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The government has got positive response for fund from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for the construction of the 8.25-kilometre flyover stretching from Moghbazar to Mouchak in Dhaka.
   The flyover is the third on the priority list of the Kuwait government for funding, which is now waiting for consent of the Kuwait government, said sources in the LGDR and cooperatives ministry.
   The first and second on the priority list for funding by the Kuwait government — the Karnaphuli Bridge and the Bogra Women’s Medical College — have already got the consent, they said.
   Further steps will be taken for the flyover after getting the consent from the Kuwait government in this regard, they added.
   The government earlier sent a letter seeking fund of the KFAED through the Economic Relations Division for the proposed Tk 484-crore-flyover in November 2005.
   The design of the flyover, which has been approved by government recently, has eight ramps, including at Rampura, Rajarbagh, Wireless Gate, Holy Family, Banglamotor, FDC Gate and Satrasta.
   All the process of awarding international tenders has been completed and the tenders will be called after being ensured of the fund by the donor agencies.
   ‘We will call three tenders for awarding the work order in three parts of the flyover. Any capable firm or three firms will be able to do the work after winning the bid,’ said an LGED official.
   The first part of the flyover will begin at Mouchak, covering the Shantinagar intersection, Rajarbagh, Rampura and Atish Diponkor Road Rail Gate.
   The second part at Moghbazar will cover the FDC intersection, Satrasta and the Moghbazar Rail Gate.
   The third part (combine part) will connect the Mouchak and Moghbazar flyover.
   Initially, there was a plan to construct a 2.1-kilometre flyover which is now 8.25 kilometres to be constructed on an area of 6.1 kilometres.
   The project director, Md Haider Ali, said the flyover would be used by all modes of motorised vehicles and there will also be facility for mass traffic movement.
   This flyover will not hamper the Strategic Transport Plan and it will also not hamper the proposed elevated road, he said.
   The LGED earlier conducted one-year feasibility study at a cost of Tk 3.5 crore funded by the KFAED.
   The government took the initiative to construct this flyover two years ago. The Local Government Engineering Department is in charge of implementing the project.
   The Moghbazar flyover will be the fourth flyover in the city.
   Two flyovers — the Mohakhali flyover and the Khilgaon flyover — have already been open for public use while the construction work of the Gulistan-Jatrabari flyover is expected to begin on April 17.

The prime minister, Khaleda Zia, on Monday called upon all concerned, particularly politicians and noted personalities, who have personal collection of documents, books, photographs and video clips on Bangladesh history and heritage to deposit those with the National Archives as the nation’s property.
   She made the call while inaugurating the newly constructed modern building of Bangladesh National Archives at Agargaon in the city, saying that deposition of valuable personal collections and achievements as national wealth would prevent those getting lost in the absence of possessors.
   ‘Many documents, books, photographs and even video clips related to history and heritage of Bangladesh remained with many as personal collections. Many politicians and noted personalities keep documents related to their personal experiences and achievements as diary and letter,’ she told the inaugural function attended by ministers, MPs and celebrities of various professions.
   Saying that the young generation of Bangladesh is now passing through a critical time, the prime minister observed that they would have to keep up quest for the country’s own history and its roots of universal heritage in the perspective of globalisation.
   She hoped that the archive authority would take initiative to introduce the new generation to the documents preserved in the national archive.
   The new generation will have to be groomed from now on Imbibed with the country’s past glorious achievements so that they can build up a happy and prosperous Bangladesh, Khaleda said.
   The prime minister said her government had taken many projects to prevent distortion of history and to prepare objective history so that the future generations of the country could know correct history of the nation. And today’s inauguration of the National Archives Bhaban is part of that continuous effort, she told the function.
   The prime minister said Bangladesh had a glorious history of thousand years, rich culture and old heritage and creation of Bangladesh National Archives was for preserving the history, culture and heritage for the interests of future generations.
   Presided over by the state minister for cultural affairs, Selima Rahman, the function was also addressed by Khandokar Mahbubuddin Ahmad, MP, Prof Shahidul Islam, MP and director of the Archive and Library Directorate Prof Dr Sharifuddin.

