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Drug accused ‘dies in police custody’ in city
A man accused in a drug case died at Uttara East Police Station early Tuesday, while on a two-day remand.
The accused hanged himself to death from the ventilator of the cell with a blanket, Deputy Commissioner (Uttara Division) Mohamamd Foyjul Islam told UNB.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Liton, 45 of Kahalu upazila in Bogura district.
Read: Faridpur violence: 48-yr-old accused dies in police custody
Placed on two-day remand police took him into custody on Monday.
“There are 15 CCTV cameras inside the police station. The CCTV footage has shown that the accused tore down the blanket inside the cell and hanged himself from the ventilator,” he said.
However, a three-member probe body, headed by Additional deputy commissioner (Airport Zone) was formed to look into the matter and find whether there was any negligence on part of duty police , he added.
Read: Raihan’s death in police custody: Suspended SI Akbar held
The committee has been asked to submit the report within three working days.
Police will take necessary steps on the basis of the probe report, said Foyjul.
Another EC official dies of Covid in Mymensingh
Additional regional election officer of Mymensingh ABM Saifuzzaman died of Covid-19 on Tuesday. He was 45.
“He breathed his last at 11:20am at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital,” Mymensingh regional election officer (REO) Md Shahedunnabi Chowdhury told UNB.
Read: Bangladesh’s Covid nightmare: 235 more die, 15,776 infected
Saifuzzaman was admitted to the hospital on Thursday last as he tested positive for Covid-19.
He left behind wife and two daughters to mourn his death. He will be buried at his village in Atpara Upazila of Netrakona district.
With Saifuzzaman, eight EC staff died of Covid-19 and some 200 staff got infected with the virus.
Read: Chattogram EC official dies of Covid-19
Of them, four EC staff died in July.
Sylhet REO Md Israil Hossain died on July 25 while Rajnagar Upazila election officer in Moulvibazar Alif Laila on July 7 last.
Bangladesh’s Covid nightmare: 235 more die, 15,776 infected
Amid the merciless onslaught of Covid-19 in Bangladesh, the country recorded 236 more deaths linked to the virus in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
According to a handout issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 15,776 more people came out positive with the virus during the period after the test of 55,284 samples.
The fresh numbers pushed the country’s death tally to 21,397 today with the caseload mounting to 1,296,093.
Meanwhile, the daily test positivity rate fell to 28.58 % from Monday's 29.91%, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
The country has been seeing over 14,300 cases and 230 deaths every day on average for the last seven days.
The recovery rate, however, rose to 86.80%, and the case fatality remained unchanged at 1.65% compared to the same period, said the DGHS.
Read: Covid in Bangladesh: Seniors far more likely to face the worst
Amid the growing concerns about the highly infectious Delta variant, Dhaka division reported the highest 73 deaths, Chattogram 65, Khulna 32, Rajshahi 21, Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh each 12 and Barishal eight deaths.
Of today’s deceased, 140 were male and 95 were female.
Hiring hospitals
The government is going to rent hotels for providing treatment to Covid patients with mild complications as hospitals are under an unprecedented crisis with huge patients, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said on Tuesday.
“Already 90 percent of the seats in hospitals have been packed. And 95% ICU beds are also occupied. We’re preparing a field hospital at Bangabandhu Medical University where we can immediately arrange 500-600 beds,” he said.
Dhaka’s traffic overload that never ends, not even in lockdown!
Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is known for its traffic congestion. One will see it, no matter whether there is a shutdown or bad weather because its chaotic traffic -- still too mild a term -- is its identity.
On the 12th day of lockdown, UNB correspondents saw the streets of Dhaka flooded with vehicles bringing back its chaotic days. Everything except public transports were plying city streets and people wandering around with little or no regard to the health guidelines.
The government, meanwhile, has extended the current lockdown till August 10 amid a surge in the delta variant of Covid-19 across the country.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque disclosed the decision of the government while talking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
He said shops, factories and offices will be reopened from August 11 while public transport will be allowed to ply roads on a limited scale once the lockdown is over.
After a reality check at different parts of the capital, including Shabagh, Uttara, Mohakhali, Mirpur, Kalabagan, Biijoy Srani, Badda, Farmgate, Shyamoli, Karwan Bazar and Bangla Motor, the UNB correspondents saw the capital almost returning to normal with, with an increased number of vehicles and people on the streets.
Read: People find 'easy excuses' to defy lockdown in Dhaka
Usual traffic jams were also seen at most of these places during office hours from 8:30 am to 11 am.
