Bangladesh
System loss in gas distribution comes down to 7.5 percent from a 22 percent: Nasrul Hamid
System loss in gas distribution segment has been brought down to 7.5 percent now from a 22 percent two years before.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid disclosed this while visiting the headquarters of the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited in the city on Thursday.
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“Now our target is to bring the system loss to a zero level in the next two years, " he said, giving a description of the recent moves of the Titas Gas Company.
Titas has been the largest entity in the gas distribution segment having about 2.8 million retail consumers, out of a total 4.8 million of the country.
The state minister said that in the last two years a total of 865,000 illegal gas connections have been snapped. Of this, 336 are industrial connections, 475 commercial connections, 97 captive power plants, 13 CNG stations.
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“A total of 989 kilometers of illegal pipelines have been removed and Tk 604 crore has been fined from the illegal consumers”, he added.
Briefing reporters, Nasrul said the government has been intolerant in taking action against illegal connections.
He, however, admitted that some influential quarters including local lawmakers, public representatives of different levels have been the main impediments.
“But mind it, the minister of the energy and power ministry is the Prime Minister herself and she has strong directives to remain uncompromising in this regard, " he said.
Petrobangla chairman Zanendra Nath Sarker and Titas managing director Engr. Md. Haronur Rashid Mullah were present on the occasion.
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Nasrul informed that the Titras Gas Company has initiated a move to implement a Tk 12,000 crore project in the areas under Dhaka and Narayanganj cities to replace the old pipelines to stop gas leakages.
Apart from this, Titas Gas has been negotiating with different donor agencies including Asian Development Bank, World Bank and JBIC of Japan to install pre-paid gas meters to reduce system loss in the gas consumption.
Petrobangla chairman Zanendra Nath said that all the distribution and transmission companies have installed meters to ensure accountability in gas trading among them.
Cargo vessel capsizes in Bay of Bengal with 12 crew
A cargo vessel capsized in the Bay of Bengal on the east side of Island upazila Hatiya in Noakhali amid inclement weather on Thursday afternoon.
All the 12 crew of the vessel were reportedly floating in the Bay till filing of this report around 6:30pm.
The crew members called the national emergency service-999 seeking help.
Mehedi Jaman, in-charge of river police in Hatiya, said they were going to the spot with a trawler but it will take time for them to reach the spot as the sea remained rough.
He, however, said the crew were all floating on the upper part of the sunken vessel.
Meanwhile, a team of Hatiya Coast Guard left for the spot with a trawler and it will take them one to two hours to reach the scene.
Mohammad Wahedul Islam, a representative of the owners of the vessel ‘MV Moumoni’, blamed the adverse weather for the capsizing of the vessel.
Members of the Coast Guard were trying to rescue the crew, he said, adding that the vessel was heading towards Dhaka from Chattogram with goods.
Secondary schools, colleges to reopen April 28 amid heat wave
Secondary schools and colleges which were closed due to heat wave condition will reopen across the country on April 28 (Sunday) although the sweltering heat is unlikely to abate soon.
However, daily assemblies at these institutions will remain suspended until the heat wave becomes tolerable, according to a notice issued by the Ministry of Education on Thursday.
Schools, colleges to remain closed till Apr 27 due to heat wave
Besides, other activities at these educational institutions which are done outside the classrooms or requires sun exposure will remain limited .
The notice also said classes will be held on Saturdays until further notice to compensation the education losses caused by the closure of the educational institutions due to heat wave and other reasons.
Heat wave: Assembly at all govt primary schools suspended
The schools and colleges were schedule to open on April 21 after the end of Eid holidays but the closure was extended till April 27 due to sweltering heat across the country caused by heat wave.
According to a bulletin of Bangladesh Metrological Department, the ongoing heat wave may persist for 72 hours starting Thursday morning.
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The highest temperature of the country was recoded at 41.6 degree Celsius at Mongla in Khulna on Wednesday.
