Date post: | 09-Feb-2018 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | dhaka-tribune |
View: | 299 times |
Download: | 0 times |
of 16
7/22/2019 Print Edition: 22 March 2014
1/16
nTribune Report
Around 26 million people in Bangla-
desh do not have access to improved
drinking water, say Unicef and the
World Health Organisation.
Bangladesh is among the 10 coun-
tries that are home to almost two-
thirds of the global population but do
not have access to improved drinking
water sources, according to estimatesof the two global bodies.
They disclosed the data up to 2013
yesterday on the occ asion of the World
Water Day today.
Unicef says women and girls are
disproportionately affected by the lack
of access to safe water. An estimated
71% of the burden of drinking water
collection is being shouldered by
women and girls.
We have had to consume malo-
dorous water from tube wells for thelast five years. We also found algae in
tube wells, Nazrul Islam of Goner-
gaon village under Shilmandi union
of Narsingdi district told the Dhaka
Tribune on Thursday.
People in at least six unions in Nars-
ingdi had been suffering from this
problem, the shopkeeper said, adding
that local people believed that dis-
charge of industrial waste from nearby
factories had led to the situation.
We have to drink this water as there
is no other alternative sources, he said.One of the MDG targets for Bangla-
desh is to bring 89% of the countrys
population under the coverage of safedrinking water.
In Bangladesh, arsenic contamina-
tion, industrial pollution, saline in-
trusion in ground water in the coastal
belt, contamination of river water and
decrease in ground water level in many
parts were major reasons for the short-
age of safe water, Professor M Feroze
Ahmed, a water expert, told the Dhaka
Tribune yesterday.
The former teacher of Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Technol-
ogy, now vice-chancellor of Stamford
University, said the situation was worst
in hilly and char areas.
According to the joint monitoring
programme of the WHO and Unicef,
water supply coverage in Bangladeshincreased from 78% in 1990 to 98% in
2006. However, arsenic contamination
of 22% of the tube wells in the country
proportionately lowered the service
coverage to 78%.
The latest multiple indicator surveyof Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in
2009 revealed that access to improved
source of water adjusted for arsenic
contamination had increased 86%.
There is still more than 20 million
people drinking water that contains
arsenic above the Bangladesh standard
for drinking water 50 parts per billion.
Close to 90% of these people live in ru-
ral areas and 5 million of them live in
areas where 80% sources are contami-
nated with arsenic.
Increasing saline intrusion in
PAGE 2 COLUMN 3
BNPs movement plan in tattersnMohammad Al-Masum Molla
The BNP is still reeling from the nega-
tive impact of its recent violent pro-
tests that the country saw in its recent
hartal and blockade programmes.
When the party is in a total disarrayit finds it diffi cult to reorganise its com-
mittees of different tiers with the upazi-
la parishad elections adding woe to its
misery. Moreover, arrest of its top level
leaders also rubbed salt into its wound.
The party insiders said they were now
pressing ahead very cautiously as a sin-
gle mistake might ruin their entire plan
and which is why they had remained
silent even after charges were framed
against party Chairperson Khaleda Zia
and her son Tarique Rahman.
We know the party rank-and-file
members have become demoralised as
we failed to announce any programmes
protesting framing charge against
the party chairperson and her son,
they said.
The leaders think as people never
accept destructive programmes they
are now abstaining from announcingany such programmes.
They, however, are scared of mount-
ing government oppression on the op-
position leaders and activists if they
remain off the streets.
A number of senior leaders were re-
ported to have advised Khaleda Zia to
go for a comprehensive preparation to
launch a vigorous campaign along with
grassroots leaders putting pressure onher for the same.
Standing committee meeting will be
called soon and the next course of action
programmes will be finalised there, a
standing committee member seeking
anonymity told the Dhaka Tribune.
He also said: We have a plan to
wage a movement after reorganising
the party and completion of upazila
parishad elections, but the detention of
the senior leaders and charges framedagainst the madam (Khaleda) and Tari-que Rahman really put us in trouble.
Now it has become very important
for us to prioritise the agenda first,
he said.
A joint secretary general of the party
wishing not to be named said many dis-
trict and upazila level leaders were on
the run and could not secure bail even
from the High Court rather new cases
were filed against them over upazila
elections.
The government is filling cases one
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
BRAHMAPUTRA POLLUTIONP3
16 pages plus 24-page Avenue-T & 16-page BBF Leadership Summit supplement | Price: Tk10
Chaitra 8, 1420
Jamadiul Awal 20, 1435
Regd. No. DA 6238
Vol 1 No 358 SATURDAY, MARCH 22, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com SECOND EDITION
News3 The Old Brahmaputra River flowing
through the district was once a lifeline for
thousands of local people. But, those days
are gone by as its water has now turned
pitch black.
4Two mobile phone operato rs have asked
the countrys telecom regulator to give
them another year to shift their Blackberry
subscribers to another platform.
5 A gang of criminals are active in the city
who get children involve in stealing mobile
phones after they were provided training.
Op-Ed
11 Thanks to a misguided burst ofemotionalism born of sincere nationalism,
Bangladesh failed an entire generation
of youth who could nary put together a
coherent sentence in proper English.
INSIDE
AVENUET| WORK IT, GIRL! 12|GAME OF THRONES MAY END AS MOVIE9| THAI COURT VOIDS ELECTION7| TRY TO AVOID NASTY NICKEL
FOURTHPHASE UPAZILA ELECTION
AL eyes more chairman postsnEmran Hossain Shaikh
The ruling Awami League looks to aviolence-free fourth phase upazila poll
scheduled to be held tomorrow and
hopes that it would bag more chairman
posts in this turn.
Several leaders of the party hope
that in the fourth phase they would
fare better than any other phases.
They alleged that the BNPJamaatalliance would resort to violence to
make the polls questionable.
The leaders said that was why they
instructed their grass roots activists to
PAGE 2 COLUMN 4
India outplayPakistan in coolSuper 10 opener
nRaihan Mahmood
India opened their ICC World T20
campaign with a cool seven wicketwin over arch-rivals Pakistan in the
first match of the Super Ten phase at
the Bangabandhu National Stadium
yesterday.
It was not a big target to chase for the
Indian batting lineup that contained
Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suresh
Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni and
they cruised to victory with 131 in 18.3
overs with seven wickets to spare.
The 25,000+ capacity crowd, how-
ever, did not see the flair and fire of a
typical T20 of the traditional sub-conti-
nental rivals; it was rather a controlled
and calculative India who made a win-
ning start.Openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar
Dhawan put on 54 before Dhawan fellon 30. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina
ensured no further damage in the 66
PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
26m Bangladeshisdeprived ofimproved waterArsenic, industrial pollution, salinity,decrease in groundwater levelmajor reasons
Indian batsmen Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are ecstatic after their win against arch-rival Pakistan in the first group stage match of World Cup T20, 2014 at Sher-e-Bangla National
Stadium yesterday MUMIT M
7/22/2019 Print Edition: 22 March 2014
2/16
News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, March 22, 2014
Accepting IslamiBank donationscontradictory to
PMs statementsnTribune Report
An anti-war criminal forum yesterday
claimed that the governments accep-
tance of a Tk3 crore donation from
Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, a pro
Jamaat-e-Islami banking institution,
during fundraiser for a new Guinness
world record on March 26 is contradic-
tory with the prime ministers state-
ments against Jamaat and its allied in-
stitutions.
In a statement released yesterday,
Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Tri-
al of War Criminals of 1971 condemned
the governments move to collect do-
nations from the Islami Bank.The donation was accepted during
a fundraiser of the government for
Sonar Bangla in Million Voices, an at-
tempt to set a new world record on the
most number of people sing the nation-
al anthem together on the countrys In-
dependence Day.
Appreciating governments initiative
for organising Sonar Bangla in Million
Voices programme, the statement also
added: We understands that the gov-
ernment needs financial support from
both the public and private organisa-
tions for hosting the programme, but
the move to collect money from the
commercial organisation by the an-ti-liberation force Jamaat-e-Islami has
surprised and shocked us.
The statement was signed by the
forums President Mohammad Golam
Rabbani, Executive President Shahriar
Kabir, Vice President Muntasir Mamun,
general secretary Kazi Mukul, and Shy-
amoli Nasrin Chowdhury, Ferdousi Pri-
yobhashini, filmmaker Shamim Akhter.
We has been demanding govern-
ment to seize of all commercial organ-
isation belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami
and its assets for a long time, which
the government has not implemented.
Rather, it has accepted donations from
its allied institution Islami Bank, which
we condemn.
With the statement, the platform
has demanded a ban on Jamaat-e-Isla-
mis politics, seize of all of its commer-
cial organisation and assets.
It also urged the government to re-
turn the money to Islami Bank and not
to collect any donation from the anti
liberation force or its allies in future. l
Tofail, Nasim criticise NHRC chiefs'pro-BNPJamaat' rolenArif Ahmed
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and
Health Minister Mohammed Nasim
yesterday hinted at National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairman
Mizanur Rahman for being a pro-BNP-
Jamaat intellectual.
