SATURDAY Dhaka : December 13, 2014; agrahayan 29, 1421 BS; Safar 19, 1436 hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtlive.com Regd. No. Da~2065, Vol. 13; No. 95; 12 pages~Tk. 7.00 RegiOnal enTeRTainMenT SPORT Abe's base aims to Shraddha kapoor Tensions rise as restore past religious, hopes successful players lose cool patriotic values run continues in >Page 6 2015 >Page 8 >Page 9 rOAd Oil spillage to TO VICTOrY darken future Mitra Bahini lay of locals siege to dhaka, call Sundarban’s ecology under threat for surrender of TBT d eSk pak forces The situation of the world's largest mangrove forest 'Sundarban' is worsening DHAKA : By the 13th of December, three days post the oil spillage form the oil tanker Southern Star 7. Estimated 1971 the war was coming to an end. 250,000 litres of oil has now spread throughout the 34,000 hectares of land, The Soviet pacific fleet and the US sev - expanding from the Shela river and Passur river towards the Bay of Bengal, caus - enth Fleet was facing each other in the ing unimaginable effect not only to the biodiversity of the region, but also to the Bay of Bengal, while the Mitra Bahini livelihood of the residents and fishermen. The leak has been denoted to be an eco - was firmly placed around Dhaka for logical catastrophe. the penultimate battle, reports BSS. Even though the sunken oil tanker has been salvaged from the river, the oil Inside the besieged city were about spillage hasn't been brought under control. A thick layer of oil is spreading 30,000 Pakistani troops and 6,000 throughout the nearby areas. The oil spill has already blackened the shoreline, Mitra Bahini troops were outside the threatening trees, plankton, vast population of fishes and dolphins. city. And more Mitra Bahini soldiers As per the officials the total environmental damage cannot be accounted as yet, were on the way. however the damage will be visible soon and it is predictable. The water quality of The chief of staff of the Indian army, the region has already been damaged to a great extent, which will leave a disas - General S H F J Manekshaw, once trous result in the upcoming days. again appealed to the Pakistani forces The toxicity has spread in the air. As per the fishermen of the areas, dead fishes to surrender, unconditionally. The and crabs are seen floating on the rover. Dead crabs and crocs are now visible on message was repeatedly broadcast the shore. Oil tanker 'OT Southern Star-7' capsized on the Shala in Sundarban carrying 3 lack 57 thousand 664 liters over All-India Radio, every hour, both The area is also known to be one of the largest sanctuaries for rare species of dol - of oil. The locals started extracting the oil from the river-water from Friday. \ photo: Banglar Chokh in English and Urdu. phins; however, no dolphins have been spotted in the area since the mishap. It is In a message to General Rao Farman expected that tigers and dolphins too will be immensely affected. Crabs, which are Ali, civil affairs' advisor to General the largest single group in the forest are facing the biggest threat. Niazi, the same message was con - Environment specialists included that if crabs are affected, dolphins will find it Blasts kill at least veyed. even difficult to breathe. > (Contd. on page-11) WB expected to provide 2bn in The message was sent to Farman Ali because he was behind the UN resolu - 40 in Nigerian tion for cease-fire a few days back which was later scuttled by Pakistan's city of Jos project assistance in current FY Two bombs exploded near a bus sta - president, Yahya Khan. Meanwhile, Truck accident in Jessore kills tion in the central Nigerian city of Jos on Indian air-strikes in Dhaka were con - DHAKA : The World Bank is likely Primary Education Development Thursday evening, witnesses said, the to come up with huge financing Programme III, Income Support for tinuing. second one killing at least 40 people, The Pakistani leadership in occupied worth nearly $ 2 billion for the Poorest Programme and 3 including JUST student reports Reuter. Bangladesh in the current fiscal year Multipurpose Disaster Shelters -- Dhaka was visibly upset by the misin - Casualties from the first blast could formation fed to them by Islamabad. (2014-15) against some important with a total commitment of $1.075 JeSSOre COrreSpONdeNT Yasin Ali (35), Khairul Islam (42) and not immediately be ascertained and General Niazi, the GOC-in- proposed projects, including ones in billion. Bikash Biswas (40), were admitted to Nigerian security sources could not Command of East Pakistan was so education, disaster shelters, urban ERD additional secretary Kazi At least three people have been Jessore Medical College Hospital. immediately be reached for comment. shaken that he went to Governor resilience and livelihood improve - Shofiqul Azam told the news agency killed and 10 others including children