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The newly installed 80MW Tongi power plant was temporarily shut down on Thursday due to shortage of air-filter.
   The Power Development Board officials said the air-filters used in the plant were exhausted ahead of the schedule, leading to the untimely closure of the power plant.
   They feared the closure would add to the ongoing power crisis in and around the city, particularly in the Tongi industrial area.
   According to the sources in the Power Development Board, the peaking plant was facing various problems since its installation last year by the China-based Harbin Power Engineering.
   Soon after its inauguration by the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, in September in 2005, the plant abruptly stopped functioning. However, when the plant resumed generation, it again faced problem in the supply of gas.
   At one stage, the plant remained closed for a number of days in November in 2005 because of ‘low pressure in gas supply line.’
   The power board officials said the plant was supplied with gas from a feeder line of the Titas Gas Company, although generally a power plant gets gas supply from an express line.
   For last few months, the plant was generating between 40MW and 50MW instead of its installed capacity of 80MW.
   Recently, the power board officials detected that the air filters of the plant were getting non-functional because of heavy air pollution in Tongi area.
   They particularly mentioned that dust from a nearby rubber factory caused the problem in the power plant.
   As a result, all the filters supplied by the contractor of the plant were finished ahead of schedule and the operation of the plant had to be temporarily suspended.
   The power board sources said a team from GE of France, the gas turbine manufacturer of the plant, would visit the power plant to identify the problems.
   The chief engineer (generation) of the power board, Khijir Khan, admitted that the plant had been facing multi-dimensional problems.
   He said after carrying out maintenance work, the plant was expected to resume generation on February 20 if the air filters are available.
   The PDB has urged the Department of Environment to take measures to check air pollution in the power plant area, Khan added.

Tension ran high in the city on Friday following the holding of programmes by two rival factions of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party at the same venue and time.
   The Khulna Metropolitan Police imposed restriction on holding rally or procession in the Outer Stadium area from Friday noon to this evening as the rival factions of the city BNP called convention there at 10:00am today. The KMP authorities also deployed extra police in the area to avoid any untoward incident between the two factions — one led by whip Md Ashraf Hossain and M Nurul Islam MP, and the other led by Khulna mayor Sheikh Tayebur Rahman and Ali Asgar Lobby MP.
   The factional feud came into light after Lobby had been made the city unit convenor on October 27, 2005 with the dissolving of the previous committee in which Nurul Islam was the president.
   The Ashraf-Nurul faction on January 7 declared the programme under the banner of the city BNP and on February 8 took permission for using the stadium. The rival group called its programme, also under the banner of city BNP, on February 16 and started campaign from the day.
   Ashraf-Nurul faction, meanwhile, arranged a press conference at the Khulna Press Club at 3:00pm Friday, protesting the restriction in holding rally. They also accused their opponents of trying to foil their programme.
   In a press release in the name of Khulna city unit of BNP, the faction shifted the venue to the Sonali Bank Square in the city. It will be held at 10:00am.
   The rival faction in separate press release in the name of city BNP convening committee shifted their venue to the Maharaj Square, about 50 meters off the Sonali Bank Square. The programme, however, will be held at 3:00pm.

The people’s inquiry committee formed by a rights organisation on the Kansat tragedy in Chapainawabganj has found that the local lawmaker, deputy commissioner, police superintendent and the then officer-in-charge of Shibganj police station had been responsible for the killing of 10 people during a demonstration demanding power supply.
   The members of the committee at a press conference at a hotel in the district town on Friday blasted the government for executing ‘anti-farmer policies’ prescribed by the donor agencies.
   ‘The policies are destroying the agriculture sector of the country and hampering production of IRRI-Boro paddy due to shortage of electricity, diesel and fertilisers,’ the team said after visiting Kansat and adjacent areas.
   The five-member team of the National Committee on Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources and Port and Power Protection, said the government had killed the 10 people at Kansat on January 4 and 23, as they had demanded solution to their problems.
   ‘If the administration had tackled the situation judiciously and sensibly from the onset of the people’s movement, it would not have turned violent and the tragedy could have been averted,’ the committee observed.
   It is unfortunate that none of the administration had visited the place and did not offer compensation to the families of the deceased and injured persons, the committee members said.
   Locals told the committee that MP Shahjahan Miah had provoked the administration that led to the killing of innocent people.
   ‘The people of Kansat have vowed to resist at any cost the conspiracy of the government and donor agencies to destroy the country’s agriculture’, Mohammed Shahidullah, convener of the committee, told newsmen.
   The committee urged the government to take immediate steps to meet the demands of the people of Kansat, or, they warned, the situation could go out of control.
   The team will stay there till Saturday to complete the investigation and prepare its report within a month. The investigation team comprises Prof Anu Muhammad, Dr Shamsul Alam, Ruhin Hossain Prince, Abdus Salam and Jahangir Selim.

