Pabna
Jubo League leader killed in clash over disputed land in Pabna
A Jubo League leader was hacked to death and five others were injured in a clash between two groups of villagers over occupying a piece of disputed land in Pabna’s Chatmohar upazila on Friday.
Anisur Rahman Anis was vice-president of Parswodanga Union Jubo League, and son of late Akbar Ali of Prabhakar Para village in the upazila. Anis was 50.
Locals rushed him to the upazila health complex, but the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The injured are Jakirul Sarker, Badrul Islam, Aslam Hossain, Nahid Hossain, and Monsur Rahman. Jakirul, admitted at Pabna General Hospital, is said to be in critical condition.
Locals said there was a longstanding dispute between Anis and one Aynal Haque over ownership of the land in question.
On Friday morning, Anis started building a fence around it. The barbaric clash was triggered as when Aynal and his men tried to stop the fence from being put up. The injured come from both sides.
Jalal Uddin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Chatmohar Police Station, said that three people were detained immediately for interrogation.
Due process to file a case in connection with the incident is being followed, the OC added.
2 farmers killed in Pabna road crash; 5 hurt
Two farmers were killed and five others were injured as a truck hit a three-wheeler on Kashinathpur-Bogura highway in Santhia upazila of Pabna on Tuesday.
The deceased were identified as farmers Munnaf Ali, 50, also the driver of the three-wheeler, and Ziaur Rahman, 45.
The accident occurred this morning when the Bogura-bound truck hit the onion-laden three-wheeler on the highway in Patgari area, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge (OC) of Santhia police station.
Read more: 5 dead, 4 injured in Narayanganj road accident
Following the crash, the three-wheeler plunged into a roadside ditch, leaving seven of its occupants injured.
The duo died on the way to Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital, where the other injured were undergoing treatment, said the OC.
Read more: 7 killed in road accidents in 3 districts
Austerity is on but people will get electricity: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (October 19, 2022) said that the government has imposed austerity in some areas, but that does not mean people of Bangladesh will not get electricity.
“People are getting electricity and that will continue, but we all have to maintain austerity… we are maintaining austerity in some cases. We are compelled to do so under the circumstances,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the installation of a reactor pressure vessel at the second unit of the 2,400 MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP).
She joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban while it was held at Ishwardi in Pabna.
The prime minister said the government’s target was to provide electricity for all.
“We have kept our promise. We have been able to provide electricity to every house in Bangladesh. And we have succeeded in illuminating Bangladesh,” she said.
In this connection, she said problems erupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Read: PM inaugurates installation of 2nd reactor at Rooppur nuclear power plant
“…Prices were hiked in every sphere, including transportation. As a result, developed countries are facing various problems. They have also focused on savings in every sphere of life. We are not lagging behind either…. The world is now a global village, and one is dependent on other. When the entire world is suffering from economic recession, we will have to endure that blow too,” she observed.
“We have also initiated austerity measures,” she said.
“That, however, does not mean people of the country will not get electricity.”
PM Hasina said Bangladesh sets an example in the world in the use of nuclear power for development and peaceful purpose.
She said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is being implemented ensuring overall safety. Once the project is fully implemented, Bangladesh would march further ahead, she added.
Read Power crisis: Parts of Dhaka to experience up to 8-hour load shedding
The PM said that the nuclear power plant project will play a pivotal role in establishing a developed and prosperous Bangladesh through implementation of the long-term perspective plan for 2021-2041.
She described electricity generated from nuclear power plant as “environment friendly”.
She hoped that the first unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will come into operation next year, while the second unit will begin electricity generation in 2024 and a total of 2400 MW of electricity will be generated from the two units together.
She said that Bangladesh has already been recognised as a developing country because of tireless efforts of her government.
Highlighting success stories of her government over the last three terms, Hasina extended her thanks and gratitude to all concerned, particularly the Russian engineers and Bangladeshi experts and scientists working in the nuclear power project.
Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman, Director General of Russia’s Rosatom State Corporation Alexey Likhachev and Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology Ziaul Hasan also spoke at the event. A documentary on the 2,400 MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was also screened at the programme.
PM inaugurates installation of 2nd reactor at Rooppur nuclear power plant
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Oct 19, 2022) inaugurated the installation of the second and final reactor at the country's first Rooppur nuclear power plant.
The reactor pressure vessel was installed at the second unit of the 2,400 MW Rooppur nuclear power plant (RNPP).
She joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban while it was held in Ishwardi of the northern district of Pabna.