Twelve mobile courts on Monday unearthed a fake noodles factory and raided diagnostic centers and hospitals, private clinics running without licenses and technologists and in unhygienic environment at different places in the Dhaka city.
   Apart from this, the courts also raided some bakeries, restaurants and food shops running their business in unhygienic environment and producing food without having any approval of the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute.
   The courts also fined Tk 9,18,200 and filed 63 cases against them and sent three persons to jail and summoned one person to appear in the court.
   A mobile court led by magistrate Fazlul Haque unearthed a fake noodles factory, Cocola and Foods, at Demra. The court realised Tk 1,00,000 from owner of the factory, Kazi Mohiuddin, for having no license and unhygienic environment at the factory. The court also filed three cases against and fined different shops and restaurants in the area Tk 28,000.
   A mobile court led by magistrate Saiful Islam conducted drive at Helal Diagnostic Centre at Mirpur section 10 and found its pathological laboratory running without any valid license and issuing fake pathological report using signature of doctors. The court also directed to take action against Yonus Zaman, who works as a specialised doctor at the centre, and fined it Tk 80,000.
   Under the Mirpur thana area, the court also raided the Medi Complex at Roquiyah Sarani and the Marx Clinic and General Hospital at Mirpur section 14. The court found that expired reagents were being used at Medi Complex for preparing blood, urine and other pathological tests. The court fined Medi Complex Tk 30,000 and the clinic Tk 50,000.
   Magistrate Tapan Kumar Biswas under the Tejgaon police station raided Al-Razi Hospital at Farmgate and found that foodstuffs and a packet of blood were kept together inside a refrigerator, the daily report issued by the hospital had no signature of the doctors and the environment of the hospital was unhygienic. The court fined it Tk 20,000.
   The court fined banana traders at Kawran bazaar Tk 20,000 for using chemicals to ripen banana and seized some food products like beef and corn flower from the Central Mark Departmental Store at Farmgate as the products had no approval of the City Corporation and the BSTI. The court fined it Tk 30,000. The court also realised Tk 20,000 from two hotels of the area for running unsocial activities.
   Magistrate Alamgir Mohammad Mansurul Alam raided a drug manufacturing laboratory, Uni-Lab at Goran under the Khilgaon police station and fined it Tk 20,000 as the laboratory had no license and unhygienic environment at the laboratory. The court also summoned owner of the laboratory to appear in court.
   Mobile court of AKM Tariqul Alam raided three bakeries, including Muslim Bakery and Sweetmeat at Katasur under the Mohammadpur police station. The court found unhygienic environment and substandard flavour used in biscuit and fined it Tk 1.25 lakh and sent two employees of the bakery to jail for one year for failing to pay the fine. The court also realised Tk 22,000 from another two bakeries and filed three cases against them.
   Magistrate Nesar Ahmad raided different sweetmeat shops and restaurants at Paltan and found Hotel Liza having no license. The court fined the hotel Tk 55,000 and sent its manager, Amir Hossin, to jail for 21 for failing to pay the fine.
   A mobile court led by Nazmul Ahsan Majumder realised Tk 21,900 as fines from and filed cases against Monihar Bakery, United Enterprise, a mineral water company, at Kuril and Badda. The court also filed seven cases under the motor vehicle act. The court found the mineral water company having no BSTI and City Corporation license.
   Mobile court of Mohammad Abdus Saboor Chowdhury raided different bakeries and confectioners at Dhanmondi and Newmarket, found unhygienic environment, substandard foods and foods without date of expiry. The court filed four cases and realised Tk 70,000 as fines from the bakeries and confectioners.
   Shah Rezwan Hayat conducted drive at different street-side restaurants, confectioners and construction sites at North Abdullahpur under the Turag police station. The court found date-expired food stuffs, unhygienic environment and some developers piling up construction materials on footpaths. The court fined them Tk 67,500 and filed 12 cases against them.
   Magistrate Rashidul Hasan conducted drive at Lalabagh and Kamrangir. The court filed eight cases and fined Tk 38,800 under pure food act and motor vehicle acts while the mobile court of Rafiqul Islam conducted drive at the Kotwali police area, filed 16 cases and realised Tk 69,100 as fines.

Tension mounted in Sylhet centring a cultural programme scheduled for today to raise funds for acid survivors.
   The Al Islah Bangladesh student wing Anjuman-e-Talamij-e-Islam called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the city to protest against the programme planned by the Acid Violence Eradication Committee in the district stadium in the afternoon.
   The city unit Anjuman-e-Talamij in a release on Sunday said the Sylhet people would not tolerate anything that goes against Islam and brought out a procession.
   The organisation leaders they would hold rallies surrounding the venue just before the programme schedule.
   Various Islamic political parties held a rally at Sobhanghat Sunday evening supporting the hartal.
   The Sylhet unit Acid Violence Eradication Committee remained firm to hold the programme.
   An official of the organisation’s Sylhet unit Monday evening said they were firm in holding the fund-raiser.
   The non-governmental organisation planned a similar programme earlier, but had to back out in the face of opposition by the Islamic organisations such as Khelafat-e-Majlis and Jamiyat-e-Islam.

Mobile operator Banglalink on Monday introduced a value added service which will enable its 1.5 million subscribes to receive recipes of celebrated cook Tommy Miah just by sending a text.
   Around 260 recipes of Bangladeshi, Indian, Thai and Chinese appetisers and main course, including desserts, will be available in the service, i’cook.
   ‘We have teamed up with Tommy Miah to make his recipes available for our subscribers,’ said Banglalink marketing director Omer Rashid.
   The subscribers will need to type in TM and the code and send the text to 2665 for the recipe.
   The codes are available on Banglalink web site and will be printed in newspaper advertisements.
   Value added service manager Asraf Heiba said the texts will be charged at Tk 2 each during promotional period, which will continue till April 15. The charge will later be increased to Tk 3.
   ‘I am very much happy to be associated with Banglalink to offer such service,’ said Tommy Miah.