They made the comments in the
presence of Mizanur, at a conference
organised by Jatiya Puja Udjapon Pari-
shad at Dhaka Universitys TSC.
Earlier at the same program, Mi-
zanur had criticised the governments
failure in preventing communal vio-
lence surrounding the 10th parliamen-
tary election.
The NHRC chief said in many of the
violence-hit areas, cases had most-
ly been filed without naming anyone
as accused, adding that these cases
against the unnamed had been lodged
only for business purposes.
He also expressed disappointment
as the accused were yet to be brought
to justice.
Later, Health Minister Nasim re-
ferred to the NHRC chiefs speech and
said: The real attackers are known
faces, but the speaker [Mizanur] did
not mention anything against those
who were involved with such heinous
attacks.
He added that some intellectuals
never point blame at the real culprits,
as they were patronised by the evilforces.
Further referring to Mizanurs
speech, Nasim said such speech was
attractive to the public, but not fruit-
ful. The minister also vowed to work
with the premier to make Bangladesh a
non-communal country.
Speaking as chief guest, Commerce
Minister Tofail also criticised Mizanurs
remark, saying: One [Mizanur] gave
speech aiming at the ministers, but
did not specify the main culprits.Here is the difference between our
intellectuals and pro-BNPJamaat
intellectuals.
Tofail assured of ensuring proper
punishment for the miscreants who
committed the heinous attacks during
the national election.
President of Jatiya Puja Udjapon
Parishad Kanutosh Majumdar presid-
ed over the programme, which was
conducted by the parishads Secretary
General Monindra Kumar Nath. Among
others, DU Vice-Chancellor Professor
AAMS Arefin Siddique, Federal Union
of Journalists President Manjurul Ah-
san Bulbul, Hindu-Buddhist-Christian
Unity Council President Rana Dasgupta
were present. l
Six murdered inseparate incidentsnTribune Report
At least six people, including a child,
were killed in separate incidents in Ra-
jbari, Bandarban, Mymensingh, Narail
and Pirojpur yesterday.
Miscreants shot dead Salmi, 35, and
Chan Mia, 42, near Doulatdia railway
station in Rajbari yesterday evening.
Abul Bashar, offi cer-in-c harge of Go-
alanda police station confirmed.
At least 10-12 miscreants shot dead
Ka Hla Thowi Marma, 48, in Bandar-
ban yesterday, Lama police station Of-
ficer-in-Charge Shahjahan Khan con-
firmed.
In Mymensingh, a farmer was mur-
dered and two others, including the
farmers son, sustained critical injuries
in a clash over watering of Boro field at
Nagua village in Tarakanda.
The deceased was Rokon Uddin, 70,of Nagua village.
Critically injured Nazim Uddin, 35,
and his wife Jubeda Khatun, 30, were
admitted to Mymensingh Medical Col-
lege Hospital (MMCH). Nazim was later
referred to Dhaka as his condition dete-
riorated, police said.
Nazim Uddin locked in a quarrel
with his neighbour Abu Taher over wa-
tering of Boro field. At one stage, Taher
and his men attacked Nazim with sharp
weapons around 5am. When Nazims
wife Jubeda reached the spot hearing
the shouting, the gang also attacked
her, said police.
The gang also hacked Nazims father
Rokon when he came out from a local
mosque after saying his Fazr prayers,
they also hacked him indiscriminately,
leaving him critically injured, said Ali
Ahmed, offi cer-in-c harge of Tarakanda
police station.Three injured were rushed to the
MMCH where on duty doctors pro-
nounced Rokon dead. Police visited the
spot but no one was arrested till filing
the report.
Meanwhile, a mother killed her
two-year-old son, drowning in a pond
at Paikmari village in sadar upazila of
Narail early yesterday.
Narail sadar p olice station Offi -
cer-in-Charge Amir Toymur Eli said be-
ing informed police visited to the spot
and recovered the body. A case was
filed in this connection.
In Pirojpur, a 13-year-old boy Sujit
Kaora was beaten to death in Buch-
haikathi area under Nazirpur upazila.
Sujit who hailed from Satkhira was
with a pig rearing team.
Mintu Kaora, one of the team mem-
bers, told reporters that they went to
that area with 150 pigs a few days back.
Around 4am our team member Ut-
tam started beating him up when we
were asleep. We took Sujit to a hospi-
tal but he died around 11am, he said,adding that they had no idea why Sujit
was killed.
Abdul Khaleque Hawlader, offi -
cer-in-charge of Nazirpur police station
said Uttam had confessed about the
killing and Sujits family members had
been informed. A case would be filed,
the OC added. l
Another victim of Tazreen factory fire diesnTribune Report
Sumaya Khatun, 16, another victim of
Tazreen Fashions fire, died yesterday
evening. The death toll in the deadly
incident now stands at 113.
Sumaya died at her home in Nis-
chintapur of Ashulia. She died from anaggressive and rapidly growing tumour
behind her right eye possibly triggered
by the chemical fumes she had inhaled
being trapped in the Tazreen Fashions
factory, according to a press release.
The girl had neither received the
salary for the month of November 2012
when the fire incident happened nordid she receive any compensation as an
injured worker.
The fire broke out on November 24,
2012 at the Tazreen Fashions factory in
Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital.
At least 200 were injured in the
deadliest factory fire in the countrys
history.
Sumaya will be buried at Melanda-
ho of her home district Jamalpur after
Zohr prayers today.
Eminent economist Professor Anu
Muhammad, Moshrefa Mishu, a leader
of Bangladesh garment workers forum,
photographer Taslima Akhter, colum-
nist Rahnuma Ahmed, and Activist
Anthropologists members Saydia Gul-
rukh, Nazneen Shifa and Mahmudul
Shumon expressed deep condolences
at the death of Sumaya. They demand-
ed that all injured and missing workers
of Tazreen Fashions fire get their right-
ful compensation immediately. l
180 Jamaatleaders resign enmass in Pabna
nTribune Report
More than 180 leaders of Jamaat-e-Is-
lamis Bera upazila unit in Pabna re-
signed en mass yesterday, protesting
the withdrawal of the Jamaat-backed
candidate from the upazila poll and
directives to support the BNP-backed
candidate.
The decision to resign en mass
was made at an emergency meeting of
the partys local leaders, including the
chairman candidate, said Ataur Rah-
man, secretary of Jamaats Bera upazila
unit.
He also said Bera upazila Jamaat
Ameer Abdul Baten was chosen as Ja-
maats candidate to contest the upazi-
la poll to be held on March 31 as there
was a possibility of win in the partys
stronghold.
However, on Friday morning, Ja-maat-e Islami Pabna district Ameer Ab-
dur Rahim asked Baten to withdraw his
candidacy and directed him to work for
the BNP-backed candidate in the area,
he added.
Following the decision, Jamaat
leaders called an emergency meeting
and decided to resign en mass, Ataur
said.
Pabna district Jamaat Nayeb-e-
Ameer Jahurul Islam, however, said
no instructions had been given for the
withdrawal of Batens candidacy.
The withdrawal might have been a
result of an intra-party feud among lo-
cal leaders, he said, adding that he was
not aware of the resignation. l
A mobile court destroys jars containing unsafe water and seals off a factory at the capitals Karwan Bazar area yesterday. The factory has been bottling and distributing unsafe drinking
water for quite some time MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
BNPs movement plan in tattersPAGE 1 COLUMN 5
after another to mount pressure on the
BNP and to defuse the movement but
it will not work, Abdullah Al-Noman,
vice-chairman of the party, said.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said
she would wage movement after reor-
ganising the party as it had been due
for a long time.
But by the time detention of the
senior leaders including partys acting
secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam
Alamgir forced the party to shelve its
organisational plan.However, another senior leader
seeking anonymity, said they launched
the movement after Khaledas eviction
from her residence but it went in vain
and the legal battle went down badly
too.
There is no alternative to putting
pressure on the government because
legal battle will not work as the courtwill act on the instruction of the gov-
ernment, he said.
Over the last one month the party
has announced programmes like
demonstration and submission of
memorandum but they reportedly
received lukewarm responses from
leaders and activists from across the
country.l
India outplayPAGE 1 COLUMN 6runs unbeaten third wicket partnership
where Kohli contributed 36 off 32 balls,
including four fours and one six, and
Raina adding 35 off 28 balls.
Earlier Pakistan failed to crawl out
of the web cast by the Indian bowlers,
the spark was never there with the last
over producing 15 runs as the most pro-
ductive over for Pakistan. With Kam-
ran Akmal returning to the dressing
room in the second over off a run out,
Pakistan failed to attain an ideal start.
