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More than 1,000 buses ply the city roads without any route permits, adding to traffic congestion and road accidents, and depriving the government of revenue earnings, said a high official of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board.
   ‘The Dhaka Metropolitan Police spots on an average about half a dozen of buses and human haulers a day that ply without route permits,’ said a policeman. ‘Some policemen may have let the buses go in exchange for bribes.’
   The transport coordination board with the World Bank assistance has begun to survey the number of transports that ply the city roads. The vehicles include buses, trucks, cars and human haulers, the board official said.
   ‘With the help of the communications ministry, we will stop the vehicles without route permits from plying the roads,’ he said.
   The board officials said most of the buses that have no route permits can ply the roads with the help of some officials of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and some policemen.
   The number of illegal buses has increased on the 46 city routes because of lack of coordination between the road transport authorities and the law enforcing agencies, the high official said.
   ‘When people can run buses without route permits, why should they bother about this?’ said one of the bus operators.
   A bus driver, Abdul Jalil, said there is no need to carry route permits or other papers. ‘Only Tk 100 is enough to manage law enforcers.’
   ‘An on-duty traffic sergeant will not let the driver go without bribe even when the driver has valid documents,’ he said.
   ‘We pay Tk 100 three to four times a day to the police as we are stopped and we do not need any route permit in that case,’ said a bus conductor.
   Metropolitan police assistant commissioner Faruk Ahmed said the complaint of bribery is common. ‘Some policemen may take bribes from bus drivers or operators, but all cannot be blamed for this.’
   A source in the metropolitan police said 30 mobile courts are in operation in the city to check and take action against errant buses.

Negligence by the authorities fails the purpose of most of the community centre-based city corporation libraries, said city dwellers.
   They also listed manpower shortage, insufficient books and poor security measures that have hampered the function of the libraries.
   A Bara Moghbazar resident, Abdul Wahid, said Wahab Smriti Pathagar of the corporation has remained closed for long, mainly after the Rapid Action Battalion office has been set up by the library of the community centre in the area. The corporation authorities have closed the library without any notice for the readers who frequented the place.
   ‘No city corporation libraries have permanent librarians, which makes reading difficult,’ he said.
   ‘The library runs without librarian; cleaners, sweepers and night guards keep doing the job,’ he said. ‘Sometimes they damage books and even clean tables with books.’
   Drug addicts often use the place as their den which makes readers feel insecure as there are no security personnel, he said.
   Ward 55 commissioner Sharmila Imam told New Age, ‘We have complained with the mayor in this regard and requested the social welfare department of the corporation to open the library.’
   ‘The department is supposed to look after the libraries, but libraries are often neglected by the department,’ said an official of the social welfare department.
   He said although reading in the libraries needs no membership or payment, on-duty cleaners and sweepers take money from the readers.
   People often do not get the books they want in the libraries, said Rubayet Rahman, a resident of Ward 77.
   She told New Age on Sunday ‘We rented a house near the library so that we can read. We moved near Tajuddin Ahmed Public Library at Wari Natun Community Centre. But the library opens late night,’ she said. But the library is supposed to remain open between 3:00pm and 8:00pm.
   The collection of books is so limited; only the cheapest novels are on offer, she said.
   The source in the corporation said it runs nine libraries — Rokanpur Library at Ward 78, North Brooke Hall Pathagar at Ward 79, Haji Khalil Sardar Pathagar at Ward 58, Nababganj Pathagar at Ward 59, Azimpur Library at Ward 62, Suchana Community Centre Public Library at Ward 42 and Mirpur Public Library at Ward 8.
   The Department of Public Libraries this year provided some 300 books for one library, at Lalbagh, the source said. But the books are yet to reach the library. No people are appointed to look after the job, he said.
   A high official of the social welfare department said the corporation would buy some books at a cost of Tk 1 lakh for the libraries as soon as possible.
   The department’s acting chief, Mohammad Abdul Awal, told New Age that the corporation would improve the library environment.
   ‘The corporation has also planned to relocate some libraries, including the one at Moghbazar, in the interest of readers. We are looking for a place for the relocation,’ he said.

A mobile court was conducted in Dhaka on Tuesday to identify the vehicles on the city roads that pollute environment.
   The state minister for environment and forest Jafrul Islam Chowdhury and the Department of Environment director general, Khan M Ibrahim Hossain, were present.
   The mobile court was held with the help of the Dhaka metropolitan magistracy, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority and the traffic wing (north) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
   Jafrul called on the people to actively cooperate with the government to turn Dhaka into a clean-air city. He urged the transport owners to comply with the relevant laws.
   He said after the phase-out of two-stroke auto rickshaws, the quality of air improved. He said old diesel-run vehicles are the worst polluters.
   If such old vehicles are phased out, the city will become cleaner and will reduce public health expenses, he said.
   Ibrahim Hossain sought cooperation of bus owners, drivers and passengers in the ongoing vehicular emission test.
   Dhaka city air is continuously monitored under a project, Air Quality Management Project, by the Ministry of Environment and Forest on financial assistance of the World Bank.
   The air quality in six divisional headquarters and Narayanganj will be monitored under this project, an official release said.
   The emission level of 32 types of diesel-run vehicles was tested; and 25 of the vehicles exceeded permissible limit.
   Cases were filed against the polluting vehicles, the release said.

