The fire in Amarbunia area of Chandpai range of East Sundarbans is still burning. Fire service or fire brigade went to the area to put out the fire but could not go near the fire. As it was evening and there was no water source nearby, the fire could not be extinguished. The work of extinguishing the fire will be started from Sunday (May 5) morning. Meanwhile, a three-member investigation committee has been formed in this incident.

East Sundarbans Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kazi Nurul Karim confirmed this information at night.

Nurul Karim said, after receiving the report of severe heat and fire in remote areas, they rushed with the fire brigade. First, find a source of water to control the fire. But no water was found nearby. The fire has to be controlled by bringing water from Bhola river which is far away. In the meantime evening falls. So it was not possible to go near the fire. However, with the efforts of local residents and forest guards, the fire was prevented from spreading initially by supplying little water.

On Sunday (May 5) morning, the fire will be completely brought under control by establishing water connection from Bhola river in Amarbunia area, he added, adding that the fire could not spread far. The fire is burning little by little, it is not possible to spread even in the night.

When asked how the fire broke out, DFO Kazi Nurul Karim said that the exact cause has not yet been ascertained. But locals are giving different information. Taking all the information into account, a three-member investigation committee headed by Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Rana Dev of East Sundarbans Chandpai range has been constituted.

The other two members of the committee are Chandpai Range Jeudhar Station Officer Md. Obaidur Rahman and Dhansagar station officer Rabiul Islam. The committee will submit a report on the exact cause of the fire within the next seven working days.

Chairman of Nishanbaria Union of Morelganj Upazila of Bagerhat District Saiful Islam said, on Saturday (May 4) afternoon, the first fire broke out in Chila area of Amarbunia in Sundarbans. Later at 4:30 pm when the fire spread, it was reported in the area. After that, we tried to put out the fire initially with the help of local residents and forest guards. Later two units of fire service came from Bagerhat and Morelganj. But as the evening wore on, the firemen could not start the work.

Deputy Assistant Director of Bagerhat Fire Service and Civil Defense Saidul Alam Chowdhury said that two units reached the spot after receiving information about the fire in the afternoon but could not start extinguishing the fire due to various obstacles. However, the scene of the fire has been identified.

In the capital Dhaka in 1995 green was 22 percent. In the last 28 years, it has come down to just 9 percent. According to urban planning criteria, an ideal city should have 25 percent green area according to Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP).

This information was given by the BIP in the planning dialogue titled 'Daka Heat: Responsibilities and Actions of Urban Planning and Development Management' held at the BIP Conference at Planners Tower at Banglamotor in the capital on Saturday (May 4) at 11 o'clock on the initiative of BIP.

The speakers said that due to the trend of constructing buildings keeping in mind the use of closed houses, glass houses and ACs, the temperature is increasing in the metropolis by disrupting the natural light and air circulation in the building design.

They said that the effect of temperature rise and heatstroke in Dhaka city is due to the destruction of the balance of the environment through land cover (green, water and gray or concrete cover), excessive increase in the amount of concrete, lack of concept of environment and climate in the design of buildings, glass-built buildings and the design of AC-dependent buildings. There are many reasons including unplanned constructions destroying green areas, lack of afforestation. Naturally enough green areas and water bodies existed in our Dhaka city decades ago as per urban planning standards. Construction of high-rise buildings next to narrow roads in urban areas, water bodies-reservoirs-green areas are being destroyed by public and private organizations. Apart from increasing the temperature of the city due to the air pollution caused by garbage disposal, brick kilns, vehicle and industrial fumes, the temperature in the city is increasing due to the very small particles caused by the air pollution.

Different types of harmful gases are increasing the heat in the air of Dhaka. Gas is produced from garbage dumps, brick kilns, vehicles and industrial fumes.

BIP General Secretary Planner Sheikh Muhammad Mehdi Ahsan moderated the press conference and presented the main report of the Institute's President Planner Professor Dr. Adil Muhammad Khan.