The country’s lone nuclear power plant, being constructed at Rooppur in Ishwardi at a total cost of US$ 12.65 billion, has two units with a power generation capacity of 1200 MW each.
Read: Bridge cranes installed at Unit 2 of Rooppur NPP
In October last year, the prime minister inaugurated the reactor pressure vessel of the plant's first unit.
According to the Rosatom, the Russian contractor of the project, the VVER-1200 reactor vessel passed the input control in accordance with all regulatory requirements before its installation Wednesday.
Rosatom officials said the operation to install the VVER-1200 reactor vessel of the second power unit in the design position was carried out in several stages.
A Liebherr-11350 heavy crawler crane lifted the reactor vessel onto the transport portal of the power unit.
Read PM to open installation of reactor pressure vessel at Rooppur Power Plant's 2nd unit Wednesday
Then, on a special transport trolley, it was moved to the central hall of the reactor compartment. Further, with the help of a polar crane, the reactor vessel was turned into a vertical position and installed on a support ring in the reactor shaft.
According to the RNPP officials, the first unit of the project has already made 70 per cent progress in physical work, and with the installation of the reactor pressure vessel at the second unit the project will have overall 53 percent of physical work completed.
“With the installation of the reactor pressure vessel, the project’s second unit’s physical work will achieve over 45 per cent of the target”, Dr Md Shawkat Akbar, the project director in the country’s biggest scheme in power generation, told UNB on Tuesday.
Read Fourth Russian shipment for Rooppur arrives at Mongla Port
The government undertook the project in 2009 and after a long discussion signed an $11.385 billion credit agreement with Russian Federation on July 26 in 2016 to implement the project through appointing the Russian state nuclear energy firm—Rosatom--as its contractor.
In addition, on August 6, 2019, Bangladesh signed a nuclear fuel supply agreement with Russia for the project.
Under the deal, the Russian state-owned nuclear fuel firm TVEL Joint Stock Company will supply nuclear fuel for the entire life span of the power plant.
Read Rooppur NPP: Hydro-accumulators’ testing begins in Russia
Each unit of the power plant will have to reload one-third of the total required nuclear fuel after every 18 months and the first, second and third reloads will be provided by the Russian firm free of cost.
Each reloading of nuclear fuel will cost $62 million, equivalent to Tk 550 crore.
Shawkat informed that after the installation of the pressure vessel at the second unit, the major work that will remain unfinished include pre-operational testing and fuel loading.
“We hope, we’ll perform these work by June next year”, he said adding, some more work will be required to be completed before commissioning the project.
Read Manufacturing of hydro-accumulators of Rooppur NPP underway
“Construction of power grid line and building of communication and security systems are among the important work required to be completed before mid 2024”, he said.
The second half of the year 2024 is set to be the deadline to start commercial operation of the 1200 MW first unit of the nuclear power plant while the second unit in 2025, said Shawkat, also managing director of the Nuclear Power Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), a dedicated company to deal with nuclear power plant.
Initially, a target was set to start the commercial operation of the first unit from 2022 and second unit from 2023 and then the target was deferred.
Read Auxiliary reactor building construction at Rooppur unit-1 ends ahead of schedule
Officials of the NPCBL said about 14,000 foreign workers from different western countries, including Russia and Belarus, are now engaged in the Rooppur nuclear power plant project under the contractor and its sub-contractors to execute different works.
Bodies of 2 missing youths recovered from Jamuna River
The bodies of two youths, who went missing two days ago, were recovered from the Jamuna River in Nagarbari river port of Pabna on Monday.
The deceased were identified as Panna Sadar, 28, and his cousin Ashiq alias Piyash Sheikh, 20, of the district.
The bodies were found floating in the river near Pratappur Jame Masjid around 7am shortly after the departure of a cargo vessel docked there, said Nagarbari Naval Police Outpost in-charge Shariful Islam.
The duo went missing after jumping into the river from a boat on Saturday fearing collision with a vessel near Nagarbari river port.
The bodies will be handed over to their respective families after completing legal procedures, said the official.
AL activist shot dead in broad daylight at Pabna tea stall
An Awami League activist was shot dead publicly in broad daylight by unidentified assailants in Hemayetpur upazila of Pabna on Friday.
Saidur Pramanik, 50, was a resident of Hemayetpur. He was an executive member of Pabna Municipal unit of AL, said the unit's president Advocate Taslim Hasan Sumon.