Farmers in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj are facing acute crisis of urea as the dealers stopped its collection from the Rajshahi buffer fertiliser godown four days ago, complaining that the stock is substandard and mixed with dusts.
   Sources in the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation said about 14,000 tonnes of urea had been imported from China and stocked in the godown for distribution among the northern region leaders.
   But the dealers stopped taking the urea on the plea that it was substandard and mixed with dusts, they added.
   ‘The urea is substandard, mixed with dirt and quality of the package is very poor,’ the president of Fertiliser Dealers Association, Rajshahi, Afjal Hossain, said. There are 140 dealers in the two districts enlisted with the corporation.
   The farmers do not buy such substandard fertiliser, said a number of dealers adding that the quality of packaging was so poor that most of the sacks were torn during loading and unloading in trucks.
   The farmers do not buy fertiliser in torn sacks as it weighs less than the actual, said a dealer adding that they had no alternative other than refraining from its collection though it caused urea crisis.
   Some BCIC officials supplied the fertiliser blending with substandard and dirty one, some others alleged.
   The fertiliser association on Wednesday lodged a complaint with the Rajshahi deputy commissioner, Syed Ahsanul Haque, following which the DC assured them of providing with fresh fertiliser.
   The association members also vowed not to take fertiliser until they were provided with fresh and quality one.
   A deputy director at the Department of Agricultural Extension, Rajshahi, Rabindra Kumar Majumder, visited the storages on Thursday.
   He echoed with the dealers about the packing, but refuted their claim about the standard of urea, saying ‘the quality of urea is fine’.
   The godown in charge, Siddiqur Rahman, told New Age that they had informed the matter of the higher authorities and we were asked to supply fresh fertiliser along with the existing one in a ratio of two trucks of fresh to eight trucks of existing urea to the dealers.
   BCIC regional official Shafirul Islam said if they repack the urea, they would have to count Tk 30 more for per bag.  

Another temporary supply centre was launched at Kajirhat ghat in Pabna on Friday, to solve the fuel crisis in the northern region.
   The energy adviser, Mahmudur Rahman, inaugurated the supply centre.
   Eighteen lakh litres of diesel will be supplied in the current season from the Kajirhat and Baghabari — 13 lakh litres from Kajirhat and 5 lakh litres from Baghabari.
   The government earlier launched a temporary fuel supply centre at Kajirhat. The temporary centres have been set up for smooth transportation of fuel.

The farmers at Rangpur, Kurigram, and Lalmonirhat have been still facing diesel crisis forcing them to buy the fuel from the traders in the rural areas at exorbitant prices.
   Shortage of fuel supply and its exorbitant prices are also hampering the Irri-Boro cultivation in the region, the farmers said.
   Diesel is selling between Tk 35 and Tk 38 per litre in the rural areas of the districts and at Tk 30.50 a litre at the filling stations.
   Though the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and the district administrations denied any crisis of diesel in the districts, the fuel supply is still inadequate as compared to demand, they said.
   According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, about 8 crore litres of diesel are needed in greater Rangpur and Dinajpur a month during the Boro season. But the BPC provided maximum 2 crore litres of fuel in the last 16 days.
   A BPC official said unregistered fuel traders in the rural areas are taking the advantage of the diesel crisis. ‘We have nothing to do against the retailers as there is no law to combat it,’ he said.

The government’s directive to take action against a section of WASA officials allegedly involved in misappropriating a huge sums of money through fictitious billing for generator operation is yet to be executed.
   The local government ministry ordered the officials concerned two months back to take stern measures against the alleged corrupt officials of the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority.
   Sources in the WASA said despite the directive, the persons involved in the bungling were still active in their respective positions.
   The local government ministry has found that in the four months to October in 2005, over Tk 8.03 crore had been spent on emergency operation of power generators, according to competent sources.
   The WASA has generators at 263 pump stations, out of the total 425 across the capital city.
   Official records reveal that a section of WASA officials submitted diesel-purchase bills
   showing that they had to run the generators 500 hours a month on average burning 22 litres of diesel every hour.
   The bills showed that about Tk 1.48 crore was spent in July, Tk 45.49 lakh in August, Tk 66.76 lakh in September and Tk 1.47 crore spent in October on generator operation.
   But the bills and the duration of generator operation appeared to be exaggerated to the WASA management as well as to the line ministry.
   They believe that the actual expenditure on generator operation might be much less (three-fourths) of the total bills submitted.
   The billing mismatch was discussed several times at meetings of the WASA Board. ‘But the management failed to take any action against the culprits,’ said a source.
   It is also alleged that two top-ranking officials of the WASA, are also involved in the bill fixing.
   Finally, the ministry concerned directed the management to take stern action against the persons involved in misappropriating public money.
   Following the orders, the WASA formed an inquiry committee to investigate the corruption charge. But the committee is yet to submit its report and the WASA could not take action.

