Chattogram
Train derailment in Mymensingh: Rail communication resumes after 3 hrs
Rail Communication on Mymensingh-Netrakona –Chattogram route resumed on Sunday morning after three hours of suspension following derailment of a freight train in Balashpur in Mymensingh city on Sunday morning.
A wagon of Dhaka-bound Mymensingh/Nasirabad Express train veered off the tracks this morning, said Mymensingh GRP Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Mohiuddin Ahmed.
Read more: Freight train derails in Gazipur
The rail communication on Netrakona-Bhairab-Chattogram route along with Mymensingh was suspended due to the derailment, he said.
On information, a relief train from Kewatkhali loco shadow went to the scene and salvaged the derailed wagon, he added.
Riding on Ishan’s double ton, India post a massive 409 vs Bangladesh
Ishan Kishan, the left-handed Indian batter, achieved a historic milestone on Saturday in Chattogram by registering his first-ever century in an ODI match against Bangladesh and converting it to an impressive double-century.
Riding on his remarkable fate that came up with the fastest ODI 150 and 200, India posted a massive total of 409 for eight— the best-ever ODI innings against Bangladesh. It was the highest-ever ODI innings on the soil of Bangladesh as well.
Ishan was called upon to take the place of Rohit Sharma in the playing XI for this match, following Sharma's injury in the previous match in Dhaka, which ultimately ruled him out of the series.
The 24-year-old Ishan opened the innings with Shikhar Dhawan; however, the latter fell to Mehidy Hasan Miraz soon after Bangladesh successfully reviewed an umpiring decision in their favor.
Read more: Bangladesh win toss, opt to bowl first in 3rd ODI vs India
In response to the early loss of Dhawan, Ishan and Indian batting legend Virat Kohli then combined to engineer a record-breaking partnership of 290 runs for the second wicket - the second-highest partnership in ODIs in Bangladesh after the 292-run stand of Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal.
The 290-run partnership of Ishan and Virat surpassed the 282-run stand between Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock in Kimberley in 2017 to become the highest ODI partnership against Bangladesh.
After the early dismissal of Shikhar, Ishan went on a rampage, posting a memorable 210 runs of 131 balls, which included 24 fours and 10 sixes. His performance was highlighted by a fifty off 49 balls and a century off 85 balls (14 fours, 2 sixes).
Following Ishan's dismissal, Virat also brought up a memorable century of his own, his 44th in ODIs.
Eventually, India ended up on 409 for eight in 50 overs.
Read more: BAN vs IND: Ishan Kishan registers remarkable double-century
For Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain and Shakib Al Hasan bagged two wickets each.
Transport owners in Chattogram, Khagrachhari, Rangamati call off strike
A transport strike which was announced in North Chattogram, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari protesting the requisition of buses by police during political rallies has been called off.
Monjur Alam Monju, leader of Chattogram Road Transport Owners' Group, made the announcement after a meeting between the bus owners and police on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier on Wednesday night, the group went on strike in North Chattogram, Khagrachhari and Rangamati from Thursday morning. Commuters using these routes had to suffer as the owners suddenly made the announcement.
Read: Rajshahi transport strike called off
"We've withdrawn our strike after getting assurance from the administration. We hope that harassment in the name of requisition of vehicles by the police will end now," Mohammad Shahjahan, joint secretary of the owners' group, said.
50 sued over torching, vandalizing vehicles in Ctg
A case was filed against 50 people on Thursday in connection with the torching of a vehicle and vandalising two others allegedly from a procession of Chhatra Dal following the death of a Swechchasebak Dal leader during clash with police in Dhaka.
Zahidul Kabir, officer-n-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said the owner of a private car which was vandalised, filed the case with Kotwali Police against 50 people including 40 unidentified ones.
Read more: 1 killed in police-BNP clash at Nayapaltan; Over 150 leaders, activists held
Earlier, a group of Chhatra Dal leaders and activists brought out a procession protesting the death of a Swechchasebak Dal leader during police action in Dhaka’s Nayapaltan on Wednesday.
They set a pick-up van afire at Almas Cinema intersection and vandalised two private cars from the procession.
Police are trying to arrest those involved in the vandalism and arson attack, the OC said.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Saiful Alam, convener of Chattogram Metropolitan Chhatra Dal, denied the allegation of vandlising and torching vehicles. He blamed Awami League activists for the incidents.
Read more: Police kept the bombs in BNP office: Fakhrul
PM inaugurates, lays foundation stones of 35 projects in Chattogram
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday inaugurated 29 development projects and unveiled the foundation stones of six proposed projects in Chattogram.
The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones of the projects ahead of joining a rally organised by Awami League’s Chattogram North and South district units at the historical Railway Polo Ground in the city.
Read more: PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stones of 34 projects in Chattogram Sunday
The total cost of the 35 projects is Tk 3,398.66 crore.
Of them, Tk 1,897.61 crore was spent to implement the 29 projects, while the estimated cost of six other projects is some Tk 1501.05 crore.
