12-09-2022

Monday, Dhaka : September 12, 2022; Bhadra 28, 1429 BS; Safar 15 , 1444 Hijri
Everlasting Dhaka-Delhi
relations make BNP
annoyed: Quader
DHAKA : Awami League General
Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday
commented that the everlasting
Bangladesh-India friendly relation is
making Bangladesh Nationalist Party
(BNP) irritated.
"The Bangladesh-India friendly relations
have been established on trust,
which makes the BNP annoyed," he told
a press conference at his secretariat
office here.
Mentioning that BNP has failed to build
good relations with neighbours, Quader
said the BNP leaders are involved in various
propaganda about Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina's visit to India aiming to
hide their own failure.
Responding to an allegation of BNP
secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir that Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina once again went to India to
stay in power, he said: "Even if you
(Fakhrul) believe that a foreign state or
agency will put someone in power, we
do not believe so".
Quader, also the road transport and
bridges minister, said who will remain in
power depends on the country's people, as
they (people) are the source and resort of
the AL's confidence.
Claiming the AL never lobbies to foreigners
for power, he said the AL has
friends abroad but it has no master.
"The Awami League works to enhance
DHAKA : State Minister for Power,
Energy and Mineral Resources
Nasrul Hamid said that the government
would continue to put priority
on exploration and production of
natural gas.
Urging the officials to expedite the
implementation of the projects in
this regard, he said, it is essential to
complete schemes even before the
deadline.
He made the call while virtually
addressing the contract signing ceremony
for drilling works of the Well
No-10 of the Sylhet Gas Field on
Sunday.
As per the contract with the Sylhet
Gas Fields Limited (SGFL), China's
Sinopec International Petroleum
Service Corporation will work as
turnkey contractor in the project for
land development and civil works,
supply of logistics and equipment,
third-party engineering service and
all others necessary works for
drilling,
Officials hope that after completion
of the drilling, about 10 million
cubic feet of gas per day (MMCFD)
will be produced from the well.
Nasrul said whatever the quantity
of gas coming either from work over
or exploration wells would play an
important role in the development
of the country.
He underscored the need for taking
up realistic projects in gas
exploration and production.
the fortune of the country and its people,
while public welfare is the only goal of the
party," the AL general secretary said.
He said the people are happy with
Sheikh Hasina's government and that is
why they have repeatedly given the
responsibility of running the country to
the Awami League. Noting that the AL has
full trust in the people, he said since its
inception, the AL has been with the country's
people and will remain beside them in
the future too.
Responding to another statement of
Fakhrul, Quader questioned: "Did you listen
to the statement Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi made during the
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to
India?"
He said the Indian prime minister
clearly said in his speech that India
would stand by Bangladesh to build a
stable, prosperous and progressive
country as per the dream of Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and India would stay beside
those who believe in the spirit of the
Liberation war in 1971.
"What did the BNP secretary general
understand in this speech of Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi?" the AL general
secretary questioned, saying that
Bangladesh's friendship with India is of
difficult times and "India is our tested
friend in difficult times".
China's Sinopec to drill for gas at
Well No-10 of Sylhet Gas Field
The event was also addressed by
additional secretary of the Energy
and Mineral Resources Division
ZAkir Hossain, Petrobangla chairman
Nazmul Ahsan and managing
director of the SGFL Mizanur
Rahman.
Police constable
held with 96
tolas of gold
KERANIGANJ : Police arrested a constable
of Lalbagh Police Station and seized
96 tolas of gold ornaments from his possession
from Jinjira in Keraniganj upazila
on Saturday, police said on Sunday.
The arrestee was identified as Munshi
Quamruzzaman,
Mamunur Rashid, officer-in-charge of
Keraniganj Model Police Station, said a
trader along with 96 tolas of gold ornaments
was heading towards Tatibazar in
the capital from Singair upazila in
Manikganj district on August 9.
When he reached Jinjira, contable
Quamruzzaman along with some others
arrested the trader and looted the gold
ornaments.
A complaint was lodged with
Keraniganj Model Police.
During the investigation, police found
the involvement of Quamruzzaman and
arrested him from the Jinjira area around
3:30 pm, said OC.
PM likely to
attend Queen's
state funeral
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
is likely to attend the state funeral of
Queen Elizabeth II on September 19 for
which her stay in London may be extended
by one day, said a reliable source on
Sunday.
On September 19, the Queen's coffin will
be taken in a procession to Westminster
Abbey for the state funeral, which will be a
Bank Holiday in the UK.
The coffin will proceed through central
London on Wednesday, and then will be
laid in state at Westminster Hall. It will
remain there for the next four days.
PM Hasina is scheduled to leave Dhaka
for London on September 15. She is likely
to leave for New York from London on
September 19 after attending the funeral,
the source told UNB.
