Helemul Alam

Once upon a time, it used to mark the terminus of the largest city of undivided Bengal; currently it lies uncared for, surrounded by bushes, covered by posters, in a shadowy corner of Dhaka University campus.

After seeing a scarcity of customers, Dhaka’s cattle markets have started gaining momentum after Juma prayers yesterday, as a huge number of buyers rushed to the markets.

Dhaka’s cattle markets have not yet seen the expected momentum, just two days before Eid.

Dengue may spread further and faster during Eid vacation with thousands of people expecting to head home, said doctors and experts.

Although a good number of sacrificial animals have arrived at Dhaka’s cattle markets, customers were sparse yesterday, the first day of official operation of 20 markets.

Rokon Bepary, a farmer from Shibchar, brought 16 bulls to the Dholaikhal cattle market this year, almost half of what he brought last year, due to a huge loss of Tk 3 lakh. 

Neelam Ghar -- a century-old building in Old Dhaka used by the British and Pakistani rulers to auction off confiscated objects -- has been pushed to the verge of demolition yesterday.

Cattle farmers, particularly those from flood-hit areas, are in fear of incurring losses from the sale of sacrificial animals ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha due to flooding, rising prices of cattle feed and a lower number of customers.

A total of 737 people was infected with dengue in June. In the past five years, June has not witnessed so many cases except in 2019, one of the worst years in regards to dengue infections.

Tamanna Yesmin, a homemaker from Manda Kazibari, is currently undergoing treatment at Mugda Medical College Hospital for dengue. She has been admitted to the hospital since Tuesday.

Dhaka is the seventh least liveable city in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index for 2022.

Md Razib Hossain, a resident of Daseshkandi under Khilgaon thana, came to Kayetpara bazar in the capital yesterday to purchase a boat along with his brother.

Hoping to spend some quality time with his family, Mohram Ali recently took his three children to Shaheed Matiur Park at the capital’s Gulistan. But after reaching the entrance, the family got confused and eventually disheartened. 

A total of 263 dengue patients were hospitalised in May out of 352 dengue cases this year. The numbers have seen a sharp rise with the frequent downpours in the last month.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh is filling up a large waterbody on the eastern side of the Hajj camp at the capital’s Ashkona for a housing project for its officials and employees, violating a conservation law.

Dhaka is at risk of a major dengue outbreak this year compared to the last couple of years, as clear, stagnant water, the breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes, at under-construction buildings is abundant this time around.

Eid jamaat (congregation) was held at Tetultala playground in Dhaka this morning.

While appreciating the government’s move to keep Tentultala in the capital’s Kalabagan as a playground for children, green activists yesterday demanded that the authorities take steps to modernise it and maintain all existing facilities.

For the last couple of weeks, Anowar Hossain, a resident of Sarafatganj Lane in Gandaria, has been suffering from nasal allergy. Anowar, who had no such problem earlier, started to face this issue after construction works for two establishments started in his area recently.

A century-old building in Old Dhaka, known as the Neelam Ghar, will be knocked down and lost like many other historical structures of the city.