Kamran, strong in playing lofted shots,
scored just eight off 10 balls. The mis-
communication between the Pakistani
batsmen was visible again between
Ahmed Shehzad and Md Hafeez, but
fortunately they survived.
However, runs were not coming off
the bats. Indian skipper Mahendra Sin-
gh Dhoni continuously switched his
bowlers. The fourth over bowled by Md
Shami conceded only two runs, the 10th
over by Rabindra Jadeja cost three runs,
the ninth over bowled by Amit Misra
was a wicket maiden and the 16th, 17th
and 18th overs produced eight runs
only. The first Pakistan six was hit by
Shoaib Malik in the 12th over. Pakistan
was never in the spree of runs and Indi-
an bowlers apart from the 11th and 20th
overs were never disturbed. Dhoni in-
serted Yuvraj Singh in the 11th over and
it cost him 13 runs, the second highest
in an over for Pakistan. The cocktail of
pace and spin was perfectly mixed for a
bitter taste to the Pakistani batting.
Ahmed Shehzads 22 off 17 balls,
Umar Akmals 33 off 30 balls, Shoaib
Maliks 18 off 20 balls and Sohaib
Maqsuds 21 off 11 balls in the dying
stage provided some respectabilityto the Pakistan innings. Shahid Afridi
failed to fire as well. Leg spinner Amit
Misra was the pick of the bowlers scalp-
ing Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik
for 22 runs in his four over. l
AL eyes more chairman postsPAGE 1 COLUMN 5remain alert to prevent any untoward
incident.
They urged the government and the
Election Commission to tough out the
violence centring the upazila polls.
In the fourth phase, the ruling party
faces 43 rebel candidates in 91 upazila
parishads.
As a move to put down rebellion, the
party high-ups have strengthened their
support to the Awami League-backed
candidates.
Sohel Sarwar Kajol, brother of lo-
cal lawmaker Saimum Sarwar Komol,
stood for the election as a chairman
candidate of Ramu upazila under the
Coxs Bazar district backed by the local
Awami League leaders, but the central
committee gave another candidate Ab-
dul Mabud the nod to vie for the poll.
Salauddin Ahmed, secretary to
the Coxs Bazar district unit Awami
League, said: Sohel was more popular
than others, but we do not know why
the party high command withdrew
support from S ohel.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Awa-
mi League organising secretary en-
trusted with coordination of upazila
polls in Rangpur division, told the
Dhaka Tribune their leaders and activ-
ists at grass roots level were kept alert
to thwart any sort of violence commit-
ted by the BNPJamaat alliance.
He said they hoped to do b etter than
the previous phases.
Awami League presidium member
Kazi Zafarullah echoed the same.
He said Awami League-backed can-
didates were defeated in many upazila
parishad polls because of the rebel can-
didates.Though we are more careful about
the matter, but in the local body elec-
tion, we have some limitations to get
tough with the rebels, Kazi Zafarullah
maintained.l
26m Bangladeshis deprived of improved waterPAGE 1 COLUMN 2
ground water in the coastal belt, low-
ering of the ground water level, which
is more serious in hilly areas including
the Chittagong Hill Tracts in the south-
east and some parts of Sylhet in the
northeast, make access to potable wa-
ter a big challenge.
The nine other countries and their
populat ion without suffi cient access to
safe drinking water in the Unicef-WHO
finding are: China (108 million), India
(99 million), Nigeria (63 million), Ethio-
pia (43 million), Indonesia (39 million),Democratic Republic of the Congo (37
million), United Republic of Tanzania
(22 million), Kenya (16 million) and Pa-
kistan (16 million).
According to the Unicef-WHO esti-
mates up to 2013, a staggering 768 mil-
lion people do not have access to safe
drinking water across the globe, caus-
ing hundreds of thousands of childrento fall ill and die each year.
Most of the people without access to
pure drinking water are poor and live in
remote rural areas or urban slums.
Unicef says 1,400 children aged un-
der five die every day from diarrhoeal
diseases linked to lack of safe water
and adequate sanitation and hygiene.
Every child, rich or poor, has the
right to survive, the right to health, theright to a future, Sanjay Wijesekera,
head of Unicefs global water, sanita-
tion and hygiene programmes, said in
a statement yesterday.
The world should not rest until ev-
ery single man, woman and child has
the water and sanitation that is theirs
as a human right.
Almost four years after the world
met the global target set in the MDGs
for safe drinking water, and after the UN
General Assembly declared that water
was a human right, over three-quarters
of a billion people, most of them poor,
still do not have this basic necessity,
Unicef said in a press release on the oc-
casion of the World Water Day.
The MDG target for drinking water
was met and passed in 2010 when 89%
of the global population had access to
improved sources of drinking water
such as piped supplies, boreholes fitted
with pumps, and protected wells.
Also in 2010, the UN General
Assembly recognised safe drinking
water and sanitation as a human right
meaning.
We must target the marginalised and
often forgotten groups: those who are the
most diffi cult to reach, the poorest and the
most disadvantaged, Wijesekera said.l
7/22/2019 Print Edition: 22 March 2014
3/16
91 upazilas to go to polls tomorrowViolence may flare, hint intelligence agencies
nMohammad Zakaria
The fourth phase of the ongoing upazila
polls will be held tomorrow in 91 upazila
parishads, amid widespread allegations
of manipulating and threatening voters
and opposition candidates by ruling par-
ty-backed aspirants.
Voters, candidates and their agent,
mainly the BNP-backed candidates, have
expressed concerns over violence and
polls manipulation after receiving threats
from ruling party-backed candidates.
Although the Election Commission
has received complaints from many
candidates on being harassed from the
administration offi cials and police, the
commission has not yet moved to ad-
dress the allegations.
Meanwhile, election campaigning in
91 upazila parishads yesterday ended
and all vehicular movement had been
halted from midnight.A total of 1,186 candidates, which in-
cludes 389 candidates for chairman, 485
for vice chairman and 312 for women
vice chairman were contesting in the 91
upazila parishads.
It was observed that in both the Awa-
mi League and BNP, several rebel candi-
dates have also joined the electoral race
in this phase as like the previous three
phases held earlier.
Meanwhile, the commission has
postponed the polls in Sherpur Sadar,
Jagannathpur upazila in Sunamganj as
per a High Court order.The Election Commission has already
deployed the army as striking forces
while other law enforcing agencies,
including Border Guard Bangladesh,
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), police
and Ansar, had also been positioned in
the respective upazilas for maintaining
the law and order situation during the
polls.
An EC offi cial yesterday told the Dha-
ka Tribune that intelligence reports re-
ceived by the commission indicated that
chances of incidents of violence and dis-
order are higher than the compared the
last three phases of the polls.
Election Commissioner Mohammad
Abu Hafiz said the local administration
would decide about increasing the
deployment of law enforcing personnel
considering the vulnerable polling
centres.
The commission had setup 5,882
polling stations in 91 upazila polls,
where 37,338 polling booths has been
setup. Of total 13,859,278 voters while
6,907,956 are male and 69,51,322 are
female will cast their votes on the
election day.
In fourth phase, 43 of AL and 44 of
BNP rebel candidates are contesting in
the polls.
Earlier, allegations were made that a
ruling-party candidate in Kolaroa upazi-
la in Satkhira had threatened both vot-
ers and opponents and their agents to
stay away from polling centres or face
dire consequences.
In a written allegation sent to the
EC, BNP-backed candidate Shahidul Is-
lam alleged that Awami League-backed
candidate Firoz Ahmad Shopan issued
an open threat against voters and op-
ponents during a meeting with his sup-porters on March 19. He also submitted a
video footage of the respective meeting
to the commission.
If you find ink in any voters finger,
cut it off. If any voter dies after being
beaten of my activists for going to cast
their vote on election day, I will not re-
sponsible for that, the written allega-
tion quoted the Awami League backed
candidate as instructing his activists. l
3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, March 22, 2014
Manju: Corruption rife inenvironment sectornRabiul Islam
Environment and Forest Minister An-
war Hossain Manju said corruption and
irregularities had engulfed the sector,
tarnishing the image of the ministry.
He warned offi cials concerned of dire
consequences if anybody was found in-
dulging in irregularities and corruption
in the forest department.
Manju issued the warning while
speaking at a discussion organised by
the Forest Department in the capital
yesterday on the occasion of Interna-
tional Day of Forest 2014.
Citing an example of alleged irregu-
larities in a tender process, he said the
tender would be cancelled and called
afresh and th e respo nsible offi cer
would be suspended if found guilty.
I have asked the chief conservator to
investigate the matter, Manju told the
Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.
Manju stressed the need for improv-
ing the image of the environment and
forest sector. Monitoring of different
projects under the ministry has to be
strengthened.
According to the Forest Department,
17.62% area of the country is forest
while the population is 16 crore.
