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Planetarium Bhasani Novo Theatre stopped Tuesday noon running shows as the system collapsed reportedly because of poor maintenance and negligence in its operation by the authorities.
   Hundreds of visitors who rushed there on Valentine’s Day and bought tickets had to go back without enjoying show. The authorities explained the matter as a betrayal by the machine.
   Sources said the planetarium, inaugurated by the prime minister on September 25, 2004, has been in disarray allegedly for lack of maintenance.
   They said the overhaul of the machines was due in December 2005, but the authorities did not do any overhauling in time.
   There were several mechanical faults and interruptions of shows in recent past. The shows were delayed by one or two hours also for lack of proper management, the sources said.
   The theatre is run on local electric line instead of the proposed expressed line for uninterrupted power supply.
   There is an emergency generator, which has for long been out of order. The batteries of the uninterrupted power supply do not function either, they said.
   There are allegations that many officials and employees appointed there on nepotism did not bother to attend office regularly and care about work.
   The planetarium director, Khadiza Begum, who rarely visited the office, denied the allegations saying the show was suspended for an overhaul of the machines and not because of any mechanical fault.
   Asked if there should have been a notice on the overhaul, she said, ‘The question does not arise as we have received permission for the overhaul and a notice regarding closure of the show will soon be hanged at the planetarium.’
   ‘I was abroad. It rather requires time to get permission from the ministry,’ said Khadiza, also a joint secretary of the Ministry of Science and ICT. She said she was not ready to talk about the visitors who gathered to enjoy the show and hang up the phone.
   The machine operator, Satyajit Ganguly, who is from India, first declined to make any comments, but later told New Age that the system required a thorough overhaul.
   Asked if the overhaul was due in December, he said, ‘Yes, it was. But delay may happen sometimes.’
   There was a heavy rush at the planetarium throughout the day. The suspension dismayed the visitors. Many shouted at the sheer negligence of the authorities.
   ‘How can they disappoint so many people this way?’ said a visitor, about to get back home after waiting for a couple of hours at the place.
   The authorities gave back the ticket money to the visitors after they had failed to get the system going.
   The planetarium after political tangles for years was finally set up at a cost of Tk 133 crore at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
   The prime objective was to attract the young people, especially the students, to planetary studies.
   The overall environment, including security at the planetarium, deteriorated in recent times, said many of the visitors.
   The officials concerned believed that a full-time director could rescue the planetarium from being damaged further.

Book lovers in thousands, mostly young couples, on Tuesday visited the Ekushey book fair.
   It was February 14, St Valentine’s Day, and the couples were busy exchanging gifts and novels, especially love stories, which topped the tally of their choice. Volumes of poems also sold well on the day as valentine gifts.
   Titles of lighter tastes were on high demand on the day. A large number of card packs with illustrated poems or rhymes on love sold. A compilation of love-song lyrics by KG Mostafa, Ainate Oi Mukh Dekhbe Jakhan, were among the top-sellers.
   People began standing in long queues at the entrance much before they did on other days. At 3:00pm, the queues tailed back to the Teachers-Students Centre and the Shishu Academy and the security personnel had to set up more archways to manage the crowd.
   Seventy titles on an average arrived in the fair during the first half of the month-long fair days, and the sales were better, the sellers said.
   The fair information centre reported the arrival of 1,022 titles during February 2–14. The figure was 640 during the same period in the past year’s fair.
   Although the flow of titles was double what it was in the past year, very few of them could attract buyers.
   Writer Imdadul Huq Milon said the Gender Encyclopaedia by Selina Hossain and Masuduzzaman published by Mawla Brothers was worth buying.
   Filmmaker Rahman Mustafiz said he would buy the first novel by Hasan Azizul Huq, Agunpakhi. Poet Sarkar Amin gave his opinion in favour of the reprint of the issue of Samakal on poems edited by Sikandar Abu Zafar.
   Some readers said the reprint of some history books by Dibya Prakash, Nabbai Dashaker Chhatra Rajniti by Mohammad Hannan, three books by Muntassir Mamun on lost books, films and photographs of Dhaka were worth buying.
   Robin Ahsan of Shraban Prakashan said the sales of novels by popular writers increased. But buyers are still less interested in titles on politics, history, philosophy and other serious issues.
   The minister for law, Moudud Ahmed, visited the fair, as his book Sangsade Ja Bolechhi arrived in the fair on the day.
   Youngsters and fans of poet Al Mahmud and writer Imdadul Huq Milon thronged the stalls of the writers to collect autographs.
   Fifty-nine titles arrived in the fair on Tuesday. Eleven of them were novels, 20 volumes of poems and two on children’s literature.
   The Bangla Academy held a discussion on Kazi Motahar Hossain in the afternoon with KM Mohsin in the chair.
   Muhammad Nurul Huda read out the keynote paper. Muhammad Ibrahim, Shahida Rafiq and Syed Ziaul Huq joined the discussion.
   A cultural programme was held in the evening.

