Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader will undergo a bypass surgery in Singapore next week, party sources said. The operation will be undertaken at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, where Quader was flown after his condition stabilised. Earlier Quader was hospitalised on March 3 following breathing problems. He was diagnosed with three blocks in the heart.

While undergoing treatment at the hospital, Quader underwent another heart attack. Doctors initially said he will be under observation for 24-72 hours. According to them, Quader was suffering from uncontrolled diabetes and blood pressure. Also, the road transport minister has electrolyte imbalance. International specialised doctors from India and Singapore flew in to check on Quader. They lauded the healthcare given to him in Bangladesh.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) told the High Court it is not responsible for the unjust ordeal undergone by Jaha Alam, who languished in jail for 3 years due to a mix-up. The ACC filed a report to the court saying the cases against Jaha Alam were filed on basis of documents from Bangladesh Bank and Sonali Bank. The report was filed before the bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader in line with a previous order in this connection.

The bench would hold hearings on the matter the next day, ACC lawyer Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan told reporters after submitting the report. Jaha Alam, who was in jail for the last three years instead of the real accused in 26 corruption cases, was released from prison on February 4. Different media outlets reported that Jaha Alam said he was wrongly accused, after which the ACC investigated the matter further. The commission found Alam's claim to be true.

A rise in food inflation slightly pushed up the general inflation rate in February. "The general point-to-point inflation rate increased to 5.47 percentage point in February," Planning Minister MA Mannan said while releasing the monthly consumer price index. It was 5.42 percent in January. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data show that food inflation increased to 5.44 percent in February from 5.33 percent in the month before.

But the non-food inflation rate decreased slightly to 5.51 percent last month. It was 5.57 percent in January. Prices of egg, vegetable, edible oil and other food items increased in February, BBS data show. In rural areas, the general inflation rate increased to 5.26 percent in February from 5.14 percent in January as the food inflation went up to 5.48 percent from 5.28 percent there. However, the general inflation rate slightly declined to 5.85 percent in February from 5.93 percent in January in the urban area.

The Special Taskforce of Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) severed utility connections of 94 holdings in Old Dhaka as part of its drive to remove chemical warehouses from the area. DSCC formed the taskforce after a devastating fire in Chawkbazar killed 71 people last month.

Uttam Kumar Ray, DSCC public relations officer, said five committees of the taskforce conducted the drives separately at Moneshwar Road of Hazaribagh, Urdu Road, Hoseni Dalan Road, Agamosi Lane and Awlad Hossain Lane on March 5, when they cut off gas, water and electricity connections to 18 warehouses. The drive will continue until April 1. DSCC officials said the connections will be restored once the chemical warehouses are shifted.