CPD finds 5.3 per cent inflation rate unrealistic as living cost goes up
The 5.3 per cent inflation target, set by Bangladesh Bank’s new monetary policy, is not realist as it has been estimated on the basis of a consumption basket developed 16 years ago since when the cost of living has jumped much higher.
This observation was made by leading think-tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at a virtual media briefing on the newly announced monetary policy statement (MPS) on Tuesday.
CPD said that the consumption basket used for calculating overall general inflation was created in 2005 and so it does not reflect the current reality and actual prices in the market.
Also read: Inflation declines to 5.26 in May
“The poor and low income groups are increasingly finding it difficult to meet their requirements in the face of dual blows from—erosion in purchasing and income”, said Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of CPD in the presentation on the MPS 2021-22.
She said that data shows that the 12-month average food and non-food inflation rates have fluctuated in a cyclical pattern over the past several years.
“So, the inflation rate has lost its relevance to the real world”, she said, adding that the consumer price index (CPI) of medical care and health expenses increased from 156.1 in July 2012 to 251.9 in June 2021.
She noted that the inflation rate of medical care and health expenses increased from 0.18% in April 2020 to 2.42% in May 2020, due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
Also read: BB unveils monetary policy for Jan-Jun period
Dr Fahmida also said the share of transport in actual consumption expenditure was 15% higher than the weight in CPI.
CPD distinguished fellow Prof Dr Mustafizur Rahman, director research Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem and senior research fellow Towfiqul Islam Khan also spoke on the occasion.
The CPD also said that the target for private sector credit growth at 14.8% is unlikely to be achieved as “it is very high compared to the trend in the recent past”.
Indeed credit to the private sector has been largely on a declining trend since Mar 2018 – and is below 10% since November 2019.
The Bangladesh Bank on July 29 announced the MPS 2021-22 setting up its different monetary targets with continuing its ongoing expansionary monetary policy amid a cautious stance for the current fiscal year (FY) to help boost recovery of the pandemic-hit economy.
The CPD said the poor and low income group people should be provided with direct cash support to create demands in order to make the economic recovery from the shock of the Covid-19.
It also suggested easing the conditions for the non-formal sector to ensure bank loans under the stimulus package, saying that the big businesses are taking the full advantage of the government’s financial support while micro and small businesses are far behind in the race.
About the lower private investment inflow, Dr Mustafizur said setting up a special economic zone alone cannot play an effective role to attract private investment.
“There are so many factors like ease of doing business, regulatory support, supportive infrastructure, one-stop service and also skilled manpower which need to be addressed to attract private investment”, he said.
Responding to a question on the remittance management, he said the government can issue bonds in foreign currency for mega infrastructure for which it takes foreign loans.
“That requirement could be met with these bonds ensuring the investment is safe and return is secured”, he added.
About excess bank liquidity of about Tk 2.5 lakh crore, Dr Golam Moazzem said the Bangladesh Bank can take measures through bringing change in different mechanisms of cash reserve ratio CRR and statutory liquidity ratio (SLR).
He said a joint monitoring of Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) is essential to ensure that the money provided by the government’s stimulus package is not invested in stock market.
Alarming Dengue surge: 264 more hospitalised in 24 hrs
Amid a growing concern over spike in Dengue cases, 264 new patients were hospitalized across the country in the last 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
Of the new dengue cases, 248 were reported in Dhaka while 16 were from outside the capital, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read:Anti-dengue drive: City corporations raise Tk 8.6 lakh in fines
According to the (DGHS), 1072 patients are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals across the country.
A vast majority of the dengue patients are from Dhaka as only 47 of them were reported being treated in hospitals outside the capital.
Some 3,446 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and 2,370 of them have been released after they recovered.
The outbreak of dengue fever has sparked new worries as the country’s health services are already overburdened with increasing Covid cases and fatalities.
To eradicate dengue larvae in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) areas a control room was opened from Monday.
Read: Dengue spike:287 more hospitalized in 24 hrs
On Monday, Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation in separate drives filed 27 cases and fined different houses and establishments Tk 8.57 lakh for breeding Aedes larvae in the city.
Some 11 mobile courts conducted the drives in Green Road, New Eskaton, Malibagh Bazar, Phool Bagh, West Islambagh, Chawkbazar, Dhalpur, Golapbag, Amulia, Dogar, Kadamtali, South Banasree areas of the city.
The DGHS reported 1,193 dengue cases and three confirmed dengue-related deaths in 2020.
