Gopalganj
2 friends die as motorbike plunges into ditch in Gopalganj
Two friends were killed as their motorcycle lost control and fell into a roadside ditch in Durgapur union of Gopalganj sadar upazila on Monday.The deceased were identified as Tarikul Sheikh, 30, son of Bablu Sheikh of Bedgram in Gopalganj municipality, and Apurba Roy, 32, son of Prafulla Roy of Katbarari village in Durgapur union, said Sheikh Md Nasir Uddin, officer-in-charge of Gopalganj Sadar police station.Apurba used to work at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University of Science and Technology in Gopalganj, while Tariqul ran a business.
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It remains unclear as to which of the two friends the motorcycle specifically belonged to, or who was riding it at the time of the accident.The accident occurred around 3:30pm when their bike lost control while speeding near the busy Gopalganj-Kotalipara road and fell into the ditch, the police officer said. They both died from the severe injuries they sustained, and were duly declared dead by a doctor on arrival at Gopalganj General Hospital, added the OC.
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Policeman killed in Faridpur road crash
A policeman was killed in a road accident at the Sadarbera area of Nagarkanda upazila in Faridpur on Friday night.
The deceased was identified as Raihan Islam, 26, a constable of Faridpur district police. He was from Prabhakardi village of Muksudpur upazila of Gopalganj.
The accident occurred around 9:30pm when Raihan lost control of his bike in the Sadarbera area of Talmar, Nagarkanda on the Dhaka-Barisal highway, said Habil Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Nagarkanda police station.
Read: Two killed in Noakhali accidents
“He fell off the bike and sustained serious injuries,” added the OC.
He was rescued and first taken to Nagarkanda Upazila Health Complex. Later he was shifted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College Hospital in Faridpur as his condition worsened, where doctors declared him dead.
5 crushed under train in Gopalganj
At least five construction workers were killed and three injured as a train rammed a concrete mixer three-wheeler at a crossing in Gopalganj's Kashiani upazila Thursday night, the fire service said.
The deceased were Sujar Mridha (35), Paritosh Das (30), Amrit Biswas (35), Hiraman Biswas (45) and Razzaquw Shikder (40) of Parulia union, Gopalganj Fire Service Deputy Assistant Director Abul Kalam Azad said.
Fourteen workers, the occupants of the Parulia union-bound vehicle, were returning home from work from Kathamdorbosto Bazar.
Read: Teen falls into river while taking selfie from train; body recovered
At 9:30pm, when the vehicle was passing through the rail crossing at Kagdi in Maheshpur union, Tungipara Express from Rajshahi hit the three-wheeler, leaving five workers dead on the spot and three others injured.
The injured were rushed to upazila health complex, Azad said.
PM to visit Gopalganj through Padma Bridge on Monday
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit Tungipara upazila in Gopalganj on Monday through the Padma Bridge for the first time.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed to UNB on Sunday that she will make the journey by road and will return by helicopter later.
According to the Gopalganj district information office, the PM will start for Tungipara at 7 am from Ganabhaban on Monday.
Also read: PM calls for best use of domestic resources for national development
After arrival she will place wreath at the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s mausoleum at 11 am and will offer offered Surah Fatiha and prayers.
She will join a milad mahfil arranged there and will meet the leaders of the district and upazila Awami League and its associate organisations at afternoon.
The PM will also visit Bangabandhu’s launch terminal in Tungipara and will depart for Dhaka at 2 pm.
The district administration has made all the necessary arrangements for the PM’s visit and the public entrance at Bangabandhu’s mausoleum was closed on Saturday evening.
Also read: PM calls Padma Bridge a milestone to change the fate of people: PM
For the next 24 hours from Sunday 5 pm to Monday 5pm opening of all kind of shops and vehicle movement will remain restricted at Patgati area of Tungipara, said the authority.