Traders of medicines, fruit, and mobile and workshops have long been occupying the footpaths surrounding Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
   Shops have been constructed on the footpaths, especially in front of the emergency and outpatient department gate of the hospital.
   Some fruit and medicine traders even have occupied the passenger sheds of the Dhaka City Corporation.
   Although the city corporation conducts drive against such illegal occupation, the traders keep running their trade on the footpaths with the assistance of the hospital staff and officials, said the estate department chief, Abu Taleb, of the city corporation.
   The estate department removed on Sunday the shops, including Islam Pharmacy and Popy Confectioneries, from the footpaths, he said. ‘We need help from the hospital authorities to evict the illegal traders. And if they do not cooperate, it becomes tough for us to do the job.’
   Rafiqul Islam, who owns Islam Pharmacy, told New Age on Tuesday, ‘I rented a shop from the Dainik Janata in 1980s, and I constructed the shop near by the emergency gate.’
   He said, ‘I am paying monthly rent for the shop, but some hospital staff want to take possession of the place. So they complained with the city corporation and the Ramna police. I will go to court to get my possession back.’
   Six mobile phone shops have been set up on the footpath around the hospital. Most shop owners are Class III employees of the hosptial.
   More than 5,000 patients, of the hospital wards and the outpatient department, are routinely harassed on the footpaths, said the attendants of a patient on Tuesday.
   He said they were doing the business illegally and were charging more than the price at other places.
   Most city footpaths, stretching 163 kilometres, have remained occupied by illegal traders, said an estate department official.

Eyes of 31 per cent of total 40,000 blind children in Bangladesh were affected by cataract which could be cured through timely diagnosis and proper treatment, speakers said at a workshop on Tuesday.
   Little care and consciousness of the people in society could protect the children from the cataract as well as the blindness, they told the workshop on ‘childhood cataract and health communication programme’ organised by the Child Sight Foundation at the BRAC Centre.
   The organisation which has been working to eliminate child blindness since 2001 has taken up the programme as cataract is the main cause for child blindness.
   There are some myths and beliefs among the people about cataract in childhood, said Dr MA Muhit, research fellow, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK.
   ‘There are also lacks of awareness among the people while treating cataract children which creates obstacles to the children to gain the sight,’ he added saying that as surgery is the only treatment for cataract-affected children, the parents and the community members will have play a lot of responsibilities before and after operation.
   The eyes of babies and children even elderly people can be affected by cataract, the speakers said. If the parents see white spots on the eyes of their children, they should immediately contact with the doctors.
   None should delay in undergoing operation for cataract, a little delay may create risk of amblyopia and irreversible visual impairment, the eye specialists said while giving the key messages on handling the cataract.
   The information minister, M Shamsul Islam, who addressed the workshop as chief guest said a collaborative effort by the government and non-governmental organisations is much needed to combat the cataracts as the programme in eliminating polio and campaigning for vitamin across the country became successful.
   The workshop was addressed, among others, by MA Matin, vice-chairman of the Bangladesh National Council for the Blind, Zobaida Hannan, president of the CSF, Victoria Francis, health educationist and editor of the Community Eye Health Journal, London, UK.

Valentine’s Day was observed with the young people exchanging cards, flowers and gifts.
   Socio-cultural organisations marked the day with various programmes such as talk shows, debate, musical shows and blood donation programmes.
   The National Debate Federation organised a debate on Valentine’s Day at Jahangirnagar University at 5:00pm.
   The Valentine’s Day celebrations committee arranged a programme at the Swoparjita Swadhinata Mancha at Dhaka University.
   The programme began with a procession at 3:00pm and continued till sunset with other programmes such as receiving lovebirds with flowers, reminiscence of memories of love, music, recitation of poems and love letters. The slogan of the day was is ‘peace in love.’
   A cultural programme ‘Praner Bhashay Maner Gan’ sponsored by Banglalink was held at Rabindra Sarobar.
   The BRAC University and Bangladesh Thalassaemia Hospital held a blood donation programme on the campus.

