United News of Bangladesh

Two people, including a female student, were killed and three others injured when a speeding truck rammed into a parked CNG auto-rickshaw on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway in Mirsarai upazila on Wednesday morning. The accident occurred around 8:30am in front of Zahedia Madrasah at Borotakia Bazar, said Nadim Haider, Police Superintendent of Mirsarai Circle. “Two people died on the spot, while three others were taken to hospital in critical condition. Fire service personnel and highway police are working to restore normal traffic,” said Nadim Haider. One of the deceased was identified as Khadija Mashmum, 12, a Class X student of the madrasah. The identity of the other victim could not be confirmed yet. Police said the accident occurred when the truck driver lost control over the steering while heading towards Chattogram and hit the stationary auto-rickshaw, causing it to plunge into a nearby pond. The injured were rushed to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where their condition was said to be critical. Read More: 219 killed in 409 road accidents in Dhaka in 2025 The accident led to severe traffic congestion on the Chattogram-bound lane of the highway for several hours.

The Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) will set up the country’s first Defence Industrial Zone in Mirsarai, Chattogram, to produce military equipment for domestic use and export. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) on Monday, chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus. Speaking at a post-meeting press conference at the Foreign Service Academy, BEZA Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun said the zone will be developed on about 850 acres of land in Mirsarai, and the decision was made in consultation with the Armed Forces Division and with government approval. Ashik said the zone will initially focus on the production of basic warfare equipment. “Recent wars have shown that shortages often arise in basic military items such as bullets or tank components. If we have a dedicated zone to produce these locally, it will not only meet our own needs but also create a scope for exports in the future.” Over 4 lakh expats cast votes through postal ballot till Monday He said the land earmarked for the project had remained unused after the previously planned Indian Economic Zone was cancelled. “Several countries have already expressed interest in investing in this defence industrial zone, but their names cannot be disclosed due to security and confidentiality reasons.” On arms exports, Ashik said Bangladesh’s existing arms-manufacturing facilities are not sufficient to meet full domestic demand. “Once this zone is operational, we will gradually meet local demand and then move towards exports. Initially, work may begin on around 50 acres, with expansion taking place in phases. It has already been included in the master plan,” he said. Alongside the defence zone, BEZA has also decided to establish a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) on 650 acres of land in Anwara, Chattogram. Ashik said the FTZ will allow any country to store goods there without customs complications. “Dubai earns around $194 billion annually from a similar free trade zone, which accounts for 34 percent of its GDP. Bangladesh also wants to tap into the potential of the Bay of Bengal in the same way.” Referring to trade facilitation, he said the absence of a free trade zone is one of the reasons why American cotton does not come to Bangladesh in large volumes. “If an FTZ is set up here, exports will become easier. Countries like the United States could also use this zone to re-export goods to other destinations such as Vietnam.” The BEZA Executive Chairman said establishing a free trade zone would require amendments to eight legal and regulatory provisions involving multiple ministries. “We are completing the policy-level work. The elected government will carry out the work execution.” Market stable, prices likely to ease further in Ramadan: Adviser Bashir Ashik also said BEZA has decided to work on reviving the Kushtia Sugar Mill on 200 acres of land. In addition, to protect agricultural land, BEZA has decided to bring 331 municipalities—previously outside its jurisdiction—under its purview. These initiatives are part of a broader effort to promote planned industrialisation while safeguarding agricultural land.

A 32-old-worker died in a gas cylinder explosion at rod manufacturing organization BSRM in Mirsarai upazila of the district on Tuesday. The deceased—Sokel Ahmed, was son of Suruj Miah of Ishwarganj upazila of Mymensingh. Co-workers said the blast happened suddenly in the afternoon when they were working at scrap yard of the BSRM in Sonaphara area under Jorajganj police station of the upazila, leaving him critically injured. Read more: Two die a week after Sylhet gas cylinder blast At first he was rushed to Mirsarai Upazila Health Complex and from where he was shifted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) with life-threatening injuries. Sokel succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the CMCH, they said. Jahed Hossain, officer-in-charge of Jorajganj police station, said they would hand over the body to the family upon completion of legal procedures. Delwar Hossain Mollah, manager (admin) Of Mirsarai unit of the BSRM, said Sokel was not their employee but he was assigned by contactor firm ‘Hajera Enterprise’. Compensation will be given to the victim’s family after discussing with the contactor firm, he added.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has urged Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) to speed up construction of the garment village at Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar in Mirsarai, Chattogram to make it operational for industries in the shortest possible time. If the industrial plots get ready, apparel factories would be able to go into operation and create employment opportunities for a huge number of people while bringing foreign exchange as export earnings, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said during a meeting with BEZA at its office in Dhaka Monday (November 28, 2022). Read more: BGMEA wants increased police vigilance to stop RMG goods theft during transportation Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman were present as chief guest at the meeting chaired by BEZA Executive Chairman Shaikh Yusuf Harun. Former BGMEA president Md Siddiqur Rahman; BGMEA vice-presidents Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Md Nasir Uddin, and Director Md M Mohiuddin Chowdhury were also present at the meeting. Faruque said completion of the industrial site would help RMG exporters to set up factories and thus contribute to propelling the industrial growth in Bangladesh. Read More: BGMEA for ensuring workers' health, well-being for improving productivity