World leaders and dignitaries have been
paying tributes to the Queen, who died on
Thursday at the age of 96.
They remembered her deep sense of
duty and her resilience, as well as the
Queen's sense of humour and kindness.
Hasina will return home on October 4
after attending the 77th UN General
Assembly in New York followed by a visit
to Washington DC.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md
Shahriar Alam will be accompanying the
PM during her upcoming visits to London,
New York and Washington, an official at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB.
Govt served legal
notice to ban
Hilsa export to
India in 7 days
DHAKA : A Supreme Court lawyer on
Sunday served a legal notice on the government
to halt export of hilsa, a soughtafter
fish, to India in next seven days.
Lawyer Md Mahmudul Hasan sent the
notice to the relevant authorities saying
that the export of the popular fish has led
to an increase in its price in the local market.
Unless it is stopped a writ a petition
will be filed before the High Court to take
an action in this regard, said the notice.
The notice has been sent to the commerce
ministry, fisheries and livestock
ministry, foreign ministry, civil aviation
and tourism secretary, chairman of
National Board of Revenue (NBR), Office
of Chief Controller of Imports and
Exports, chairman of Bangladesh
Tourism Corporation.
"Hilsa is Bangladesh's national fish and
yet poor people in the country cannot
think of buying it while middle class also
struggle due to its high price. At
Bangladesh markets hilsa is being sold at
Tk 1,000 to 1,200 per KG," said the notice.
Hilsa from River Padma gets sold at Tk
1,200 to Tk 1,500 as a limited amount of
fish can be harvested from there, it said.
"It is a matter of regret that the commerce
ministry without considering
national demand has permitted to export
hilsa to India that too at a price lower than
that in market here," said the notice.
Hilsa is not a freely exportable product
according to Bangladesh Export Policy
2021-24. "The ministry of commerce has
allowed the export of hilsa to India completely
unjustly, ignoring the public interest",
said the SC lawyer in his notice.
Hilsa, a popular fish mostly among the
Bengalis in both Bangladesh and India, is
found in plenty mainly in Meghna and
Padma rivers during the monsoon.
The low-lying areas of the Sundarbans in Bagerhat district have been inundated due to the
tidal surge caused by the depression in the Bay of Bengal.
Photo : UNB
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday took part in the Sheikh Hasina Youth Volunteer
Award 2022 program virtually.
Photo : PID
Get technological knowledge for the 4th
industrial revolution, PM asks the youth
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
on Sunday asked the youth to grow as the
worthy citizens of the country acquiring
education and technological knowledge for
the coming fourth industrial revolution.
"Youth folks are most important for any
nation. I want that the youth of the country
will be the worthy citizens by getting
education, training and acquiring technological
knowledge," she said.
The prime minister said this while
addressing an event to mark the distribution
of Sheikh Hasina Youth Volunteer
Award 2022 in the city.
Youth and Sports Ministry organised
the programme at Osmani Memorial
Auditorium where she joined virtually.
She said that the government has taken
steps to prepare the youth of the country to
be ready for Fourth Industrial Revolution
which will be mostly technology based.
She described the young people as the
builder for 2041 where the government
has set a target to make the country developed
and prosperous.
She also termed the youth of the country
as the valuable strength of the nation.
Many countries around the world are
Low-lying areas in Sundarbans
inundated due to tidal surge
BAGERHAT : The low-lying areas of
the Sundarbans in Bagerhat district
have been inundated due to the tidal
surge caused by the depression in the
Bay of Bengal.
Most of the areas including
Karamjal Wildlife Breeding centre
have been experiencing a waist-deepwater
on Sunday, causing immense
sufferings to the visitors.
The residents of the coastal areas in
Bagerhat district have been experiencing
intermittent showers from
Saturday afternoon.
The water level of many rivers in the
Sundarbans also increased.
Amresh Chandra Dhali, officer-incharge
of Mongla Weather
Observatory Centre, said the wellmarked
low over the Bay intensified
into a depression, prompting the
authorities concerned to ask the maritime
ports across the country to keep
DHAKA : Although there are directives
from the country's highest court to save
rivers, pollution and encroachment of
rivers surrounding Dhaka continue
unabated due to authorities' inaction
against polluters and failure of Dhaka
Wasa to manage the waste.
Dr Manjur Ahmed, chairman of National
River Conservation Commission (NRCC),
came up with the remarks in an interview
with UNB.
"All the human waste produced in
Dhaka city goes into the four rivers surrounding
Dhaka city-Buriganga, Turag,
Balu and Shitalakkhya. This happens due
to Dhaka Wasa's failure to manage the
waste. Human waste and rainwater go to
the rivers through the same pipeline. It
was WASA's duty to set up separate pipes
for proper flow of the wastes. They didn't
do so, and as a result rivers are getting polluted
fast," said Manjur.
suffering from not having required youth
folks in their population, she added.
