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The Dhaka University authorities, as a result of the recurring suicide-bombing attacks across the country, have decided to beef up security measures on the campus by restructuring the system and installing necessary equipment.
   The authorities have asked all the students, teachers and employees to carry their identity cards on the campus.
   The halls’ administrators have been asked to free the dorms from outsiders by asking the law enforcers to raid the halls on receipt of information of the presence of outsiders there. The law enforcers will not require permission to raid the residential halls.
   No unauthorised programmes including processions or rallies on the campus will be allowed, and informing the proctorial staff before staging any programme on the campus has been made compulsory.
   For holding any function in the open spaces on the campus such as Swaparjita Swadhinata, Central Shaheed Minar and Aparajeya Bangla, the university authorities asked the organisers to arrange their own security measures and also take the help of the university’s security personnel and the law enforcers if possible.
   The university administration has decided to buy metal detectors and other security equipment for all the faculty buildings, dorms and residential areas.
   Some of the hall administrators have already initiated the process to procure security equipment. Authorities of three halls are regularly searching the auditoriums, television rooms and other places of gathering.
   They have also re-organised the university’s security staff. All the guards have been asked to remain their in their places of duty during their shifts, and the rosters will also be re-arranged.
   Vehicles will be checked at the entry points to the university and parking of vehicles without university stickers has been restricted.
   The university proctor, Aka Firoz Ahmed, told New Age that the university is keeping close contact with the law enforcers to prevent any unwanted situation.
   ‘Security of the university’s students, teachers and staff has become the primary concern of the university authorities, but it is impossible to ensure safety without everyone’s cooperation.’

The administration of Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall of Dhaka University on Thursday received a chit containing threat to blow up the hall if gathering of boys and girls in front of the hall was not restricted.
   The chit in a yellow envelope was sent by post and was addressed to the hall provost, containing a sentence, ‘Refrain your students from sitting in front of the hall after 7:00pm.’ The threat was said to be issued in the name of the JMB.
   The chit reached the girls’ hall of residence at around 1:30pm. The seal on the envelope says it was despatched from the Dhaka General Post Office on November 7.
   The hall provost, Shamima Nasrin Shahed, admitted receiving the threat and called a meeting at the hall of residence at 8:00pm to discuss the matter.

Traffic congestion has become a common phenomenon in the Chittagong city in the recent times causing immense sufferings to the city dwellers.
   Local residents said they have to regularly experience traffic jams on most of the city roads, including Bahaddarhat, New Market, Barek Building, Alangker, Tiger-pass, Dewanhat, Badamtali, Sholashahar, Chawk Bazar, Muradpur, Choumohoni, Jamal Khan, and Dampara, mainly between 10:00am and 11:00am and between 4:00pm and 6:00pm.
   Besides, they have to get stuck in traffic jams between 10:00am and 1:00pm on the connecting road stretching from Nimtala to Alangker crossing as a large number of trucks and lorries ply on the road to carry goods to and from the Chittagong port.
   Mohammad Taslim Uddin, a banker who regularly travels between Alangker crossing and Agrabad, said he has to spend at least extra one hour every day due to the nagging traffic congestion.
   ‘The situation has got worsened due to the indifference of the traffic police as most of them are seen busy to collect toll from the truck and auto-rickshaw drivers rather than easing the congestion,’ he said.
   Habibul Bashar, another commuter who travels between his home and work from Bahaddarhat crossing to New Market, also blamed the traffic police for causing congestions to some extent by intercepting vehicles to collect toll from the drivers on the plea of verifying documents.
   Mahbub Hakim, deputy commissioner (traffic) of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police, admitted that the traffic congestion had become a common phenomenon in the city.
   He attributed narrow streets as comparing to large number of vehicles, and unplanned urbanisation to the traffic congestion.
   ‘Shortage of manpower and public unawareness of the traffic rules are major impediments to smooth vehicular movement in the city.’