He said that as greenery has decreased in Dhaka city, in the last two decades the amount of excessive gray areas and concrete has increased, which is increasing the temperature in urban areas at a severe rate, increasing the effect of urban heat island.

According to the BIP study conducted in 2019, the area covered by concrete was 64.99 percent in 1999, increased to 77.18 percent in 2009, and reached 81.82 percent in 2019.

According to another research report published by BIP in 2023, the green area of the capital Dhaka has decreased to only 9 percent in the last 28 years; On the other hand, wetlands have come down to just 2.9 percent. However, according to urban planning criteria, an ideal city should have 25 percent green space and 10 to 15 percent water bodies.

Meanwhile, BIP's National and International Liaison Planner Abu Naim Sohag commented that the air quality of Dhaka city is very low compared to other countries in the world.

Board Member (Research and Publication) of BIP Planner Hosne Ara pointed out that the city's green area has decreased and the city's temperature has increased and said that urban heat mitigation and management strategies should be taken into consideration in city planning to control the heat and make Dhaka a heat tolerant city.

Apart from this, to recover from the negative effects of climate change, the recommendations of the National Adaptation Plan-2022 must be implemented through all institutions related to the planning and development of Dhaka city, and for this, the necessary technical manpower including planners must be increased in these institutions.

47 candidates have been elected for the post of chairman, vice chairman and female vice chairman in 308 upazilas of the upcoming sixth upazila parishad elections in the first and second phase. According to Election Commission sources, there will be no voting in several upazilas. Among them, one candidate has submitted nomination for all posts in Cumilla Adarsha Sadar and Chattogram Raujan Upazila. As a result, there will be no need for voting in these two upazilas.

The Election Commission is conducting polling in four phases in 476 upazilas out of 495 upazilas of the country. Election time has not yet passed in 19 upazila parishads, EC said that polls will be taken in all those parishads later.

In this election, no political party is using its party symbol. If the grassroot leaders of the ruling party participate in the election with a separate symbol, the opposition BNP has already said that it will not participate in any election under this government. As a result, the leaders of the ruling party have entered into competition with each other in the upazilas where competition is taking place. However, in some upazilas, BNP grassroot leaders are running as candidates, ignoring party decisions.

According to the election experts, the local government elections are expected to be competitive, but the Awami League incumbent leaders are running against the Awami League everywhere. Among them, many upazilas are being elected unopposed. According to them, there are no candidates in many upazilas due to the pressure of local influential leaders or compromise among themselves.

According to the Election Commission schedule, this year's upazila elections will be held in four phases. Among them, voting will be held in 148 upazilas of the first phase on Wednesday, May 8. And the voting in 160 upazilas of the second phase will be held on Tuesday, May 21.

According to EC sources, there are 730 candidates for the post of chairman, 763 candidates for the post of vice chairman and 562 candidates for the post of female vice chairman. Out of this 26 candidates were elected unopposed. Seven persons in the post of chairman, nine in the post of vice-chairman and 10 in the post of female vice-chairman.

There are 605 candidates for the post of chairman, 694 candidates for the post of vice chairman, and 529 candidates for the post of female vice chairman in the second phase election. Among them 21 candidates were elected unopposed. Here, seven persons have been elected as chairman, seven as vice chairman, seven as women vice chairman.

EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said that in the third phase, 570 people are in the position of chairman, 618 people are in the position of vice chairman and 400 people are in the position of female vice chairman; A total of 1588 candidates filed their nomination papers. The process of selection, withdrawal, and symbol allotment for the third phase and nomination papers for the fourth phase is not over yet.

He also said that among those who filed nomination papers in the third phase, there are five single candidates. There is a single candidate for the post of female vice chairman in Chandnaish of Chattogram, vice chairman and female vice chairman in Bhandaria of Pirojpur, vice chairman in Abhaynagar of Jashore and Chhatak female vice chairman in Sunamganj. If these candidates survive the selection and do not withdraw their candidature, they can be elected unopposed.

