Thursday, December 5, 2024

Chaos, clashes mark opening day WC ticket sales

Chaos, demonstrations and stray clashes marked the opening day sales of tickets for World Cup Cricket matches to be held in Bangladesh as people, who had waited in front of bank branches since Saturday afternoon, failed to buy tickets on Sunday.
People disheartened at not being able to buy tickets went out on violent demonstrations in places across the country.
People attacked the City Bank branch at Narayanganj, scuffled and clashed at the bank’s branches at Mirpur, where about 30 were hurt, and at New Market in Dhaka. People held protests in Barisal and Chittagong.
Tickets for eight matches of the World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka along with Bangladesh, are being sold in an online system of the India-based ticket booking company KyaZoonga, which has earned the ticket sales right from the International Cricket Council.
International money transfer agency MoneyGram, which in October 2010 became an official sponsor of the International Cricket Council, made the arrangement of ticket sales with its partners City Bank and Agrani Bank.
Fifty City Bank and 30 Agrani Bank branches are selling the tickets which will continue for two weeks.
Bank officials two days ago said they would not be able to sell more than 480 tickets from a branch a day. But they could not do so on Sunday as some bank officials said the servers were down and in some other places, they said the internet connection had become slow.
‘We were denied sales access to tickets for the international gallery priced at Tk 2,000, for the grand stand priced at Tk 3,000 and for the international hospitality box priced at Tk 10,000,’ a high City Bank official said.
‘KyaZoonga cheated us as we could access only the tickets for the club house priced at Tk 700, the north and the south gallery priced at Tk 400 and the eastern gallery priced at Tk 200 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium,’ he said.
People alleged that the bank officials were selling tickets at their whims. They also said that the officials did not go by the rule that a person could buy two tickets for each of the matches.
The lawmen charged with truncheons at people who at 2:00pm attacked the City Bank branch in Narayanganj. Sales of tickets began at 10:00am.
People also alleged that the tickets for the Bangladesh-India match were found sold out within half an hour at the Mirpur branch of the City Bank.
The chief communications officer of the City Bank, Mashrur Arefin, said ‘We are surprised to have received an all-sold-out signal for tickets for the India-Bangladesh match about 10:30am, half an hour after the ticket sales had begun. The KyaZoonga server was saying that there were no tickets available for sales with the Mirpur branch.’
‘The Narayanganj branch was attacked. Glasses were broken. We also faced hassles at our branches at Mirpur and New Market,’ he added.
People were not let in the Amin Court Agrani Bank branch at the designated time. Bank officials said the server was down and the internet speed was slow. But people, who went there to buy tickets, alleged that bank officials and policemen managed the tickets before the sales had begun.
At least 30 were injured as people clashed at Mirpur after they had failed to buy tickets. They also vandalised several vehicles in the place, witnesses said. Policemen in riot gear charged at the people with truncheons to control the situation.
Witnesses said that a large number of people gathered in front the City Bank branch at Mirpur, tailing back on to the main road and the situation went out of control two hours after the sales had begun.
The police also charged with truncheons at people waiting to buy tickets at Banani after they had scuffled there, sources said.
In Chittagong, where two of the eight matches will be held, people gathered on the Jubilee Road from Saturday evening to buy tickets from the City Bank branch and the scuffle began when the bank’s computer server went down.
‘I have stayed here for the whole night but I have not got the ticket,’ said Shariful Haq, pointing finger at the bank officials for selling the tickets earlier.
The bank’s branch manager, Anisur Rahman, however, said, ‘Our server went down and we could not meet the people’s demand.’ Sources said nothing but some stray scuffles took place in the city.
In Barisal, people went out on demonstrations after they had failed to buy tickets. Many alleged that ticket sales would have been smooth if the bank authorities had been a bit more active.
Mahbub Anam, vice-president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, said that they had nothing to do with the sales of tickets as the banks are selling the tickets under the agreement with MoneyGram.
Asked about the security of the bank branches, he said the cricket board could not provide the banks with security as the banks are dealing with MoneyGram.
A City Bank official said the branches could not carry out their normal transaction because of the ticket sales and associated hassles and scuffles.
No comments of either KyaZoonga or MoneyGram were available.

 

Via: NewAge

Related News

Bangladesh’s civic space broadened: report

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Civic space condition improved in Bangladesh due to steps taken by the interim government, said the People Power Under Attack 2024 report. The CIVICUS Monitor, a research consortium led by global civil society alliance CIVICUS that track civic space, unveiled the new report on Wednesday, said a press release. Bangladesh stayed ... Read more

Drastic fall in Bangladesh-India flights amid visa restrictions

Tanzil Rahaman The number of flights on different routes between Bangladesh and India has drastically fallen amid passenger shortages as the Indian government had imposed visa restrictions. The flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US Bangla Airlines have halved after the fall of Sheikh Hasina government on August 5 amid a student-led mass uprising, according ... Read more

Bangladesh committed to sweeping labour reforms: Yunus tells US delegation

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The interim government is committed to carrying out sweeping labour reforms in an effort to attract more foreign buyers to the country, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus told a visiting delegation from the United States. The chief adviser made the comments at his office in Dhaka’s Tejgaon when a United States ... Read more