19 dengue patients hospitalized in 24hrs
No fresh death due to dengue was reported in Bangladesh in the 24 hours till Thursday evening, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
11 dengue patients hospitalised in 24hrs
However, 19 patients were hospitalised with viral fever during this period, according to the DGHS.
Of them, five were admitted in Dhaka hospitals, while the rest were outside the capital.
A total of 116 patients are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
34 dengue patients hospitalised in 24hrs
So far, 2,103 dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024.
Last year, a total of 1,705 people lost their lives due to dengue, making it the deadliest year on record.
1 more dengue patient dies; 23 hospitalised in 24hrs
The DGHS recorded 321,179 dengue cases and 3, 18,749 recoveries last year.
Last year’s September was the deadliest month for the dengue outbreak, with 396 fatalities and 79,598 cases, according to DGHS data.
Farmer dies from electrocution in Meherpur
A farmer died due from electrocution at Debipur village in Gangni upazila of Meherpur on Thursday.
The deceased was Abdul Hannan,75, of Debipur village.
Local UP member Hirok Ahmed confirmed the matter and said that Abdul Hannan died on the spot while turning on his irrigation pump near his house.
Later, the locals recovered his body.
Shariful Islam, Sub-Inspector of Bamandi police camp, said that after receiving the news they visited the spot.
Sajek road crash: BRTA to provide families of deceased Tk 5 lakh each
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) will provide a compensation of Tk 5 lakh to each of the family of the victims who lost their lives in an accident in Rangamat's Sajek.
The injured victims will be provided Tk 2 lakh.
Shireen Akhtar, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Baghaichhari upazila, said this while talking to reporters at the Khagrachhari Modern District Hospital on Thursday morning.
Upazila Administration will provide TK10,000 for transporting the bodies, she said.
Earlier today, police brought the bodies of 5 deceased from Sajek to Khagrachhari Modern District Hospital.
Abdul Awal Chowdhury, Additional Superintendent of Police of Baghaichhari Police Circle, informed that after the autopsy of the 9 deceased of Mro community the bodies will be handed over to the families.
Among the injured undergoing treatment at Khagrachhari Modern District Hospital, Ahir Uddin and his son Samiul have been transferred to Dhaka for advanced treatment in the morning.
Currently, 4 people are undergoing treatment at Khagrachhari Modern District Hospital, said Ripal Bappi Chakma, Resident Medical Officer of the hospital.
On Wednesday, a truck carrying goods and labourers from Gazipur and other areas were heading to Udaypur to work in the border road construction project.
The truck lost control while descending from a steep mountain road known as 90 degree area and fell into a ditch, leaving five people dead on the spot.
Local residents rescued the injured and transported them to Khagrachhari Sadar Hospital.
Upon arrival, doctors on duty pronounced four people dead, while six others were admitted in critical condition.
Cuet closed as tensions flare over 2 students’ death in road crash
Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (Cuet) was declared closed for an indefinite period on Thursday as students burst into protests demanding road safety after the deaths of two fellows in a fatal road accident on April 22.
The decision to close the university was taken in the 151st emergency meeting of the academic council led by Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, said the university’s Deputy Director (coordination) Fazlur Rahman.
All academic activities including exams will remain suspended during the period, he said.
The male students were asked to vacate dormitories by 5pm on Thursday and the female students by 9am on Friday.
Two Cuet students—Shanto Saha, a 3rd year student and Tawfiq Hasan, a 2nd year student of Civil engineering department, died when a bus of ‘Shah Amanat’ paribahan hit a motorbike on Chattogram-Kaptai road at Zianagar in Rangunia upazila on Monday.
As soon as the news spread, some Cuet students vandalised three buses and set one more on fire on that day.
The students took to the streets boycotting classes and examinations and continued their protests till Wednesday blocking the Chattogram-Kaptai road by setting fire on logs and tyres to press home their 9 point demand for safe road.
They demanded arrest of the bus driver and his assistant and their exemplary punishment.