According to the schedule, polling will be held in the third phase in 112 upazilas on May 29 and in the fourth phase in 55 upazilas on June 6. In the first phase, 22, 24 in the second phase, 21 in the third phase and two upazilas in the fourth phase will be conducted in electronic voting machines (EVM).

Chairman of the Election Monitoring Council Professor Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah told Barta24.com that no one wants to be a candidate if a popular candidate is a candidate regardless of general party opinion. But such a person is not common. The reality is that others are afraid to be a candidate, and no one wants to be a candidate because they don't have the huge amount of money required to be an election candidate.

He also said, "Whoever is strong is his, as a result, in many cases, no one is running as a candidate in many places under the pressure of the ruling party." Popular representation decreases as the number of uncontested election wins increases. As a result, people's aspirations are not reflected.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, the great son of freedom and liberation struggle in Southeast Asia, uttered a stark truth ages ago to wake up the sleeping masses. He said, 'Freedom is not given, it is taken'. At all levels, personal or collective, local or global, it is today resounded by the voice of millions of oppressed people of the world as the ultimate truth.

Various events are held around the world around the World Press Freedom Day on May 3. Numerous editorial articles have been published. Journalists in eastern and western countries also took to the streets with the demand to pave the way for free journalism though the incidents like silence of journalists and newspapers, murder-torture, threat-kidnapping did not stop, but despite this, the events and programs that are held every year.

There is no hesitation to say - no one in power or powerless is behind in oppressing journalists. If we look at recent years, many examples of such incidents can be given. Even if the incident of oppression of journalists at the hands of the ruling party is forced to be accepted as a 'normal' incident, but when the journalists are oppressed at the hands of the opposition political parties who make the government think about the freedom of the press, the safety of journalists, etc., there is no answer!

On October 28, 2023, there was a barbaric attack on the journalists on duty at the rally of the BNP-led political alliance. After a few days there was a commotion. With the passage of time, those events are buried by the frequent occurrence of new events. It is proven that the political parties have no sense of responsibility in this regard, so there is no investigation - punishment is a far cry.

The political leaders involved in the incident had a tea-chat with the journalist leaders in the VIP lounge of the press club before the wounds of the journalists were healed. Some of the beleaguered journalists may have peeped into the chatter, but they retreated in silent humiliation, yielding to the powerful.

Finally, is there any justice for the infernal attack on entertainment journalists led by film villain actors at FDC? The news of the incident was heard in a secret meeting of some journalist leaders at the residence of an actor. The news of setting up an inquiry committee also came in the media. Several days passed but no response was received.

The day after this year's World Free Press Day, when the discussion meeting about this day was held at the National Press Club, the 'topic' was chosen as 'Environment and Development Journalism'; the issue of journalist persecution was secondary there. From top media editors to the Minister of State for Information himself were the guests of the event. If there is such a tendency to compromise and the desire to get the blessing of power among the oppressed community, then it is a 'crime' to demand a remedy for the oppression of journalists!

In the beginning, the topic of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash came up. Not only did he talk about taking away the 'freedom' of emancipated people, National Congress President Subhash Chandra Bose also reminded us of our innate servile instincts by saying, 'Friends, we are born slaves. Let us resolve, we shall be free before we die.'

In truth we have become numb to seeing only servitude and flattery around us. The glorious history of those whose traditions we carry in journalism affects us little.

August 11, 1922. Bengal's rebellious poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, who aspired to express the truth in a lively manner, was publishing the bi-weekly ‘Dhumketu’ from 32 College Street, Kolkata. Dhumketu is a shining example of how newspapers and journalism can create memorable narratives. It is important to remember the events of contemporary journalists and editors because the narrative of that event will give us some idea of how much more we need to strive to uphold the dignity of this great profession.