Read more: PM Hasina reaches CTG’s Polo Ground to address enormous rally
Procurement of necessary equipment for different yards and terminals of Chittagong port, banks protection and flood control of the Halda River and Dhurang canal in Fatikchhari and Hathajari upazilas, construction and extension of different school, college and madrasa buildings were among the projects.
Ctg ready to welcome PM; AL rally this afternoon
Awami League (AL) leaders and activists are ready to welcome Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Sunday) for her public rally in Chattogram after a gap of ten years.
The second largest city is all set to welcome the AL chief amid festivity. About 10 lakh people are expected to join the rally.
The Prime Minister will deliver her speech from a 160-foot, boat-shaped stage. Chattogram City Unit Awami League has organised the rally at the Polo Ground, a major venue for a big gathering.
Read more: Hasan Mahmud inspects Polo Ground ahead of hugely anticipated AL rally
During her day-long visit, Hasina will attend the President Parade-2022 at Bangladesh Military Academy in Bhatiary. She will also take salute at the passing out parade at the BMA.
The government has taken massive development schemes for Chattogram which is now under implementation. PM Hasina will also inaugurate 30 development projects here today.
She will address the rally at Railway Pologround at 3pm.
Colourful arches and gates have been constructed on various roads of the town with the posters and banners of the Prime Minister.
Billboards, banners, balloons, festoons and posters welcoming the Prime Minister and the party chief have been hung in city.
Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) has carried out beautification works on different roads ahead of the rally, including cleaning and painting footpaths, decorating flyovers with colourful lights and repairing dilapidated roads in different areas.
Read more: Ctg Rally: PM Hasina to speak as chief guest on Sunday
Awami League presidium member and former minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain said the Prime Minister will address the rally here after 10 years and will talk about the national important issues and local issues.
Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) has taken strict security measures marking the rally.
Three layers of security have been ensured throughout the city. Members of Rapid Action Battelions (Rab) and armed forces are deployed along with 7,500 police members, said CMP Commissioner Krishnapad Roy.
Hasina plans to visit different districts in stages before the 12th national election. As part of this, the first public meeting was held at Jashore Stadium.
Through the public rally in Jashore, election campaign of the ruling party began.
On December 7, she will address another party rally at the Sheikh Kamal Cricket Stadium in Cox's Bazar.
Ayat’s head recovered from Ctg canal, PBI says
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), this morning, recovered the severed head of five-year-old Ayat, who was abducted and murdered in Chattogram, from a canal in the port city.
Illias Khan, PBI inspector in Chattogram, said that they recovered the head from a canal near a sluice gate in EPZ area on Akmal Ali Road, following information from the accused Abir.
He said two teams of 25 PBI personnel have been searching for Ayat’s remains for the last three days at the spot where the remains were dumped.
Read more: Remains of 5-year-old Ayat recovered from Chattogram canal
“Ayat’s face has been disfigured and it is difficult to identify, but it should be her head,” he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ayat’s remains were recovered from the canal on Akmal Ali Road in Chattogram city.
On November 25, PBI arrested Abir Ali (20) for kidnapping and murdering Alina Islam Ayat, 10 days after the child went missing.
Accused Abir, an ex-tenant of the victim’s family, kidnapped the child on November 15 for ransom when she was on her way to a mosque for Arabic lessons, at Bandartila area in Chattogram.
Abir strangled the girl to death and later chopped her body into six pieces. He subsequently dumped the body parts, wrapped in two bags, on the beach in the city’s Kattali area.
Read more: Ayat murder in Ctg: Accused’s parents put on 3-day remand
Ayat’s father, Sohel Rana, lodged a general diary at the local police station after she went missing, police said. Abir was put on another seven-day remand on Monday on completion of his two-day remand. Abir’s parents Azharul Islam and Aleya Begum were placed on a three-day remand on Tuesday.
500 tonnes of toxic pesticide DDT removed from Chattogram after 37 years
What is thought to be the world's largest remaining stockpile of banned pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), left in Chattogram city for 37 years, has finally been removed.
DDT is toxic to humans and other organisms. It harms fertility and reproductive processes, disrupts hormonal systems, and is a probable carcinogen. As a persistent organic pollutant (POP), it accumulates in the bodies of humans and animals, as well as the wider environment.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supported the government to dispose of the DDT safely and clean up the storage site in a complex international operation.
The final batch of repackaged DDT will be loaded onto a ship later this week and then the entire consignment will set sail for France where the waste will be incinerated at a specialist facility, the FAO said Wednesday.
France is one of only a handful of countries that can dispose of DDT safely and also allows the import of hazardous waste from other countries.
Bangladesh imported 500 tonnes (500,000kg) of the pesticide in 1985 to control malaria-carrying mosquitos but the consignment was deemed technically non-compliant. Upon arrival, it was put into a government compound, the medical sub-depot of the Directorate General of Health Services in Agrabad.
Over the years, many of the boxes and bags disintegrated leaving exposed piles of the white DDT powder. In 1991 Bangladesh imposed a DDT ban but the huge consignment remained.