Padma Bridge ushers in hope for Gopalganj traders, patients, commuters
Gopalganj is only 150 kms from the capital, yet, it was a hassle for locals to cross the mighty Padma River to reach Dhaka as a two-hour ferry journey was inevitable and even it turned into days amid bad weather and ahead of long holidays.
“I witnessed the tragic death of critical patients on the way to Dhaka. Those lives could have been saved if the ferry crossing did not take two hours or sometime five to six hours and more due to huge traffic at the ferry terminal,” said Shafayat Hossain Molla, an ambulance driver of Gopalganj.
Daulatdia and Mawa, the two routes used by Gopalganj dwellers, brought a similar amount of agony for them, he said.
Locals are hopeful that now the the long-anticipated Padma Bridge will bring an end to their tragic stories of patients dying in the ambulance or traders facing huge losses as their perishable goods rot during long wait to cross the river.
Now it will take not more than two and a half hours in total to reach Gulistan in Dhaka from Gopalganj through Bhatiapara-Bhanga-Mawa route using the bridge.
Gopalganj is hugely dependent on Dhaka for trade, health services and employment.
The bridge might come as a great boon for the local traders as they have to bring many goods from Dhaka and Chattogram regularly as well as supply freshwater fish, vegetables and other perishable goods and a big portion of which used to get damaged on the way.
“The bridge will be a great relief for the construction material traders of Gopalganj,” said Farid Ahmed, president of the district cement, rod, and iron sheet traders’ association.
READ: Padma Bridge completely ring-fenced from foreign funding: MoFA
He said, “The construction material traders used to wait for days at the ferry terminals during unfavorable weather, Eid, Puja, and other celebrations as the pressure of passenger buses, private vehicles increased and they got priority while crossing. It used to create a shortage in the local market and also increased the prices, hampering different development works.”
“Opening of the Padma bridge rail link project will boost trader through two south-western sea ports- Mongla in Bagerhat and Payra in Noakhali- and with the two land port- Benapole in Jashore and Bhomra in Satkhira- respectively,”said Kazi Jinnat Ali, president of Gopalganj district Chamber of Commerce & Industries.
“The bridge will boost businesses in the district as Gopalganj connects capital Dhaka, port city Chattogram , seaport Mongla and two land ports- Benapole and Bhomra,” he added.
Md. Ilias Hossain, President of Gopalganj District Bus Owners Association, said,” The inauguration will open a new horizon in connecting the southwestern part of the country including Gopalganj district with Dhaka.”
“The bus owners here are preparing to launch modern passenger bus services soon targeting different tourism locations across the country,” he said.
The inauguration of the Padma Bridge will be celebrated in 64 districts of the country simultaneously on June 25.
9 killed in Gopalganj road crash
A total of nine people people were killed and 30 others injured when a bus hit a car and then ploughed into a bike and a couple operating a paddy-cutting machine on a farm land along the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Gopalganj on Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Basudeb Kumar Saha, 52, son of Prafulla Saha, his wife Sibani Saha, 48, and son Sapnil Saha, 19, a student of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology, Azizur Islam, 44, Firoz Molla, 48, son of Peyar Ali, Ruma Begum, 40, wife of Firoz, Anik Babu, 28, and Yeasmin Akter, 19, wife of Anik and Altaf Hossain,47 son of Abdur Rashid from Patharghata upazila in Barguna.
The accident occurred around 11.30am in the Dakkhin Fukra area of Kashiani upazila when the Khulna-bound ‘Rajib Paribahan’ bus collided head-on with the car coming from the opposite direction, police said.
The bus, which was travelling at cruise speed, went on to hit a man and his wife riding the bike and then the farmer-couple working on the roadside paddy field before finally coming to a halt, police said.
READ: 5 tourists killed in India road crash
"Seven people, including three of a family, died on the spot in the impact. Some 31 injured were rushed to Gopalganj Sadar Hospital, where one of them succumbed to his injuries," said Masud Raihan, officer-in-charge of Kashiani Police Station.
