PropertyValue
?:author
?:datePublished
  • 2021-07-29 (xsd:date)
?:headline
  • Bangladesh has not added a new geographical division (en)
?:inLanguage
?:itemReviewed
?:mentions
?:reviewBody
  • Facebook posts shared in Bangladesh claim the government has created a new geographical division, bringing the number of divisions -- which underpin the administrative structure of the 166-million-strong nation -- to nine, after the status of southeastern Cumilla district was apparently upgraded. The claim is false: a government spokesman said the reports were totally false, while AFP found no mention of the alleged changes in local media. Congratulations! A long-awaited dream of the people of Cumilla comes into reality, reads a Bengali-language Facebook post published on July 26. The new division comprises Chandpur, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Cumilla and B Baria. The post claims the new Cumilla division is home to around 16.7 million people. Screenshot of the misleading post, taken on July 28, 2021 Cumilla, previously spelled Comilla, is a district under the division of Chattogram, which lies on Bangladesh's southeastern coast. Bangladesh is made up of eight divisions -- Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal -- which are home to the country's 64 districts. Similar Facebook posts were shared here and here . However, the claim is false. The Bangladeshi government decided to form three new upazilas (sub-districts) in three districts -- Eidgaon in Cox's Bazar, Modhyanagar in Sunamganj and Dashar in Madaripur. The approval came at a meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reform (NICAR) on July 26, 2021 which was presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The move was a bid to ensure balanced development in those remote areas, The Daily Star reported . However, there were no mentions in news reports of Cumilla being upgraded to division status. Meanwhile, authorities told AFP the reports were false. Mohammad Kaikobad Khandaker, a NICAR spokesman and a deputy secretary at the cabinet division said that no such decision had been taken. It's totally false. The government did not take any such decision to declare Cumilla a division, he told AFP. No mainstream Bangladeshi media reported on the purported upgrading of Cumilla district's status. (en)
?:reviewRating
rdf:type
?:url