The young poet Nazrul himself decided to publish a newspaper named 'Dhumketu', feeling the limitation of his thinking and freedom under the editorship of the evening-daily Navajug owned by Sher-e- Bangla AK Fazlul Haque. Poetry Guru Rabindranath sent blessings. Kabiguru did not return him. Dhumketu published with the blessing of Rabindranath did play a unique role in awakening a sleeping nation! In the words of writer and poet Pabitra Ganguli, "Dhumketu" was pounding the unmoved mind of the nation in such a way that the royal power is lost.

A vociferous voice against oppression in a subjugated country, the few issues of Dhumketu that were published were like sparks that set fire to the throne of power. Nazrul was able to speak about independence with great power in all his timeless poems and fiery editorials.

In an editorial in an issue of Dhumketu, Nazrul wrote, '..First of all, Dhumketu wants complete independence of India..not even an inch part of India shall be under foreign rule. The complete responsibility of India, the complete freedom-defense, the responsibility of governance, all will be in the hands of the Indian. No foreigner will even have the right to wrap it. Those who are now turning the country into a cremation ground by becoming a king or a ruler, they should be wrapped up, wrapped in bundles and crossed to the seashore...'-what a bold statement!

Pabitra Ganguli recorded the narrative of an incident in a memoir entitled 'Dhumketur Kabi Nazrul'. The gist of what he brought out is that one day in the office of Dhumketu, a young and cheerful poet named Gopinath sat down and asked Nazrul, "The country is subjugated, the tyranny of the English. How does joy arise in that burning?'

It turned out that within a few days the young man was caught red-handed with a pistol at Kolkata Chowrangi area. The young man's name is Gopinath, the immortal revolutionary. However, before being caught, Police Commissioner Charles Taggart thinks that the revolutionary shot dead another Englishman named Mr. Day. Nazrul wrote a passionate poem titled 'Anandamayi's arrival' in the midst of the incident. When it was published in Dhumketu, the British police were shaken. In the poem, the poet wrote, "How long will you stay daughter/Hide the idol of clay/Heaven that has conquered today/The tyrant power has broken/The children of God are being whipped/The brave youth are being hanged/The land of India will come to the slaughterhouse today when will it be destroyed?"

As a result, police raided Dhumketu office. Nazrul was arrested from Cumilla. The testimony given by courageous Nazrul in the court is an example not only in the history of Bengali literature but also in the history of free journalism. The poet pronounced in the court with a strong voice, "No blood-stained scepter can restrain the self-expression of truth."

In January 1923, the Chief Presidency Magistrate of Kolkata Mr. Swinho sentenced Dhumketu editor Poet Nazrul to one year rigorous imprisonment. Prisoner Nazrul was shifted to Hooghly Jail through Alipur Central Jail. He gave a great jolt to the subjugated nation by fasting for 39 days to protest the discriminatory treatment there. At this time Kabiguru dedicated his ballad 'Basant' to the young poet Nazrul. This heroic narrative of Kazi Nazrul Islam is an important historical event in the field of Bengali literature, as well as an inspiration for the traditional tradition of free journalism.

Entering the interior of contemporary newspapers and journalism, if we recall our glorious past, we must bow to shame. Where has the value of journalism gone today! While doing journalism in a free country, we are literally 'crying' for freedom. But speaking the truth will always be hindered, there will be oppression - but the truth must be embraced - this is the reality in journalism. How can we expect the path of truth to be so clear there? The past is scolding us and saying, "If you don't have the courage to break through the obstacles, the redeye, then this path is not yours".

If we take the contemporary reality into consideration, what is becoming clear is that even in the independent sovereign country that we got free from colonial and neo-colonial misrule, our challenges are not less. To say that today politics, administration and business class have caught a strong colonial character added to that, the equation of regional, sub-regional and even global power. Today's journalism and newspapers have to face all these challenges together and move forward. But the question is, how much are we ready to accept this challenge?

What is visible, self-criticism must be said, we are compromising to a large extent. In true pronunciation, some voices sometimes flare up and become still or halting. But if these burning voices can be mobilized, breaking the deadlock is not impossible. Let us strive to make that intention a reality.