Rail and road communication via Kalurghat Bridge, the century-old bridge over the Karnaphuli River, has been suspended for three months to get some much-needed renovation work done.
The Bangladesh Railway authorities said the movements of vehicles and trains through the bridge were suspended from today (2 August).
After three months, the railway authorities will inaugurate it with the movement of the Coxs Bazar-bound train, said Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Railway (East) Abu Zafar Mia.
Rail communication on the Chattogram-Dohazari route will also remain suspended until the reopening of the Kalurghat bridge, said Abu Zafar.
Roads and Highways Division has already launched a ferry service under the bridge to ensure the smooth crossing of vehicles. Two ferries will operate under the bridge while one will remain on standby.
Bangladesh Railway appointed a contractor for the renovation work of the bridge, involving Tk55 crore.
The authorities concerned also fixed the tolls for ferrying vehicles: Tk5 for ferrying rickshaw, van, bicycle and cart, Tk10 for motorbike, Tk25 for three-wheeler vehicles, Tk55 for private cars, Tk90 for microbus and pickup, Tk115 for minibus, Tk135 for vehicles used in agriculture sector, Tk170 for small truck, Tk205 for bus, Tk225 for truck, Tk450 for heavy truck and Tk565 for trailer.
The bridge was the only means for ten lakh people in Boalkhali upazila to get to Patiya east zone, Rangunia south zone, Chandgaon and Mohora area of the city.
Boosted by the strong performance of its Find N2 series and Find X6 series flagship smartphones, OPPO ranks first in the Chinese smartphone market in H1 2023 and fourth globally during the same period.
According to data from Canalys, OPPO held a 10% share of the global smartphone market in H1, with 51.9 million shipments, and an 18% share of the China smartphone market in H1 2023, making it the best-selling brand in China during the first half of the year.
OPPO performance has been driven in part by the success of foldable smartphones, which have entered a period of rapid growth this year and continue to show significant upside potential. Counterpoint Research estimates that global shipments of foldable smartphones are expected to grow at a 114% compound annual growth rate from 2019 to 2025, increasing fourfold between 2022 and 2025 to reach 55 million units. Chinese OEMs, including OPPO, have quickly embraced the foldable market, contributing to China emergence as the global leader with a 26% market share in 2022.
New data from Canalys also shows that OPPO held a dominant 31% share of the foldable market in China during Q1 2023, making it the leader in the growing segment. At the product level, the OPPO Find N2 Flip outperformed all other foldable products to make up 15% of foldable smartphone sales in China from January to May 2023, according to Counterpoint.
As the first vertical flip phone to introduce a larger cover screen, the Find N2 Flip is crafted for practicality and enjoyment for daily use, featuring a less-visible crease, a powerful battery, and an intuitive UI design alongside other industry-leading innovations. These innovations and the commercial success of the Find N2 Flip have also helped OPPO to outperform the global foldable market this year, where its market share has increased from 5% in Q1 2022 to 13% in Q1 2023, according to Canalys.
OPPO remains committed to driving the growth of the foldable smartphone market and enhancing the user experience through its continued focus on technical innovation.
The month of mourning begins today commemorating the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on August 15, 1975. The August 15 carnage is the ugliest chapter of the nation history as the self-confessed killers not only assassinate the nation founding father alone, but also killed 16 other members of his family, friends and relatives. The nation observes with heavy heart the month of August as the month of mourning to recall the barbaric killing on 1975 15 August. The August 15 carnage martyrs included Bangabandhu wife Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, his sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, Bangabandhu brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, nephew and eminent journalist Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, Moni pregnant wife Arzoo Moni and Bangabandhu military secretary Colonel Jamil. Bangabandhu two daughters - incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana - escaped the planned assassination as they were visiting Germany at that time. With the killing of Bangabandhu, the greatest Bangalee of all times, a pall of gloom descended and a sense of deep sadness spread among the people in the country and across the globe. The world protested and condemned the killing, saying it is an irreparable loss to millions of people of Bangladesh. The month of August is also black marked with another conspiracy of assassination. The nation cannot ever forget the heinous attempt of killing Sheikh Hasina through grenade attacks in 2004. The vested quarter, who assassinated Bangabandhu in 1975, also tried to destroy Awami League (AL) by killing its president Sheikh Hasina with grenades on an anti-terrorism rally at Bangabandhu Avenue here on August 21 in 2004. Sheikh Hasina narrowly escaped the attack suffering splinter injuries when 24 of her party men, including Awami League women affairs secretary Ivy Rahman, were killed and 500 others injured. Like in the previous years, different political and socio-cultural organisations, including ruling Awami League (AL) and its associate bodies have chalked out month-long programmes to observe the month of mourning.
The Sammilito Baboshayee Parishad panel clinched 15 post of directors while Baboshayee Oikko Parishad bagged 8 posts in the election of the association group of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).
The election took place yesterday at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here to elect the fresh leadership of the association for the 2023-25 tenure.
After a long counting of the votes, A Matin Chowdhury, chairman of the FBCCI Election Board for 2023-25, announced the results of the country apex trade body around 3:30am today.
Some 1,746 out of the 1,954 voters cast their votes with a turnout of 89.35 percent.
The voting started at 9:30 am and ended at 4:30 pm yesterday without any break.