She briefly described various steps of the
government to develop the youths as the
worthy citizens of the country.
Hasina greeted the awardees for their
contribution in the fields of employment, i
training and education to the grassroots
alongside rendering various social and
nation building activities.
"I am very happy to see that the youth
folks have stood beside the people and
imparted education and training alongside
creating employment for the masses,"
she said. She hoped the next generation
will be inspired through their activities and
engage themselves in national building
activities.
The premier said that the government
has taken every possible measure that
included arrangement of proper education
and employment for the development of
the youth.
She said the AL government has opened
everything such as banks, insurance, television
and radios to the private sector
aimed at generating employment for the
youth in large numbers.
hoisted local cautionary signal No 3.
Low-lying areas of coastal districts
and their offshore islands and chars
are likely to be inundated by tidal
surges.
Muhammad Belayet Hossain,
Divisional Forest Officer of
Sundarbans East zone, said the water
level of many rivers and canals in the
Sundarbans has risen from its normal
tide.
Talking with Masud Biswas, a
tourist from Meherpur district and
some other visitors from Chattogram,
they said they came here in the morning
and there was no water but in the
afternoon, they experienced waistdeep
water inside it.
Azizur Rahman, deputy-director of
Department of Bagerhat Agriculture
Extension, said the local Met office has
recorded 4.66 mm of rainfalls in the
past 24 hours in Bagerhat.
Wasa's failure, authorities' inaction behind unabated
pollution of Dhaka rivers: NRCC chairman
Dhaka Wasa's failure to construct sufficient
sewerage lines has created a disastrous
situation, he said adding factories in and
around Dhaka dispose of waste into the
rivers surrounding the city. "Combination
of household and industrial wastes has
turned the rivers like Buriganga and
Shitalakhya "ecologically dead".
The NRCC chairman added that although
a portion of the grabbed lands by the rivers
have been recovered, pollution couldn't be
stopped as those responsible were not
brought under the law.
"At least four crore people live in and
around Dhaka city but there isn't a single
river or waterbody where people can bathe.
Population density, unplanned development,
withdrawal of water from the
upstream and climate change are affecting
the country's rivers. As an organization
working to conserve rivers, NRCC is acutely
aware of these problems," said Manjur.
She said her government has even
established Probashi Kallayan Bank so
young people going abroad with jobs can
take easy loans and thus save their ancestral
land and assets.
She said youths are also being given
loans from Karmasangsthan Bank without
any guarantee so they become entrepreneurs
and generate employment for
others.
"Be entrepreneurs and forget running
after the jobs and thus generate employment
for others," she said.
The PM said youths are being given
loans through various government
schemes alongside the banking channels
so they can stand on their own and make
the country strong economically.
She said her government has established
data centres up to union levels and
community clinics where employment has
been created for for a huge number of
young people. Hasina said her government
has also given the homeless and
landless people home free of cost as part of
the move to bring all the people under the
housing scheme. This is also creating
employment.
29 indicted for killing
Rohingya leader
Mohib Ullah
COX'S BAZAR : A Cox's Bazar court on
Sunday started official trial of Rohingya
leader Mohib Ullah murder case by framing
charges against 29 accused, reports
UNB.
District and Session Court Judge
Mohammad Ismail framed the charges
during a hearing on the charge sheet submitted
by police in the case.
Fifteen of the 29 accused were present at
the court during the hearing while others
remained absconding till date, said Public
Prosecutor Faridul Alam.
On June 13, police pressed charges
against the 29 accused after an eightmonth
long investigation in this case.
On September 29 last year, Mohib
Ullah, chairman of Arakan Rohingya
Society for Peace and Human Rights
(ARSPH), was killed by some gunmen at
his office.
They fired four shots at Mohib Ullah
and fled the scene using a lane behind
Mohib Ullah's house.
About NRCC, Manjur said that the role of
his organization is to identify the problems
and provide recommendations to the concerned
authorities.
"NRCC is relatively a new organization.
Some recommendations made by us have
already been implemented and others are
pending with the authorities. So far, we've
identified 57,000 river encroachers and
evicted 14,000 of them with the help of the
district administrations and Bangladesh
Inland Water Transport Authority
(BIWTA)," said Manjur.
On the demarcation of river boundaries,
the NRCC chairman said that it's a tough
task. "The boundaries of Buriganga, Turag
and Balu rivers have already been demarcated.
I hope that the rest of the rivers will
also be demarcated gradually," he said. On
the master plan that NRCC was preparing
to save rivers, Manjur said that it is yet to be
completed.