Forest Conservator Tapan
Kumar Dey presented a paper at thediscussion.l
Brahmaputra no more beckons peoplePollution causes immense sufferings to them
nAshif Islam Shaonbackfrom Narsingdi
The Old Brahmaputra River flowing
through the district was once a lifeline
for thousands of local people. But,
those days are gone by as its water has
now turned pitch black.
Now water has become extremely
toxic and pollutants are threatening
the aquatic life, crops and greenery.
People in seven unions under Sadar
upazila dont use its water. But, the
inhabitants once blessed with the river
now face the hazards.
Highly toxic industrial waste and
untreated water are being released
into the vast area mainly from dyeing
factories since the last 15 years,
destroying the farmland and water
bodies.
Farmers and residents say theirlivelihoods have been shattered by
serious water pollution caused by
the 72 factories which are making its
fortune at cost of their lives.
Once they cultivated two crops a
year, but now they are compelled to
grow one.
During the rainy season, pitch-
black water enters the field and destroys
crops. So, we have stopped cultivating
Aman. IRRI only grows during the
summer season, said 58-year-old Haji
Sayed Uddin, a resident of Baniadi
village under Shilmandi union. Now,
he runs a shop.
We used to produce around
30 maunds of crop per acre just 20
years back and now we can produce
maximum 10 maunds. The land seems
uncultivable, he said.According to locals, there was a few
number of knitting factories 20 years
back. At that time, boats would ca rry
goods in the river and people would
bathe there and even would drink its
water.
Now the knee-deep river has
nothing but stinky water. It flows
through the unions such as Shilmandi,
Meherpara, Madhbi, Nuralapur,
Pachdona and Mohishashur, polluting
the riverbanks. Finally, the water
of this narrow river falls into the
Meghna River through Mohishashur
Chanderpara sluice gate, polluting
also a part of the Meghna.
There are 72 dyeing factories on a
stretch of 12km area from Pachdona
to Madhbi, releasing industrial waste
into the river and polluting its water
seriously.
Once we cultivated crops on the
banks. Now we forbid our children
from going near the banks as they may
have itch, said Farid Munshi who lives
in Nagar Baniandi village.We experienced drought last year.
We saw a dog swimming across the
river and it died within 20 minutes
before reaching this end, he said
citing an example of the extent of the
pollution.
The water quality suffers due to
severe pollution. Even deep tube-
well water has also become stinky, he
added.
Water pumped from 250 feet deep
is also stinky and muddy. If we pump
water from the tube-well every day,
we do not get muddy water, said
Nazmunnahar Nargis, the headmistress
of Gonergaon Government Primary
School. The school has more than 350
students.
Children drink this water and
sometimes fall sick. When I joined theschool four years back, I used to carry
boiled water from home. Now we fetch
water from a distance village, she said.
We installed a pump to get water
from more beneath, but the result is
same, she said. Nazmunnahar thinks
there will be no drinkable water left in
these villages after a few years.
Villagers alleged that most of the 72
facto ries do not have effl uent treatment
plants (ETPs) and others do not run
those. They just dump chemical waste
into the dying river.
We have met the offi cials con cerned
several times and urged them to take
action against the factories responsible
for polluting the environment, one of
the villagers said.
They have nexus wi th the offi cials.
Some factories were fined, but they
did not stop operation. Most of the
factories do not have environmental
clearance certificates, said Abdul
Bakir, chairman of Shilmandi Union
Parishad.
We have also requested state
minister for water resources Col (retd)
Mohammad Najrul Islam a few days
back. He is yet to take any step, he
said.
Mohammad Ataur Rahman, senior
chemist of Department of Environment
distric t offi ce, sai d 12 fac tories ha d
ETPs just three months back, now
more than 65 factories have ETPs.
Its true that they do not want to
use ETPs for extra cost. We conducted
raids and realised more than Tk1 crore
fine from eight factories in the last two
months and the amount was Tk5 crore
in the last one year, he claimed.
He also said that the factories
usually stop operating the ETPs at
night. Some influential owners also do
it that during daytime.
We do not have logistics and
manpower to carry out drives duringnight time, he said.
He said that the authority is planning
to install closed-circuit cameras at
the factories to monitor the untreated
water released by them.
And, we will seal the pipes if we
find that they keep the ETPs off, Ataur
said.
Ataur said only 20 of the total
72 factories have environmental
clearance certificates. They only sealed
off 3-4 factories for running without
certific ates since 2010 w hen the offi ce
had started functioning in the district.
Actually, factory owners started
doing business many years back. So,
we cant do what we want, he added.l
Myanmar builds checkpointsalong its bordernRabiul Islam
Myanmar is reportedly building new
checkpoints along its border with
Bangladesh in volatile Rakhine state.
The home ministry of the country said
the Myanmar government was resuming
the construction of a fence along the bor-
der, reported the Voice of America.
Border Gua rd Bangla desh offi cials
said they were still unaware that My-
anmar was setting up the checkpoints.
Myanmar can set up checkpoints
outside of 5km from zero line and it is
their internal matter, BGB Director Gen-
eral Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed told the Dhaka
Tribune over phone yesterday. We take
the matter into our consideration when
it is within five kilometres, he added.
Commanding Offi cer of 31 b attalion
of Naikhangchari Lt Col Md Shafiqur
Rahman said Myanmar had constructedfence as part of their security measure.
We also gave proposal to construct
fence inside our territory. If the fence was
constructed the Rohingyas would not be
able enter into Bangladesh, the com-
mander said. Khin Saw Wai, a member of
Myanmar parliament from Rakhine state
who pushed for the new security meas-
ures, told the Voice of Americas Burmese
service that people from Bangladesh were
entering into Myanmar because there was
not enough security along the border.
He said: Although we have a fence
at Myanmars western door between
Bangladesh and our Maung Daw region
[Rakhine State], this cannot stop illegal
entry into the country. We have seen il-
legal entering and no effective system
to stop it. That is why we want the gov-
ernment to control this situation.
I submitted the proposal to increase
security for the Rakhine region. Now Iread in the news that there will be 15
more security gates at the border, but
I do not know where exactly they will
be built. Nonetheless, as a person who
proposed this at the parliament, I hope
this will be a more effective way of con-
trolling the border situation.
Spokesperson of the Myanmar gov-
ernment Ye Htut confirmed that new
security measures were being planned.
He said: I only know that there have
been some preparations for security in
Rakhine state. Since this measure is be-
ing undertaken by the Rakhine govern-
ment, it is best to ask the information
department of the local government.
Buddhist-Muslim violence erupted in
Rakhine state in 2012 and has since spread
to other parts of the country. The sectar-
ian fighting has killed at least 240 people
and displaced 140,000 others, mainly Ro-
hingya Muslims, who are called Bengalee
by the Myanmar government.
Myanmar government refuses to of-
ficially recognise the Rohingya, saying
members of any offi ciall y recognis edminority must be able to prove their
ancestors lived in Myanmar before the
British invaded Rakhine in 1823.
Talks between Myanmar President
Thein Sein and Bangladesh PM Sheikh
Hasina on the sidelines of a regional
meeting last month produced no tangi-
ble agreement on the Rohingya issue.l
Behind the scenes ofbottled water tradenAshif Islam Shaon
Filtered water stored in blue jars and
sold to thirsty people is now common-
place in the capital. From restaurants
to tea stalls to cafeterias, a glass of fil-
tered water costs only Tk1 and people
drink this water believing it is pure and
germ-free.
But there is a horrible story behind
this purified water as it is almost similar
to the Wasa water and the jars are most-
ly supplied by miscreants or influential
politicians. This lucrative business has
several times been a matter of feud
among many criminal groups since the
time the business was started.
There are more than 700 firms in
Dhaka that sell filtered water in jars. Of
those, Wasa has identified 47 in Badda,
Maniknagar, Jurain, Postagola, Khilk-het, Rampura and Uttara which just
pour Wasa water directly into jars.
In the past few years, law enforce-
ment agencies have fined these facto-
ries a large sum of money and factory
offi cials hav e been jailed bu t the busi-
ness could not be stopped.
Ironically, those who had water pu-
rification equipment and started the
business with honesty now sell sub-
standard water.
These companies have no registra-
tion and sell each jar to rickshaw or van
pullers or middlemen at Tk25, though
a jar of water costs them Tk5-10. Those
middlemen transport the jars to restau-
rants and roadside tea stalls and sell
each at Tk45. The shopkeepers then
earn Tk75 by selling a jar.
Visiting a number of factories at
Badda, Eskaton, Uttara and Shahbagh,illegal factories were found in kitchen
markets, congested rooms and even be-
side public toilets. Jars are cleaned with
bare hands.
A team of RAB yesterday raided sev-
eral factories in Tejgaon and Karwan Ba-
zar and caught an owner along with 14
workers from three factories red-hand-
ed for filling jars with Wasa water.
The workers were fined Tk7,000
while owner Khandaker AK Azad was
jailed for two years and fined Tk1 lakh.