Dhaka Pogose School, the oldest non-government school in the capital, made its worst record in secondary school certificate exams in 2004, with a pass percentage of only 30.
   The rate of pass had never been below 50 per cent, said Zulfa Mohammed, headmaster for 30 years and also chairman of the Bangladesh Teachers’ Association.
   The 157-year-old school, sprawling more than an acre of land at Shankhari Bazar in Old Town, which had its heyday before independence, has lost its glory, said Mohammad Shafi-ullah, the assistant headmaster.
   ‘In a class of 70 students, only 10 prepare their studies,’ the headmaster said.
   The teachers put the poor performance of the school in the secondary school final exams down to poor quality of students.
   One of the teachers said the area where the school is located has now a large number of government schools and kindergartens. ‘As the tuition fees at government schools is less than the fees at a private school, a number of poor students go to government institutions for schooling,’ he said.
   Most of the present students at Pogose are from poor and illiterate families, the teachers said.
   ‘There are even such students in the school who are the first in their families to have schooling,’ said another teacher.
   ‘The school does not get the required financial and educational supports from the families of the students which resulted in poor results these days,’ the headmaster said.
   Almost a half of the total number of students have their schooling free every year, as the families of the students cannot bear their educational expenses, said Mohammad Shafiullah, who has been working with the school for 40 years. ‘As teachers, we are trying our best to improve the standards of education,’ said the headmaster.
   Some of the students said they need private tutoring in English and general mathematics. One of the students said, ‘Private tuition in English and mathematics is a must for better result. Only one English teacher or one maths teacher is not sufficient for a class of 60 to 70 students. We need more attention from the teachers.’
   An Armenian landlord, NP Pogose, founded the school and he became the first headmaster. The school grew to a full-fledged institution by 1848, sending its first candidate for the public examinations from the year.
   The school had the highest number of students in its history in 1993, about 2,300 students. The school this year has about 1,800 students. The co-ed school has different buildings for boys and girls.
   Some of the students of the school who later earned a fame are Sir KG Gupta, the first Indian privy councillor, Sir Syed Ameer Ali, Dr PK Roy, the first Indian principal of the Dhaka College and the Presidency College in Kolkata, Dr SN Roy, formerly English department chair at Dhaka University, Nishikanta Chatterjee, founder and first editor of the Lahore Tribune, poet Kaikobad, Babu Nirmal Chandra Nandy, a former judge of the Dhaka High Court, and Babu Mathuramohan Chakraborty, founder of Sakti Aushadhalay.
   The present day teachers of the school said poet Shamsur Rahman, cartoonist Rafiqunnabi and Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka were the students of the school.

The Rajshahi University Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists beat two Chhatra League leaders on the campus Monday.
   The injured, Emdad and Kawsar, were admitted to the university medical centre. A tense situation has been prevailing on the campus.
   Sources in the campus said the university unit Chhatra League education secretary, Emdad, Sunday night went to visit a friend in a mess at Kajla, which is also home to a Chhatra Dal leader, Rana.
   Emdad entered into an altercation with Rana and the local people tried to settle the matter.
   The next morning, a number of Chhatra Dal leaders, led by Rana, Tawhid and Murad, beat Emdad and Kawsar.
   The police visited the place and brought the situation under control.

The orientation of undergraduate students of Bachelor of Business Administration and architecture departments for the summer 2005 semester of the North South University was held on the university campus on May 16.
   The orientations of economics, environmental studies and computer science and engineering and English students were held on May 12 and 15.
   The acting vice-chancellor, SAM Khairul Bashar, welcomed the freshers.
   Khairul assured them of high-quality education and conducive academic atmosphere.
   Deans Khaliquzzaman M Elias and ANM Mesquatuddin, registrar Mohammad Ali, proctor GMA Quasem and department heads also spoke.

Islamic Chhatra Shibir beat two students on the Rajshahi University campus on charge of stealing moneybag.
   Injured Shamim Akhtar Likhon and Arifur Rahman, master’s students of social science are now under treatment in Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
   Campus sources said the students went to Room 212 of Madar Bux Hall Sunday night to sell a campus-based magazine where Chhatra Shibir activist Salah Uddin was alone. The students left the room after Salah Uddin had refused to buy the magazine.
   As they left the room, Salah Uddin cried out, saying that his money bag had been stolen; neighbouring boarders detained the two in the room.
   The Shibir activists beat them three times, they told newsmen in the hospital on Tuesday.
   Another source said the magazine, the Shibir activists earlier restricted the sale of the magazine tilted towards progressive left political ideology.
   The university unit Shibir president, Mahabub Alam, denied any Shibir link with the incident.

Snatchers took away Tk 12 lakh from the officials of a garment factory when the officials were returning after drawing the money from a bank at the Ghani Bakery crossing in the Chittagong city Tuesday
   morning.
   The police said Belal Hossain, Sower Ali and another staff of the Primer Garments, located at Chandgaon in the city, drew the money from the KC Day Road branch of the Sonali Bank and were returning to the factory in a CNG-run taxi at about 11:30am.
   Three snatchers, in another CNG-run taxi, intercepted them in front of Goods Hills and looted the money.
   A case was lodged with the Kotwali police.

