Live Tv
Rtv Plus
Tourist Ship Services Begin on Cox's Bazar-Saint Martin's Route
Rtv News
01 Dec 2024, 13:03
Photo: File Picture
After a long closure of more than nine months, tourist ships have resumed their operations on the Cox's Bazar-Saint Martin route.
On Sunday (December 1), at around 10 am, a ship named "Bar Aulia" departed from the BIWTA terminal in Cox's Bazar, carrying 620 passengers to the island.
Hossain Islam Bahadur, general secretary of the Sea Cruise Operators Owners Association of Bangladesh, confirmed the resumption of ship operations.
He said that today the first day of the resumption of ship operations on the Cox's Bazar-Saint Martin route, the ship Bar Aulia left for Saint Martin with 620 passengers.
Nilufa Yasmin Chowdhury, the Saint Martin Tourism Management Committee convener and Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) said the first ship departed successfully, and authorities inspected all arrangements.
It is worth noting that due to the recent navigability crisis in the Naf River and the lack of security due to shelling on the Myanmar border, ships are not being allowed to sail from Teknaf for the time being. Currently, only Cox's Bazar is approved as a departure point.
The government permits ship operations on the Teknaf-Saint Martin and Cox's Bazar-Saint Martin routes from October to March each year. Ships are closed for the remaining six months due to rough seas.
On November 19, a separate office order signed by Sabrina Rahman, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, formed a committee to control tourism in Saint Martin and gave some guidelines on the movement of ships from Cox's Bazar to Saint Martin.
This year, to protect the island's environment, the government has introduced a cap on tourist numbers. Travelers must now register through an app provided by the Ministry of Tourism before visiting Saint Martin's Islam.
The hotels where tourists will stay after reaching St. Martin's Island will be recorded and stored in the register. Billboards will be installed at the ship's departure point and at the entry point of Saint Martin including the do's and don'ts for tourists.
The Cox's Bazar office of the Department of Environment will coordinate the overall issues and communication. The committee can increase its members if necessary to facilitate its work.
Comments
12 Law Enforcement Officers Injured Amid Tensions Over Facebook Post
Twelve members of law enforcement were injured in an attack by assailants in the Hazari Goli area under Kotwali Police Station in Chittagong, triggered by a Facebook post. The injured are currently receiving medical treatment.
The incident occurred at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, when law enforcement officers were conducting a rescue operation in the area.
According to reports, a Facebook user recently shared a photo card allegedly containing "obscene" comments about ISKCON. The post was later reshared by the owner of a shop in Mia Shopping Center, located in Hazari Goli. This post angered a section of the local Hindu community, who vandalized the shop and attempted to attack the shopkeeper on Tuesday afternoon.
Police and army personnel arrived in the evening to control the situation, but protesters turned on them, throwing acid, bricks, and stones. Six police officers and six army personnel were injured in the attack.
Fazlur Kader Chowdhury, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station in Chittagong, confirmed the incident.
He stated that when law enforcement attempted to disperse the protesters, they attacked the police, and later, the joint forces as well.
Law enforcement operations are ongoing to identify the attackers. A detailed briefing will be provided in a press conference on Wednesday, November 7.
Fire on BRTC Bus on Kuril Bishwa Road
A BRTC double-decker bus caught fire in the capital's Kuril Bishwa Road area.
The fire broke out on Friday (November 8) afternoon.
Upon receiving the report, two fire service units from Kurmitola station quickly arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire. Fire Service Control Room Duty Officer Rashid Bin Khalid confirmed the news to the media.
He said that today around 1:40 pm, we received information about the fire of a BRTC double-decker bus at the capital's Kuril Bishwa Road area. Two units from Kurmitola Fire Station went there after getting the information. They brought the fire under control by 2:08 pm.
The cause of the fire is still unknown and no casualties have been reported yet.
Khilkhet police station Sub-Inspector (SI) Shahjahan told reporters: "We received information about a fire on a bus in the Kuril area. However, we have not yet determined how the fire started. We are questioning nearby people to understand how the bus caught fire."
Want to Build A Beautiful Country With All Religions: Army Chief
Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has expressed the hope of building a beautiful country with people of all religions.
He stated this on Friday (November 8) afternoon at the capital's International Buddhist Monastery of Merul Badda on the occasion of 'Kothin Chibor Dan and Buddhist Great Convention.'
Army Chief said, " We want to build a country of harmony. This is the main motto of Buddhism. We want to build a beautiful country with people of all religions.
He also said, "Many people have come here from the hilly areas. We want the day to be celebrated like this every year. We will provide all kinds of assistance for this."
Waker-Uz-Zaman said, "The hill region is a great asset of our country. So I will do whatever is necessary for the peace of the hill region."
It should be noted that according to Buddhist scriptures, this religious ritual was introduced during the lifetime of Lord Gautam Buddha about two and a half thousand years ago. It is termed 'Kothin Chibor Dan' as it is done within 24 hours from spinning the thread to weaving, sewing, and dyeing the cloth and giving it to the Buddhist monks.
19 UP Members Detained from Secret Meeting
Instead of holding their meeting in their office, the Union Parishad (UP) members were secretly meeting at a resort. In this situation, the police detained 19 UP members on the spot. The detainees are UP members from 9 different upazilas of Cox's Bazar district.
This incident took place in the hall room on the 5th floor of Kolatoli Uni Resort in Cox's Bazar city late on Friday night (November 8).