These factories were sealed off sev-
eral times but they resumed operation
without permission, said Anwar Pa-
sha, Executive Magistrate of RAB.
He said Azad had been jailed for the
same offence two years back.
They use blue jars so that dirty wa-
ter cannot be detected from outside,
Anwar said. We even found jars lying
in toilets.
He said: An ideal plant should have
filling machines and filter machines
with ultraviolet ray facility. A bulb
of the ultraviolet ray machine costsTk15,000 and those can only be used
for once. That is why traders do not buy
that machine.
A number of factories once set up
laboratories to examine the water but
most of them do not use those now.
They dont have any chemist for the
purposel
CANDIDATES AND VOTERSChairman 389
Vice-chairman 485
Women vice-chair 312
Total voters 13,859,278
BNP: EC helping AL-backed candidatesnUNB
The BNP yesterday alleged that the Elec-
tion Commission has been working in
favour of Awami League-backed candi-
dates in the ongoing upazila elections.
The Election Commission is work-
ing to make ruling party-supported can-
didates winners in the upazila elections.
We, along with the people of the coun-
try, will give a befitting reply to the mis-
deeds, BNP Joint Secretary General Ru-
hul Kabir Rizvi told a press conference
at the partys Nayapal tan central offi ce.
Inspired by the violence in the third
phase elections, Awami League activists
were flexing muscle for staging show-
downs in the fourth phase polls, creat-
ing panic among the voters, he alleged.
Besides, the law enforcement agen-
cies are being used against democra-
cy and the voting rights of people, he
said, adding that the EC has turned into
a puppet organisation of the adminis-
tration. Criticising the prime ministersspeech in parliament that drive was on
against armed activists to hold peaceful
elections, Rizvi said the premier con-
ducted drives at the houses of innocent
people, not the armed hooligans.
BNP Joint Secretary General Salah
Uddin Ahmed, Mass Education Affairs
Secretary Sanaullah Miah and Deputy
Offi ce Secretary Abdul Latif Jony were
present among others.l
A couple pulls a bucket of water from a ventilation pipe of a deep tube well at Kakon of Godagari upazila in Rajshahi yesterday. Although the globe observes the World Water Day today,
around 768 million people in the world 26 million in Bangladesh still lack access to an improved source of water DHAKA TRIBUNE
7/22/2019 Print Edition: 22 March 2014
4/16
News4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, March 22, 2014
City High Low
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar 4:45am
Sunrise 6:0 0am
Zohr 12:05pm
Asr 4:28pm
Magrib 6:10pm
Esha 7:26pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
WEATHER
Thundershowerslikely
nUNB
Rain or thundershowers accompanied
by temporary gusty wind is likely to oc-
cur at one or two places over Khulna,
Barisal, Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet
divisions and the regions of Rajshahi
and Pabna until 6pm today.
Weather might remain mainly drywith partly cloudy sky elsewhere over
the countr y, Met Offi ce said. D ay and
night temperature may remain nearly
unchanged over the country.
The sun sets in the capital at 6:10pm
today and rises at 6:00am tomorrow.
Countrys highest temperature 34.6
degree Celsius was recorded in Jessore
and lowest 14.5 degrees in Dinajpuryesterday.
Highest and lowest temperatures re-
corded in some major cities yesterday
were:
Dhaka 32.7 20.1
Chittagong 30.2 23.0
Rajshahi 33.2 16.3
Rangpur 30.2 15.5
Khulna 34.0 21.8
Barisal 33.2 23.7
Sylhet 33.6 19.0
Coxs Bazar 31.0 22.8
Article 19 launchesprinciples regardingwater and sanitationnTribune Report
Public bodies and private entities must
ensure the peoples access to reliableand accurate information regarding
water and sanitation, The Free Flow
Principles: Freedom of Expression
and Rights to Water and Sanitation
launched yesterday by Article 19 said in
a recommendation.
The Bangla version of the Principles
entitled Muktochintar Neetimala: Mot
Prokasher Shwadhinota Ebong Paani O
Sanitationer Odhikar was simultane-
ously launched at the National Press
Club in Dhaka.
The Principles, developed in coop-
eration with experts and activists from
around the world, provide guidance
to policy makers and activists on how
freedom of expression and information
can help secure the rights to water and
sanitation.
Other recommendations made in
the principles include; all decision-
making process related to the rights to
water and sanitation must be demo-
cratic and transparent and represent
the needs of those affected.Launching the publication, Tah-
mina Rahman, director to Bangladesh
and South Asia of Article 19 said: The
principles highlight the interconnected
aspects of the right to freedom of ex-
pression and the right to water and
sanitation. The right to know obliges
government and other duty bearers to
proactively inform people about issues
related to water and sanitation and
water related resources and manage-
ment.A panel discussion followed the
launch where Tahmina Rahman, Iqbal
Kabir, environmental activist and law-
yer, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, chief
moderator of Equity BD, Bahreen
Khan, a lawyer at Supreme Court of
Bangladesh and Zahid Hossain, envi-
ronmental protection expert, spoke as
resource persons. l
Environmentalists demand
cancellation of Rampal plantnTribune Report
Members of civil society yesterdaystrongly demanded the cancellation
of setting up of two coal fired thermal
power plants in Rampal near the Sun-
darbans.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa),
Save the Sundarban Foundation, Green
Voice, Bagerhat Development Society
and Centre for Human Rights Movement
formed a human chain in front of the Na-
tional Press Club in Dhaka.
The human chain titled "Immediate-
ly cancel the Rampal Power Plant proj-
ect! Save the Sundarbans, the world
heritage site."
They said the government should
immediately scrap the project to pro-
tect the mangrove forest from its ad-
verse impact. These power plants were
scheduled to be located in a area that
would be in the immediate vicinity of
the Sundarbans' territory and would
damage its wide range of biodiversity.
Apart from these harmful after-
effects, the power plants would also
release huge hot water that would ul-
timately destroy the freshwater andvarious species of fish in the surround-
ing water of the Sunderbans, the civil
society members commented.
The thermal power plants would de-
stroy the ecological balance and biodi-
versity of the Sunderbans for extreme
spewing of effl uents like sul phur diox-
ide, nitrous oxide, carbon mono oxide,
carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocar-
bon (CFC) gas, said Bapa Joint General
Secretary Iqbal Habib. He also expressed
his concern over the plying of oil tankersand other vessels in the water channels
of the Sunderbans, saying that it would
damage the flora and fauna of the forest.
Habib presided over the programme
while Sheikh Faridul Islam, chairman
of Save the Sundarbans, Sheiks Mo-
hammad Zakir Hossain, chairman of
Bagerhat Development Society, Md
Mujahedul Islam, secretary general of
Centre for Human Rights Movemet also
spoke among others. l
UnileverCommunity HealthCamp inaugurated
nTushar Hayat, Chittagong
To take healthcare facilities at the
doorsteps of the mass, Unilever Ban-
gladesh Limited inaugurated a two-day
community health camp at the Hamid-
ia Ideal Government Primary School
premises in Chittagong yesterday.
In collaboration with Chittagong Di-abetic Hospital, Chittagong Ma O Sishu
General Hospital, and Lions Eye Hospi-
tal, the camp titled Unilever Commu-
nity Health Camp, is being held for the
8th time in the Chandgaon area of the
port city.
A total of 2,500 patients had registered
for the camp to avail different healthcare
facilities like routine checkups, mother
and child health, eye care etc. The pa-tients would be provided with free drugs
at the camp, said Unilever offi cials.
Speaking as the chief guest, lawmak-
er Mainuddin Khan Badal said the cur-
rent government had set a goal to take
healthcare facilities at the doorsteps of
the people of the country and physi-
cians had been appointed at each of the
union health centres in that regard.
He inaugurated the health camp
with Shapan Bhatcharjee, general fac-
tory manager of Unilever.
A collaborative approach is neces-
sary alongside government initiative to
take health care facilities at the door-
steps of the people of the country andUnilever is playing a key role in this re-
gard, he said.
Kazi Saiful Islam, factory human re-
source manager at Unilever, said they
were not keeping themselves confined
within the commercial activities only,
rather they were engaged in different
kinds of activities for the welfare of thesociety.
We have been working in various
sectors including healthcare, educa-
tion, nurturing talents and women em-
powerment, he said.
Unilever had been running communi-
ty health camps for the past seven years
where 17,983 patients had been benefit-
ted with healthcare facilities, he added.
SM Morshed Hossain, vice president
of the Chittagong Ma O Sishu General
Hospital addressed the inauguration
among others. l
Man kills nieceover extramaritalaffairsnOur Correspondent, Narayanganj
Identity of a woman skeleton was con-
firmed yesterday that was recovered
earlier on Tuesday from under a con-
struction site in Godail Santinagar area
under Siddhirganj police station of Na-
rayanganj.
The victim is Shahnaj, 28.
Her lover Rashed, 36, strangulatedher to death and buried in the area
eight months ago, said Rashed in a con-
fessional statement given yesterday af-
ter being held.
