Our Correspondent
Three villages of Deluti union in Paikgaccha upazila have been flooded following breakdown of a dam in a jalmahal due to tidal surge.
Vast areas of Gewabunia, Paramdhukhali and Chakribakri were flooded following collapse of the dam, said local UP chairman Ripon Kumar Mandal.
A vast tract of cropland and Aman seedbed went under water, causing worry to farmers. Besides, many fish enclosures were washed away and the floodwater also marooned around 500-600 families in the villages.
However, the lessee of the Jal Mahal has fled the area after the collapse of the dam.
Although the dam was initially repaired under the leadership of the local UP chairman, the locals are still worried. UP chairman Ripon Kumar Mandal said that the dam has been repaired following the advice of local MP Alhaj Md Akhtaruzzaman Babu and as per the instruction of Upazila Nirbahi Officer ABM Khalid Hossain Siddiqui.
However, it is still not safe, said the UP chairman.
Locals, including the UP chairman, have urged the concerned authorities to construct a durable embankment in a short time. If a sustainable dam is not built, the villages will be flooded again following breakdown of the dam, they said.
UNO among 26 infected with coronavirus in Thakurgaon
Our Correspondent
Twenty six more people including Baliadangi Upazila Nirbahi Officer have been infected with coronavirus in the district. The test results came on Friday, said Dr Mahfuzar Rahman, civil surgeon of the district.
With the news cases, total coronavirus cases have reached 491 in the district. So far, eight people died from Covid-19 in the district.
Meanwhile, 274 coronavirus patients made recovery, said the civil surgeon. The officially confirmed coronavirus cases soared to 2,52,502 in the country on Friday with the detection of 2,851 new cases in the last 24 hours until morning. The health authorities reported 27 new deaths, taking the local tally to 3,333.
Sherpur SP infected with Covid-19
Our Correspondent
Kazi Ashraful Azim, the superintendent of Sherpur police, has been infected with coronavirus.
With this, so far 34 police personnel have been infected with coronavirus in the district, said district civil surgeon Dr A K M Anwarul Rouf at a regular press briefing on Friday.
Besides, total coronavirus patients rose to 328 in the district on Friday. So far, 291 people made recovery from the virus infection. Meanwhile, four people died from coronavirus in the district till August 7.
The officially confirmed coronavirus cases soared to 2,52,502 on Friday with the detection of 2,851 new cases in the last 24 hours until morning. The health authorities reported 27 new deaths, taking the local tally to 3,333.
Housewife gang raped in Jashore; 4 held
Our Correspondent
Police have arrested four people in connection with the gang rape of a woman at Purandapur village in Jhikargachcha upazila of Jashore district.
Police rescued the victim and arrested four youth in this connection, said Abdur Razzak, officer-in-charge of Jhikargachcha Police Station. The OC said that rapists obstructed the woman on a road in the village when she was going to a neighbouring house around 10:30pm on Thursday. They dragged the woman to a nearby field, raped her and later left her on a rail track.
Police rescued the woman on Friday morning as a pedestrian found her there in unconscious state and called 999, said the OC. The victim was sent to Jashore General Hospital for medical test, he said. Police arrested four suspected rapists from different areas after conducting an overnight drive, said OC Abdur Razzak.
The arrestees are Zakir Hossain, 20, Alam Hossain, 25, Abdul Jalil, 23 and Hasanur Rahman,20 of the village.
Our Correspondent
Many freedom fighters and workers and leaders of District Muktijoddha Santan Command staged a human chain in front of Netrakona District Muktijoddha Sangsad office here yesterday demanding withdrawal of an official order for transferring deputy commissioner (DC) Netrakona Main-Ul-Islam.
The Ministry of Public Administration issued an official order transferring the Deputy Commissioner Netrakona Main-Ul-Islam to the Ministry of Public Administration from Netrakona on August 3 last.
Several hundreds of local people from all walks of life including public representatives, political leaders, cultural activists, social workers, students, teachers and journalists also joined the over one kilometer long human chain to draw the attention of the higher authorities to withdraw the transfer order.
The speakers said, the Deputy Commissioner Main-Ul-Islam was an honest and sincere officer and he rendered his official service by rising him above the self-interest.