Police arrested 18 Rohingyas from Mirsarai Economic Zone on Friday after they fled from Noakhali’s Bhasanchar refugee camp. The arrestees include 8 women and 6 children. Md Habib, an in-charge of Mirsarai industrial area police camp, said they arrested the Rohingyas from the economic zone’s Super Dike area on Friday afternoon when they were heading towards Ukhiya’s Kutupalong refugee camp from the Bhasanchar.   He said the Rohingyas fled from Bhasanchar in collaboration with brokers and came to Mirsarai by boat. The arrestees were handed over to Jorarganj police station, he added.      

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has urged the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) to complete all construction works of the garment village at Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar in Mirsarai, Chattogram in the quickest possible time to make it ready for setting up factories and start industrial operations.  The call was made when a delegation of BGMEA led by President Faruque Hassan visited the garment village on Saturday to see the progress of construction of its infrastructure and facilities. The BGMEA delegation included First Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Vice President (Finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin, Vice President Rakibul Alam Chowdhury and Directors Md. M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury, A.M. Shafiul Karim (Khokon), Md. Hassan (Jacky), M. Ahsanul Hoq and Mohammed Meraj-E-Mostafa (Kaisar). READ: Cleaner, greener production cannot come at free of cost: BGMEA chief High officials of BEZA were also present on the occasion. They toured the site to observe the overall progress of the infrastructure and road construction, as well as gas, water, electricity connections, common effluent treatment plant (CETP) and other facilities.  Welcoming the government initiative of establishing the garment village, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said it would help exporters to set up more factories at a convenient place. He requested the BEZA to expedite the ongoing project works and get the plots fully ready for handover to the BGMEA members who are waiting to set up their garment factories inside the village. All facilities must be ensured so that garment factories can go into industrial operations smoothly, he said. READ: BGMEA urges LGRD Ministry to repair roads in industrial areas Once the garment village is inaugurated and fully operational, it would create employment for a huge number of people and contribute to increasing the country’s earnings from RMG exports, Faruque Hassan further said. To establish a garment village on a 500-acre site in the industrial city, BGMEA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BEZA on 21 March 2018. The BEZA authority assured BGMEA of completing the garment village and handing over the plots in the shortest possible time.

Four banks and a financial institution have teamed up to finance Tk 334 crore primarily under a syndicated loan agreement to set up an electric vehicle-manufacturing plant in Mirsarai, Chattogram by a private company. Agrani Bank, Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Bangladesh Development Bank and Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL), a financial institution (FI), will arrange the fund to set up the car plant. A loan agreement was signed among the banks, FI and manufacturer Bangladesh Auto Industries Ltd (BAIL) in the city on Wednesday. BAIL is setting up the electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the Bangabandhu Shilpa Nagar. Lithium-ion battery, motor and controller for the vehicles will be manufactured under the project to ensure 75 per cent local value addition to the vehicle making it available at an affordable cost. Read: Introduce customer-friendly electric vehicle recharging policy: Nasrul

A man from Mirsharai upazila in Chattogram has got the shock of his life after he discovered his own death in a voter list. Arjun Chandra Das died in 2012, according to the voter list published by the Election Commission. He found out the shocking information as he sought to contest in the by-poll election of Dhum union-4 scheduled for November 11. READ: 3 members of a family found dead in Mirsarai: 2 held Arjun collected his nomination paper for general member post of ward-9 of that union and later found out he was listed as dead in the voter list. Astonished by the information, he sent a written complaint to the Election Commission Secretary. According to locals, on October 10 Arjun collected his nomination paper from the returning officer’s office and on October 13 he went to upazila election office to collect the voter list of that area. After not finding his name Arjun informed upazila election officer Faruque Hossain. Faruque confirmed after checking from an online list that Arjun, son of Sudhir Chandra Dash from Dhum village, died on March 25, 2012. The official informed Arjun as his name was not listed he cannot contest in the election. Arjun told UNB he is alive in his National ID card, Passport, heir certificate, character certificate, trade license, chairman certificate, tax receipt, bank account and all other official documents. “Even though I went to India on medical visa on 2017-2018, they have been showing me dead since 2012,” he said. READ: Mohamaya Lake, Mirsarai, Chattogram: The Best Place for Kayaking in Bangladesh “I just wish to serve people by contesting in the election which I cannot due to this error”, said a dejected Arjun. Upazila Election officer Faruq Hossain said Arjun’s complaint has been sent to the Election commission office for correction. “If EC approves, Arjun can take part in the by-poll. Otherwise his nomination will get cancelled”, he said.

