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The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court Sunday stayed for six weeks the High Court verdict that had upheld the injunction on the mass appointment of 546 employees to Rajshahi University in 2004.
   A High Court bench of Justice Mohammad Abdul Aziz delivered the verdict Saturday restraining the university from giving effect to the mass appointment.
   However, the Appellate Division order, passed by chamber judge Justice Amirul Kabir Chowdhury, made a way for the university to give effect to the mass appointment.
   The chamber judge passed the order on a petition filed by the university seeking stay of the High Court order.
   The university authorities appointed 546 class-III and class-IV employees on April 15, 2004.
   Abu Aslam, a member of the Rajshahi Bar Association, filed a civil case as a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking injunction on the appointments and payment of their salaries in an assistant judge’s court of Rajshahi.
   The assistant judge passed an order on June 23, 2004 imposing an injunction on the appointments.
   After hearing an appeal filed by the Rajshahi University authorities, the additional judge’s court of Rajshahi vacated the injunction order on July 14, 2004.
   Abu Aslam filed a civil revision case in the High Court against the additional judge’s order and the court, on January 2, issued a rule on the government asking it to explain why the additional judge’s order would not be set aside, and imposed an ad interim injunction on the mass appointment.
   The High Court, in its verdict delivered on Saturday, upheld the injunction imposed by the assistant judge’s court.
   Former attorney general AF Hassan Ariff moved the petition filed by the university seeking stay of the High court order, while MI Faruqui with Ruhul Kuddus Babu appeared for Abu Aslam.
   Meanwhile, the controversially recruited class III and IV employees gathered at the residence of the university vice-chancellor, Professor Altaf Hossain, demanding reinstatement of their job, reports the New Age correspondent from Rajshahi.
   The vice-chancellor assured them their jobs would be regularised as early as possible. Campus sources said 20-20 employees, led by Rafiqul Islam, met the vice-chancellor. Altaf assured them that the university would continue legal battle for the appointments.

The authorities on Saturday introduced a work schedule for speedy release of files relating to confirmation of service, transfer, posting, monthly pay order, gratuity and pension of the teachers and employees of secondary and higher secondary-level educational institutions.
   The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, entrusted to control the administration and management of around 30,000 secondary and higher secondary institutions, including madrassah and other special types, introduced the schedule against the backdrop of widespread corruption and administrative logjam.
   The concerned desk officials will be responsible for completion of their tasks by the deadline, set in the schedule, and the teachers and employees have to submit their applications or documents to the receive section, instead of the concerned desks, decided the directorate widely known as Shiksha Bhaban.
   The directorate, which also oversees the recruitment, promotion, salaries, and inspections of around five lakh teachers and employees of both government and non-government institutions, also formed a vigilance team for smooth office management, deputy director SM Gausul Azam told New Age on Sunday.
   ‘A visitor will be allowed inside the office only after a call from the official concerned and taking a token is precondition for entrance,’ he said and added that the teachers and employees had been directed to contact with the directorate after the deadline circulated meanwhile.
   Hundreds of teachers, employees and their well-wishers from across the country visit the office every day for various purposes.
   A one-month-and-ten-daydeadline has been fixed for releasing a file on pension.
   A three-week deadline hasbeen for leave preparatory retirement.
   A deadline of two weeks has been set for files related to transfer, 15 days for permission of foreign tour and 30 days for releasing a file on the collection of a reply to an audit objection as per the education ministry directive, the work schedule says.
   A 25-day timeframe has been fixed for sending a proposal to the education ministry related to the creation of a post of teacher in government colleges, and transferring principals, vice-principals and professors.
   According to the schedule files related to case and allegation against any official should be released within 20-30 days while files on seniority of officials within 20 days and on maternity leave and treatment within 15 days.
   Twenty-two days has been fixed for dispatching a file on the issuance of MPO to a newly appointed teacher or employee in colleges and amendment of time-scale and higher scale for a non-government college teacher.