Read: BNP politician, his manager shot in Khulna
Police said some assailants shot Saidur dead in what seemed to be a targeted assassination around 1pm, at a tea stall in Char Bangabaria of the upazila and fled the scene immediately.
Hearing gunshot, locals rushed to the spot and found Saidur dead, according to Pabna Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Masud Alam.
Read: Indigenous man shot dead in Bandarban
Police were deployed at the spot and brought the situation under control, the officer added.
Section 144 imposed in Pabna ahead of AL-BNP rally
Authorities at Pabna’s Bhangura upazila have imposed restrictions on public assembly to avert any untoward incident as two rival political parties announced simultaneous rallies at the same venue.
The restrictions applied under Section 144 of the CrPc have been in force in the upazila since 6 am, and will stay until 12 am today (September 5, 2022), said the local administration.
Read:Section 144 imposed in Khagrachhari to avert possible BCL-BNP clash
Bhangura Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Mohammad Nahid Hasan Khan issued this order yesterday night.
He said that the administration resorted to the restriction to keep the law and order situation under control.
All types of public gatherings in the area adjacent to and around the upazila sadar have been banned.
Bhangura unit BNP called a protest rally on Monday protesting the hike in the prices of fuel and daily commodities as well as the recent attacks on BNP activists.
Read:Section 144 imposed in Barishal’s Hijla over fears of AL infighting
On the other hand, the upazila unit of Awami League (AL) announced a rally against ‘BNP’s anarchy’ at the same place.
Fearing deterioration in law and order situation, the administration imposed Section 144 to maintain peace in the area, said Md Faisal Bin Ahsan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Bhangura police station.
Man killed in Pabna gunfight
A 32-year-old man has been shot dead during exchange of fire between two rival groups in Sujanagar upazila of Pabna, said police.
The deceased was identified as Ershad Sheikh, a resident of the upazila.
Read:UPDF man shot dead in JSS-UPDF ‘gunfight’ in Rangamati
The two sides attacked each other and exchanged fire on yesterday night (September 4, 2022) over the damage of crops by cattle in Chalna village of Bhaina union that left several people injured, said Pabna Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (Sujanagar Circle) Rabiul Islam.
The injured were rushed to Pabna General Hospital where doctors declared Ershad dead, he added.
Some local people vandalized and torched a number of houses in the village following the death.
Read: 15 inured in Cox’s Bazar gunfight
Police were deployed at the spot and brought the situation under control at night. Legal action will be taken after an investigation, said the officer.
Man to die for killing housewife in Pabna
A Pabna tribunal on Sunday sentenced a man to death for killing a housewife after his failed rape attempt in 2018.
Pabna Woman and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Mizanur Rahman handed down the punishment.
The court also fined the convict Tutul Char, son of Atahar Mallik of Paikerhati village in Sathia upazila, Tk 10,000 -in default to suffer five years more in rigorous imprisonment for attempting to rape the woman.
Also read: Man to die for killing wife in Pabna for dowry
The court also fined the convict Tk 5,000 more in default to suffer for two years in jail on charge of hiding the body.
According to the prosecution, the convict Tutul tried to rape Aleya Khatun, wife of Ardosh Mallik of Paikarhati village after getting her alone in a field.
As Tutul failed to violate her he strangled her to death by wrapping sari on her neck and kept the body in a paddy field.
A missing complaint was lodged with Sathia police.
Police arrested Tutul and following his confessional statement, Aleya’s body was recovered from the paddy field, six days after she murdered.
Also read: 4 to die for killing girl after rape in Chandpur
Shabana Akter lodged another complaint with the recovery of the body of her daughter with Sathia Police.
Later police registered a murder case and submit a chargesheet against Tutul on January 31, 2018.
Man to die for killing wife in Pabna for dowry
A tribunal in Pabna on Tuesday sentenced a man to death for killing his wife over dowry in Sadar upazila of the district.
The convict is Md Abdullah alias Okat of the district.
Pabna Woman and Child Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge Mizanur Rahman delivered the judgment.
The tribunal also fined him Tk 1 lakh.
Read: Man to die for killing wife for dowry
Besides, the tribunal acquitted three other accused from the case.
According to the prosecution, Abdullah used to torture his wife Rumana Parvin for dowry since their marriage in 2013. When Rumana denied bringing the dowry money, the convict shot dead Ruman on October 30 in 2014.
Later, a case was filed against four people including the husband at Pabna Sadar police station.
Police submitted a chargesheet against the four in March 10 in 2015.