Students of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology with the demand for shifting the mortal remains of Birshrestha Matiur Rahman from abroad to the country brought out a procession on the university campus on Monday.
   The teachers, employees and different socio-cultural activists also joined the procession that was brought out around 12:30pm.
   Following the procession, the speakers at a rally demanded immediate initiative of the government to shift the mortal remains of Matiur Rahman in country from the grave abroad where he was buried.
   They also called upon the government to place the remains at such a place where the general people could also enter.
   Dr Zafar Iqbal, president of the Trusty Board of the Mukijuddha Utshav: Bangladesh and chief of the department of computer science of SUST declared that the movement of shifting the mortals of Matiur Rahman had started from Monday on the SUST campus and a press conference would be organised in Dhaka on April 8 to press home the demand.

Rain or thunder shower accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is like at one or two places over the Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions and the regions of Jessore, Kushtia, Noakhali and Comilla till :00pm today, said the Met Office in a forecast on Monday.
   Weather may remain nearly unchanged with partly cloudy sky elsewhere. Day temperature may also remain unchanged.
   The highest temperature on Monday, 35.3 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Rajshahi and the lowest, 16.4 degrees Celsius, in Sylhet.
   The sun sets in the capital city at 6:16pm today and will rise at 5:57am on Wednesday.

The Daffodil Computers Ltd and the Grameen Star Education Ltd are going to start from today a joint venture ‘Daffodil-Grameen IT Education Ltd’ to impart education on information and communication technology across the country.
   Under the project, a central body will be set up to impart education on ICT through affiliated institutions all over the country, project officer Rashed Karim told New Age on Monday.
   The commerce minister, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, is expected to inaugurate the programme at the LGED auditorium as chief guest in Dhaka today.
   The Grameen Bank managing director, Mohammad Yunus, and the Daffodil Group chairman, Md Sabur Khan, will be present on the occasion.
   At the early stage, the central body will give affiliation to the institutions that have required operational standard at the district level, he said.
   He said the central body would manage the affiliated institutions and provide them with guidelines, curriculum and course outline to conduct various courses on information and communication technology.
   The body will also supply question papers for the examination that will be held at the divisional level, he added.
   Affiliated institutions will recruit teaching staff with the consent of the central body and will give the body as royalty a portion of the money received as course fee from the students, he said.
   He said the ultimate aim of the venture was to reach the grass-roots level along with ICT education.
   The initiative will help the unemployed youth across the country getting jobs in this thrust sector, he added.

A Mob lynched an alleged snatcher when he was fleeing away after snatching Tk 9,000 from a trader at Kabir Bottala under the Daulatpur police station in the Khulna city Monday evening.
   The police said about four snatchers took away the money from an onion trader at around 7:30pm. Local people caught one of the snatchers, aged about 27 years, and beat him.
   The police took him to Khulna Medical College Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Other snatchers, however, managed to escape.

Former lawmaker advocate Golam Jilani Chowdhury died of old age complications in his residence in Sylhet on Monday. He was 81.
   Golam Jilani Chowdhury was elected from the Sunamganj 2 constituency.
   The speaker of parliament, Barrister Muhammad Jamirud-din Sircar, expressed deep shock at the death of Jilani.
   He prayed for salvation of the departed soul and conveyed sympathy to the members of the bereaved family.

A cultural evening of the All Community Club Ltd was held on Thursday at the club community hall at Gulshan in the capital.
   The club president, Mohammad Shahidullah Azim, addressed the cultural programme, saying Nolok and Beauty were the idols of Bangladesh and they would continue inspiring the future generation by their performances.
   Nine new members of the club were honoured with crests at the function where Close-up 1 winners Nolok and Beauty performed.

Syeda Roushan Ara Begum (Sami), wife of the late Zahurul Ashraf Bhuiyan (Mahtab Mia) of village Boro Koir under Pubail in Gazipur, and mother of freedom fighter Haji Mohammad Mushirul Haq, died at her village home at 7:30pm on Friday. She was 73.
   Syeda Roushan Ara Begum was the youngest child of the late Moulvi Syed Mohebbur Rahman of village Noagaon under Araihazar in Narayanganj.
   She is survived by three sons and three daughters.
   She was buried in her family graveyard at Koir on Saturday.
   A prayer session will be organised for her by her family at Koir on Thursday.

HSBC-Prothom Alo language contest
held
Daylong HSBC-Prothom Alo Bangla language and literature competition, Bhasha-Pratiyog, was held at Amrita Lal Dey College in Barisal on Monday, with 597 primary to higher secondary students from 50 institutions joining in the regional round. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation and the daily Prothom Alo sponsored the programme.
— New Age

Furniture fair
begins today
The five-day third National Furniture Fair will begin at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre today. The Bangladesh Furniture Industries Owners’ Association and the Design and Technology Centre are organising the event. Entry to the fair is free.
— BDNews

Rally for cultural development in Khulna
The committee of Khulna citizens to push for a fully-fledged television centre and a dramaturgy centre on Monday organised a cultural function at the press club demanding that a television centre, Shilpakala Academy complex and a dramaturgy centre should be established. The committee expressed solidarity with the hartal called by the Greater Khulna Development Movement Coordination Action Committee for Wednesday.
— New Age