He gave the statement before the
Senior Judicial Magistrate court of Na-
rayanganj under section 164.
Hailing from Sharishabari area of Ja-
malpur, Rashed is son of Badsha Mia.He used to work as a supervisor at
Suborno Textile. Earlier on March 18,
police recovered the skeleton while
construction work of a storehouse of one
Hazi Abdul Manan was going on in the
area.
Rashed said Shahnaj was daughter
of his wifes maternal cousin.
He and Shahnaj lived in the same
house for over a year and grew an af-
fair that eventually came to his wifes
knowledge. Since then, he had been
passing days in agony because of the
quarrels frequently breaking among
the family members.
Therefore, he planned to kill Shahn-aj and as per his plan, he called up
Shahnaj at night during the Eid-ul-Fitr
vacation last year and strangulated her
to death, said Rashed. l
Operators want one year for shiftingBlackberry platformnMuhammad Zahidul Islam
Two mobile phone operators have asked
the countrys telecom regulator to give
them another year to shift their Black-berry subscribers to another platform.
Grameenphone and Airtel the
two operators currently offering the
Blackberry services applied for time
extensions through letters sent to the
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regu-
latory Commission (BTRC) recently.
Earlier, the BTRC decided to shut-
down the services in Bangladesh after
the companies failed to comply with the
telecom watchdogs directives concern-
ing national security. The BTRC, in a let-
ter last December, asked the two mobile
operators to take necessary measures to
provide alternative solutions to its ex-
isting Blackberry subscribers.
The decision came after Blackberry
failed to take measures in providing
the government with access to lawful
interception of Blackberry network.
As per licensing terms and condi-
tions, the government reserves the
right to access telecoms service provid-
ers networks as and when it deems
necessary, but such lawful intercep-
tion was impossible in Blackberryhandsets, which are highly encrypted
to protect privacy.
Meanwhile, sources said the high
commissioner of Canada the coun-
try where Blackberry manufacturers
Research In Motion (RIM) are located
also discussed the issue with BTRC
Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose on Wednes-
day; but no decision was made at the
meeting.
Canadas High Commissioner toBangladesh Heather Cruden requested
BTRC authorities to be soft while mak-
ing a decision on the Blackberry issue,
the sources added.
Giashuddin Ahmed, vice chairman
of the BTRC, admitted that the meeting
had taken place, but said no decision
was reached.
He also acknowledged that the two
letters from Grameenphone and Airtel
were under consideration.
If the BTRC did not accept Grameen-
phone and Airtels requests, the opera-
tors might need to swap all BlackBerry
handsets purchased from them toother devices, which will be a hassle
for the users, an offi cial from Gra meen-
phone said.
The regulator and the two operators
met several times to hold talks on the
issue, but were unable to reach a com-
mon ground.
Blackberry launched its services in
Bangladesh in 2008 and until 2013, it
had around 6,166 subscribers including
high offi cials in the Prime Mini sters Of-
fice, CEOs of leading local and foreign
business conglomerates and top diplo-
mats, industry insiders said.
A senior offi cial of the BTRC sai d the
regulators were against the closure of
any services but in this case they had
nothing to do as the RIM had failed to
comply with regulations.
The problem could have been solved
had the RIM set up a server in the coun-
try, enabling the government to access
the netwo rk, the o ffi cial exp lained.
Without a local server, it was not pos-
sible to have access to the highly en-
crypted data of Blackberry.Top offi cials of both Grameenphone
and Airtel said the RIM headquarters
failed to take necessary measures despite
repeated requests from the companies.
One reason for the RIMs reluctance
in setting up a server was that it would
not be financially viable in such a small
market like Bangladesh, a Grameen-
phone offi cial said.
Grameenphone has 4,664 Blackber-
ry users, while Airtel has 1,500 active
Blackberry subscribers.
Blackberry reportedly faced similarproblems in different countries includ-
ing India, Saudi Arabia and China. In
2010, the company was prompted to
set up a server in Saudi Arabia after the
countrys government said Blackberry
services would be closed unless it pro-
vided the government with access to its
network.l
BNP, LDP vye with alliance partner Jamaat in SatkanianTushar Hayat, Chittagong
Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Lib-
eral Democratic Party have jointly
been fighting w ith Jamaat-e-Islami a
partner of the 19-party alliance in the
upazila parishad election of Satkania
known for Jamaat stronghold.
The election is scheduled to be held
tomorrow.
Jamaat candidates have also beencontesting polls in two other upazilas un-
der the district where there are BNP can-
didates with relatively strong position.
Oli Ahmed, president of the Liberal
Democratic Party, in a recent visit to
Satkania, introduced the BNP-backed
chairman candidate Sheikh MohammedMohiuddin and vice-chairman candi-
date Jasim Uddin as his candidates.
Local sources said Olis electioneer-
ing could sway voters to cast vote for
his candidates who might win over Ja-
maats.
The ruling Awami League-backed
candidate might cash in on such situa-
tion, added the locals.
Oli was elected as lawmaker from
Satkania constituency in 1996, but was
defeated by Jamaat candidate Shahja-
han Chowdhury in the general election
of 2001.Oli, the then standing committee
member of BNP, contested the poll
against Jamaat candidate, defying therequest of the party high-up to sacri-
fice the constituency to their alliance
partner.
The defying cost Oli his association
with the BNP, said sources.
A district (south) unit leader of Ja-
maat, preferring anonymity, said the
local BNP was engaged in an effort to
push Jamaat into inconvenience at Sat-
kania as many of its leaders and activ-
ists were on the run and in jail.
Mohammed Ishaque, acting president
of district (south) unit Jamaat, however,
said Jamaat men as well as common peo-
ple at Satkania had been oppressed by
the government in recent period.
He added that the voters would
think twice prior to casting their votes
for the candidates.
We have always supported a can-
didate who can guide the oppressed
people of Satkania, he said.
Mujibur Rahman, president of the
upazila unit BNP, said Satkania was nota stronghold of Jamaat, rather it was
the stronghold of BNP.
He added that they had been fight-
ing with the Jamaat in the upazila elec-
tion as it was the right time to prove the
might of BNP at the locality.
The common people are annoyed
with the recent destructive activities of
Jamaat and they would not vote for the
Jamaat candidate, he said, adding that
they were confident over the victory of
their party candidate.
Awami League-backed Nurul Absar
Chowdhury also expressed confidence
in winning the poll.
He said his party candidate won the
chairman post in the upazila earlier and
this time it would be much easier.
Meanwhile, Jamaat candidates have
been contesting the posts of chairman
in Banshkhali and Fatikchari upazilas
where there are BNP-backed candi-
dates with relatively strong position.
We did not contest the post ofchairman in any upazila, except Sita-
kund, where BNP has a strong base,Rabiul Hossain, assistant general secre-
tary of district (north) unit Jamaat said,
adding that the BNP candidate lost in
Sitund upazila for not negotiating with
Jamaat.
He also said it would have been bet-
ter for both BNP and Jamaat if the two
parties could reach an understanding
and take part in the election of seven
upazilas in Chittagong scheduled for
tomorrow. l
Children take part in a painting competition commemorating the countrys Independence Day, at Department of Fine Arts in Dhaka
University yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM
Volunteers from Jaago Foundation remove garbage fro m the Banani Lake in the capital yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
7/22/2019 Print Edition: 22 March 2014
5/16
100 students awarded for innovative projectsnMushfique Wadud
A total of 100 students were awarded
for their innovative projects at the clos-ing ceremony of annual science fair or-
ganised by St Joseph Higher Secondary
School yesterday.
Khandaker Shabbir Ahmed, pro-
fessor and architect of the Bangladesh
University of Engineering and Tech-
nology (BUET) handed over the prizes
to winners. Among others, broth-
er Robi Purification, principal of the
school and other teachers were present
at the closing ceremony.
Students of different classes were
awarded prizes in different categories
in terms of innovative approach and
presentation of their science projects.
The theme of this years fair was Role
of Science in Human Resource Devel-
opment and Economic Prosperity.
The three day annual science fair
was inaugurated on Wednesday.
Around 460 projects were presented in
the fair, along with a total of 750 scrap-
books. Students of 50 schools across
the country took part in the fair. The
school premises was crowded with stu-dents and their guardians at the closing
day. Students waited long to hear their
name as the winner and when some-
ones name was declared as winner, s/
he expressed his/her joy by shouting.
Speaking at the programme, Khan-
daker Shabbir Ahmed, who is also an
alumni of this school, said science fair
is an important way of learning science.
He said students learned to use their
imagination power and the ability to
ask questions through this science fair.
He also said asking proper questions
and using imagination power is not
only important for science but also for
all other fields of knowledge.
Three students of Bir Shreshtha Noor
Mohammad Public School and College
stood first in the inter-school science
project competition for their project ti-
tled Mobile controlled Rescue Robot.
