Two friend have drowned in the Shitalakkhya River while bathing. Fire Servvice divers recovered the bodies of the two victims at  the Kazirchar area of Danga Union of Narsingdi on Friday and Saturday, said Mohammad Monir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Polash Thana Police Station. The deceased were identified as Mihaad Islam (18) and his friend Asaduzzaman Asad (17. According to sources, around 3:30 pm on Friday, four friends—Rezaul Tanvir (18), Samir Khan (17), Asad, and Mihaad—visited the Shitalakkhya River bank to break their fast. After having iftar, they went into the water to bathe. When one of them was caught by the current, another attempted to help, and both were swept away. While Rezaul and Samir managed to swim to safety, they were unable to rescue their friends. They immediately informed local residents, who alerted the Fire Service. Rescue workers reached the scene by 5 pm on Friday, and Mihaad’s body was recovered soon after. Despite searching until nightfall, Asad’s body could not be found, and the search resumed early on Saturday. By 11 am, the diving team successfully recovered Asad’s body.  Road crash leaves college student dead in Sylhet The victims, who had grown up together in the capital’s Pallabi area, had recently come to visit their friends. Preparations were underway to file an accidental death case, said the OC.

A case was filed against five people on Sunday over the alleged rape of a seven-month-pregnant woman in Pachdona union of Narsingdi’s Madhabdi upazila. The 23-year-old victim lodged a complaint at Madhabdi Police Station on Saturday naming two of the accused, said Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Nazrul Islam.  According to police, the victim was living in a rented house in Bhagirathpur with her husband who was jailed in a case linked to the July movement. Upon his release, she informed him about the incident and filed the case.  Police arrested Iqbal Hossain ,43, son of Joynal Mia from Asmandirchar in Pachdona union while the second named accused, Pappu Mia ,29, son of Abdul Motaleb from the same area, managed to flee.  HC orders completion of Magura child rape trial in six months The incident took place between February 19 - 21, when the woman was allegedly held captive in a room for two days and gang raped.  Md Anwar Hossain, Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle), said that the victim appeared at Madhabdi Police Station on Friday night. She claimed that Iqbal posing as a lawyer had deceived her by promising to help secure her husband’s release. Later, four people allegedly drugged her, detained her in a building for three days, and sexually assaulted her in turns.  Police have inspected the crime scene based on the victim’s information. One of the accused was arrested and a drive is underway to arrest the other suspects, said the OC.

In Narsingdi BSCIC industrial city, an expansion was carried out at a cost of nearly Tk 90 crore, citing unfavorable conditions in the old BSCIC industrial city. Over 150 plots were created, but due to poor management, industries have not yet developed. Business owners attribute the fragile situation to corruption and favoritism by the previous government. In 1986, a 15.39-acre plot of land in Shibpur, Narsingdi, was used to establish the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) industrial city. Despite almost four decades having passed since then, the area remained underdeveloped and faced numerous issues, prompting the decision to expand it. In 2015, 30 acres of land in Syednagar, in the same upazila, were acquired for Tk 88.4 crore to expand the project. The work was completed by June 2022, and the project was finished in October 2023. However, no significant industrial establishments have emerged, with only two sheds and a personal house visible in the area. BSCIC passed to revive industrial capacity, modernise outlook Business owners say that although adequate facilities such as gas and electricity are provided, genuine industrialists and entrepreneurs have not been allocated plots. The plots were given to those with the backing of the former government's industrial minister and political leaders, leaving real business owners deprived. As a result, the industrial city faces a shortage of industries. Meanwhile, business leaders argue that although there is a need for industrial expansion, the government's wrong policies regarding plot allocation have caused the project to fail. They demand a reevaluation and the handing over of plots to genuine entrepreneurs, along with further expansion of BSCIC to a much larger area. When asked who received the allocation for the more than 150 plots in the expanded area, BSCIC officials could not provide an answer even after 15 days. They also stated that the list of beneficiaries must be obtained from the Ministry. Mohammad Rashed Hossain Chowdhury, Narsingdi Deputy Commissioner (DC) stated, "Notices have already been issued to those who have not yet set up industrial establishments. If satisfactory responses are not received, action will be taken, including cancellation of plots through appropriate legal procedures." BSCIC officials’ training on salt iodization underway in Cox’s Bazar "If the 263 plots, including 95 in the old BSCIC and 168 in the new area, are utilized properly, it will contribute to the expansion of small and cottage industries in Narsingdi and create employment for millions of people," he added.