Weather is likely to remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky all over Bangladesh till 6:00pm today, said the Met Office in a forecast on Tuesday.
   Light fog may occur at places over the river basins early morning. Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged during the period.
   The highest temperature on Tuesday, 32.5 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Mongla and the lowest, 14 degrees Celsius, at Srimangal. The sun sets in the capital city at 5:54pm today and will rise at 6:31am on Thursday.

Cross examination of witnesses in a case lodged under the explosive acts in connection of the killing of two judges in Jhalakati on November 14, 2005 has begun in the Barisal divisional speedy trial tribunal on Tuesday.
   The trial, however, was disturbed by hot altercation between the judge and public prosecutor of the court about the trial procedure.
   Killer Mamun, JMB leaders Sani and Awal, three arrested accused in the case, were awarded 40 years’ rigorous imprisonment each on Thursday last after they pleaded guilty during framing of charges.
   On Tuesday, 15 persons, including the complainant, widow of a victim, cops, forensic experts, magistrates, out of 26 summoned witnesses, were examined. A total of 44 charge sheeted witnesses will be examined in this case and it will continue till today.
   The tribunal judge, MA Matin, started the court at 9:30am on Tuesday instead of the usual time, 11:00am, and backed to his chamber at 11:45am instead of 5:00pm.
   During this period, the judge himself examined nine of the 15 witnesses and declared six of them immature or not necessarily important while the public prosecutor examined six others.
   The defense lawyers engaged by the state in favour of the arrested accused, Sultan, who pleaded not guilty during the charge framing on February 9 and in favour of the absconding accused, Shaekh Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai, Molla Omar and Amzad, declined to cross examine the witnesses except the dying declaration of Mamun.
   When asked about taking dying declaration of Mamun, the magistrate, Munim Hassan, told the defense lawyers that as the condition of Mamun was very critical, his dying declaration was taken on that day.
   Pallabi Pandey Rita and Shrestha, widow and son of the killed judge, Jagannath Pandey, were also present at the court and were entertained in the personal chamber by the tribunal judge, which created resentments among the defense side.
   In her witness statement, Pallabi described her husband’s killing and alleged that if the government had taken rapid and stern steps to ensure safety and security of the judges after the August 17 series bomb blasts, her husband might have survived.
   The tribunal public prosecutor, Majibor Rahman Nantu, applied for half an hour break for preparation of the prosecution side, which was rejected by the court.
   Then the PP and judge engaged in altercations over the trial procedure which started without the assistance of the prosecution side and ended at 11:45am, declaring to continue the trial today.
   In a short press briefing in the court room, the PP, Nantu, alleged that the judge was conducting the trial procedure according to his own will and whim without coordination with the state prosecution side, which may be a sabotage and favour for the defense side in the appellate division.
   The judge, MA Matin, said he was doing all in accordance with law and trying to save time.
   It was regretful that the PP was not prepared and was not present in time at the court to conduct a sensational case like this, the judge alleged.

The State University of Bangladesh and the McMaster University, Canada are jointly hosting an international conference titled ‘impact of global issues on women and children’ on February 12-16 at the Sonargaon Hotel.
   The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, inaugurated the conference on Monday.
   The state minister for education, Ehsanul Haq Milon, and the Canadian high commissioner, Barbara Richardson, attended the conference as special guests.
   The State University acting vice-chancellor, Professor MS Ilyas Dhami, presided over the inaugural ceremony while Dr AM Shamim read out the welcome speech.

The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution fined nine business establishments in Narayanganj for illegally running their businesses and producing substandard goods.
   The BSTI in two drives on Sunday and Monday fined the establishments Tk 4.1 lakh.
   The nine organisations are SK Products, Garibe Newaz Salt Industries, Dewan Flour Mills, factory that produces Majadar brand chanachur, Gofran Food Products, Foodland Food Products which produces Foodland brand breads and biscuits.
   The other four establishments are Haq Steel Complex Limited, Pithalipool Steel Re-rolling Mills Limited, Shah Jalal Re-rolling Mills and Khan Steel Re-rolling Mills.

