State Minister
‘Sitrang’ may hit a 730 km area in Bangladesh on Oct 25: State Minister
The deep depression over the Bay is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm this evening and 19 coastal districts will be at high risk, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Dr Md Enamur Rahman said today.
If it turns into a cyclonic storm, it will be identified as “Sitrang” and it may make landfall in Bangladesh on October 25, he said while speaking at a press briefing over the cyclone issue, held at the Secretariat.
The cyclonic storm “Sitrang” will hit a 730 km area – from Cox’s Bazar to Satkhira districts – and the government has taken necessary steps to tackle the storm, he said.
Also read: Deep depression: Light to moderate rain likely to drench Bangladesh
Due to full moon, the tidal surge will likely increase to 3-5 feet above the astronomical tide, he said.
However, there is no possibility that “Sitrang” will not turn into a ‘super cyclonic storm’ and it may hit 19 coastal districts, he added.
According to the latest bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department, the maritime ports of Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to hoist local cautionary signal number 3 as the deep depression over the east-central Bay and adjoining areas moved slightly north-westwards further.
It was centered at noon on Sunday about 780 km south-southwest of Cox’s bazar port, 715 km south-southwest of Cox’s Bazar port, 730 km south of Mongla port, and 695 km south of Payra port.
It is likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm and recurve initially north-westwards.
Sea will remain rough near the deep depression centre.
Under the peripheral effect of the deep depression, North Bay and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh are likely to experience gusty or squally wind of 40-50 kph in addition to heavy to very heavy rainfall.
Under the influence of deep depression, new moon phase and steep pressure gradient, the low-lying areas of coastal Satkhira, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Barguna, Patuakhali, Bhola, Barishal, Laxmipur, Chandpur, Noakhali, Feni, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar districts and their offshore islands and char area likely to be inundated by the wind driven surge height of 3-5 feet above the astronomical tide. Surge height may increase afterwards.
All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay and deep sea have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice.
Biman remained in profit through pandemic: State Minister
National flag carrier Biman is now a profitable organisation, thanks to the efforts and various initiatives taken by the government, according to State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali.
Addressing the 'Dialogue' program of the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters’ Forum (BSRF), Mahbub Ali also disclosed that Biman remained profitable even during the Covid-19 pandemic, defying the norm for airlines globally. The salaries and allowances of all the Biman staff are paid from its own income, he added.
The program was held Tuesday at the Secretariat in Dhaka.
Mahbub Ali said Biman had taken out a Tk1,000 crore loan in the form of a government incentive during the pandemic period with soft terms. Within a year of taking the money, Biman repaid the loan with interest from its profits.
“The airlines have to pay their employees from their own earnings as all authorities under the Civil Aviation Ministry are commercial and they need to bear their expenses from their own earnings,” he claimed.
Read: “Will take action over allegations of corruption, nepotism in recruiting Biman pilots”
The government doesn’t allocate a budget for Biman, he added.
"Giants of the airline industry across the globe incurred losses during the pandemic. The tourism sector has gone through a massive disaster," the junior minister said. "But we worked relentlessly. We tried to communicate with the foreign embassies, so that Biman could survive operating cargo flights. We continued earning and Biman's accounts stayed in the black during the period."
Despite the unstable global market situation and the domestic hike in fuel prices, Biman received a positive response to its newly-introduced Dhaka-Toronto-Dhaka route, and the flights on this route were fully booked, claimed Mahbub.
"We want to run Biman in the right way. The flights of Biman are now departing at the right time. Those involved in irregularities would face legal action,” he further added.
“We are now working to ensure service of an international standard,” he said. “To ensure it, we asked the authorities concerned to remain alert, so that passengers don't face unnecessary hassles. Also, passengers must not suffer due to extra cautionary measures.”
As the prime minister directed to ensure necessary services for the passengers, the state minister and Biman’s managing director are visiting airports regularly to monitor the services, Mahbub added.
Read:ACC approves charges against 3 former, 1 current Biman high-ups
He is hopeful that the sufferings of the passengers will cease to a large extent once the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka starts operating in October 2023.
He also mentioned the government’s initiatives to develop the airports and cargo handling across the country.
Regarding developments in the tourism sector, Mahbub Ali said the sector had faced huge losses during the pandemic. After lifting the restrictions given for the pandemic, the sector has started seeing profits again. In the first three months following the lifting of restrictions, the sector had already posted profits of around Tk 6 crores.
BSRF President Tapan Bishwas presided over the programme while its General Secretary Masudul Hoque moderated.
Attackers on Hindus in Narail to be punished: State Minister
State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan said attackers on the Hindu community in Lohagara upazila of Narail will get punishment under law.
He came up with the assertion while briefing journalists after an agreement signing ceremony at Bangladesh Secretariat on Thursday.
“You (Journalists) have seen who are responsible for the attack on Hindus. Attackers have already been arrested. They will have to face the music now. We want justice whoever they are. Offenders will be given punishment insallah,” said the minister.
