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Narayanganj mosque blast: relatives anxiously wait for updates on injured

Narayanganj
Narayanganj

Hundreds of people were seen waiting restlessly outside the Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in Dhaka this morning after the blast in a Narayanganj mosque which has claimed 12 lives so far.

The anxious family members and friends of the injured were seen desperately asking anybody who came out of the hospital about the patients. They wanted to know if their relatives were still alive.

Enamul Haque, who lives beside the mosque, is one of them. His brother-in-law, Mizanur Rahman (35), is among the injured and was being treated at the institute.

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National

Fire fear still stalks old town

Fire fear
Fire fear

The government has made little progress in relocating hazardous chemical businesses and warehouses from Old Dhaka, leaving the residents in constant fear following the two devastating fire incidents that claimed over 200 lives.

The chemical-induced Nimtoli inferno in June 2010 claimed 126 lives, prompting the government to embark on four projects as part of the relocation plan.

Ten years have passed after the tragedy, but the projects, taken at different times, are still at the preliminary stage. According to the latest update, land was either being acquired or filled in one or two projects, while the others face further uncertainty due to a dearth of fund allocation.

The only “considerable progress” over the years has been made at one front — constant revision of the primary project proposals —  which contributed to cost escalation and time extension.

Read More The Daily Star
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National

Assaulted UNO Wahida’s surgery successful, but condition still ‘critical’

uno Wahida Khanam
uno Wahida Khanam

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Wahida Khanam has undergone successful surgery at National Institute of Neuroscience and Hospital (NINH).

She was kept in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital and doctors will observe her for the next 24 hours, said Dr Badrul Haque, joint director of the hospital.

“The operation was successful. We cannot say anything more right now. The UNO was in critical condition and the operation was also critical. Five doctors conducted the surgery, which took 2 hours 15 minutes,” he said.

Hoping about her recovery, Dr Badrul said that they are trying their best.

Read More The Daily Star
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National

Waterlogging in Dhaka: Collective failure made it perennial

Waterlogging
Waterlogging

The desire expressed by the two Dhaka city mayors to take over the responsibility of drainage management from Dhaka Wasa in a bid to end the capital’s perennial waterlogging problem has widely been regarded as a popular idea.

But experts said just changing the custodian without addressing the core issues that have failed Wasa — such as the absence of total authority of one particular body and lack of coordination with six other organisations — might also fail the two city corporations.

The idea of handing over the drainage management to city corporations came to light last month when the two mayors — Dhaka South’s Shekih Fazle Noor Taposh and Dhaka North’s Atiqul Islam — said theywished to take over the job.

Read More The Daily Star
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National

Padma Bridge construction to be completed by 2022: Finance Minister

Padma Bridge construction
Padma Bridge construction

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has said the construction works of Padma Bridge will be completed by 2020.

The construction work of Padma Bridge was scheduled to be completed by June next year but it has been delayed due to coronavirus pandemic and excessive floods, he said. 

AHM Mustafa Kamal disclosed this information after attending the 20th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Procurement on Wednesday. 

Meanwhile, the meeting approved a total of six proposals, including one for extending the tenure of contract of Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) & Associates, the Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC) for Padma Bridge.

Read More the daily Observer
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National

No new law scrapping those of Bangabandhu era: Cabinet

Bangabandhu
Bangabandhu

he cabinet has decided not to formulate new laws scrapping the old ones either enacted or promulgated from January 1, 1972 to August 5, 1975, during the rule of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The cabinet says those laws and ordinances will only be amended.The decision came from the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. She attended the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said it is a groundbreaking decision of the cabinet.

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National

Pradeep made the fortune, his wife washed the dirt off it

pradeep
pradeep

While on duty, former officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station Pradeep Kumar Das, accused in ex-major Sinha Rashed Md Khan killing case, used to make money from bribes and corruptions.

His wife Chumki Karan, on the other hand, under the disguise of business had been legalising the ill-gotten property of her husband.

But their misdeed came to the fore after the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) began an inquiry against their illegal wealth.

In the inquiry, the commission has found that Chumki amassed about Tk 3.95 crore of wealth from her husband’s “illegal income”.

Read More The Daily Star
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National

Aminbazar waste-to-energy plant to be a gamechanger: Minister

Aminbazar waste
Aminbazar waste

Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, which generates some 6,000 tonnes of garbage every day, is expected to see a sea change in garbage disposal once the country’s first proposed waste-energy plant in Aminbazar goes into operation.

“No garbage will be seen lying indiscriminately in the city once the proposed waste-energy plant in Aminbazar starts generating electricity. When the plant is set up, it’ll require 3,000 metric tonnes of garbage a day. If a power plant collects so much garbage, there’ll be no more waste everywhere in the city,” said Local Government, Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam.

The LGRD Minister made the remarks while visiting Aminbazar Dumping Station and Gabtoli Mechanical Workshop in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

Describing the waste-to-energy plant as his dream project, Tazul Islam warned that no irregularity and corruption will be tolerated in the project.

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National

Families of Teknaf ‘Gunfight’ Victims: The false hope of ‘public hearing’

Families of
Families of

People taking turns to talk on a particular issue, placing testimonials, and administrators listening cautiously and coming up with certain commitments publicly is how a public hearing takes place.

And people in Teknaf turned up at the office of the in-charge of Rohingya Camp-23 at 10:00am yesterday expecting something like this.

But a public hearing is not what they got. At 11:25am, a high-level investigation committee, formed by the home ministry to investigate the killing of Major (retd) Sinha Rashed Khan in police firing, began a closed-door meeting at the office in Shamlapur area, only with a handful of preselected persons. The meeting continued till 4:40pm and those persons were sent home through a back door.

Read More The Daily Star
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National

FM seeks cooperation from diplomats in bringing back Bangabandhu’s killers

FM seeks
FM seeks

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday sought cooperation from foreign diplomats in bringing back fugitive killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

He was addressing a virtual discussion with foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka and New Delhi marking the National Mourning Day to commemorate the 45th anniversary of martyrdom of Father of the Nation.

Law Minister Anisul Huq and State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam also spoke at the discussion while Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen delivered the welcome remarks. 

Around 83 diplomats stationed in Dhaka and New Delhi joined the discussion hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

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