Khulna
UNB's Khulna correspondent rewarded for performance
The UNB management has recognised the good performance of its Khulna Correspondent Sheikh Deedarul Alam in bringing interesting stories from the grassroots to the forefront.
He was awarded particularly for his recent exclusive video story which drew huge views.
Thousands of viewers reacted to the story which is about an Australian citizen -- Malcolm Arnold-- who has been staying in Khulna for the last 18 years after getting married with a Bangladesh woman he fell in love with.
Alongside the video story in Bengali version, it was also run in English version under the title of ‘For an Australian in Khulna, home is where his heart was won.’
Also read: For an Australian in Khulna, home is where his heart was won
Malcolm Arnold left his home at Adelaide in Australia for Khulna in 2004, within three years of falling in love with a Bangladeshi NGO worker Halima Begum in 2001.
The 74-year old Australian has always lived selling his painting works before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Receiving the gift, Deedarul Alam expressed his gratitude to the UNB management saying that he was delighted for the recognition.
“I’ve been with UNB since the early 1990s. I received the gift on the very first day of the new year of 2022. It’ll encourage me to work on in the future,” he said.
Also read: Khulna’s landless police constable candidate to get permanent address
Founded in 1988, UNB is the first fully digitalised wire service in South Asia and is the principal partner in news exchange with AP, one of the world’s largest wire services.
Currently, UNB has News Exchange Agreements with 37 countries in the world, including PTI of India, Xinhua of China, Kyodo of Japan, Bernama of Malaysia, AsiaNet, Yonhap of South Korea, ITAR-TASS News Agency of Russia, FAAPA of Africa, CAN of Cyprus, Moroccan News Agency (MAP), Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) and Emirates News Agency (WAM) of the UAE to name a few.
Pneumonia, diarrhea patients on the rise at Khulna Shishu Hospital
Khulna Shishu Hospital has been struggling with rising number of pneumonia and diarrhoea patients, aged between 25 days to five years, from six southern districts due to outbreak of the diseases amid severe cold.
Everyday 25 children are brought to the outdoor unit of the hospital on an average for treatment but the hospital authorities are not being able to provide beds to the patients anymore.
Children from Narail, Satkhira, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Gopalganj, Mongla and different upazilas of Khulna district are being brought to Khulna Shishu Hospital for treatment.
Read:For an Australian in Khulna, home is where his heart was won
Md Bellal Hossain, father of one-year old Rabiul Islam, said his son was admitted to the hospital on Monday with diarrhoea but his physical condition remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, Arban, a 14-month-old son of Ashraful Islam of Jashore's Abhaynagar upazila, was admitted to the hospital on December 22 with diarrhoea. His mother said his condition has improved.
Dr Md Nur-e-Alam Siddiqui, Senior Medical Officer of Khulna Shishu Hospital, said children are suffering from diarrhea due to rotavirus and bacterial infection.
“There is no specific medicine for viral diarrhea. If the baby gets dehydrated, he or she should be given saline, breast milk, coconut water and pure drinking water,” said the physician.
After the heavy rains of December 4-6, triggered by the Bay depression,, the temperature started to fall in the southern part of the country. However, the outbreaks of pneumonia and pneumonia have been reported in children in the region since October.
Read:Khulna fisherman killed by tiger, body found
According to hospital sources, 230 patients were admitted at the hospital with pneumonia in October, 160 in November and 102 till December 22.
On the other hand, 256 patients were admitted with diarrhoea in October, 362 in November and 361 till December 23.
However, last year, 87 patients were hospitalized with pneumonia in October, 115 in November and 71 in December. Besides, 319 patients were admitted to the hospital with diarrhoea in October last year, 401 in November and 618 in December.
For an Australian in Khulna, home is where his heart was won
They say love can move mountains, but more often all around us, we see it move people - from their comfort zone, their home, where everything is familiar, and into the unknown. That is a step Australian Malcolm Arnold took almost 17 years ago, when he left his home town of Adelaide in South Australia, and moved to Khulna in Bangladesh.
What brought him here was falling in love with a Bangladeshi NGO worker, Halima Begum. They got married in 2004 and settled in a rented house in Khulna’s Sonadanga residential area.
READ: Australian, Japanese, EU, US envoys visit St Martin’s Island
Malcolm who happens to be a painter, takes painting orders online.
