The New Nation - Internet Edition

Ferry service disrupted

Goalundo, Mar 10: Ferry service on Daulatdia-Paturia route remained suspended for four-and-a-half hours from 5:30am Saturday due to dense fog. Six ferries with several thousand passengers on board got stuck in the mid-river while two at two ferry ghats. BIWTC sources said about 100 vehicles remained stranded at Paturia ghat while over 400 at Daulatdia ghat, creating heavy traffic congestion on both sides of the river. Ferry service resumed at about 10 am today, reports UNB.

10 shops gutted

Madaripur, Mar 10: Ten shops were gutted in a devastating fire in Puran Bazar area of the town Friday night. Local people said the blaze originated from an electric short circuit at a shop in the area at about 11pm and soon engulfed seven other adjoining shops burning down all the valuables. Later, fire fighters rushed to the spot and put out the blaze after one hour of frantic efforts with the help of local people. The affected businessmen claimed that cash and valuable worth about Tk 1 crore were destroyed in the blaze, reports UNB.

Valuables looted

Sunamganj, Mar 10: Armed dacoits stabbed a house owner to death while looting cash and valuables from his house at Alamkhali village in Doarabazar upazila early Thursday. Police quoting local people said the bandits, numbering 7/8, stormed into the house of Phul Mia at about 1:30am and looted cash money, five tolas of gold ornaments and other valuables at gunpoint. The robbers, at one stage, stabbed Phul Mia, 54, indiscriminately when he tried to resist them, killing him on the spot. Later, while fleeing with the booty, local people, hearing the hue and cry by the family members, chased the bandits and caught two of them reports UNB.

Trade Fair begins

Barisal, Mar 10: The month-long International Trade Fair began here on the premises of Barisal BIWTC Marine Workshop on Friday. Commissioner of Barisal Metropolitan Police Khan Sayed Hassan attended the inauguration programme as chef guest while deputy commissioner Kazi Mortaz Ahmed and secretary of divisional sports committee Asaduzaman Khasru as special guests. President of Barisal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI) Ebaidul Huq Chan presided over the programme organized by the BCCI. Some 130 stalls have been set up in the fair. Unilever, Navana Furniture, Otobi, Samsung, Warid and other local and international companies are participating in the fair, reports UNB.

Fertiliser seized

Mymensingh, Mar 10: Police with the help of local people seized 33 sacks of urea fertilizer in Dhobaura upazila headquarters on Thursday while being smuggled out for sale in the black market. Police said community police and local people halted three rickshaws while carrying 16 sacks of fertilizer and informed them. Later, Dhobaura police with the help of local people recovered 12 sacks of fertilizer from the kitchen of the nearby house of Abdul Jalil, 2 sacks from the kitchen of Tulu Mia and three sacks from the house of Hakim. Police also arrested Hakim, 35, rickshaw-pullers Billal Hossain, 25, Azizul Huq, 15, and Nure Alam, 25, in this connection. Another report from Jhenidah adds: Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested two drug peddlers along with 2 kgs of hemp from Hat Gopalpur check post in the district Thursday, reports UNB.

Newsman sent to jail

Chandpur, Mar 10: Abdul Awal Rubel, district correspondent of RTV and Dainik Amader Samoy, arrested on charge of extortion on Wednesday, was sent to jail hajat Thursday. When produced the chief judicial magistrate court ordered to send Rubel to prison rejecting his bail petition. Acting on a tip-off, police arrested Rubel while he was taking Tk 8,000 as toll from BCL leader Jafar Iqbal Munna also a contractor, at a local restaurant in the town, reports UNB.