University Vice-Chancellor Abdus Bomb blasts that bore the hallmarks of Malek complaining about the situa - ment, reports UNB. that the World Bank is likely to injured when a truck hit a human Sattar confirmed the death incident of Islamist Boko Haram militants killed tion. hauler on Jessore-Chowgacha high - Eight of the projects seeking the approve fund for the three projects at the student (Abu Hamid) to The 118 people in the same area of Jos in World Bank's support are Primary its Board meeting on December 16 (Contd. on page-11) way at Abdullahpur Bazar under > Bangladesh Today correspondent. May. Education Development Programme next. Chowgacha upazila in Jessore. Following the accident, students of "I saw a flash of light and heard a loud The deceased were identified as, III - AF ($ 400mn), Income Support The senior ERD official in charge of JSTU rushed to the spot and set the boom. Afterwards there was debris for the Poorest Programme ($ the World Bank wing also hoped that 19 Bangladeshis Abu Hamid (24), a third year student truck on fire, which infuriated trans - everywhere and mutilated bodies," wit - of Physical Education Department of 300mn), Multipurpose Disaster the aid disbursement by the World port workers and a chase and counter ness Tanko Mohammed said of the blast Shelters ($375mn), Bangladesh Bank to Bangladesh would cross a Jessore University of Science and in Jos's commercial Terminus district. A rescued while being chase between the students and the Urban Resilience Project ($165mn), record $ one billion mark in fiscal Technology, Khadiza Begum (50), Reuters reporter counted 11 bodies at workers. NATP II ($ 160mn), Nuton Jibon 2015. hailing from Chaugachha and Anisur one bomb site and 29 at the other. trafficked to India Electrical and Electronic Livelihood Improvement Project ($ Besides, the government and the Rahman (28), from the same area. Boko Haram is a Sunni jihadist move - Engineering student of the university, 200mn), Pro-Poor Slums Integration World Bank struck a deal on Local witnesses informed The ment that has been waging a five-year thru’ Satkhira Al-Amin said, "After the accident inci - Project ($ 80mn) and Financial December 7 last under which the Bangladesh Today that a speedy truck insurgency to establish an Islamist state SATKHIRA : Members of Border dent, the many of JUST students Sector Support Project ($ 300mn), , multilateral lender will provide $ 60 dragged a passengers carrying in the northeast of the country. Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in a drive came out from the university gate according to sources at the Economic million to modernise Bangladesh's 'Bhatvati' (Vehicle's local name) from President Goodluck Jonathan rescued 19 Bangladeshi people while while the transport workers locked in Relations Division (ERD). Value Added Tax (VAT) administra - the back side leaving three dead on the declared a state of emergency in three they were being trafficked to India a clash leaving a few students injured". An official at the ERD told UNB tion and to boost tax revenue. spot including a university student, northeastern states last year. The num - through Gazipur border here Friday "Even they (transport workers) cre - that the Washington-based lending According to the sources, the World but the truck drive had fled away sens - ber of attacks has risen sharply since morning, reports UNB. ated obstacles while we the friends agency is likely to sign three deals Bank has 31 ongoing projects ing the mass beating. then, in the run-up to elections in The rescued people hail from and well-wishers were trying to go to with the government in January, amounting $6.7 billion in "Jessore University of Science and February 2015. Gazipur, Sunamganj, Mymensingh the hospital area", the student added. 2015 for three of the projects -- Bangladesh. and Thakungoan districts. Technology students blocked the Jessore kotwali police station The latest blasts came as both > (Contd. on page-11) Tipped off, a BGB conducted a drive Jessore-Chaugachha road to protest Officer-in-Charge Anamul Hoque Jonathan's ruling party and the main in the area and rescued them from the the death of fellow classmate. Around said: "A Jessore-bound truck knocked opposition coalition agreed on candi - border in the morning, said Nayeb 12:00 pm they torched the truck set down the human hauler around 11am dates to contest the elections, in which Subedar Haider Ali, BOP Commander fire on road", source added. on Friday, killing three on the spot security is likely to be a major campaign Biman’s domestic flights ‘cannot of Gazipur border. Others injured were- Swapna (24) and injuring the others." "Now the issue. Former military ruler Later, they were handed over to and her daughter Ratna (4), Khadiza situation is under control and law Muhammadu Buhari will be challenging Satkhira Sadar Police station.