Six more stations of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police will be inaugurated today, raising the number of police stations in the capital to 28.
   The prime minister, Khaleda Zia, will inaugurate the new police stations at a function at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar at 4:00pm.
   The building, which used to house the Dhanmondi police station, will house the New Market police station. The Dhanmondi police stations will be shifted to House 41/A, Road 6 in Dhanmondi.
   The Paltan police station will be housed in the old building where the Motijheel station now is and will be later shifted to 140 Motijheel Commercial Area.
   The Shah Ali police station will be located at House 29, Road 9, Block B in Mirpur, the Adabar station at House 1105/A on Link Road at the Baitul Aman Housing Society, the Turag station at the Diabari police outpost building and the Khilkhet station at the Khilkhet police outpost building.
   Police officials said work of 23 more police stations in the Dhaka metropolitan area would be completed by 2006 and once completed, the metropolitan area will have 51 police stations, as decided by the government in 2004.
   ‘As the coverage area for each police station will decrease with the addition of new stations, the police will be able to work better to meet people’s expectations,’ said the DMP commissioner, SM Mizanur Rahman, on Sunday.
   Most of the manpower needed for the new stations has already been recruited, he said.
   Each of the existing 22 stations on average has 20 sub-inspectors and 80 constables besides the officer-in-charge and the second officer.
   But in case of the new stations, each will have 78 personnel with one inspector, 14 sub-inspectors, six assistant sub-inspectors, one havilder, two nayeks, 50 constables, two cooks and two sweepers.
   The telephone numbers of the new stations are, Paltan — 9360802, DMP 2325, 2355 and 2367 and mobile 011883628; New Market — 8631942, DMP 2324 and 2348 and mobile 011883627; Adabar — 8153435, DMP 2328 and 2397 and mobile 011883626; Shah Ali — 8060555, DMP 2327 and 2363 and mobile 011883625; Khilkhet — 8919364 and DMP 2330 and 2378 and mobile 011883611; Turag — 8914664, DMP 2329 and 2374 and mobile 011883645.
   The new telephone numbers of the Dhanmondi police station are 8631941, DMP 2345, 2302 and 2347 and for Motijheel, 9571000, DMP 2364, 2307 and 2366.

The absence of about a third of the teachers has been seriously impeding the curricular activities in the Khulna University.
   The university administration said Sunday most of the absent teachers were working with different private universities, research organisations, non-governmental organisations and foreign organisations either part-time or full-time while the rest were staying abroad.
   The university vice-chancellor, Dr Mahbubur Rahman, said it could not be controlled as there were no specific laws regarding part-time jobs or consultancy in the university ordinance, which is necessary for quality education.
   More than 223 teachers are needed in 16 departments, he added.
   A proposal has been prepared to recruit new teachers, and it needs an allocation of Tk 33 crore, and accordingly the proposal has been placed before education ministry for approval.
   Sources said at present, as many as 83 teachers out of 253 were working outside the university, hampering academic activities of the university seriously.
   Some teachers said their part-time jobs and consultancies should be allowed as the nation needed them.
   But several departmental chairmen said it would surely affect the academic affairs adversely.
   In fact, most of the eminent and popular teachers were engaged in part-time jobs and consultancies or were going elsewhere, creating vacancies in the departments.

Different organisations will observe the first anniversary of death of Humayun Kaqbir Balu, editor of Khulna-based daily Janmabhumi, in Khulna today.
   The daily Janmabhumi, the daily Rajpather Dabi and Balu Smriti Parishad will bring out a procession in the city Monday morning from the Janmabhumi office, where Balu was bombed to death.
   They will place wreathes at Balu’s grave and pray for his soul.
   The Khulna Press Club will arrange a discussion meeting at the club conference room at 11:00am and bring out a procession later on. A prayer session will be held at the club at 5:00pm.
   Balu’s family members will arrange a prayer session and a daylong Qur’an recitation in Balu’s paternal residence at Iqbalnagar.
   The Balu Smriti Parishad has already started an eight-day programme since June 23.
   Humayun, also, president of the Khulna Press Club, was bombed on June 27, 2004 in front of his office cum residence at Islampur Road under Khulna sadar thana.

