From now on, larger ships will arrive at Chattogram port



Special Correspondent, Barta24.com, Chattogram bureau
Pic: Barta24.com

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Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) built at Chattogram port saw its light through the inauguration of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. At the same time, the Prime Minister also announced the launch of the Bay Terminal Master Plan project.

On Tuesday (November 14) morning, the Prime Minister inaugurated these projects by connecting virtually from Ganobhaban.

As the PCT has been launched, now ships with 10.5 meter draft (ship depth under water) with 6000 TEUs containers can enter the port. At present, the port can accommodate ships with a draft of 9.5 meters. The 584 meter long jetty of the new terminal can accommodate 3 container ships simultaneously. Through this terminal, it will be possible to load and unload 5 lakh import-export cargo containers from ships annually. Apart from this, the 204 meter long Dolphin Jetty can accommodate an oil tanker. Once this container terminal with three jetties is fully operational, it will be possible to handle 14-15 container ships simultaneously at the port.

The terminal is primarily designed to unload import cargo containers from ocean-going vessels and transfer export cargo containers to ships. The terminal has been constructed on the banks of the Karnaphuli river in an area of about 26 acres between Chattogram Dry Dock and Chattogram Boat Club downstream from the main jetty of Chattogram port. When it comes into use, the number of terminals at the port will increase to four. And the number of main jetties of the port will stand at 21 for shipping.

The work of this terminal was inaugurated in September 2017 at a cost of about Tk. 1,230 crore with the Chattogram port's own funding. This work was supposed to be completed in 2019. However, the construction work started in 2019 with various complications including shifting of public and private facilities in the project area. The mother vessel at outer anchorage has to cross 12 nautical miles to reach the main jetty of Chattogram port. But to reach Patenga container terminal 6 nautical miles have to be crossed.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of the inauguration, Chattogram Port Authority organized a program at the PCT premises on Tuesday morning. There, the Prime Minister's speech was projected on a big screen. JS Whip Shamsul Haque Chowdhury, Member of Parliament MA Latif, Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, Chattogram Port Chairman Rear Admiral M. Sohail was present in the event organized at PCT premises. The port authority has decided to manage the new terminal to a Saudi Arabian company called Red Sea Gateway Terminal International Limited.

At the same time, with the inauguration of the Prime Minister, the Bay-Terminal project on 900 acres of land in an area of about 6.15 km along the Bay of Bengal also started to see the light of day.

Chattogram Port Chairman Rear Admiral M. Sohail said that the master plan of Bay-Terminal has been finalized. He said, this master plan has been finalized based on the opinions of local and foreign consultants and various foreign port authorities and partners. After the completion of the DPP and tender process, its construction will start in May-June next year. 

   

Female under trial prisoner died in Kashimpur Central Jail



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
Photo: Collected

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A female inmate of Kashimpur Women's Central Jail in Gazipur died while undergoing treatment. The deceased is Amina Begum (40), daughter of Rumel Hossain of Matukpur village of Domar police station in Nilphamari. Her Jail No. 394/24.

She died on Saturday (May 18) around 2.30 pm while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

According to prison sources, Amina Begum, a prisoner in the women's prison, suddenly had chest pain. Later she was immediately sent to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital in Gazipur from the jail. When she was taken to the hospital, the doctor on duty declared her dead around 2.30 pm after the examination.

Jail Superintendent Shahjahan Mia of Kashimpur Women's Central Jail said that Amina was sent to the hospital when she developed chest pain. After being taken to the hospital, doctors declared her dead. Her family has been informed. The body will be handed over to the family as per jail rules

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7 people died in three districts due to lightning



News Desk, Barta24.com
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Seven people died due to lightning in three districts. Four people died in Narsingdi, two in Tangail and one in Gazipur due to rain and lightning from morning to noon on Saturday (May 18). The news were sent by the district correspondents of Barta24.Com...

Narsingdi

Four people, including a mother and son, died in a separate incident of lightning in Narsingdi.

This incident took place in the Char area of Alokbali Uttarpara and Hajipur suburb of Sadar Upazila around 10 am on Saturday (April 18).

The deceased are Sharifa Begum (50), wife of Kamal Mia of Alokbali Uttarpara, her son Iqbal Hossain (12) and Qayyum Mia (22), son of Karam Ali. A person named Kamal Mia was seriously injured in this incident. All of them are residents of Alokbali Uttarpara.

Besides, a person named Moslehuddin (50) died in Chakpara of Hajipur Union of Sadar Upazila.

Gazipur

A housewife named Fatema Akhter (45) died due to lightning while she was drying paddy in Gazipur's Sreepur.

The incident took place on Saturday (May 18) around 11 am in the Galdapara area of Kawraid Union of the upazila. The deceased housewife is the wife of Md. Noor Hossain, a resident of that area.

Tangail

Two brothers were killed by lightning while cutting paddy in Tangail's Kalihati.

The incident took place on Saturday (18 May) at around 9 am in Nowabari village of Bir Bashayan Union of the upazila.

The deceased are Afzal Hossain and Amir Hossain. They are residents of Chakradharpur village of Pirganj upazila of Dinajpur district. The deceased was his cousin.