According to official statistics, 101,354 dengue cases and 179 deaths were recorded in Bangladesh in 2019.
Read: Dengue alert: CU survey team finds Aedes larvae at 15 spots in Chattogram
Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year. In the years that followed, the country learned to deal with the disease much better.
The fatalities had almost fallen to zero at one stage, before surging again in 2018, leading to the severe outbreak the following year.
2 associates of Helena Jahangir held in Dhaka
Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Tuesday arrested two associates of Joyjatra IPTV’ chairman Helena Jahangir from Gabtoli area in Dhaka.
The arrestees are Hajera Khatun, 40 and Sanaullah Nuri, 47.
Read: Helena sued under Telecommunication Act
On information, the intelligence wing of Rab conducted a drive in Gabtoli area early Tuesday and arrested them.
Commander Khandaker Al Moin, director of Legal and Media Wing of Rab headquarters, said two laptops and two mobile phone sets were recovered during the drive.
Besides, the arrestees gave some information during an interrogation.
Read:Helena Jahangir placed on three-day remand
Process is underway to legal action against the arrestees, said officials.
On July 29, Rab members arrested Helena from her Gulshan residence for spreading propaganda using digital platform, four days after she was removed from the AL sub-committee.
Read:Helena Jahangir held from Gulshan residence after Rab raid
Two cases were filed against Helena Jahangir under the Telecommunication Act and the Digital Security Act (DSA) on Friday.
Bangladesh extends lockdown again as Delta variant plays havoc
The government has extended the current lockdown till August 10 amid a surge in the Delta variant of Covid-19 across the country.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque disclosed the decision of the government while talking to reporters after an inter-ministerial meeting on Tuesday.
Read: Lockdown in Dhaka: Surging infections, soaring chaos
He said shops, factories and offices will be reopened from August 11 while public transport will be allowed to ply roads by rotation on a limited scale once the lockdown is over.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam were present at the virtual meeting along with other ministers and state ministers.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said: “Today’s decision is a provisional one as we’ll take another decision considering the situation.”
The government is set to launch a mass vaccination drive at the village level from 14,000 vaccine centres from August 7 as one crore people will be vaccinated in the next one week, he said.
The minister said the vaccine campaign will be launched simultaneously with a focus on senior people as they face a greater risk of fatalities.
He urged workers and helpers of bus drivers to get their Covid jabs as no one will be allowed to join work without vaccinations. “Once vaccinated, the certificates will be available on the website,” he said.
Regarding cross-checking, he said it will be possible to check whether one took the jab or not, and it can be scrutinised on 7-9 August.
Read:Lockdown: Thousands returning to Dhaka as factories going to reopen Sunday
'Everyone to have an address’: Hasina about housing for all
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said no one in Bangladesh will remain without shelter as her government is working to ensure access to affordable housing options for all.
"Everyone will get an address," she said while distributing newly-constructed flats among 300 families, who had been living in slums of the capital.
Read:Better housing: Hasina distributes flats among 300 low income families
She handed over allocation papers of the new flats in 14-storey three buildings on rental basis. The Ministry of Housing and Public Works implemented the project at Mirpur 11.
Held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center, the Prime Minister joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganobahban.
"This is the Bangladesh of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Everyone in Bangladesh will get a better life …that’s our aim," she said.
Hasina said she thinks that materialising the dream of the Father of the Nation is synonymous with the development of Bangladesh.
"Our only responsibility is to implement the dream of the Father of the Nation, I think that’s the development of Bangladesh," she said.
Read: PM to distribute over 53000 new homes to the homeless Sunday
Hasina said the way Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman thought about the welfare of the country and its people, no one else could do this that way.
Better housing: Hasina distributes flats among 300 low-income families
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday distributed newly-constructed flats among 300 low-income families as they were living in slums, enabling them to avail of civic amenities.
She handed over the allocation papers of the new flats in 14-storey three buildings on rental basis.
Read: PM likely to join 76th UNGA in person
The flat distribution programme was held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. The prime minister joined it from her official residence Ganobahban.
The flats have all the facilities of a modern urban residence like lift, generator, solar power, wide walkways, power substations, open spaces and beautification through illumination.
The daily rent for every 672-sqf flat, having a drawing room, one kitchen and separate bathrooms, has been fixed at Tk 150, while the monthly rent at Tk 4,500.
The Ministry of Housing and Public Works implemented the project at Mirpur 11 in the capital from its own financing. This is the first phase of relocating slum residents to better housing.