Of the deceased, Anik and his wife Yeasmin were on the bike while Firoz and his wife Ruma had been working on the farm land along the highway.
The accident disrupted vehicular movement on the highway for nearly half an hour, said in-charge of Highway Police, Sabbir Ahmed.
Road accidents in Bangladesh continue to claim hundreds of lives every year.
As many as 543 people, including 81 children, were killed and 612 others injured in 427 road accidents in April, the Road Safety Foundation said in its latest report, released on May 7.
The non-government organisation said 206 lives were lost in 189 motorcycle accidents, which is 37.93% of the total deaths. Also, 116 pedestrians and 87 drivers and their assistants were killed in March accidents.
On the other hand, accidents on waterways claimed at least eight lives while 23 were killed and five injured in train accidents across Bangladesh last month.
Diplomats on way to Tungipara, see Bangladesh’s dream project Padma Bridge
Diplomats stationed in Dhaka had the opportunity to see Bangladesh’s dream project Padma Bridge on their way to Tungipara, Gopalganj by road on Thursday to pay respect to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, who is accompanying the diplomats during the visit, explained how the dream of having a mega project like Padma Bridge is becoming a reality.
Also read: Hope rises as govt reiterates Padma Bridge to open to traffic by June
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki said the State Minister explained to the Head of Missions about the impact of Padma Bridge on the economy and people’s lives in Bangladesh.
“Another game changer for inclusive and sustainable development,” Naoki tweeted sharing photos of Padma Bridge which is set to be inaugurated soon.
Birth Anniversary: President, PM pay homage to Bangabandhu
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday paid tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara in Gopalganj on the occasion of his 102nd birth anniversary and the National Children’s Day-2022.
The president and the prime minister paid their homage by placing wreaths at the mausoleum of Bangabandhu at Tungipara.
President Hamid first laid a wreath at the Bangabandhu’s mausoleum, followed by prime minister Hasina.
Read: Remembering Bangabandhu on his 102nd birth anniversary
BCL Football: BFF Academy beat Gopalganj 2-0
BFF Elite Football Academy earned a 2-0 victory over Gopalganj Sporting Club in the Bangladesh Championship League (BCL) Football Thursday evening.
At the Kamalapur Stadium in the capital, Mirajul scored both goals for BFF Academy, in the stoppage time of the first half (45+3 minute) and 77th minute.
Akramul of Gopalganj SC got a red card.
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In the day's other match, Dhaka Wanderers Club shared points with Fakirerpool Youngmen's Club as the match between them ended in a 2-2 draw at the same venue in the afternoon.
After a barren first half, Murad scored first for Wanderers Club in the 48th minute (1-0). Mithun pulled once back for Youngmen's Club in the 52nd minute from a penalty (1-1).
Musa put Fakirerpool ahead in the 54th minute (2-1); Rimon netted one for Wanderers in the 83rd minute (2-2).
Post-poll violence: 11 suffer bullet wounds in Gopalganj clash
At least 30 people were injured, 11 of them with bullet wounds, after supporters of winning and losing chairman candidates in Gopalganj union parishad polls clashed on Tuesday morning.
Locals said there had been rivalry between the two centering the UP election at Parchandra Dighalia village of the union.
Read: 20 injured in AL-BNP clash in Laxmipur
As a sequel to the enmity, defeated chairman candidate Sheikh Md Abed Ali's supporters attacked the supporters of newly elected chairman of Rana Molla in the morning, leaving 30 people injured.
Eleven of the injured, who suffered bullet wounds, were undergoing treatment at Gopalganj General Hospital, said Dr Bichitra Kumar Biswas, an emergency unit doctor of the hospital.
Read:20 people injured in worker-police clash in Tongi
Besides, six houses were vandalized during the clash.
Sheetal Chandra Paul, Inspector (Investigation) of Gopalganj Police Station, said a large number of police personnel have been deployed at the village to keep the situation under control.