The students are Shakti Banik, Imran
Bin Yousuf, and Fazle Shawon Younus.
St Francis Xavier Girls School came
second for their project titled New
treatment using Modified HIV to kill
Lymphoma Cancer Cell. The students
are Eshita Agnes Purification, Barsha
Christina Palma, and Joyes Cicilia Sral.
Three students of Viqarunnisa Noon
School placed third for their project ti-
tled Noise proof class room.
In inter-college science project com-
petition, three students of Holy Cross
College stood first for their project on
Biodegradable Plastic and uses. The
three students are Ishmal Sifat, Fariha
Mehnaz, and Redwana Noor.
Another team of Holy Cross College
secured the second position as well for
a project. Three students of Holy Cross
College namely Faria Farzana, Maliha
Anjum, and Smeeta Mahanta came as
third for their project.
Moreover, the first, second and third
position winners of each groups were
also awarded. Safwan Uddin of class
three was awarded for his project of a
windmill. In class three, Hanjala and
Steve Probal Shanjal got second prize
for their project on modern city.
Ahnaf Farhan Khan and JawadMuntasir Riddha got first prize for their
project on Save the Environment.
Students were also awarded for
scrapbooks, quiz competitions, art
competitions and science Olympiad. l
5NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, March 22, 2014
CERN DG due on April 7nTribune Report
Dr Rolf-Dieter Heuer, director general
of CERN, the European Organization
for Nuclear Research will arrive in Dha-
ka on April 7, an education ministry
press release said yesterday.
The press release said a preparation
meeting was held regarding his arrival
at the education ministry yesterday.
It said the CERN DG had been invit-
ed as the convocation speaker at the
48th convocation of Dhaka University
scheduled to be held on April 7.
It said Dhaka University would con-
fer the Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) upon
Dr Rolf-Dieter Heuer.
He would meet with eminent sci-entists, researchers, engineers, teach-
ers and students on April 8 at Nabab
Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban
of the university. l
Quota system in competitiveexaminations should gonAshif Islam Shaon
Quota system in every competitive
examination should be annulled as
it deprives meritorious students but
only the freedom fighter quota in gov-
ernment jobs should exist considering
their contribution to the birth of the
country, Social Welfare Minister Syed
Mohsin Ali has said.
Those who have merit will get the
job. The country needs the right person
in the right position but quota system
is an obstacle to that, observed the
minister while addressing a discussion
on special priority for the Dalit and the
Harijan communities in development
policy and activities in a city auditori-
um yesterday. The discussion was ar-
ranged by Bangladesh Harijans Oikya
Parishad to mark the International Day
for Elimination of Racial Discrimina-tion while Manusher Jonno Founda-
tion and Fair were the co-organisers.
Sharing his personal experience
at the discussion, Mohsin said: Im a
member of the governing body of three
colleges. We recruited several teachers
a few months back but lately, we saw
a minister recommending a candidate
for the post of professor.
Mohsin went on: When the candi-
date arrived to face the viva voce, we
asked him to recite a few lines from any
of Rabindranath Tagores poems. Sur-
prisingly, the candidate who had a Mas-
ters in Bangla Literature failed to do so. Ithen told his referee that the aspirant had
stood seventh among eight candidates.
Quota system and lobbying like this
allow incompetent men to come forward.
The Harijans arent less meritorious. We
will help if you demand anything to in-
crease your effi ciency but dont request
for quota, the minister said as the Hari-
jan community demanded special quota
in admission tests and jobs.
The Harijans can cook delicious
food and curry that the Bengalis cant.
They should utilise that skill to find out
alternative ways of making money if
theyre not educated enough, he said.
Speaking at the discussion, Nation-
al Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
Chairman Professor Mizanur Rahman
said the Dalit should be provided with
equal rights and facilities first and the
quota system would be of use then.
In educational institutions and the
job market, the Dalits must be provid-
ed with special facilities. They sacri-
ficed their lives during our War of Lib-
eration but still we are depriving them.
We have to repay the debt, he said.
The Dalits demanded forming a Dal-
it commission, bringing them under
the safety net programme, conducting
separate census for them, and reserv-
ing 80% of the jobs in services like
sweeping and cleaning and also in per-
manent jobs in city corporations and
municipalities.
Bangladesh Harijans Oikya Parishad
statistics say some 5.5 million Harijans
are living in the country. Also known
as Jaat (professional) sweepers, they
are originally the descendants of im-
migrants from Indias Kanpur, Nagpurand Andhra Pradesh.
Their jobs include sweeping streets
and offi ces, clea ring sewer age lines ,
and cleaning up manholes and hospi-
tal waste. Many of them are employed
in crematoria as well. l
Call to protect riversfrom encroachmentnMohammad Zakaria
Speakers at a roundtable yesterday
said the rivers around the capital were
almost dead because of unabated en-
croachment and establishment of ille-
gal construction on the river bank.
They also demanded that the gov-
ernment take immediate steps to pro-
tect all rivers including the Buriganga
around Dhaka as it was important for
the countrys economy.
The speakers made the demand at
a roundtable organised by Poribesh
Bachao Andolan (Poba) marking the
World Water Day at the National Press
Club in the capital.
They said it was high time the govern-
ment demarcated the rivers in the coun-
try as per the Cadastral Survey record to
protect the water bodies from pollution.
The discussants also called uponthe government to dredge the rivers
regularly and remove all illegal estab-
lishments from the river banks.
They also demanded that the gov-
ernment relocate tanneries and take
measures to stop dumping waste into
the rivers. Poba examined the pollu-
tion of Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shi-
talakkha rivers over the past one year.
In August-September, the level of
oxygen in these rivers water was zero
because of dumping of waste from in-
dustries, houses and launches.
The pro-environment group ob-
served that the rivers around Dhakawere almost dead for illegal establish-
ments and encroachment.
It also underscored the need for im-
mediate steps by the government to
protect the rivers across the country.
Poba Joint General Secretary Md
Abdus Sobhan said if the government
did not take initiative to protect rivers,
the water bodies around the capital
and other places would die down.
Rajuk Executive Magistrate Rokon-
Ud-Dowla said the city development
authority removed all illegal establish-
ments from the Buriganga river bank
regularly.
Nagorik Oikko Convener Mahmudur
Rahman Manna urged the government
to take immediate steps to protect all
rivers in the country. l
Fire burns
Chittagong
buildingnCU Correspondent
A fire broke out at a three-storeyed res-
idential building in Chittagong citys
Baizid Bostami area yesterday after-
noon.
Fire Service and Civil Defense,
Agrabad Station sources said the fire
broke out on the third floor of an un-
der construction building of Green
Residential area at Kacha Bazar under
Baizid Bostami police station at 5pm.
However, none was injured in this in-
cident
Jasim Uddin, deputy assistant di-
rector (DAD) of Fire Service and Civil
Defense, Agrabad Station told the Dha-
ka Tribune that the third floor and sec-
ond floor of the building were used as
a warehouse of garment refuses while
ground floor was being used for resi-
dential purpose.On information, fire fighters from
four units rushed to the spot and put
out the blaze after two hours of frantic
efforts, he said. However, he could not
ascertain the cause of the fire and ex-
tent of damages. l
REHAB Fair sees hugecrowd on 2nd daynAbu Hayat Mahmud
Real estate and housing companies have
expressed satisfaction over the presence
of a large number of visitors yesterday,
the second day of REHAB Fair 2014.
Leaders of Real Estate and Housing
Association (REHAB) said they were
satisfied after observing that custom-
ers were interested to purchase flats
and plots from the fair.
Besides, customers said they were
interested to purchase flats and plots
as many companies were offering dis-
counts on the occasion of fair.
Customer relations manager of a
renowned real estate company said,
Customers presence and their inter-
ests to purchase and book flat and plot
were satisfactory. He hoped that the
number of customers might be more
than their expectations during the fair.
Today (Friday) is the second day,
so most of the customers wanted to
know prices of plots and flats. We hope
that many of the customers will con-
tact wi th our main o ffi ce to purcha se
flats and land, he added
Another offi cial of a l and develop er
company expressed hope that sale of
plots and land would get momentum
in the last two days.
Some REHAB leaders, who visited
the fair yesterday evening, said this
year, visitors presence was compara-
tively more than last year.
Meanwhile, visitors were also seen
happy with different discount offers.
Masud Ahmed, an offi cial of a pri-
vate company, said he was satisfied
with discount offers and loan facilities
offered by different realtor companies.The five-day housing fair began on
March 20 at Bangabandhu Internation-
al Convention Centre at Agargaon in the
capital aiming to promote housing sector.