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No registered Hajj pilgrim will miss Hajj



Mufti Anayetullah, Assistant Editor, Barta24.com
Photo: Barta24.com

Photo: Barta24.com

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Director of Bangladesh Hajj Office Muhammad Kamruzzaman is hopeful that no registered pilgrim will be deprived of Hajj.

Hajj pilgrims without visas are in a state of uncertainty. However, Director of Bangladesh Hajj Office Muhammad Kamruzzaman told Barta24.com, "I am hopeful that everyone registered in the current Hajj season will get a visa." A few agencies are having complications with Hajj pilgrims, half of which have already been resolved. The rest of the work is in the process of being solved.

The Holy Hajj can be performed on June 16 subject to sighting of the moon in the month of Zilhaj. The Hajj flight which started from Bangladesh on May 9 will end on June 10. During this period, 85 thousand 117 people will go to Saudi Arabia for Hajj with guides under government and private management. So far 28 thousand 4 pilgrims have reached Saudi Arabia. 82 thousand 100 visas have been issued. Still 3 thousand 336 people registered privately have not got their visas.

It is reported that Worldlink Tours and Travels (license 570, number of passengers 286), Ansari Overseas (license 601, number of passengers 260), Al Risan Travel Agency (license 672, number of passengers 444), Miqat Tour and Travels (License 1025, number of passengers 375), North Bengal Hajj Travels and Tours (License 1086, number of passengers 260), Holy Darun Najat Haj Overseas (license 1462, number of passengers 250) was mourned by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. 1 thousand 875 people are expected to go for Hajj this year through these agencies.

And Al Risan Travels Agency's registered Hajj pilgrims have not been issued a visa on Thursday (May 16), Ministry of Religious Affairs has written to the Home Ministry to bar the agency's managing director Md. Abdus Salam Mia going outside the country and legal action will be taken against him.

M Shahadat Hossain Taslim, president of Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB), an organization of Hajj agency owners, told Barta24.com, "We sat down with the owners of the accused agencies, including Al Risan Travels Agency, and discussed the problem point by point and tried to solve it." Already the visa process for Haj pilgrims of Holi Darun Najat Haj Overseas, Worldlink Tours and Travels and Miqat Tours and Travels has started. It will happen to others. He also expressed hope that no registered pilgrim would be deprived of performing Hajj.

When asked the reason for being so optimistic, the HAAb President said that the agencies have sent the amount of money needed to be sent to Saudi Arabia for Hajj management. And as many problems as there are, hopefully they can be solved.

If you want to know about this, the managing director of Al Risan Travels Agency Limited Abdus Salam Miah told Barta24.com, "I have not sent anyone for Hajj this time. Mufti Lutfar Rahman Farooqui of Akbar Hajj Group is sending 448 Hajj pilgrims using my license due to problems with his license. Mufti Lutfar Rahman spoke on the phone from Saudi in a meeting with the HAAb President about the current problem, he assured; Nowadays 20 to 30 people will get visas. And by tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, everyone's visa will be done. He has rented a house in Madinah, a house in Makkah is also about to be rented.

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Newton used to rape women players with the allure to travel abroad



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
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Martial Art Jujutsu Association general secretary Rafiqul Islam alias Newton used to rape young players by offering them good opportunities and tempting them to travel abroad.

Commander Arafat Islam, director of the agency's law and media wing, gave this information at a press conference at RAB Media Center in the capital's Karwan Bazaar on Saturday (May 18) evening.

He said that Rafiqul Islam alias Newton also did horrible things like aborting minor girl players when they got pregnant due to immoral activities. He even entered the girls' changing rooms before practice, forcibly raped them, videotaped them and took nude pictures. Rafiqul was assisted in these activities by another woman of the association.

Commander Arafat Islam said that in the initial interrogation, Newton admitted to being involved in the rape. Rafiqul Islam Newton is a jujutsu trainer. Most of the association's trainees are women where guardians were supposed to be responsible for taking these young girls forward. But that person takes advantage of the weakness of young girls and tries to portray his low character.

Arafat Islam said that when the victim filed a case, the accused changed their location and hid in different parts of the country to avoid the arrest by the law and order forces. The second accused female player named in the case statement has already been handed over to Sher-e- Bangla Nagar police station in the capital.

According to the statement of the case, the general secretary of the arrested Martial Art Jujutsu Association, Rafiqul Islam alias Newton, with the help of a female player used to sexually harass other female players by falsely seducing and intimidating them. The victim had been training in jujutsu under Rafiqul for the past two years. Rafiq used to physically harass the victim on various pretexts during training sessions. Later, while the victim was changing clothes in the changing room after the practice, the arrested woman locked the victim in the room and called Rafiqul Islam. Later, Rafiqul raped the victim. The arrested woman then entered the player's room and took nude photos of the victim on her mobile phone and threatened to spread the nude photos of the victim on social media if she told anyone. A few days later, Rafiqul Islam took the victim to a flat in the capital and raped her several times under the threat of spreading her nude photos on social media.

On Saturday, RAB arrested two people, including general secretary of Bangladesh Jujutsu Association Rafiqul Islam Newton, in Mirpur and Shah Ali areas of the capital.

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