National
PM inaugurates Dhaka Elevated Expressway
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially inaugurated the eagerly anticipated 11.5-kilometer Dhaka Elevated Expressway’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport-Farmgate section, a move expected to significantly alleviate the city’s traffic congestion. The inauguration ceremony took place at the Kawla end of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, where the Prime Minister unveiled the expressway’s nameplate. A prayer for the well-being of the nation and its citizens followed.
Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader welcomed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, as they paid the toll at the Kawla end. After the inauguration, colorful balloons were released into the sky. Md. Monjur Hossain, Executive Director of the Bangladesh Bridges Authority and Secretary of the Bridges Division, provided a brief overview of the project.
Subsequently, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina proceeded to the Old Trade Fair Ground at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to attend a civic rally celebrating the grand opening of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. There, she unveiled an inaugural plaque. Although the Airport-Farmgate section was formally inaugurated, it is set to open to traffic the following day.
This section spans approximately 11.5 kilometers and features 15 boarding ramps, with two ramps at Banani and Mohakhali remaining closed temporarily. The maximum speed limit on the expressway will be 60 kilometers per hour, and it is restricted to motor vehicles only, with three-wheelers, bicycles, and pedestrians prohibited. Additionally, motorcycles are not allowed on the expressway at this time.
The toll rates for the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport-Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway have been established by the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, ranging from Taka 80 to Taka 400, based on vehicle type and category. The entire elevated expressway spans 46.73 kilometers, covering various key points in Dhaka.
Initially, vehicles on the expressway will have a speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour, allowing them to cover the 11-kilometer distance from the HSIA to Farmgate in approximately 10 minutes. The total project cost is estimated at Taka 8,940 crore, with the Bangladesh government providing Taka 2,413 crore in viability gap funding.
The First Dhaka Elevated Expressway (FDEE) Company Ltd serves as the investor company, with Italian Thai Development Public Company Ltd holding 51 percent shares, China Shandong International Economic and Technical Co-operation Group (CSI) owning 34 percent, and Sinohydro Corporation Ltd holding 15 percent shares. Construction for the second phase from Banani Railway Station to Moghbazar Railway Crossing is progressing rapidly.
Over the past 15 years, Bangladesh has undertaken several infrastructure projects, including the completion of mega-projects like the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, MRT Line-6 (Bangladesh’s first metro rail project), and the Chandra-Elenga four-lane highway. Other crucial projects, such as the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel and the Padma Bridge rail link, are nearing completion, further boosting the country’s economic growth.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds at most places across the Rangpur, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas may experience moderately heavy to very heavy rainfall, according to their latest weather bulletin released on Thursday.
Day and night temperatures are expected to remain nearly unchanged across the country.
The highest rainfall in the country over the past 24 hours was recorded in Kumarkhali, with 104mm of rain by 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The axis of the monsoon trough extends from India’s Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal to Assam, passing through Bangladesh, with one of its associated troughs stretching into the North Bay of Bengal.
The monsoon remains active over Bangladesh and moderate to strong over the North Bay region.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted that the mild heat wave currently affecting parts of the country, including the capital, is expected to subside in most areas within the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
“A mild heat wave is sweeping across the divisions of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Sylhet, as well as the districts of Jashore, Chuadanga, and Kushtia. It is likely to ease in most regions,” the department reported.
In addition, BMD predicted light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across most of Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Some areas are expected to experience moderate to very heavy rainfall.
Temperatures across the country may drop by 1-2 degrees Celsius during both day and night.
On Monday, Dinajpur in the Rangpur division recorded the country’s highest temperature at 38.6°C, while Bandarban in the Chattogram division saw the lowest temperature at 24.6°C early today.
Meanwhile, rainfall recorded in the past 24 hours, ending at 6 am today, reached 66 mm in Nikli of Dhaka Division.
The sunset in Dhaka is at 5:53 pm today, and sunrise is expected at 5:49 am tomorrow.
Two separate murder cases were filed today in connection with the deaths of a private service holder and a Madrasa student during the anti-discrimination student movement.
The first case was lodged by Ridwan Ahmed with Panchlaish police station, accusing former ministers Dr. Hasan Mahmud, Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, and 127 others for the death of his nephew Sujan, 14. Sujan, the son of Belal Hossain from Beramara village in Noakhali’s Sadar Thana, was a student at Al Jamirul Hayat Madrasa in the city’s Chandgaon area. He was fatally shot in the Muradpur area on July 18.
The second case was filed by Jamal Uddin at Doublemooring police station, accusing 225 individuals, including Dr. Hasan Mahmud and Education Minister Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Naufel, for the killing of his elder brother Alam, a private service holder, on August 5.