Miscreants have hacked a 13-year-old girl to death and left her mother critically injured after breaking into their home. The incident happened at the house of Mofazzal Hossain, a tea vendor, near the Shekherchar-Baburhat market in Narsingdi Sadar Upazila on Monday, said Narsingdi Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Emdad Hossain. The deceased was identified as Sumona Akter Tithi, and the injured is her mother, Asma Begum, 40. Child killed in road accident in Meherpur Neighbours rushed Asma to a private hospital in Madhabdi for initial treatment before transferring her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Tithi was taken to Sadar Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. According to family members, Mofazzal discovered the gruesome scene upon returning home around 10:30 pm after closing his tea stall. He found his wife and daughter lying in pools of blood in their second-floor room. His physically disabled child, however, was found unharmed in the bathroom. 2 teenagers die in Natore motorcycle crash Law enforcement officials, including Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md. Anwar Hossain and officers from Sadar Police Station and the district detective branch, inspected the crime scene and surrounding areas. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the reason and identify those responsible for the crime, said the OC.

A 22-year-old man was killed and three others injured in a clash between two factions of Jubo Dal over dominance in the Shekherchar area of Narsingdi on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Manjur Mia, son of Abdur Rashid from Poulanpur village of Madhobdi Thana, said Gobindo Sarker, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Madhobdi Police Station. The identities of the injured individuals are yet to be confirmed. Police said that the clash stemmed from a dispute between Akram Hossain, senior joint secretary of Meherpara Union Jubo Dal, and Jubo Dal leader Baokhtiar, from the same union, over control of Shekerchar (Baburhat) Bazar and the local cable business. Supporters of both groups clashed and opened fire around 8:30 pm, resulting in the death of Manjur and injuries to three others. Chhatra Dal activist shot dead in Narsingdi The body has been sent to the morgue for an autopsy, the OC said. Additional police forces have been deployed in the area to prevent any further incidents, he added. Narsingdi clash leaves 2 UP members killed   

An incumbent and a former UP member were killed and 10 people injured in a clash between two groups of villagers at Najarpur in Raipura upazila of Narsingdi district on Saturday. The deceased were identified as Manik Mia, 55, a member of Chnderkandi union parishad and Kalpana Begum, 32, a former member of the same union parishad. Officer-in-charge of Raipura police station Abdul Jabbar said Abid Hasan Rubel, Raipura upazila unit Jubo League leader and Harun-or-Rashid, vice-president of Raipura municipality unit Awami League, had been at loggerheads over establishing supremacy in the area. As a sequel to the enmity, Manik Mia, uncle of Rubel, recently took shelter at the house of Bashir Uddin, member of No 9 ward of the union parisad. Harun supporters dragged Manik out of the house and stabbed him in the courtyard, leaving him dead on the spot. They also stabbed former UP member Kalpana to dead at the same courtyard. Man killed over land dispute in Moulvibazar  On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Gas supply will remain off for 12 hours at different areas in Narsingdi on Wednesday (October 23). According to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution PLC, gas supply will remain off from 10 am to 10 pm on Wednesday at Chinishpur, Abed Textile, Ghoradia, Narsingdi, Thermax Group, Boishakhi Spinning, Kararchar area. New gas reserve found in another Sylhet well During the period, the low pressure may prevail in gas supply in the adjoining areas, said Titas Gas regretting the temporary inconvenience to the consumers.