When a wanderlust person shares the story of traveling Mohamaya Lake, s/he might stop for a moment and get lost in the memories. Whenever one visits there, this second largest artificial lake in Bangladesh will bind him/her in such strange magic. Mohamaya Lake is a piece of aquatic paradise in an area of about 11 sq-km in the hills just 2 km east of Thakurdighi Bazar in Durgapur Union of Mirsarai in Chattogram. Let’s take a tour of Mohamaya Lake through the story. The natural beauty of Mohamaya Lake Mohamaya lake is a blissful combination of hilly terrain and crystal clear waters. The surrounding environment presents enthralling fountains, mountain caves, and rubber dams. Taking a boat ride across the lake bestows a heavenly experience. The cool water springs splashing down from the mountains fill the traveler's body and mind with unearthly serenity. The tourists can participate in kayaking and enjoy the camping facilities in Mohamaya Lake. The outdoor enthusiasts who love thrilling experiences must spend an afternoon for kayaking across the lake. Spending a night camping beside the lake can give forever unforgettable memories. Read Visit Ramsagar Dighi, Dinajpur: The Historic Man-made Lake Telling Myths for Centuries Some portion of this lake is under the control of the Bangladesh Water Development Board. And, the lake-water of that area is being used for irrigation in the surrounding areas. When to visit Mohamaya Lake Mohamaya Lake is crowded with tourists at all times of the year. But winter is better for kayaking and hiking in the surrounding mountains. Because at this time there will be less problem of excess dehydration and getting tired with a little movement. However, it is better to go just after the monsoon to enjoy the surrounding waterfalls along the lake. Because at this time the Chhoras of fountain become lively due to the rain. Read Floating Guava Market in Barishal: Outlandish decor for livelihood on the estuary of three canals Dhaka to Mohamaya Lake, Mirsarai travel route The best way to reach Mohamaya Lake from Dhaka is to take any Chattogram-bound bus and get off at Thakurdighi Bazar in Mirsarai Upazila. Different types of buses leave from Dhaka's Kalabagan, Fakirapul, Sayedabad for Chattogram every day. Of these, the rent of non-ACs is BDT 260 to 480 and the rent of ACs is BDT 800 to 1100. In any of these, Thakurdighi Bazaar can be reached in 3 to 4 hours before Mirsarai. From Thakurdighi Bazar, one can go to the main gate of Mohamaya Ecopark for BDT 15 to 20 per person. A group of 5 to 6 people usually go to Mohamaya Eco Park with CNG reserve where the rent is BDT 60 to 120. Read Visit Kaptai Lake, Rangamati: The Largest Artificial Lake in South Asia Traveling by train from Dhaka is also a great way. Some Chattogram-bound intercity trains go to Feni station. Depending on the class, the rent for these is BDT 265 to 600 per person. Rickshaw/auto fare from Feni station to Feni Mahipal bus stand is BDT 10 to 15. From there, local buses take them to Thakurdighi Bazaar within BDT 30 to 40. There is another way, where the mail train costs BDT 90-120 to land at the "Chinki Astana" station. From there, the fare of Thakurdighi by auto / Laguna / CNG is BDT 20 to 25. Then the tourists of Mohamaya Lake travel from Thakurdighi in the way mentioned earlier. The entrance fee to Mahamaya Eco Park is BDT 10 per person. Read Visit Baikka Beel, Hail Haor, Sreemangal: Buoyant art of nature in a paradise of birds Camping and Kayaking at Mohamaya Lake MKP (Mohamaya Kayaking Point) organizes camping and kayaking facilities at Mahamaya Lake. Camping is available from 6 pm to 7 am the next day. The maximum capacity of a tent is 30 people and the minimum is 4 people. The package price of camping is BDT 600 per head.

A Freedom Fighter was beaten to death over land feud in Chattogram’s Mirsarai upazila on Friday afternoon. The victim is Mohammad Shahjahan, 65. According to his nephew Sohel Mostafa, the incident occurred at around 11:30am at the upazila’s Osmanpur area. Shahjahan went to visit the disputed land with some of his family members when they came under attack. Shahjahan was taken to Jorarganj Hospital from where the doctors sent him to Chattogram Medical College Hospital. He died at around 2:30pm while being taken to CMCH. Jorarganj Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Helal Uddin said they were on their way to Osmanpur.