Health ministry prohibits drug company reps from entering hospitals

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In order to improve hospital services and make sure appropriate treatment for those hurt during the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the Ministry of Health has issued 10 directives. One of these directives prohibits representatives of pharmaceutical companies from entering hospitals. A directive signed by the deputy secretary of the Health Service Department, ... Read more

Over 20 injured in clash between Polytechnic, Butex students

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A clash occurred on Sunday evening in Tejgaon in the capital city of Dhaka, resulting in injuries to around 20 to 25 people. The incident involved students from the Bangladesh University of Textiles and Dhaka Polytechnic Institute. The clash broke out at about 9:00pm on Sunday at Aziz Hall of BUTEX ... Read more

Ex-chief justice Ruhul Amin dies

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former Chief Justice Ruhul Amin died early Sunday morning at the age of 83 due to health issues related to aging. The chief justice’s office said in a condolence message that his passing occurred around 4:30 am while he was receiving treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka. Namaz-e janaza ... Read more

Well-marked low over Bay may intensify further

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) reported that a well-marked low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal and nearby Equatorial Indian Ocean is still present. This weather system is likely to strengthen further, according to BMD’s morning update. The bulletin indicates that the weather will likely be dry with some clouds ... Read more

Dhaka – Benapole train service, passing over Padma Bridge to start on December 2

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Train services on the Dhaka-Benapole route via the Padma Bridge will start on December 2. Padma Rail Link Project Director Md Afzal Hossain said it on Thursday (November 22). He said, “We are hopeful about the official start of passenger train services on the Dhaka-Benapole section via the Padma Bridge from ... Read more

475 killed in road crashes across Bangladesh in October: report

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least 475 people were killed and 815 others were injured in 452 road crashes across Bangladesh in October, said a report published by the Passenger Welfare Association of Bangladesh on Saturday. During the time, 34.31 per cent or 163 people were killed and 29.32 per cent or 239 more were ... Read more

Three IUT students lost lives as picnic bus becomes electrified

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Three students of the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) died by electrocution and around 60 were left injured after a bus taking them to a picnic came into contact with an overhead bare electric wire in Gazipur’s Sreepur today (23 November) at 10:30am. The deceased are – Mozammel Hossain Naim, 24, ... Read more

Khaleda joins Armed Forces Day event after 12 years

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia on Thursday attended the Armed Forces Day reception programme at Senakunja after 12 years. Chief adviser to the interim government Muhammad Yunus exchanged greetings with Khaleda Zia at the reception programme at Dhaka Cantonment. Khaleda last attended the Armed Forces Day ... Read more

AMM Nasir Uddin made CEC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former secretary AMM Nasir Uddin has been appointed as the new chief election commissioner. President Muhammed Shahabuddin appointed him and other election commissioners on Thursday, a day after the EC search committee submitted the shortlist containing 10 names for those posts. Other members of the commission are former additional secretary Md ... Read more

JU student lost life after being hit by battery-run rickshaw on campus

News Desk : dhakamirror.com A first-year student of Jahangirnagar University died after she was hit by a battery-powered rickshaw on campus yesterday evening. Afsana Karim was a student of marketing and a resident of Begum Khaleda Zia Hall. Her parents live in Sherpur. In security camera footage, Afsana was seen walking near the arts building ... Read more

Education must foster creativity : Professor Yunus

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus said on Wednesday (20 November) that Bangladesh’s education system must foster creativity to create a generation of entrepreneurs. “We should reform the education system in a way that it creates a generation of entrepreneurs. We need education, which helps students become creative people. Our young people ... Read more

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims observed

News Desk : dhakamirror.com World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was observed in Bangladesh on Sunday as elsewhere in the world. To mark the day, different government and non-government organisations held different programmes on the day. The day is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year. Dhaka North City Corporation on ... Read more

Chief Adviser opens waiting lounge at Dhaka airport

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dr. Muhammad Yunus has opened a new waiting lounge for expatriate workers and their families at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The lounge was inaugurated after his return from the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. Dr. Yunus mentioned that he had previously opened a lounge for expatriate workers before ... Read more

Saudi Arabia opens doors to nurses from Bangladesh in landmark move

There are only a few dozen clinicians among nearly 30 lakh Bangladeshi expatriates in Saudi Arabia Kamran Siddiqui Highlights Saudi Arabia has begun recruiting Bangladeshi nurses, marking a significant milestone in overseas employment, as the Gulf nation traditionally employs lower-wage, less-skilled workers from the country. The recruitment process, targeting an initial intake of 500 nurses, ... Read more

DU changes admission test for Ijtema, ‘Ka’ unit exam to February 15

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The General Admission Committee of Dhaka University (DU) has rescheduled the “Ka” unit (science) admission test to February 15 due to the Biswa Ijtema. Previously, the exam was scheduled for February 1. “We decided to defer the ‘Ka’ unit test date as it coincides with Biswa Ijtema,” said Professor Mamun Ahmed, ... Read more

Yunus opens dedicated lounge for migrant workers at Dhaka airport

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In a heartfelt acknowledgment of their invaluable contributions, the country is set to honour its expatriate workers with a new lounge at the Dhaka airport designed to make their journeys more comfortable. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday inaugurated a special lounge for the country’s migrant workers at Hazrat Shahjalal ... Read more

Khaleda’s 10-year jail term stayed by SC

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a 2018 High Court ruling that had extended Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s prison sentence from five years to 10 years in the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Orphanage Trust case. A three-member Appellate Division bench led by Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam ... Read more