FAO consultant Mark Davis, an expert on obsolete pesticides, said: "This is the largest amount of the pesticide removed from a single location that I'm aware of. It's also highly unusual in that it was stored in the middle of a city and because it was there for so long."
Since DDT does not break down, the consignment has the same concentration of active ingredients today as it did when it was manufactured.
Due to the urban location, special precautions were taken to ensure that the DDT removal operation did not create dust. The buildings were sealed and operated under negative air pressure to ensure that everything stayed inside.
Read more: EU Commission proposes cutting pesticides by half by 2030
Mark, who oversaw the operation, stressed the high safety standards of the removal and clean-up. "This is a large quantity of a dangerous substance stored in an urban environment. Our operation applied all necessary measures to ensure that nobody was exposed and that none of the chemicals spread into the environment. The safety standards applied were the same as they would have been in Europe."
Under the supervision of FAO experts and government officials, a specialist company based in Greece took four months to complete the repacking of the DDT at the site. In the hot and humid conditions, trained workers wearing full hazardous material protective suits worked alongside specialist machinery.
Karnaphuli Tunnel first such project in South Asia: PM Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (November 26, 2022) said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under Karnaphuli river is the first such project in South Asia and is an astonishing infrastructure.
“Bangladesh is now a changed country and none would be able to stop the ongoing progress and advancement of Bangladesh,” she said.
The prime minister said this while joining an event marking the end to general work of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel’s south tube which goes beneath the river Karnaphuli. She officially announced completion of the tunnel’s south side.
Read more: ‘Some in opposition parties don’t see development by AL govt, they should have their eyes checked’
The PM joined the event, organised by the Bridges Division in Chattogram, virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.
The prime minister said that after inauguration of the Karnaphuli Tunnel next month, road communication between Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram, Dhaka would be much easier and faster.
Besides, country’s economy will get momentum and tourism, economic activities, trade and commerce in the entire Chattogram region will be further expanded and strengthened, she added.
Read more: PM officially announces completion of Karnaphuli Tunnel’s south side
Karnaphuli Tunnel has been constructed to develop Chattogram city like Shanghai of China following the “One City, Two Towns” model, she said.
The PM said that the new town at Anwara Upazila, end of Karnaphuli Tunnel will be developed in a planned manner to this end, while steps have been taken to connect Cox’s Bazar with Dhaka and Chattogram through rail link.
Referring to development of the region, Sheikh Hasina said, Chattogram is a crucial commercial city of Bangladesh and her government has been implementing major programmes for its development.
Read More: PM to join Karnaphuli Tunnel event Saturday
In this regard, PM Hasina mentioned that steps were taken to develop the port city Chattogram with new structures and it will help strengthen the economy of Bangladesh significantly.
PM officially announces completion of Karnaphuli Tunnel’s south side
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (November 26, 2022) joined an event marking an end to the general work of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel’s south tube, which goes beneath the river Karnaphuli in Chattogram. She also officially announced completion of the tunnel’s south side.
The PM joined the event, organised by the Bridges Division, virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.
Construction work of the Karnaphuli Tunnel’s southern end has been completed entirely, while 99 percent work of the tunnel’s northern end has been finished.
This is the first under-river tunnel in South Asia, which is expected to contribute 0.166 percent in the national economy growth with boosting employment, tourism, and industrialisation. Karnaphuli Tunnel is expected to greatly improve the traffic situation in Chattogram.
Read more: 2 tubes of Bangabandhu Tunnel likely to open this Oct, Nov: Quader
According to project sources, two 5.35km approach roads are being constructed on the eastern and western sides of the tunnel. The length of the tunnel is 3.32km, and it is being constructed at a depth of 18 to 31 metres under the Karnaphuli river.
According to officials, as of now, the overall progress of the project is 94 percent. It’ll take two more months to complete the rest of the work.
Karnaphuli Tunnel is being built at a cost of Tk 10,374 crore. The tunnel project is being implemented with joint funding of the governments of Bangladesh and China (G2G). The Exim Bank of China is giving a loan of Tk 5,913 crore while the Bangladesh government is funding the rest.
The Karnaphuli river divides Chattogram into two parts. The tunnel being built – following the “One City, Two Towns” model like Shanghai in China – will connect the port city on the north with Anwara upazila on the south.
Read More: PM Hasina foresees no crisis in consumer goods
China is providing technical and financial assistance to the project. Currently, firefighting, lighting and control management systems are being installed inside the tunnel. Besides, 52 irrigation pumps are also being installed so that rising water level during monsoon and natural disasters do not block the tunnel, said project officials.
The project is being implemented by Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA).
Two tubes adjoining the tunnel have been built under the Karnaphuli river. Lights, pumps and drainage systems are being installed in the tunnel simultaneously while A 772m flyover has also been built.
At present, the construction of a toll plaza at the tunnel’s Anwara end is going on in full swing.
Read More: PM reaches Jashore, speaks at President Parade in BAF Academy