protest programme at a
press briefing at BNP's
Nayapaltan central office.
They said each
compartment always
remains full of commuters.
According to the
passengers, Dhaka-
Narayanganj trains are
always operated taking risk
due to overloading of
passengers as each train
carries passengers more
than five times of its
capacity.
"Besides, railway bogies
are of very low graded ones.
There's no useable toilet and
sufficient light...we've to
travel in dark at night,"
passenger Yusuf Mia told
this correspondent.
Yusuf who sells clothes on
a footpath in front of
Dhaka's Baitul Mukarram
National Mosque said he has
to travel in train every day.
"Makeshift markets, fruit
shops and many slums were
built alongside rail tracks. I
saw several times that
people suffered injuries due
to bamboos coming out of
those establishments. Even,
one day I myself sustained
injury when a slum boy
threw stones targeting the
running train."
Dhaka-bound passenger
Al Amin, who resides in
Narayanganj, said, "Train is
the main way of transport
for the middle-class people,
especially the workers.
Although millions of
passengers are travelling
every day, the service quality
is not improving."
He also said there is no
sitting room in every railway
station, and specially
Narayanganj, Chashraha
and Fatulla railway stations
have become the hotspots of
anti-social activities. And
Kamalapur Railway Station
is the undisclosed public
spot for trading drugs, he
added.
"There're seven bogies in
each train. Half of those are
for passengers and half for
luggage. The number of
compartments in Demu
train is 3. The number of
seats in each compartment
is 70 and in each Demu
compartment only 35 to 40
people can sit," Narayanganj
Central Railway Station
Master Golam Mustafa told
UNB.
About the passengers'
allegations, he said the
service quality of the
railways remained the same
as before.
"At least three 3,000
passengers travel on this
route in every trip. There're
many problems with this
route. Though we repeatedly
informed the authorities
concerned about the
problems, they did not take
any action," said Md Rafiq,
supervisor of a privately
operated Demu train.
Farjana Mou, who was
standing on a train leaving
Kamlapur on Wednesday at
10:35am, complained to this
correspondent that the
number of seats on the train
is not adequate.
Currently, there are seven
stations on Dhaka-
Narayanganj route. Apart
from Demu trains, all other
trains run under private
supervision. Until 2011, rail
fare was Tk 6. In 2012, it was
increased to Tk 10 and then
in 2014 it was fixed at Tk 15.
Although the fare was
increased, the standard of
service did not improve,
allege passengers. It is rather
getting worse day by day,
some others said.
Demanding exemplary punishment of the doctors who underwent treatment of late
Asaduzzaman Rakib, a press conference was held at Bangladesh Crime Reporters Association
(CRAB) yesterday.
Photo : Star Mail
As part of the
programmes, the party will
also hold an hour-long sit-in
programme on Tuesday and
a hunger strike from 9am to
5pm on Wednesday across
the country.
On Thursday last, a special
court here convicted
Khaleda and sentenced her
to five years' imprisonment
in the Zia Orphanage Trust
graft case.
Earlier, BNP leaders and
activists
staged
demonstrations on Friday
and Statuary all over the
country, including in the
capital, amid obstruction by
police protesting Khaleda's
conviction. Rizvi said the
government has continued
arresting their party men
across the country.
He claimed that around
4,300 BNP leaders and
activists have so far been
arrested across the country
over the last 13 days.
Invest in girls,
women: UN
chief
DHAKA : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has laid
emphasis on investing in women and girls to help them
achieve their full potential as scientific researchers and
innovators, reports UNB.
"We need to encourage and support girls and women
achieve their full potential as scientific researchers and
innovators," he said in a message marking the International
Day of Women and Girls in Science that falls on February 11.
The UN chief said both girls and boys have the potential to
pursue their ambitions in science and mathematics, in school
and at work.
But systemic discrimination means women occupy less
than 30 percent of research and development jobs
worldwide.
"We need concerted, concrete efforts to overcome
stereotypes and biases. One starting point is banishing the
predominantly male images of scientists and innovators on
social media, in textbooks and in advertising," he said.
The UN chief said women and girls need this, and the
world needs this, if they are to achieve their ambitions for
sustainable development on a healthy planet.
"Throughout history, from Hildegard of Bingen to Wangari
Maathai, women scientists have built our world. It's time to
support and invest in them," said Secretary-General
Guteress.