A two-day local government festival-2005 began in the Dhaka city on Sunday to create awareness of the role and function of local government and establish a responsive and effective local government system.
   The LGRD and cooperatives minister, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, inaugurated the fair at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
   Different non-government organisations such as ARD Bangladesh, Bangladesh Union Parishad Forum, BRAC, CARE, Centre for Sustainable Development, European Union, Green Hill IRI, Khan Foundation, Media Centre, NDI, Rupantar, SAP-Bangladesh, the Hunger Project, Transparency International, Bangladesh, World Bank, and the Australian High Commission are taking part in the festival organised by Democracywatch.
   They were displaying brochures on the activities of the local government and briefing people if they asked them. However, no representatives of local government bodies were seen in the festival in the afternoon.
   A seminar on ‘best practices and challenges of local government: lessens and recommendations’ was held on the first day of the festival which will remain open to all from 9:30am to 5:30pm.

A suspected criminal was stabbed to death allegedly by his associates in the capital’s Kafrul area on Saturday night.
   The police said the victim, Abbas Ali, 35, of Damalkot Bazar, was found lying dead at a house at Saber Alir Tek at about 11:00pm.
   The police recovered and sent the body to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination by the police.
   The victim, a notorious criminal, was engaged in different criminal activities and was accused in a murder, the police claimed and suspected that the killing might be a sequel to an internal feud.

A certificate distribution ceremony was held at the Spectra Convention Centre at Gulshan in the Dhaka city on Saturday.
   The Human Resources Department of Scholastica organised the function on the completion of a series of workshops on ‘employees’ management skill development’ on June 20-23.
   The key resource person of the workshops, AG Balasubramanian, professor and dean, Bhaban’s Institute of Management, Cochin, Kerala presented the his reflections at the function.
   Scholastica chairman Yasmeen Murshed as chief guest and Scholastica Group managing director Syed Maher Murshed as special guest of the function distributed the certificates among the participants.
   A total of 62 persons of different positions ranging from junior officer to senior management members took part in the workshops.

One gets life-term in arms case in
Rajshahi
A special court in Rajshahi on Sunday sentenced one Naoshad Ali alias Nurshad, 24, of village Morugram Dangapara to life-term imprisonment in an arms case. The prosecution says the Baghmara police conducted a drive at village Modhiya Jhina and recovered one light gun loaded with one round of bullet from the possession of Nurshed on March 20, 2004. The police arrested Nurshad, lodged a case and framed charge-sheet against him. Special public prosecutor Ketab Uddin stood for the state while advocates Habibur Rahman while Altaf Hossain defended the accused.
— BSS

CCC annual general meeting held
The first general meeting of the newly elected council of the Chittagong City Corporation was held on Sunday with the mayor, ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, in the chair. Mohiuddin reiterated his conviction to establish the City Government to ensure development of the city and provide civic amenities to the dwellers. High officials of the city corporation were present at the meeting.
— New Age

N’ganj municipal budget announced
The Narayanganj Municipality on Sunday announced a surplus budget of Tk 53 crore 8 lakh 96 thousand and 543 for the fiscal 2005-2006 while the expenditure was shown at Tk 53 crore 3 lakh 35 thousand 644. The municipality chairman, Dr Selina Hyat Ivy, announced the budget at a press conference in the municipality conference hall. Local journalists, former lawmaker Afzal Hossain, former chairman Nazim Uddin Mahmud, Ameer of Narayanganj district Jamaat Maulana Moinuddin Ahmed, municipal commissioners and representatives of different trade bodies were present on the occasion.
— BSS

Workshop on HIV/AIDS awareness
Speakers at a workshop on ‘youth friendly health services’ at the Rajshahi Tennis Complex on Sunday stressed awareness of HIV/AIDS among the youth to face the deadly disease. The Association for Community Development organised the workshop. The Rajshahi division health director, Dr Rokeya Begum, attended the workshop as chief guest and deputy director Dr Tanjimul Haque and civil surgeon Fazlul Haque were as special guests.
— New Age

Cell phone users for reduced call charge
The Chittagong Cellular Phone Users’ Right Conservation Forum on Sunday from a press conference urged the operators to reduce the call rate to Tk 0.5 per minute and Tk 0.25 for each SMS. The forum also demanded free incoming. The forum president, Wahiduddin Mukti, threatened the mobile phone operators with tougher movement if their demand was not met.
— New Age