“The DC Main-Ul-Islam continued putting his best and sincere efforts for making all the ‘humanitarian service and social safety-net programs and massive relief operations’ of the government successful in the district during the current flood and Covid-19 pandemic to mitigate the people’s sufferings, they said.
BCL leader held for abducting college girl in Rajshahi
Our Correspondent
Police early Saturday arrested a local leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and his father in a case over abduction of a college girl in Mohanpur upazila of the district.
The arrestees are Abdur Razzak, 26, president of BCL Mohanpur unit and his father Salimuddin, 50.
Officer-in-Charge of Mohanpur Police Station Mostak Ahmed said they arrested Razzak and rescued the girl after raiding a house in Baliapukur area around 12 am.
Earlier, police also arrested Razzak’s father from his house in Fulsho village of the upazila, the OC said.
The victim was admitted to one-stop crisis center of Rajshahi Medical College, the cop said.
According to the case statement, Razzak used to harass the girl. On August 6, Razzak along with his friends picked up the girl as she denied his proposal for developing a relationship of love between them. Victim’s elder brother filed a case accusing three people in this regard.
Floods devastate paddy in Faridpur
Our Correspondent
Around 15 hectares of paddy fields were damaged by floods in Faridpur district, causing huge losses to 63,425 farmers.
Dr Md Hazrat Ali, Deputy Director of District Agriculture Extension Department, said the floods also played havoc in Char areas of the district, frustrating the marginal farmers.
Md Abul, agriculture officer of Sadar upazila, said most areas of the upazila, including Northchannel, Dekrerchar, Ambikapur, Charmadhabdia, Aliabad, have gone under floodwaters.
Bokkar Khan, a farmer of Ambikapur area, said monsoon causes huge damage to their farmlands every year but the devastation it caused this year is much worse.
“I’ve cultivated Aman paddy in 20 bighas of land while jute in two acres of land but all have been under water over the last 20 days…we’re unlikely to get any crop this time,” he said.
Chairman of Northchannel Union Muntakurzzaman said around 90 percent of areas in his union have gone under water and all the crops got destroyed.
“We’ve made a list of affected farmers and sent it to the district Agriculture office, seeking support for them,” the chairman said.
2 held with 1,005 yaba pills in Rajshahi
Our Correspondent
Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), in two separate drives, arrested two alleged drug peddlers with 1,005 pieces of yaba tablets on Friday night.
The arrested persons were identified as Mamunur Rashid, 26, son of Akbar Ali and Abdur Rahim, 20, son of Younus Ali, RAB sources said.
A team of the elite force, on a tip- off, conducted a raid in Joypur area under Charghat Upazila of the district around 9.30 pm and arrested Mamunur Rashid with 445 pieces of yaba tablets.
The RAB team in second drive arrested Abdur Rahim with 560 yaba pills after conducting a raid at Chalk Kapasia area under Katakhali Police Station around 10.30 pm.
Two separate cases were lodged with respective police stations and the arrestees along with the seized goods were handed over to police.
Sujon pledges to serve people keeping no scope for graft in CCC
Our Correspondent
Newly appointed administrator of Chattagram City Corporation Khorshed Alam Sujon on Saturday pledged to put in his best efforts to serve people in the city keeping no scope for corruption.
He said there will be no scope of corruption for anyone– big or small– in Chattogram City Corporation.
Sujon was addressing a meeting with the press, organized by the Chittagong Journalists Forum, Dhaka (CJFD) at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity (DRU) auditorium.
“Some 180 days are not enough to solve all problems. But I want to empower 40 lakh inhabitants of the city and make everybody as an administrator of the city,” said the CCC administrator.
He said he was on the road and will remain so. “I wish to die on the road.” Sujon talked about traffic jam and waterlogging in the port and highlighted reasons behind it.
He said container terminals will not be allowed in an unplanned way in the city corporation area.
About waterlogging, he said, waterlogging is not a problem of Chittagong only, it is a problem for the whole country.
“Being a natural city of rivers and seas, waterlogging occurs here. New projects have been taken to remove this waterlogging which is going on.” Sujon hoped all the problems in Chattogram will be solved gradually.
“I was with ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury for around 17 years and I will work using the experiences,” he said.