This Australian citizen is 74 years old and has two daughters in Adelaide and a brother. His first wife left him long ago. And he has been painting for over 45 years. His paintings have sold for anything between Tk 5000 to Tk 5 lakh.
Malcolm has always lived selling his paintings but in the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, sales have almost stopped. As a result, he is facing a bit of a financial crisis. Besides, he has been diagnosed with a block in his heart. He can't even stand to walk properly.
Though Malcolm’s visa is valid till 2025 and he has assets, property in Adelaide he doesn't want to go there anymore. He has unconditional love for Halima and Bangladesh. He says he wants to live in Bangaldesh as long as he is alive.
When the UNB correspondent visited the couple recently, they recounted their story of love and marriage.
Malcolm and a few of his friends visited Bangladesh in February 2001. They had a goal to write about Bangladesh cricket and publish. During that tour, while they were visiting the Sundarbans, Malcolm met Halima Begum, then a field-level worker of World Vision in Mongla.
READ: Australian envoy sees potentials for future bilateral cooperation “golden”
Halima, now a 45-year old woman who works to make ends meet through sewing nowadays, said that 7-8 days after they met, Malcolm returned to Australia. But he kept writing letters to Halima.
Tank-lorry owners to go on indefinite strike Jan 3
Bangladesh Tank-lorry Owners Association has called an indefinite strike from January 3 across the country to demand that the government allows them to raise transportation fare following recent hike in diesel.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Tank-lorry Owners Association, Sheikh Farhad Hossain announced the programme on Tuesday.
Read: Petrol pumps owners, tank-lorry workers call off strike
“The bus fare increased following the price hike of diesel but no steps have been taken yet to raise the fare of tank-lorry. So, we have decided to enforce an indefinite strike from January 3,” he said.
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has increased the fares for intra-city and inter-district buses by over 26 per cent and 27 per cent respectively as demanded by the bus owners.
The decision came at a meeting between the BRTA and the bus owners on November 7.
Read: Tank-lorry workers call off strike after 2 days
The government on November 3 raised the prices of diesel and kerosine at the retail level.
As per the new price, the fuel is now selling at Tk 80 per litre instead of Tk 65.
It said the prices of other petroleum products will remain unchanged.
Khulna fisherman killed by tiger, body found
Forest guards on Tuesday recovered the body of a fisherman in the Sunderbans, more than 12 hours after he was allegedly killed in a tiger attack.
Mujibur Gazi was catching crabs in the Payratuli canal around 4pm on Monday when he was attacked by a tiger, according to officials.
Read: One dead, 6 injured in bus-truck collision in Rajshahi
On information, a joint force of forest and police officials launched a search operation and found his body Tuesday morning, aid MA Hasan, assistant conservator of forests.
Authorities have promised a compensation of Tk 3 lakh to the victim’s family.
So far, four fishermen have been killed by tigers in the Sundarbans this year and "we have given Tk 6 lakh compensation to the families of the two victims", said Hasan.
8 to hang for killing Armyman in 2018
A fast-track court in Khulna Wednesday sentenced eight men to death for killing an Army personnel in 2016.
Khulna Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal judge Md Nazrul Islam Hawlader handed down the punishment to the eight after holding them guilty of Lance Corporal Saiful Islam Saif's murder.
While five of the convicts were present in the court, the remaining three were tried in absentia, said Public Prosecutor Ahaduzzaman.
READ: Khulna’s landless police constable candidate to get permanent address
On August 18, 2018, the eight attacked Lance Corporal Saiful, his younger brother Md Monirul Islam, a Coast Guard personnel, and another person im Beltalardari while the three were travelling to Bankira on a bike.
READ: Woman stabbed dead in Khulna
Lance Corporal Saiful, son of Md Hafiz Uddin, a resident of Jhenaidah, was killed in the attack. He was posted at Ghatail Army Medical Training Center in Tangail district.
Kuet Prof Selim's body to be exhumed today for autopsy
Investigators will exhume the body of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) Prof Selim Hossain later on Wednesday for an autopsy to ascertain the exact cause of his death.
Meanwhile, a five-member probe committee formed by the university to investigate the death of the 38-year-old teacher has asked for another 10 days to submit its report. Surprisingly, no case has been registered yet in connection with his death.
