23-11-2020

Monday, Dhaka, November 23, 2020, Agrayan 8, 1427 BS, Rabi-us Sani 7, 1442 hijri
'Golden Monir' put on 18-day remand
DHAKA : Separate Courts in Dhaka
on Sunday placed 'Golden Monir' on
total 18-day remand in three cases
filed over recovery of foreign currencies,
firearms and liquor from his
Badda residence.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate Court Judge Abu Bakar
put him on a 7-day remand in each
two cases filed under the Arms Act
and the Special Powers Act, reports
UNB.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate
Court Judge Masudur Rahman
placed Monir on a 4-day remand in
another case filed under the
Narcotics Control Act.
Earlier, the Investigation Officers
sought a total of 21 days of remand in
the three cases for interrogation.
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) filed
the cases against Monir after foreign
currencies, firearms and liquor were
Golden Monir
recovered from his Badda residence
on Saturday .He was arrested on the
same day.
Rab handed over Monir known as
'Golden Monir' to Badda police.
Foreign currencies of 10 countries
worth Tk 9 lakh, around 8kg gold,
and cash Tk 1.9 crore were recovered
from his possession during the
overnight raid.
Monir, who was a salesman of a
cloth shop in Gausia Market, has 200
plots in his name in Badda, Nikunja,
Uttara and Keraniganj, and used a
luxurious car worth Tk 3 crore, Rab
said.
He was also a vicious hundi trader
and land broker. Rab said they found
his involvement in gold smuggling.
Monir's amassed wealth has a value
of approximately Tk 1,050 crore.
Court sets Dec 29 for Sagar-Runi murder
investigation report submission
DHAKA : A Dhaka court yesterday
fixed December 29 for the submission
of investigation report in the
Sagar-Runi murder case.
Sunday was the day set for the
submission of the investigation
report of the case. But the investigation
agency of the case, RAB,
could not submit the report.
General Registration Officer of
Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police
Station Mohammad Asad confirmed
the matter.
On February 11, 2012, Sagar
Sarwar, news editor of Maasranga
Television and MeherunRuni, senior
reporter of ATN Bangla were
Unplanned dumping of
wastepolluting Bhairab River
ShAhID JOy, JAShORe CORReSPONDeNT
After several decades of excavation
work to restore the freshness of the
Bhairab River, which flows through the
heart of Jashore, the river has now
become polluted due to unplanned
dumping of waste and human excrementfrom
various clinics and hundreds
of homes on both sides of the
river. Not only water but also the environment
is being polluted by this
crime. As a result, many places of the
river are being filled before the excavation
is completed.
After visiting KhayertalaPalbari,
Bablatala Bridge, Daratana,
Katherpool Bridge, Dhaka Road
Bridge, Barandi Para, Mollapara,
Nilganj Bridge and Rajarhat it was seen
that residents on both banks are dumping
their excrement directly into the
river through pipes. Pipes connected
directly from the toilet are easily visible
in many places.
Not just residential buildings on the
banks of the Bhairab River, excrement
is being removed directly into the river
from the toilets of commercial buildings
and various hospital clinics.
Especially from Katherpool Bridge to
DaratanaBakultala. Numerous clinics
killed.
After the incident, NowsherAlam
Roman, brother of Runi, filed a murder
case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar
Police Station.
At first, the investigating officer of
the case was a Sub-Inspector (SI) of
the police station.
Four days later, the investigation
into the sensational murder case
was handed over to the Dhaka
Metropolitan Detective Police (DB).
After more than two months of
investigation, DB failed to unravel
the mystery. Later, on April 17 of the
same year, the High Court directed
RAB to investigate the murder case.
Residents on banks of Bhairab River connected pipes directly to the river
to dispose excrement.The picture was taken from Nilganj Bridge area of
the city recently.
Photo: Shahid Joy
and commercial establishments have
been established there. In this part,
besides excrement, medical waste is
being dumped in the river. Remains of
animal blood are being dumped in
river.
Regarding the removal of human
excrement in the water, RMO of
Jashore 250-beded hospital Arif
Ahmed said, "This water is very harmful
for our body. Use of this water can
lead to typhoid, diarrhea, jaundice and
cancer. Severe damage to the liver can
occur. Waterborne skin diseases can
occur.
Jshore Municipality Secretary Ajmal
Hossain said that dumpingwaste and
excrementin the river is a criminal
offense under the Environment Act.