Also read: Narail teacher humiliation: HC orders judicial inquiry
Faridul said, “I visited the spot on July 15 and 19. I think the whole situation was brought under control by the local Awami League and its associate organisations. The situation could have worsened further if they did not give protection to the Hindus.”
“We have visited Narail at the direction of the prime minister to calm down the situation and held a cross-religion dialogue there.”
Mentioning that the defeated forces of the country’s Liberation War are still active, the state minister said their (defeated forces) main target is to destabilise the country by creating anarchy.
“They don’t want to see Bangladesh as a non-communal state. They want Bangladesh as like Pakistan or Afghanistan.”
The state minister also said some vested quarters are trying to foil the election process as the next general election is knocking on the door.
Following a Facebook post on Friday evening, a mob vandalized a temple, grocery shops, and several homes of the Hindu community in the Digholia Bazar area under the Lohagara upazila of the district.
Also read: Narail vandalism: College student put on 3-day remand
The mob took to the streets, attacking and vandalizing several homes on the allegation that a youth named Akash Saha had hurt their religious sentiments through a post on Facebook.
They also broke into and vandalized the Saha Para temple, as well as several shops.
Govt likely to reduce office hour or introduce virtual office: State Minister
A decision will be taken soon about reducing office hours or introducing virtual office to save electricity, said State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Monday.
Also read: 2-hour area-based load shedding across country from Tuesday
“Government is mulling reducing office hour and introducing work from home in the backdrop of power crisis. The decision will be finalised within a week. We’ll take decision considering the public sufferings,” he told reporters at the Secretariat.
A discussion is going on about it and suggestions came about reducing office hours from 9 am to 3 pm or 4 pm, he said adding “But the decision has not been finalised yet.”
Also read: PM seeks people’s support to cut power subsidy amid hard times
Bangladesh and US have fantastic relationship: Shahriar Alam
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam has said Bangladesh and the USA have a fantastic relationship and hoped that the ties will be strengthened in the days to come.
He said the post-Liberation support that Bangladesh received from the USA is highly commendable.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs greeted all on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha.
A reception was hosted at "Bangladesh House" in Maryland on Friday on the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Adha, one of the major religious festivals of the Muslims.
Sand lifting from rivers at night to be banned: State Minister
The government is formulating a policy on extraction of sand from rivers where night-time extraction will be banned said State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk.
The minister said this at a ‘BSRF Dialogue’ arranged by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum at the secretariat on Monday.
He said sand mining is the prime reason for river erosion and the business is booming though the investment is very low.
Also read: Laxmipur UP Chairman Salim Khan can’t extract sand from Meghna: SC
“We cannot stop sand extraction from rivers as it will increase the price of sand and different development projects will be hampered. We urge the concerned businessmen to follow government’s guideline but they mostly lift sand from the riverbanks where there are cement blocks, mud embankments. Even if we use iron made embankments it won’t last longer for sand extraction,” he added.
The Minister said the proposed policy will soon be placed during cabinet meeting. “So we suggest the sand extraction can be done from 6 am to 6 pm so that everyone including the locals see the matter.”
Regarding Teesta water sharing deal with India the minister said, “We are concerned about the Teesta deal and want to make it happen. The progress in this regard has slowed down due to the Chief Minister of West Bengal. We may soon be able to resolve the issue.”
Zahid Faruk said “I have been keeping an eye on Sunamganj flood situation from the very beginning. A project worth Tk 1,547 crore has been taken to dredge 14 rivers there. We will try to get it passed by ECNEC by October and start activities before the next monsoon.”
Also read: Flood situation worsens in Sunamganj, Sylhet; thousands marooned
He said even if 20 percent of the work is done before the monsoon, there will be no more damage in the haor area of Sunamganj.
BSRF President Tapan Biswas presided over the programme conducted by BSRF General Secretary Masudul Haque.
Judiciary to be fully digitized within 2 years: Palak
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said the country's judiciary system will be made fully digitized within the next two years.
‘E-Judidicary’, a project with a budget of Tk 2,224 crore is being undertaken aimed at making the judicial system fully technology dependent and making the process more cost friendly and time saving for people as well as making the process easier for judges and lawyers, he said.
Palak said this while attending the inauguration programme of online cause list, judicial monitoring dashboard and My Court App in the city arranged jointly by the Law and Justice Division and UNDP Bangladesh.
Also read: Present world is not of competition but collaboration: Palak
He said, “Around 2,000 courtrooms will be digitized through this project and there will be an audio recording pool system at them. Besides, 14 central jails will be made digital. Camera trial rooms will be installed in 64 district jails so that inmates can participate in the hearing virtually.”
Palak said state owned web-based video conferencing platform ‘Boithok’ app will be used to ensure confidentiality and a four tier data center will be established at the Supreme Court to ensure the sovereignty of judicial information.
Also read: Palak asks youths to be self-employed in IT sector
He said 2,000 laptops would be provided to judges, desktops for office staff and 75,000 lawyers and judges would be trained to ensure a digital justice system. In addition, a cyber cafe will be set up in each bar association with a video conferencing system.