This year, a total of 155 companies
are taking part in the fair. Of them, 141
are housing and 14 construction mate-
rials companies. Apart from the com-
panies, a total of 11 sponsor companies
have taken part in the fair. l
A syndicate tortures children if theyrefuse to get involved in theft
nMohammad Jamil Khan
It was around 10am yesterday when
three minor street children had
been staging a small play inside the
Suhrawardi Udyan: a girl having an
old vanity bag was walking on a street;
another boy suddenly came in front
of the girl and fell down; and the third
one, another boy who was passing by,
simply took away a mobile phone from
the vanity bag.
However, a young man who was
standing beside the spot slapped the
first boy, and asked him to be more nat-
ural while acting.
In an investigation, it was learned
that it was not a play but a trained ef-
fort on how to steal mobile phones from
people. The man, who was giving train-ing to these street children, was identi-
fied as Sahidul, a notorious mobile thief.
There are several groups that had
been training the street children to
steal mobile phones, and they alleged-
ly torture the children if anyone refuses
to do such work.
Such sensational information was
first flashed after the arrest of three
children from Dhaka Medical College
Hospital (DMCH) last Tuesday.
The detained kids told the Dhaka
Tribune that they had been learning
pick pocketing from one Ibrahim, 18, a
resident of Chankharpool, for the last
couple of months. They got caught by
the police on the first day of their real
work. Their boss Ibrahim was stand-
ing nearby to instruct them, but he left
soon after the hospital police caughtthem.
One of the detained boys said he
used to sell chocolate and sleep at
Sohrawardi Uddyan. Once, Ibrahim
came to him and forced him to do such
work. When he refused to do so, Ibra-
him beat him up.
When asked, he said he had taken
training with 25 other kids and all of
them were of similar ages. The mas-
terminds only gave them Tk100 if they
could snatch any cell phone, he added.
The detained kids were sent to Opo-
rajeyo Bangladesh, a non-government
organisation working for the distressed
children to take care of them.
Contacted, Shahima Akhter, a staff
of Oporajeyo Bangladesh, told the Dha-
ka Tribune that they had taken them to
their safe home at Lalbagh.
We will find out their family mem-
bers and hand them over, she said,
adding that if the law enforcers gave
some attention to such crime, this kind
of crime could be stopped.
Monirul Islam, joint commission-
er of Detective Branch of Police, saidsometimes under-age children were
arrested, but they could not take action
considering their ages.
However, our members are active
to take stern actions, he added.l
Street kids get training on mobile phone stealing
Dhaka Medical College authority recently detained three minor boys namely Rasel, Shohag and Riaz allegedly for cell phone theft, the photo is taken from the administrative building
of DMC MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
St Joseph Higher Secondary School awards winners of its annual Science Fair in the city yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
7/22/2019 Print Edition: 22 March 2014
6/16
6 NationDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, March 22, 2014
Shailakupa residents yet to get an embankment
nOur Correspondent, Jhenaidah
People of Baruria and Krisnanagar vil-
lages under Sailkupa upazila in Jhenai-
dah are passing days in anxiety appre-
hending that woes are waiting for them
in the coming days.
Residents of the villages are afraid
that like previous years, many home-
steads might go under the Gorai River
this year, as the Water Development
Board is yet to build a permanent em-
bankment to save them from erosion.
Local sources said a good portion of
Baruria and Krisnanagar villages had
been eroded in the mighty river, leaving
around 300 families homeless over the
last five decades.
Most of the erosion-affected people
have taken shelter on the river bank, but
they fear if the river bank is eroded they
would not have any place to take shelter.
They said an embankment might
stop the erosion of the river.
A member of Sarutia union pari-shad under Sailkupa upazila said they
were told that the Bangladesh WaterDevelopment Board (WDB) would put
concrete blocks to stop erosion. But the
work is yet to be started.
The ward member said if dredg-
ing would be done in the river, erosion
could be stopped permanently.
Executive Engineer of the WDB in
Jhenaidah Abdul Latif said a team of the
Asian Development Board had visited
the affected area in Sarutia union under
Sailkupa upazila a few months back.
The WDB had suggested to put con-
crete blocks to stop the erosion perma-nently. Then, the ADB assured the WDB
that they would provide fund for the work.
But we have not received any allo-
cation from the ADB yet, he said.
Moreover, the locals said a shoal had
emerged on the northern bank of the
river, but some local influential people
have illegally occupied the shoal, de-
priving the actual homeless people.
Salamat Sheikh, 43, a resident of vil-
lage Baruria, said at least 11 bighas oftheir ancestral land were eroded by the
river in the last 40 years.A number of people of Baruria village
had tried to settle in the shoal which has
now become a part of Mukshidpur area
under Khoksha upazila in Kushtia.
But Ekdil Bahini chief Ekdil Hossain
along with his supporters had forced
the erosion-affected people to leave the
area. B eing instigated by Ekdil Hossain,
residents of Mukshidpur, Bhabanipur
and Bamanpara villages also swooped
on them. Finding no alternative, inhab-
itants of Baruria and Krisnanagar vil-
lages left the area, fearing life risks.
Ayub Ali, 45, a resident of Krisnana-
gar said, deputy commissioners of
Jhenaidah and Kushtia, along with the
superintendent of police of the districts
had sat to resolve the crisis.
They came to a decision that the
persons whose land, according to land
offi ce map, would emerge on the north-
ern bank of the river in Khoksha upazila
would get their land. But, the people of
Khoksha upazila could not be satisfiedwith the decision. l
Najirganj ferry ghat shakyfor sand liftingnTribune Desk
Najirganj ferry ghat (jetty) is now in a
vulnerable state as a section of influen-
tial people have continued sand lifting
illegally from near the Padma River in
Sujanagar upazila, intensifying threat
of erosion in the area.The riverbank beside the ferry ghat
has kept breaking apart due to the ille-
gal sand extraction from the river.
If the situation continues, the road
communications of Rajbari, Faridpur
and Barisal districts with Pabna, Sira-
jganj and Bogra might be stopped in
near future, locals apprehend.During a recent visit, this corre-
spondent saw some 8-10 dredgers lift-
ing sand from the riverbed every day.
They stock the extracted sand on
the nearby croplands.
People involved in the sand lifting
are mostly influential.
More than 100-150 truckloads of
sand are sold every day from here and
no one dares to complain against those
involved in the illegal sand business as
they are powerful.
Earlier, a mobile court realised a
fine of Tk50,000 from one Madhu of
Habashpur village in Pangsha upazila
in Rajbari district for illegal sand lift-
ing.
But executive magistrate M Sakha-
wat Hossain, also upazila nirbahi of-
ficer of Sujanagar upazila, while talk-
ing to the news agency expressed his
inability to take any steps to stop sand
lifting in Sujanagar portion of the river.
He showed the reason that the in-
fluential people were continuing ille-gal sand lifting without any lease from
Bangladesh Inland Water Transport
Corporation.
Besides, pontoons of the ferry ghat
have also become frail due to the sand
lifting work.
Sometimes, buses, trucks and othergoods-laden vehicles meet accident for
the reason. l
Two villagersabducted
nOur correspondent, Khagrachhari
Two villagers were allegedly
abducted by the cadres of United
Peoples Democratic Front (UPDF)
at Barmachhari village under
Lakshmichhari upazila in Khagrachhari
district yesterday.The two abducted men were iden-
tified as Ripon Chakma, 22, son of
Shukya Chakma and Gorolya Chakma,
21, son of Budda Jyoti Chakma while
both of them hailed from Barmachhari
village in the district.
A group of around 20 armed activ-
ists of UPDF raided the houses of both
Ripon and Gorolya and abducted themat gun point, said Mohammad Bahar
Mia, sub-inspector of Lakshmichhari
police station, quoting locals.
Security personnel were trying to
rescue them, SI Bahar added.
However when contacted, Niron
Chakma, district unit UPDF press sec-
retary denied any involvement regard-
ing the abduction. l
Offi cials of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Department under Rajshahi Forest Division rescued a rare species of peacock
from a house in Lalmonirhat. Later, the wounded bird was brought to Rajshahi on Thursday DHAKA TRIBUNE
Brother-in-law beats man to deathnTribune Report
A man was beaten to death allegedly by
his brother-in-law in Palsha area under
sadar upazila in Chapainawabganj on
Thursday.
The deceased was identified as
Jashim, 36, son of Amir Master of Bil-
danga area.
Offi cer-in-C harge o f Sada r pol ice
station Jashim Uddin said: There was
a longstanding conflict between Jashim
and his brother-in-law Khairul over
land properties.
Over the same matter, they locked
into a quarrel with each other around
12:30 pm, he said.
At one stage of the quarrel, Khairul
beat Jashim mercilessly that left him
critically injured.
Later, he died on the way to a local
hospital.
Meanwhile, police arrested Khairul
and his wife Lal Banu after the inci-
dent.
A case was also filed in connection
matter. l
Corrupt municipality offi cialsput Brahmaputra at stakenOur Correspondent, Mymensingh
Piles of garbage dumped by the My-
mensingh municipality in the Brah-
maputra River through the Kalibari oldferry ghat are posing serious threats