Houses have been built in municipal
areas long ago. There was no plan. Now
the issue of toilet safety tank has been
made mandatory in the plan for construction
of new houses. We will take
swift action against those who are
dumping dirt directly into the river.
In this regard, Tauhidul Islam, executive
engineer of Jashore Water
Development Board, said that dumping
such dirt in river water is a serious
crime. Measures will be taken in case of
sight during excavation
Govt won't allow evil
efforts to destroy
peace : Quader
DHAKA : Awami League General
Secretary and Road Transport and
Bridges Minister ObaidulQuader yesterday
said the government would not
allow any evil efforts to destroy the people's
peace and comfort in the name of
any programme.
"BNP again returned to their politics of
carrying out arson attacks by setting fire
to buses recently. People do not respond
to their movements because of their evil
politics," he said while inaugurating a connecting
road construction project at BNS
Sheikh Hasina in Cox's Bazar.
He joined the function through videoconferencing
from his official residence
on parliament premises in Dhaka.
Quader said BNP resorted to arson terrorism
to avenge their defeat in polls and
movement. Distorting the history of independence
is BNP's democracy, he added.
He said every party has the right to
observe peaceful political programmes,
but if BNP wants to destroy the peace and
comfort of the people in the name of political
programme, Awami League along
with the people will give a befitting reply.
Tajul stresses
special strategy for
modern Dhaka
DHAKA : Minister for Local
Government, Rural Development and
Cooperatives M Tajul Islam yesterday
stressed on special strategy for transforming
the city into a modern one.
"A special plan and a national data
bank will be set up to transform Dhaka
into a modern and livable city," he said.
Tajul, also the convener of Detailed
Area Plan (DAP), said this while
addressing a discussion on DAP with
the leaders of Bangladesh Architects'
Institute at the conference room of the
local government department of the
ministry here, said a press release.
"The special plan and national data
bank with the views of urban architects
and urban planners, will serve as a
guideline for DAP," he said.
"Implementation of DAP requires the
opinions of public representatives, government
officials, architects and urban
planners and it is very difficult to do it
without concerted efforts," said Tajul.
4 more detained
over crude bombs
recovery in City
DHAKA : Detectives in a drive detainedfour
people in connection with the
recovery of 31 unexploded crude bombs
from city's Uttara Paschim and Tugar
area, reports UNB.
The DB police of Dhaka Metropolitan
Police conducted the drive on Saturday
and arrested Sohrab Hossain, 21,
Touhidul Islam, 22, Selim Mia, 32 and
Ujjal Mia, 24.
All of them were accused in a case filed
atUttara West Police Station under the
Eexplosive Act, said Deputy
Commissioner (Media) of the DMP
Walid Hossain.
DB police recovered 31 unexploded
crude bombs from an under-construction
building of Uttara sector 10 in the
city on Friday.
The hundred-year-old Laldighi ground is being redecorated. The picture was taken on Sunday.
Govt paid special attention to keep
people safe from coronavirus:PM
DHAKA : The whole world is now in
deep crisis due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Different development programmes
are now at stake. Like other countries,
this fatal infectious disease has largely
affected country's economy.
The child labour issue of the country,
which is one of the incumbent government's
priority basis works, now
appeared as the matter of concern due
to the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Experts and people, working on the
child rights here, believe that the economic
catastrophe caused by the
COVID-19 could lead to a new spread
of child labor in Bangladesh.
"The COCVID-19 crisis could hamper
Bangladesh's plan to eliminate various
forms of child labor, especially
risky child labor, by 2025, undermining
one of the promises to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs)," said the Education and
Development Foundation (Educo), a
child education development agency.
The country director of Educo
Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid said, "Many
family members have lost their jobs
due to COVID-19 outbreak."
He said many families, who were
become destitute before the recent
Corona lockdown, are now passing a
dehumanized life as they have become
completely jobless or unearned.
"There are a lot of kids who have
never worked before . . . but they are
now forced to go for the work only to
give support to their respective families,"
he feared.
According to a new report of the
International Labor Organization
(ILO) and the United Nations
International Children's Emergency
Fund (UNICEF) said the number of
child laborers has dropped by about 94
million since 2000, but that the
progress is now at risk.
DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina on Sunday assured the people
that the government has paid special
attention to keeping them safe from
coronavirus amid apprehensions of
worsening virus situation in winter
months, reports UNB.