The chief of the investigation committee, Prof Mohiuddin Ahmad, said that academic activities and halls of Kuet were closed till December 13 and that's why they would need another 10 days for a proper probe.
Prof Selim's wife Sabina Khatun has said her husband's death has traumatised her. "Where to go with my baby girl, what to do? I have no security. I want the university authorities to get a case registered in connection with my husband's death."
Rabiul Islam Sohag, a spokesman for Kuet, said no decision has been taken on it yet.
Khulna Khanjahan Ali police station OC Prabir Kumar Biswas said a complaint was lodged at the police station on December 4 in connection with the death of the teacher.
READ: Prof Selim’s death: Closure of Kuet extended till Dec 23
An application was made to the Khulna Deputy Commissioner on December 5 to exhume the body for autopsy. The DC on December 13 gave the go-ahead.
Though the body was supposed to be exhumed on Tuesday afternoon, it did not happen. "The body will be exhumed on Wednesday followed by an autopsy," the OC said.
Earlier on December 3, the university was declared closed till December 13 over the death of Prof Selim allegedly due to mental torture and harassment by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists.
Prof Selim, of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) department, was also the provost of Lalan Shah Hall.
According to faculty members of the university, Prof Selim died hours after some Chhatra League activists led by Kuet BCL general secretary Sadman Nahyan Sejan allegedly confined the teacher to his office and mentally tortured him to accept their choice as the dining manager of Lalan Shah Hall for December.
READ: Prof Hossain's death: KUET temporarily suspends 9 students
During this confinement, the teacher was allegedly subjected to abuses, humiliation and threat, his colleagues said.
Khulna’s landless police constable candidate to get permanent address
Another landless candidate for the police constable post is going to get a piece of land and with a built house as a gift from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Like Barishal’s police constable candidate Aspiya, Meem Akhter of Khulna faced difficulties to be recruited for the jobdespite attaining the first position at the district recruitment test, simply because she didn’t have a permanent address in the district.
Khulna Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mohammad Moniruzzaman Talukder said after the issue of Meem’s family being landless came up for discussion, a decision was taken to provide her family land and a house as a gift from the PM.
READ: ‘No land, no job policy’ irks HC as topper Meem fails to get a police job
He said as her family lives in a tenement house in the city, she will soon be given a land with a house in the city or adjoining areas for which efforts are being made.
Meanwhile, Khulna additional superintendent of police (south) Tanvir Ahmed said Meem's case had been reported to police headquarters. No decision has been made yet. “We will let her know if the police headquarter makes a decision,” he said.
Meem said that she applied for the post of police constable under the women’s quota. She passed the written and medical tests achieving the first position. The police verification started after Nov 11 and she waited for the final call.
“On Dec 11, I went to the Khulna Police Super’s office where additional superintendent of police Tanvir Ahmed said that all my papers were okay but he was not able to give the job as I do not have a permanent address in Khulna. Then I came back home crying,” she said.
Meem's father Rabiul Islam, who has a blanket shop, said that they have been living in a rented house in Khulna’s Sonadanga residential area for over 32 years, but didn’t have a permanent address.
On Sunday evening he got a call from the DC office to submit some papers on Monday. He submitted the papers accordingly as their accommodation for a permanent residence is being arranged, he said.
READ: Viral on social media: Aspiya seeks PM's intervention for her job in police
However, district superintendent of police (SP) Mohammad Mahbub Hasan claimed it was not Meem’s lack of a permanent address, but rather that she failed her her medical examination, for which she was being held back from the job.
Woman stabbed dead in Khulna
A woman was stabbed to death by some miscreants at Hatbaria village in Khulna’s Botiaghata upazila early Monday.
The deceased was identified as Tilottoma Mandal Putul, daughter of late Mahendra Mandal of Bittishalua Bayardanga village of the upazila.
Read: Farmer stabbed to death in Bhola
Police said Putul went to visit her sister’s house in Hatbaria where some miscreants attacked Putul, her sister Deepika Mistry and her sister’s husband Prakash Mistry while they were asleep around 3am.
Putul was first stabbed on her face and hand. The miscreants then hacked two others and fled.
Later, they were rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital where doctors declared Putul dead. The injured are undergoing treatment at the hospital in critical condition.