Discussants at a seminar on ‘investment prospect in Bangladesh’ said political stability and social discipline are essential for the improvement in socio-economic condition.
   The Uttara University organised the seminar at the BSCIC training centre in Dhaka on Monday.
   The US ambassador, Harry K Thomas, attended the seminar as chief guest.
   University Grants Commission member Manirul Huque, and former diplomat Fazlur Rahman were also present.
   The vice-chancellor, M Azizur Rahman, and Amiruzzaman Khan presented keynote papers. AYM Fazlul Huq and Professor AKM Mozammel Huq took part in the discussion, said a release

A student of the University of Rajshahi committed suicide reportedly for doing bad in examinations on Monday.
   Saiful Azam, who was from village Alamdanga in Chuadanga, a third-year student of the mathematics department, committed suicide in a mess at Dharampur in the Rajshahi city.
   Sources said he committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling.
   The university authorities visited the place.
   His body was sent to his parental house.

The student of the Narayanganj Government Women’s College went out on demonstrations and barricaded the Dhaka-Narayanganj Road for two hours in protest at the erection of a boundary wall on the campus Tuesday afternoon.
   Sources said one Kazi Nazrul Islam began setting up a boundary wall covering about 200 feet of the land belonging to the college in the morning.
   The students agitated at Chashara, suspending traffic and railway communications for two hours from 1:00pm.
   The principal, Saidur Rahman, told newsmen that Nazrul had begun to set up the boundary wall without showing any proper documents.
   The students withdrew the blockade at 3:00pm.

The minister for education, M Osman Farruk on Tuesday stressed modern engineering education to cope with the present-day requirements.
   He said quality of science and technology education should be ensured through collective efforts and more research work.
   Stressing the innovation of environment-friendly technology and quality education, Farruk said marine engineering and port management engineering education is needed for Chittagong.
   The minister, as chief guest, addressed the academic excellence award ceremony of the Chittagong University of Engineering Technology Teachers’ Association in the university auditorium.
   The teachers’ association formally handed over academic excellence award to eight students.
   The vice-chancellor, Mir Shahidul Islam, addressed the function as special guest. The association president, Rafiqul Islam, was in the chair.
   The award selection committee convener, Abdul Wazed, and the association general secretary, Mir Mohammad Saki Kawser, also spoke.
   The minister assured the association of Tk 25,000 as donation.

Family members of the Sheikh Belaluddin Balu, Khulna-based the daily Sangram staff correspondent, demanded immediate arrest of and exemplary punishment for his killers.
   He was injured in an bomb explosion at the Khulna Press Club on February 5. He later died in Dhaka Combined Military Hospital on February 11.
   The family members held a news briefing at the Khulna Press Club on Tuesday.

O and A level exams rescheduled
The British Council, Bangladesh has rescheduled all GCE O and A level examinations for May 18 because of unavoidable circumstances. The morning session examinations will be held at 7:30pm instead of 11:30am and the afternoon session at 10:30pm instead of 4:30pm. According to the new schedule, practical examinations will be held at 7:30pm for Group 1, at 10:30pm for Group 2 and at 1:30am for Group 3. All education and professional examinations will be held at 7:00pm and the venues will remain unchanged, said a release.
— New Age

Sylhet BSTI realises Tk 6.39 lakh fine
The Sylhet divisional office of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution realised Tk 6.39 lakh as fine from business organisations of the division in 10 months. It also filed 549 cases against the organisations for producing and marketing substandard goods, sources said. The authorities settled 290 cases. The office launched the drive to maintain the quality of 154 edible goods.
— New Age

BUET to awards talented students
The Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology will award gold medals to the meritorious students for the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 academic session, in the university central auditorium, said a news release. The minister for education, Osman Farruk, is expected to be present as chief guest; the state minister for education, ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon, will attend as special guest.
— New Age

Thomas’s lecture on education
The United States ambassador, Harry K Thomas, will speak on the importance of education at the American Centre at 3:00pm on Thursday. He will answer questions from the audience, said a news release. The programme will be sponsored by the centre as part of the American Thursday speaker series. All are requested to call 881-3441 to register their attendance.
— New Age

Discussion on HIV/AIDS held
LIFE, a UN associated non-governmental organisation, held a discussion on sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Govt Girls High School in the Dhaka city on Tuesday. LIFE organised the discussion as part of its ongoing project supported by the National AIDS/STD Programme of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and UNICEF. LIFE chairman Kamrul Islam Sony presided over the meeting. The school’s assistant headmistress, Rahima Akter, LIFE programme officer Aamirul Islam and official Kazi Asif Iqbal were present.
— UNB

Pickle fair on May 21
The Narigrantha Prabartana will hold a daylong Achar Mela (pickle fair) in its office on Sir Syed Road at Mohammadpur on May 21, said a news release. The pickle made of seasonal fruits will be sold and displayed in the fair, which will remain open between 10:30am and 7:00pm.
— New Age