Green activists at a rally in Dhaka on Friday urged that all types of ships with toxic materials should be barred from entering the Bangladesh coast.
   They also demanded an environmentally-friendly policy for ship-breaking industry and its implementation.
   A number of social and development organisations working on environment issues organised the rally, demanding close monitoring of the ship-breaking industry to protect the coastal environment and public health.
   In association with Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan, Green Voice, Seba, Hunger Project, Peace, Sundar Jiban, Bangladesh Economic Association, Cats Bangladesh, Sylhet Division Development Action Council, Asia Pacific University, Old Dhaka Environment Development Forum, SOS Samity and the World Peace Council organised the rally and formed a human chain in front of the National Museum at Shabagh at 10:30am.
   The green activists also demanded that all toxic ships and toxic scraps should be removed from the Chittagong shipyard and dumping wastes and oil in coastal areas should be stopped.
   They urged a healthy and secure environment for the labourers at the ship-breaking industry.
   Abdullah Abu Sayeed, joint-convener of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan, said only 220 officials of the Department of Environment could not protect the whole of Bangaldesh environment. He said a regular monitoring system was required in an organisational structure to protect the environment from being polluted.
   The group’s general secretary, Mahidul Haq Khan, said businessmen had been trying to bring in the ship, SS Norway, full of toxic materials, under different name after the ban.
   The activists said asbestos and other toxic materials and gas spreads when such ships are broken in the yards, causing environmental pollution.

Some 600 activists of the ruling BNP joined the Awami League on Friday night escalating tension among the local BNP leaders and workers.
   According to an AL press release, the BNP activists, led by district BNP vice-president, Mahtabuddin Mishu, joined the AL after a party meeting at Shaheed Mati Smrity Sangha ground.
   The BNP activists were said to be the followers of former BNP MP late Rafiqul Islam.
   The district AL general secretary, Advocate Shamsul Haq Tuku, former MP Amzad Hossain, Chandan Kumar Chakravarty, Lion Babi Islam, Abu Ishak Shamim and Juba League leader Jahangir Kabir Rana were, among others, present at the meeting.

At least 50 people were injured as two groups of villagers clashed over a land dispute at Paida in Pabna sadar upazila on Friday.
   The police and hospital sources said the clash ensued when Kasimuddin and Nazimuddin along with their supporters had gone to take possession of the dispute land in the afternoon.
   Both the groups used sticks, iron rods, hockey sticks, spades and lethal weapons during the clash that left at least 50 of the two sides injured.

A two-day education fair began on the senior section campus of the Scholastica School at Uttara in Dhaka on Friday.
   The teachers and students of the senior section organised the fair, featuring 25 stalls. Students from Play Group to A-Levels displayed their education activities in the air.
   Curriculum development, cafeteria, sports, curricular and extra-curricular activities, web page management were also featured.
   Scholastica chairperson Yasmin Murshed, deputy chairperson and operations head Wasima Parveen and director Maher Murshed and teachers were present.
   The fair will remain open between 10:00am and 2:00pm for invited guests. Scholastica was set up in 1977.

The traditional Rajpunnah festival (revenue collection) of Bomang Circle was held in Bandarban on Friday.
   The 15th Raja (king) of Bomang Circle, Aungshu Prue Chowdhury, arrived at the Raj Darbar (royal court) at about 10:00am and sat on the throne in presence of local guests and foreign guests.
   Symbolic soldiers equipped with arms accorded a guard of honour to the Raja announcing his arrival through playing bugle and escorted him to the Raj Darbar.
   After taking his seat on the throne, the Raja prayed for peace and prosperity of his subjects.
   ‘The Rajpunnah festival is not only for the tribal people, it is also a tradition for everyone living in the region,’ said Raja Aungshu Prue Chowdhury.
   Officials of the local administration also spoke on the occasion.
   The folk fair, which is a part of the Rajpunnah festival, was not held this year due to unavoidable reasons.
   The deputy commissioner, Sheikh Alauddin, and police super, Iqbal Bahar, came to the Rajbari in the morning to greet the Raja. They wished him good health and a long life.
   A large number of people from home and abroad came to the Rajbari to have a glimpse of the traditional revenue collection ceremony.
   The subjects, who paid jumma (taxes), presented the Raja with various gifts on the occasion.
   Adequate measures were taken by the local administration to ensure security during the festival.
   The Rajpunnah was introduced in the hill district in 1875 to collect `khazna’ (tax) from the subjects.