Read: Presiding officer, police stabbed in Cumilla poll violence
Khulna Additional Superintendent of Police (C-Circle) Md Rashed Hasan said the reason behind the attack could not be known yet.
However, police detained two people for interrogation in this regard, said the ASP.
The body was kept at the hospital morgue for an autopsy, he added.
Chronic waterlogging adds to Bhabdaha's pain in winter
Despite the onset of the dry season after the monsoon, fifty-two villages in Bhabdaha, a region in the south-west of the country straddling Khulna-Jashore that became known for its chronic waterlogging over two generations, remain submerged.
The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) have taken up irrigation projects to alleviate the waterlogging over this huge area recently. However, residents are skeptical about its success.
Sorrow of Bhabdaha
In 1961-62, a 21-vent sluice gate was built on the Hari River flowing through Dumuria and Fultala of Khulna district and Abhaynagar, Manirampur and Keshabpur upazilas of Jashore (then Jessore) district. Some distance away, another sluice gate of nine vents was set up.
At that time, the purpose of building sluice gates in this region was to protect the croplands of around 50 beels in the Bhabdaha area from flood waters and salinisation from incoming sea water.
But, only 20 years later, that sluice gate became the cause of the misery of the residents. The Hari River began to get filled up, and the sluice gates gradually became ineffective, over time coming to be known as the 'sorrow of Bhabdaha'.
Anamika Biswas, a housewife from Hatagachha village, said that there is water all around her house. They keep their cattle at home.
Although fish can be seen in the water around their house, they have no way to catch and eat it. However, influential people of the area are cultivating fish there in enclosures.
Irrigation pumps a 'loss project'
Talking to the locals, it was learned that irrigation activities are being carried out in a joint venture between BADC and BWDB to alleviate the permanent waterlogging of Bhabdaha. But despite investing lakhs of taka per month, the drainage of the irrigation pumps through the Bhabdaha sluice gate could not bring any benefits to the residents.
READ: Heavy rains lead to horrific waterlogging in parts of Chattogram
This initiative was implemented at the beginning of this year to grow crops in the adjoining beel areas and reduce the suffering of marooned people. However, the locals have compared this method to 'throwing stones in the sea'.
Earlier, the government undertook a project in 2012 at a cost of Tk 68 crore to alleviate the waterlogging in Bhabdaha. But that project did not work. A couple of years ago, the Water Development Board submitted a project proposal at a cost of Tk 800 crore, which is currently in the Planning Commission. Besides, an allocation of Tk 43 crore has been sought for drainage of water through irrigation pumps at present.
Abdullah Al Rashid, BADC's Jashore Region Supervising Engineer (Irrigation Department), said BADC provided 20 pumps of 30 hp (horsepower) to BWDB to grow crops and reduce human suffering in the region. A sub-engineer along with eight workers of BADC maintains it there round the clock. But BWDB was not aware of the leakage and did not take any action.
Tauhidul Islam, executive engineer of BWDB of Jashore, said that although 20 pumps were obtained from BADC, it was less than the demand. Therefore, DPP has been submitted to the ministry for allocation of Tk 43 crore for larger pumps.
"Besides, a project has been lying in the department concerned for allocation of around Tk 800 crore two years ago. That too was not approved," he added.
Satya Biswas, a resident of Beel Kedaria in Bhabdaha area, said that waterlogging occurred in Bhabdaha in the 1980's. "Today, even after 40 years, this waterlogging is expanding day by day. Only the influential people are benefited through these projects as they are looting government allocations," he said.
No alternative to dredging the Hari
The water in the beels cannot go anywhere because the river bed has filled up with silt. As a result, the water of these beels cannot recede properly causing immense suffering to the people.
In this regard, Narayan Chandra Chand, Member of Parliament for Khulna-5 (Dumuria-Fultala), that covers the region, questioned the feasibility of the irrigation project undertaken by Water Development Board and BADC. He said there is no alternative to dredging the Hari River anymore, including its tributaries, to alleviate the waterlogging of Bhabdaha.
READ: Dhaka can’t take a break from waterlogging; intense rains drown many roads
The water of Bhabdaha flows through Hari River to the Bhadra, Ghangrail rivers and falls into Shipsa River before merging into the sea. So the embankment of the canal in Bhabdaha has to be removed and the Hari River needs to be dredged - that is the only option left that could work, the MP insists.