Balloting at a polling station under Narsingdi-3 constituency in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi district was cancelled on Sunday afternoon over allegations of stuffing ballots and attacking the presiding officer. Read: People boycotting those who boycotted election: Obaidul Quader Dr Badiul Alam, deputy commissioner and returning officer, said a group of outsiders stormed into the Dulalpur Fazil Madrasa around 1:45 pm and attacked the presiding officers and tried to stuff ballots. Later, the voting at the centre was cancelled.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (November 12, 2023) urged the people to boldly face any situation saying that Bangladesh will surely overcome manmade disasters like arson violence. “We will take Bangladesh forward, surely overcoming manmade disasters like arson violence as we face the natural disasters. I would like to tell the countrymen to boldly face any situation,” she said. The premier was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertilizer Factory (GPUFF) – the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia - in Narsingdi. She said Bangladesh will move forward commodity price hike has emerged due to external factors like wars, economic sanctions and global inflation. She once again called upon the people not leave even a single inch of land uncultivated to ensure Bangladesh would never need to beg anyone for food. Read: PM places 5 recommendations to end Israeli carnage in Palestine She said Bangladesh today is a developing country, which would move forward further and be Smart Bangladesh, having a smart population, smart government, smart economy and smart society. She said Bangladesh faced repeated obstacles in its development journey, but none could stop its progress. “None would be able to stop this progress of Bangladesh anymore,” she said. She said the Awami League refused a foreign proposal to sell gas abroad before the 2001 generation election. That caused her party’s defeat in the election. But BNP leader Khaleda Zia agreed to it and won the vote, she said. The PM said had she yielded to the pressure that day Bangladesh would not have seem such an excellent fertilizer factory today. Read: Vote for AL to help finish incomplete dev projects: PM Hasina A number of farmers were killed during the BNP regime as they had agitated demanding fertilizers in different places including Gaibandha and Tangail, she added. The PM said no shortage of urea fertilizer was seen anywhere in the country in the last 15 years thanks to its uninterrupted distribution and import of this fertilizer. “Now there is an enough stock of fertilizers in the country,” she said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (November 12, 2023) opened newly built Ghorashal-Palash Urea Fertilizer Factory (GPUFF), the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, which will reduce the country’s dependence on fertiliser imports and create jobs. The annual production capacity of the environment friendly and modern fertiliser factory in Narsingdi is some 1 million metric tons, capable of producing 2,800 metric tons of urea daily. the local demand for urea fertilizer is some 26 lakh metric tons annually. If this newly built plant goes in full swing production, some 20 lakh metric tons of urea will be produced yearly in the country.So, the factory will play a leading role in meeting the growing demand of urea fertiliser, ensuring supply of fertilizers to farmers at affordable prices, saving foreign currency by reducing imports and creating employment opportunities. Bangladeshi farmers need to use fertilizer and water efficiently: Experts Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) has implemented the 'Ghorashal Polash Urea Fertilizer Project' on 110 acres of land at a cost of around Tk 15,500 crore. The construction work for the project began on March 10, 2020. Out of the total project cost, TK 4,580.21 crore came from the government exchequer while Tk 10,920 crore from Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFG Limited (MUFG) and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) as commercial loan. As per the instruction of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2014, the industries ministry took an initiative to set up a new granular urea fertiliser factory at the place of the existing two fertiliser factories - Urea Fertiliser Factory Limited (UFFL) and Polash Urea Fertilizer Factory Limited (PUFFL) at Ghorashal under Palash upazila in Narsingdi district. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Limited (MHI) and China National Chemical Engineering No 7 Construction Co Ltd (CC-7) jointly constructed the factory, which will have an annual production capacity of 9.24 lakh metric tons. The daily production capacity of the new factory is about three times higher than that of the earlier two fertiliser factories. GPUFF is the first fertiliser factory in Bangladesh where the environmental pollutant Carbon-Di-Oxide (CO2) will be captured from the primary reformer flue gas and the production of urea fertilizer will be increased (about 10pc ) by using the captured CO2. The prime minister released a commemorative postage stamp, marking the inauguration of the factory. Earlier, PM Sheikh Hasina inspected the factory. Fertilizer price increased by 105% in Bangladesh since Russia-Ukraine war: Report