Dhanmondi Poribesh Unnayan Jote, a Dhanmondi-based social organisation, on Thursday demanded removal and relocation of unplanned educational institutions from the Dhanmondi residential area.
   The organisation sources said around 97 primary, secondary and higher secondary schools have been set up for business angle without proper facilities in the residential area.
   Environment activists of the area said this at a citizen’s protest rally in front of Master Mind School at Road 12.
   The total population in the area is around 72,000 and for this population five primary schools, three secondary and two colleges are sufficient to meet the demand, they said, quoting a recent estimation.
   There are no play grounds for children and class rooms of most of the schools are tiny, unclean and unhealthy, which is total violation of school rules, they said.
   The organisation convener, Dr Sultana Alam, said Dhanmondi had lost its residential characters because of this huge number of unplanned schools and other commercial structures.
   Moreover, a large crowd, including students, parents and other officials, comes everyday to this area from all over the Dhaka city, creating tremendous traffic jams in the area, said Sultana.
   While the organisation was holding their protest rally some officials and students of the Master Mind School barred the demonstrators from holding the rally.
   Prothoma, an A level student of the Master Mind School, said, ‘This is not problem of the Dhanmondi area but the problem lies in centralisation of the Dhaka city.’
   She said decentralisation of power and population in all other districts of the country could reduce this problem.
   Among others, former National University vice-chancellor Dr Aminul Islam, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan general secretary Mahidul Haq and Nagarik Sanghati general secretary Sarifuzzaman also spoke at the rally.

Forward looking regulatory policies should be introduced soon to sustain the telecommunications sector boom, particularly in the mobile phone segment, speakers at a workshop on Thursday said.
   They also urged the government to ensure a level playing field in the multi-operators environment to ensure a healthy competition among the telecom operators.
   ‘Despite some efforts by the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, a level playing field has not been
   established yet,’ the coordination director of mobile operator AkTel, Fazlur Rahman, told the workshop on ‘Prospects
   and problems of mobile and land phone in Bangladesh.’
   Telecom experts and researchers presented 17 research papers at the workshop organised by the School of Engineering and Computer Science of the Independent University of Bangladesh at the university campus.
   Fazlur said as the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board held the unilateral right to operate international telephone service, all the operators needed to transit their overseas calls through BTTB.

JU files case
against Purnima
The Jahangirnagar University authorities have filed a criminal case against the weekly Purnima for publishing stories defaming the university in its November 16 issue. The registrar in-charge of the university, Kazi Mohiuddin, filed the case, accusing editor, executive editor, publisher and reporter concerned of the weekly magazine, a sister concern of the daily Inqilab. The university’s law adviser, advocate Mohammad Saidur Rahman, is the counsel for the petitioner. The Purnima, on it cover-story on November 16, 2005 issue, printed a story under the headline, ‘what happening at Jahangirnagar University in the name of love- affairs’ that depicted the student of the university in a indecent manner and contained wrong information.
— New Age

CityIT 2005 computer fair begins Saturday
An eight-day annual computer fair, ‘CityIT 2005’, begins at IDB Bhaban in the capital city Saturday. Apart from popularising the use of computers among the commoners, the fair also aims at providing computers and computer parts to the users at cheaper prices, said BCS Computer City vice-president and the fair convener, Saiful Islam, in a press conference at the National Press Club on Thursday. BCS Computer City president Azimuddin Ahmed, joint secretary Moshiur Rahman Tushar and general secretary Akhtar Hossain Khan and treasurer Ajmal Alam Jewel also addressed the fair organised by the BCS Computer City. Graphics display, free Internet browsing and raffle draw have also been arranged. Gigabite, Intel, Lexmark and Philips will be sponsors of the fair, expected to be inaugurated by the livestock minister, Abdullaj Al Noman. Different computer firms will display the latest products in around 160 stalls of the fair. School students and the handicapped will have free access to the fair while others will have to buy tickets at Tk 10.
— UNB

Deprived children meet newsmen
Speakers at an exchange of views with the Rajshahi newsmen stressed eradication of child labour and social indiscrimination against the children. The meeting was organised by the UCEP-Bangladesh and local NGO Trinomool on Thursday at Mianpara office in the Rajshahi city. The Rajshahi Union of Journalists president Mustafizur Rahman Khan, Rajshahi Press Club president Anu Mostafa, Inquilab regional chief Rezaul Karim, local daily Sonali Sangbad news editor Hasan Millat, Trinamool director Jalal Uddin Ahmed, vice-president Dr SK Mohammad Lalon and Abu Saleh Md Hasnat attended the event. Children representatives urged newsmen to write for child rights.
— New Age