30 injured as protests against
power outages continue
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
At least 30 people were injured in Chittagong, Sylhet and Manikganj as people clashed with the police on Saturday night and Sunday during protests against power outages.
Several power stations and offices, and eight Power Development Board vehicles were also damaged during the second and third day of countrywide protests.
The Power Division on Sunday summoned 54 general managers of different power installations, including Palli Bidyut Samity, to hold an emergency meeting today to review the power shortage and countrywide protests.
The country experienced 900MW load-shedding during the evening peak hours Sunday as the PDB could supply around 3300MW against the demand of around 4200MW.
New Age’s correspondents report that 10 people were injured in troubles at Raujan, Hathazari and Mirersharai and Dewanhat and Kalurghat in the city Saturday night and 10
each in Dhamrai in Manikganj and Jakiganj in Sylhet on Sunday.
In Dewanhat of Chittagong, at least five persons were injured when police charged truncheon on several hundred devotees, who said their tarabi prayers at three mosques at Posterpar without electricity and marched towards Agrabad PDB office to gherao it at about 9:30pm.
Agitated people also vandalised the Kalurghat substation control room and damaged seven PDB vehicles in different parts of the city.
Three persons were injured as the police resorted to batons after several hundred people had swooped on Katirhat and Madarsha power stations in Hathazari at around 9:00pm
and vandalised the windowpanes.
The Rest House and Guzra Magdai power stations and motorbike of a PDB employee in Raujan also came under attack the same night.
Police charged baton on the protestors leaving two of them injured.
In Mirsharai, people ransacked the Baroiarhat municipality substation after tarabi prayers.
Additional police were deployed in city substations and Agrabad PDB office, PDB sources said adding that security measures had also been taken for power installations in different upazilas.
In Dhamrai and Jakiganj, people locked into clashes with the police after they (police) had intervened to stop attack on power stations and offices. Twenty people — 10 each in Dhamrai and Jakiganj — were injured.
Agitated people in Narayanganj also ransacked power offices while around 500 people kept encircled the office of the general manager of a Palli Bidyut Samity in Jhalakati.
Committee formed to probe
Barapukuria gas leakage
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The government on Sunday formed a four-member inquiry committee to investigate the gas leakage at Barapukuria coal mine in Dinajpur that forced suspension of coal production.
The committee, headed by a Petrobangla senior general manager, Maqbul-e-Elahi, was asked to submit its report in 10 days.
The other members of the committee are Barapukuria Coal Mine Company managing director, Mahbubur Rahman, British consultant of the mine, Barry Edward, and chief executive officer of the Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Centre, Nazrul Islam.
As per terms of reference of the committee, it would inquire as to why such incident of gas leakage took place at the initial stage of the mine operation and whether it was a result of the fault of the operating company.
It would find out the effect of the gas leakage and the ways how soon production from the mine could be started. It will also recommend measures to stop any such leakage in future.
The commercial extraction of coal from the country’s first mine at Barapukurua became uncertain due to leakage of gas through the pit.
Sources said carbon monoxide gas started emitting from the underground mine on September 30, forcing the CMC, the Chinese operator of the mine, to suspend its operation.
The energy and mineral resources adviser, Mahmudur Rahman, said the government would take measures on the basis of the findings and recommendations of the inquiry committee.
‘Our main concern at this moment is how soon we can resume the commercial operation of the mine,’ he added.
SM Sultan’s anniversary
of death today
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The 11th anniversary of death of renowned artist SM Sultan will be observed today with discussions, prayer sessions, and recitation from the Quran.
Sultan, also known as Lal Miah, born in Masimdia village in Narail on August 10, 1923, and died on October 10, 1994.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has organised a discussion meeting on life and works of the artist at its gallery today at 11:00am. Artists Syed Jahangir, Abu Taher, and Nahid Akhter will be present as discussants.
Sultan studied at Government School of Art in Kolkata, but did not complete his course. He left the school three years after study, and chose to work as a freelance artist.
He held his first exhibition in Simla in 1946, but no work from this period survives, not even photographs, as Sultan was indifferent to preserve his work. Two more exhibitions were also held in Lahore in 1948 and at Karachi in 1949.
RAB arrests nine Juba Dal activists
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Patuakhali
The Rapid Action Battalion arrested nine alleged extortionists belonging to the ruling BNP’s youth front Juba Dal from the town early Sunday.
RAB arrested them from the house of the district Juba Dal president, Mashiur Rahman Khan, also a close aide to the commerce minister, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, and an accused criminal. Mashiur, however, managed to flee making the RAB effort failed for the third time.
The law enforcing agencies continued hunt for Mashiur, said the officer-in-charge of the Patuakhali sadar police station, Abdul Hannan.
Film actress Prema arrested
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The Paltan police arrested film actress Tania Sikdar Prema on charge of misappropriation of money from a businessman Sunday evening.
Later, the police handed over Prema to the Motijheel police station following a case filed by the businessman with Motijheel police station.
Sub-inspector Shana Begum of the Paltan police station told newsmen that Prema was caught by a businessman after she had locked into an altercation with him in his Shantinagar residence and threatened him.
Abdus Salam, the investigation officer of the case, told newsmen that the complainant alleged that Prema had taken away TK 8,000 from him and threatened him.
World Mental Health Day today
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
World Mental Health Day will be observed across the country as in other parts of the globe today with the theme ‘mental and physical health across the lifespan’.
The day will be observed to raise awareness of the need for treatment and care for mental health of individuals throughout the life span.
Each stage of life, from infancy to old age, brings different challenges and different needs, said UN secretary general Kofi Annan in his message.
Different government and non-governmental organisations will hold programmes.
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