She said the government will procure
a vaccine as soon as it is available and
has already given advance money for
booking a vaccine which is about to be
invented.
"We've given special attention to how
to secure people (from coronavirus) putting
aside other issues ... So, the people
of the country don't need to be anxious,"
she said while opening various development
projects, including three bridges,
in Magura, Narayanganj, Jashore and
Pabna through a video conference from
her official residence Ganobhaban.
Sheikh Hasina said that another wave
of coronavirus is coming worldwide and
the government is taking its preparations
from now to face that. She again
urged everyone to follow health instructions.
"Keep yourself protected and keep
others protected," she said, adding that
it is a shared responsibility.
The Prime Minister said the government
and the people now have the experience
of facing COVID-19.
"We firmly believe that we'll be able to
do that (successfully tackling a second
Child labour issue appears as
concern due to COVID-19
Like any other disaster, children are
the most affected by the crisis caused
by the COVID-19, the Educo observed,
saying that all children employed in the
child labor and their families must
bring under the official coverage of the
social protection program.
The government needs to take steps
to revise and implement the National
Action Plan on Child Labor, it said,
suggesting that the government and
civil society and child development
agencies or organizations must work
together to prevent and eliminate existing
child labor.
Educo mentioned that to protect
child laborers from the outbreak of
COVID-19, the government should
take pragmatic steps to provide them
with financial incentives from the
Workers' Welfare Fund under the
Ministry of Labor and Employment.
"We need to be more proactive in fulfilling
our humanitarian responsibilities
towards disadvantaged children,"
it added.
As part of the programmes undertaken
to overcome the existing Corona
crisis in different sectors, the incumbent
government has given special
emphasis on preventing child labor by
promoting the child education
throughout the country.
The present government is implementing
a special program at a cost of
Taka 284.49 crore to get rid of risky
child labor by 2021 and make
Bangladesh free from the curse of child
labour by 2025, according to the ministry
concerned.
"Work on this project has already
started. In the meantime about one
lakh children have been brought back
from risky child labor through this program,"
it said, adding that readymade
garment (RMG) factories have now
been freed from child labor.
Photo : Star Mail
wave)," she said.
Bangladesh's coronavirus caseload
stands at 445,281 with 6,350 fatalities, a
death rate of 1.43 percent.
So far, 360,352 patients - 80.93 percent
- have recovered, including 1,921 in
the last 24 hours.
Bangladesh reported its first cases on
March 8 and the first death on March
18. Although the Prime Minister has
been warning of a second wave, the people
still appear reluctant to follow health
guidelines.
The government has recently adopted
a 'no mask, no service' policy and recently,
launched a drive to ensure the use of
masks by people.
All to have access
to power within
Dec: Nasrul
DHAKA : State Minister for Power,
Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul
Hamid has said that the country will
achieve the target of access to electricity
for all by December this year.
He made the disclosure at a meeting
with executive committee of the Forum
for Energy Reporters Bangladesh
(FERB), a journalist body of the working
reporters in energy and power sector, on
Sunday at the Power Division.
Nasrul Hamid said the government
will celebrate the achievement of cent
percent electricity accessibility during
this year's National Victory Day on
December 16.
All the areas of the country will come
under electricity grid network by the
time while the off-grid areas will get
electricity through solar home system,
he added.
He mentioned that Bangladesh Rural
Electrification Board (BREB) and other
distribution companies have been
working relentlessly to achieve the goal
of making electricity accessible for all.
According to the available statistics at
the Power Division, more than 98 percent
areas of the country have already
been under grid system.
The country's present installed power
generation capacity has 23,548 MW
through 139 power plants while highest
available generation is 12,893 MW.
The Power Division data shows the
transmission line capacity has increased
to 12,379 circuit line kilometer while the
distribution line has enhanced to
588,000 kilometers.
The number of total electricity consumers
has reached 27.9 million while
per capita electricity consumption is 512
kilowatt hours.
FERB executive committee chairman
Arun Karmaker, executive director
Shamim Jahangir and other directors
and members of the executive body
were present at the meeting at the
Power Division.
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Executive Editor : Sheikh Efaz Ahmed, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka.
Editorial and News Office: Bangladesh Timber Building (3rd Floor) 270/B, Tejgaon I/A Dhaka-1208. Tel : +8802-8878026, Cell : 01736786915; Fax: + 880244611604, Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com