The state minister said the maximum use of technology in the Department of Judiciary and Health will be ensured in the current fiscal year after the construction of these infrastructures by A2I, UNDP and ICT departments.
WB to provide Tk 255 cr as food aid to Rohingyas: State Minister
The World Bank will provide a grant of Tk 255 crore for food aid to the forcibly displaced Rohingya community from Myanmar staying at Teknaf and Ukhia in Cox's Bazar, said State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman on Sunday.
The state minister told reporters after the signing ceremony of an agreement between the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief and the World Food Program (WFP) at the ministry.
Also read: Rohingya repatriation should be UNHCR's priority: Momen
Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Md Kamrul Hasan on behalf of the ministry and Country Director Jane Pearce on behalf of the WFP signed the agreement in presence of other senior officials from the ministry and the WFP.
Under the agreement, WFP will provide food aid to Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar through the Safety Net System for the Poorest project, funded by the World Bank, said the state minister.
Also read: Take care of Rohingyas like Bangladesh: UNHCR to regional countries
The project will provide nutrition education to women, assistance to children under the five in health centers, materials and training in vegetable gardening, plantation and preservation of trees, and mountain slopes, cleaning roads and sewers and carrying out various awareness activities to prevent anti-social activities in the Rohingya camps, he added.
Well-built levees minimised damage during Sunamganj floods: State Minister
State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk on Thursday said the damages caused by recent flash floods in Sunamganj were less compared to earlier years due to well-built levees.
The state minister was talking to journalists after visiting flood-hit Shantiganj, Jagannathpur and Derai upazilas in Sunamganj when he asked the authorities concerned to take necessary actions to help the affected farmers.
“From March 30 water from upstream hills rushed down in the first phase of the flood. Officials and staffs of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and other workers are giving all-out effort to protect the damaged dams since then,” he said.
Also read: Sunamganj farmers fear crops loss as floodwater enters haors
Zahid said,” In the next Boro season, the affected farmers will be given free seeds and fertilizers along with various food aids including Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) .”
The government is providing 70 per cent subsidy to the farmers in the haor area to ease their burden of production cost, he added.
“Upstream water running down hills following torrential rain in Meghalaya and Cherrapunji of India triggered the second phase of flash floods.
On Sunday night, water entered Huramandira Haor in Derai upazila damaging 200 hectares of 1,000 hectares of cropland in the area, he added.
Also read: Flash flood: 860 hectares of cropland go under water in Sunamganj
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension a total of 5,660 hectares in 17 small and large haors, beels got inundated by flash floods so far.
State minister talks tough after Sunamganj flash floods damage crops on 5,000 hectares of land
The government has ordered an investigation into the recent flash floods caused by breached protection embankments in Sunamganj, said State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk on Monday, warning action for negligence.
Already a six-member committee, headed by an additional secretary, has been formed to investigate the allegation, he said adding, it will submit the report within ten days.
Talking to reporters at the Secretariat he blamed early rainfall in the first week of this month for the sudden floods.
The recent flash floods in Sunamganj district damaged crops on nearly 5,000 hectares of land, said State Minister for Water Resources Zahid Faruk on Monday.
From April 1 to April 6 the local met office recorded 1209 mm rainfall, he said.
Also read: Thakurgaon farmers fear crops loss after hailstorm
The government, he said, has taken preparation to help farmers cope with the floods, he said.
Asked about alleged delays in repairing the breached dams Faruk said the work could not be completed due to stagnant water.
“We started repair work in December and finished it in February. Up to 90% work has been done,” he said.
The state minister said the government has taken projects worth Tk 494 crore. Another project of river dredging worth Tk 1547 crore is underway in the district.
“If the projects are approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) then we can start work in November. We have identified the problems and we hope there will be no problem next year,” he said.
The leave of staff and employees of the ministry has been cancelled, he added.
Also read: Flash floods damage crops worth Tk 100 crore in Sunamganj haors
Besides, the government is thinking of waiving the loan of affected farmers in the district, he said.
In 2017, the government suspended eight engineers, who were found negligent of duty, he said.
The Anti-Corruption Commission will take action following rules against the eight suspended engineers, he added.
Talking about the irregularities brought against the Water Development Board, the minister said “We will try our best to bring it to a tolerable level.”
AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, deputy water resources minister, who was present at the press briefing, said action will be taken against those found involved in corruption in haor areas.
“During a recent visit to Sunamganj, I have seen that breaches occurred in three places of 535-km embankments We managed to repair one spot but in another spot the depth of water is 50-60 meter while the repair work of another spot is going on,” said Shamim.
Flash floods triggered by onrush of water from the upstream inundated Boro crops on 5,000 hectares of land in 14 haors in Sunamganj, causing loss of Tk 100 crore, according to local agriculture office.
According to local DAE office, Boro paddy has been cultivated on 2.22 lakh hectares of land in the district this year and the production target has been set at 13.50 lakh MTs.