National
Joydebpur-Rangpur 2nd Smart Highways is set to introduce in Dec 2024
Bangladesh is set to inaugurate its first smart highway on the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway in December 2023, with plans for a second one connecting Joydebpur with Rangpur expected to be commissioned in December of the following year. The primary aim of these projects is to enhance road safety through the implementation of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS), featuring vehicle detection systems, surveillance cameras, automated number plate recognition cameras, speed detection mechanisms, and variable messaging signs.
The 38-kilometer Dhaka-Mawa Expressway will serve as the pilot project for the ITS and is being developed with the assistance of South Korea’s KOICA under a Taka 126 crore plan. Meanwhile, work is underway to introduce this technology to the 250-kilometer Joydebpur-Rangpur highway, with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) involving a $15 million investment, with completion expected by December 2024.
The government’s motivation behind implementing this technology is to detect vehicles exceeding speed and weight limits, ensuring road safety and holding violators accountable. These initiatives align with the nation’s goal of advancing highway surveillance to match developed countries. The Joydebpur-Rangpur smart highway is part of a regional highway construction project under the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) framework, which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
National Development Engineers (NDE), a Bangladeshi infrastructure firm, in collaboration with Chinese firm Fiber Home Telecommunication Technologies Co Ltd, is responsible for implementing the Joydebpur-Rangpur smart highway, while Bangladeshi IT firm National Tech has been awarded the contract for the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway.
The project envisions the establishment of a central Traffic Management Centre (TMC) in Mirpur, Dhaka, along with three regional TMCs in Tangail, Bogura, and Rangpur. These centers will monitor the entire highway through the ITS system, including a Vehicle Detective System (VDS) to detect accidents and other obstacles promptly. Surveillance cameras and Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Cameras will help identify traffic rule violators and those exceeding load and speed limits.
The technology will also include LED-enabled Variable Messaging Signs (VMS) on gantries along the highway to provide advance warnings of road hazards or diversions due to accidents. Additionally, a Weigh in Motion (WIM) system will be implemented at various points on the highway to prevent overloaded trucks, a common cause of accidents in Bangladesh.
To ensure strict compliance with load limits, three Axle Load Control Centres will be established at Pakulla in Tangail, Mahasthangarh in Bogura, and Islampur in Rangpur. Trucks exceeding permitted limits will not be allowed to exit these control stations.
In summary, the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) is poised to enhance road safety in Bangladesh by using advanced technology to detect and respond to traffic violations and accidents promptly. Such initiatives are essential to address the country’s high rate of road accidents, often attributed to overloaded trucks.
National
Professor Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman Appointed Vice-Chancellor of Northern University Bangladesh
Professor Dr. Md. Mizanur Rahman, a distinguished academic from the Department of Marketing at the University of Dhaka, has been appointed the new Vice-Chancellor of Northern University Bangladesh (NUB). The Ministry of Education confirmed the appointment through an official notification issued on Sunday (23 November), signed by Sultan Ahmed, Assistant Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, on behalf of the President.
The notice states that, with the approval of the Honorable President and Chancellor, Professor Rahman will serve a four-year term as Vice-Chancellor under Section 31(1) of the Private University Act, 2010. He will receive all salary, allowances, and benefits as determined by the university, and his duties will commence immediately in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Professor Rahman has an outstanding academic background. He secured First Class First in his Honors degree from the University of Dhaka’s Marketing Department, achieving record-breaking marks. He completed his MBA with dual majors in Finance and Marketing at Dalhousie University in Canada, graduating in the top 1% of his class. He later earned his Master’s degree (First Class Second) and PhD from the same department at the University of Dhaka.
During his illustrious 35-year career, he has served as Chairman of the Department of Marketing at the University of Dhaka for three years and was elected to both the Syndicate and Senate of the university. He also served as Dean at Daffodil International University and has taught as an adjunct professor at North South University, BRAC University, and Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).
Professor Rahman has an extensive body of research, with over 35 publications, including four international papers and three research monographs. Several MPhil and PhD scholars have completed their degrees under his supervision. He also served for many years as Vice President of the Dhaka University Marketing Alumni Association.
Outside academia, he has contributed significantly to the corporate sector and educational governance. He has worked as an independent director and strategic adviser to various reputed organizations and has served on the governing bodies of several well-known colleges in Dhaka. He currently holds the position of Chairman of the North South Society.
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.