At least 10 persons, including three staff of Samorita Hospital, were injured in a clash between attendants of a patient and the hospital staff on Panthapath in Dhaka, following a patient’s death Tuesday morning.
   Family members of the deceased alleged that their patient, who had a brain stroke, died because of negligence of doctors and staff of the hospital.
   The patient was shifted to the hospital early morning on February 6 from Islami Bank Hospital after he had a brain stroke on the night of February 2 and was under treatment of Dr Kazi Din Muhammad.
   The relatives of the deceased also alleged that staff of the hospital attacked them with sticks and bed stands while they were talking to the doctors over the issue.
   The police said the clash erupted at about 8:30am after Md Kawsar Ahmed, 55, a patient of Dr Kazi Din Muhammad and also a resident of 64 Arambagh in the capital, died in the hospital at about 8:00am.
   Salma Begum, wife of the deceased, told New Age, ‘The doctor gave my husband sedative medicine Sunday night as he could not sleep normally but he did not regain his senses after that.’
   ‘As we asked the doctors about his condition, they told us that he was sleeping but today (Tuesday) morning, Pulok Kumar De, the on-duty doctor, told us to call all of our relatives as he expired,’ Salma added.
   She also said, ‘When some of my relatives were talking to the doctors about their negligence and informed channel i, some of the staff attacked us in presence of the police and TV camera after closing the main gate.’
   ‘Hearing our scream, local people rushed to the spot but could not enter the hospital as the main gate was locked,’ Salma continued.
   She said at one stage, when the locals and pedestrians started vandalising some flower box of the hospital, the authorities opened the main gate and released us.
   On the other hand, the hospital management blamed the attendants for the incident and accused them of misbehaving with a senior doctor.
   Nurul Islam, general manager of the hospital, told newsmen, ‘The angry attendants came to the ground floor and tried to assault me and when some of the staff tried to resist them, they also attacked them.’
   ‘Three of our ward boys were injured during the attack and we filed a general diary in this connection,’ the GM added.
   Soon after the incident, the Rapid Action Battalion members rushed to the hospital and brought the situation under control.

The installation ceremony of the newly elected executives of the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel Sramic O Karmachari Union was held at the hotel winter garden on Tuesday.
   The state minister for civil aviation and tourism, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, attended the programme as chief guest.
   The newly elected executives are headed by Matiur Rahman, the president, and Md Shafiuddin, the general secretary.
   The union leaders hoped that the existing congenial relationship between the hotel management and the associates will achieve a greater success under the new elected leadership.
   Among others, Abul Kashem Chowdhury, acting president of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, Lutfur Rahman, managing director of Bangladesh Services Limited, and Trevor MacDonald, general manager of the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel, were also present at the occasion.

Dr Ajay Abrol recently joined Apollo Hospitals Dhaka as a consultant plastic, cosmetic hand and micro surgeon.
   Dr Abrol graduated from India and completed his post graduation in general surgery from Govt Medical College and Hospital Jammu.
   He has specialised in plastic surgery from Pubjab University with comprehensive training in all aspects of plastic surgery, including general plastic surgery, burn and its management, cosmetic and aesthetic surgery, hand and micro surgery, reconstructive surgery and facio-maxillary surgery.

First death anniversary of former Workers Party central leader Sheikh Mohammad Elias will be observed today.
   He was the founder editor of daily Jugkatha, first daily published from Gopalganj.
   He was president of the Bangladesh Khetmojur Union.

Seminar on govt
land in Khulna
education ends
A daylong seminar on government land was held in the BMA auditorium in Khulna on Tuesday. Non-governmental organisation Uttaran with the help of another organisation Manuser Janya organised the seminar, joined in by working journalists of Khulna and NGO people. The seminar, chaired by Firoz Ahmed, was also addressed by journalists Shahabuddin Ahmed, Quazi Amanullah and Gouranga Nandy, lawyer Zakirul Islam Siddiqui, Aminur Rahman and Farzana Sultana of Uttaran. The speakers said as the government offices did not maintain proper data and documents of government land, genuine landless people were deprived of their rights to such land.
— New Age

Children Festival
on Feb 26
A four-day Bangladesh Children Festival will begin at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka on February 26. Adhyayan Shishu Foundation is holding the festival with the help of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Bangladesh Shishu Academy. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Swapner Bangladesh Amrai Garba.’ The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, is expected to inaugurate the festival. The academy and the foundation have organised a weeklong competition for children and juvenile at district and divisional levels on the occasion.
— BDNews