The other demands include providing compensation to the deceased and bearing the medical expenses of the student injured in the accident, establishment of modern treatment centre with all facilities on the campus, proving ambulances with modern equipment, stopping movement of all local buses including Shah Amanat and AB Travels on the road, examining liscences of the buses and CNG-run auto-rickshaws that ply the road , making the Student Welfare Council under accountable and forming students representative group.
Bus driver Md Tazul Islam was arrested from the Kotwali area of Chattogram city on Wednesday afternoon,
JnU to continue virtual classes
Due to the heat wave, the Jagannath University administration has decided to continue online classes until further notice.
No examinations will be held during the period, said a circular signed by Prof. Dr. Ainul Islam, acting Registrar of Jagannath University (JnU) on Thursday.
According to the notice, due to the ongoing heat wave all over the country, all classes will he held virtually and examinations will remain suspended until further notice considering health safety.
The notification also requested students to follow rules to avoid health risks during the ongoing heat wave.
Earlier, the university administration decided to take all the classes virtually for a week in an emergency meeting on April 21.
National Heart Foundation calls for increased tobacco taxes in budget
The National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and Platform Doctors Foundation have called for raising the prices of all tobacco products in the upcoming budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025 as the government spends more on treating diseases than it earns from the tobacco sector.
They made this demand during a press conference titled 'Demand for Increase in Tobacco Tax in the 2024-25 Fiscal Year Budget for a Tobacco-Free Bangladesh,' held at Jahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall, on Thursday.
They also said about 3.78 crore people, which is 35.3 percent of the population, use tobacco in the country. Additionally, around 15 lakh individuals suffer from tobacco-related illnesses.
According to the National Heart Foundation of Bangladesh and Platform Doctors Foundation, tobacco-related diseases claim the lives of around 161,000 people annually, resulting in substantial economic losses. In the fiscal year 2017-18 alone, tobacco usage incurred Tk 30,560 crore in economic losses, while revenue from the sector amounted to Tk 22,810 crore.
The organisations proposed a significant increase in tobacco taxes, arguing that higher prices lead to decreased consumption. They suggested specific tax rates for different grades of tobacco products, with prices set at Tk 60 for low-level cigarettes, Tk 80 for mid-range, Tk 130 for high-level, and Tk 170 for premium-grade cigarettes.
Implementation of these tax measures, the organisations claim, could reduce cigarette consumption from 15.1 percent to 13.80 percent, potentially preventing the premature deaths of 540,656 young individuals. Additionally, it is estimated to generate approximately Tk 47,000 crore in revenue, marking a 28 percent increase from the previous year.
Tanvir Shakil Joy, Member of Parliament for Sirajganj-1 Constituency, expressed support for the initiative, reiterating Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's vision of achieving a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040. He emphasised the need for a simplified taxation system to deter tobacco consumption and safeguard public health.
Professor Khandkar Abdul Awal Rizvi, President of the heart foundation, highlighted that 18 percent of citizens aged 15 and above are smokers, with millions more exposed to secondhand smoke daily. To protect this vulnerable population, Rizvi emphasized the importance of effective taxation as a globally recognized strategy for reducing tobacco use.
The press conference was attended by key figures including Associate Professor Shafiun Nahin Shimul from the Institute of Health Economics at Dhaka University, Dr. Sohel Reza Choudhury from the National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute, Rashed Bappi, President of the Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum, along with representatives from various anti-tobacco organizations and media outlets.
Seheli Sabrin made next Consul General of Bangladesh Consulate in Florida
The government has appointed Seheli Sabrin, Director General (public diplomacy wing) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as Consul General of Bangladesh Consulate in Florida, USA.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a notification on Thursday regarding her new role. She is also serving as spokesperson at the MoFA.
The transfer order will be effective from the date of her joining at the Mission.
She joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 2, 2005 as a member of 24th BCS (Foreign Affairs).
Seheli served as First Secretary at Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra, 2012-2014 and as Counsellor at Bangladesh Embassy in Jakarta, 2014-2017.
She also served as Director General (Consular & Welfare) from 2021 to 2022.