Eyewitnesses reported that pro-Awami League UP members were holding a secret meeting at the resort. Acting on information, the police conducted a raid and detained them. There were 70 UP members in the meeting, but the others fled upon sensing the raid.
Cox's Bazar Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Fayzul Azim Noman said, "We received complaints that Awami League-supported UP members were holding a secret meeting at Uni Resort. Those with cases against them have been detained. Those without cases have been released."
Selim, a UP member from the Maheshkhali area, claimed that it was a discussion meeting of the organization Bangladesh Union Members Association (BAUM). He added that people from all political parties were present there.
Workers’ Protest Halts Highway in Gazipur, 20-Kilometer Traffic Jam
In Gazipur’s Maleker Bari area, workers from TNZ Group have continued their blockade of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, causing a traffic jam extending approximately 20 kilometers on both sides of the road.
This information was confirmed on Sunday (November 10) at 9 a.m. by Gazipur Metropolitan’s Deputy Police Commissioner (Traffic) Ibrahim Khan. He stated that the workers' protest, which began at around 9:30 a.m. yesterday, has persisted throughout the night. Due to the blockade, the highway is congested from Tongi to Rajendrapur, and travelers are now using alternate routes.
The Gazipur Metropolitan Police shared a traffic update on their official Facebook page, requesting commuters to use alternative roads. The update informed travelers on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail Highways that the roadblock remains in place near the Columbia Garments, between Bhogra Bypass and Maleker Bari, as garment workers continue their protest over unpaid wages and allowances since yesterday morning.
Witnesses reported that some outsiders with sticks have joined the protesting workers. The blockade has caused long lines of stranded vehicles on both sides, including national and private transports, with perishable goods trapped in some of the cargo trucks. Many passengers left their buses to continue their journeys on foot or by alternative means, leaving several vehicles empty.
Asif, a helper with Takwa Paribahan, said that he set off from Joyna Bazar on Sunday morning with passengers headed toward the Joydebpur intersection but got stuck in traffic near Bhawal National Park in Rajendrapur after navigating several small jams.
Abdul Qadir, who was waiting at Mawna intersection in Sreepur for a long-distance bus to Dhaka, shared, “I’ve been standing here to get to Dhaka, and they’re asking for 150 taka to Joydebpur intersection. Other buses are only going as far as Rajendrapur due to the traffic jams. Now I’m quite worried.”
Muntaha Found Dead After 7 Days of Missing
The dead body of the missing child Muntaha Aktar Zerin (6) was recovered from Kanaighat in Sylhet after seven days of disappearance. Her body was found in a pond near the house with a rope around her neck.
Muntaha went missing from her house on November 3. Her body was recovered on Sunday (November 10) around 4 am.
Muntaha Aktar Jerin was daughter of Shamim Ahmed of Bharafoud village under the Birdal union of Kanaighat upazila.
Kanaighat police station officer-in-charge Abdul Awal confirmed the matter and said that the child's body looked like she was killed and thrown into the pond. A rope was tied around the child's neck. There are also scars on her body.
Muntaha's father claims that she was killed in a premeditated manner. A general diary was filed at the Kanaighat police station in this regard.
On Sunday (November 3) morning, Muntaha's father returned home from a local waz mahfil. Later, as usual, Muntaha went to play with the children in the neighboring houses. Her family started looking for Muntaha when she did not return home after 3 pm.
Despite searches through the area, family members failed to trace Muntaha. Her family also took to social media to seek public help in finding the girl. They announced a bounty of Tk 1,00,000 for anyone who found her.
Reason Behind Muntaha's Murder Revealed
6-year-old child Muntaha Aktar Zerin of Sylhet's Kanaighat Upazila was killed by her tutor Shamima Begum Marzia out of anger at being dismissed from teaching and accused of theft.
The dead body of the missing child Muntaha was recovered on Sunday (November 10) after 7 days of disappearance.
It is known that on the morning of November 3, Muntaha and her father returned home from a local waz mahfil. Later, as usual, Muntaha went to play with the children in the neighboring houses. Her family started looking for Muntaha when she did not return home after 3 pm.
Despite searches through the area, family members failed to trace Muntaha. Her family also took to social media to seek public help in finding the girl. They announced a bounty of Tk 1,00,000 for anyone who found her.
On the day of the incident, the killers strangled Muntaha and buried her in a pond near the house. Being suspicious, local reporters went to the spot on Saturday, tutor Marzia's behavior seemed awkward to them.
Later that night, the police took Marzia to the police station for questioning. After that, the police asked Muntaha's relatives to find out whether the soil around Marzia's house was hollow. Locals spent Sunday night searching around her house to see if there was any mudslide anywhere. Just before Fajr Azan, they saw Marzia's mother, Alifjan Bibi, suddenly crossing the road in the dark. They tried to stop her. When she tried to run away, the locals detained her. Later they found Muntaha's body smeared with mud. Then the police arrested Muntahar's tutor Shamima Begum Marzia, her mother Alifjan Bibi, and her grandmother Kutubjan Bibi.
Quoting Marzia's confession, Sylhet Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) Md Rafiqul Islam said that Muntaha was killed by suffocation. Her throat was tied with ropes and left in the pond on the night of November 3. The murder may have been done by Marzia. She killed Muntaha out of anger at being dismissed from teaching and accused of theft. However, the police are investigating whether there is any other reason behind this.