The Awami League-led 14-party alliance holds a preparatory meeting at a community centre in the city today to make the March 1 grand rally in Chittagong successful.
   The party sources said AL joint secretary, Obaidul Kader, Workers’ Party president, Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal executive president, Mainuddin Khan Badal, Pankaj Battacharya of Gana Forum, and Nurul Islam of Ganatantri Party will be present at the meeting.

The caretaker government system is a ‘sick administrative system’ which bears the testimony that the political parties live in a state of distrust, speakers said at a workshop on Friday.
   Referring the proposals for reforms in the caretaker government system and electoral rules, they also said if the political parties would develop mutual trust among themselves, such a provision like the caretaker government would gradually lose its importance to the people of the country.
   Leaders of the political parties failed to represent the people’s hope and aspiration, and showed a sort of syndicated behaviour to serve their ill-purpose, they said.
   The participants also came up with several recommendations which, they believed, would increase democratic practice among the parties, improve electoral system, strengthen the Election Commission, and make the parliament more effective.
   The recommendations include registration of political parties, expenditure accountability, independent secretariat, and financial power for the EC, curbing use of black money in the elections, and implementation of a High Court order for receiving election expenditure from a candidate.
   Sushaner Janney Nagorik (Citizens for Good Governance) organised the workshop at its office in Dhaka on ‘political reforms and working out strategies to hold the next general election in a free and fair manner’.
   Activists of several non-governmental organisations attended the workshop, which was designed only for the people from the Dhaka division. The organisation also planned to hold similar workshops at other divisions by March.
   Professor Muzaffer Ahmad said politics had now become a means of looting public money, and the black money holders used all their weapons to go to power to extract their own interest. ‘That’s why Bangladesh has topped the list of corrupt index in the world for the last four years.’
   He said the tendency to buy nomination from the party should be stopped immediately, and the party should examine at least five years’ service of an aspirant towards that party to extend nomination.
   Qazi Ebadul Haque said the political parties should provide their primary members with power to nominate their candidates for the general elections. ‘It will considerably improve intra-party democratic practice, and prevent black money holders to contest in the election.’
   Dr Badiul Alam Majumder said the application of the caretaker government system should be limited to next three elections.
   Sanjida Bipasha, Dilip Kumar Sarker and Abu Nasser also addressed the workshop.

The police could not arrest the Rajshahi University unit president of Islami Chhatra Shibir, Mahbub Alam Salehi, till Friday, the 15th day of recovering the body of geology department teacher Sayeed Taher Ahmad.
   The students alleged that the police were not sincere to arrest Salehi though three out of five arrested persons had mentioned his name as one the killers of Professor Taher who was found dead in a septic tank on the campus on February 3.
   The pace of investigation apparently came to a halt as the investigation officer, Achanul Kabir, a sub-inspector of the Detective Branch of police was staying outside Rajshahi, they said.
   The suspected mastermind, Mian Muhammad Mahiuddin, also an associate professor of the geology and mining department, will be produced before the court tomorrow after the expiry of his six day remand.

Social organisation Centre for Practising Democracy urged on Wednesday the prime minister and the leader of opposition
   in parliament to establish peace hrough politics of understanding.
   In a statement, signed by Mahbubur Rab Saadi, the organisation asked both the leaders to give up confrontational politics.
   The statement said, ‘There are enemies in the country and abroad who are stronger than both of you and lessening the enmity between both of you will strengthen the country to face those enemies.’
   Asking the prime minister to ensure the environment of politics of understanding, the statement said, ‘As you are in state power, it is your foremost duty to establish peace and prosperity.’

Former Jamaat lawmaker Kazi Shamsur Rahman, elected three times from the Satkhira 2 constituency, died in Ibne Sina Hospital in Dhaka Friday morning. He was 67.
   He had suffered from various diseases for six to seven years. The former lawmaker is survived by his wife, six sons and four daughters.
   He worked as organising secretary of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh till his death. He was elected lawmaker in the third, fifth and seventh parliamentary elections.
   His janaza will be held at the PTI ground in Satkhira at 8:00am today. He will be buried in his family graveyard.

Two persons, including a freedom fighter, were killed in a road accident in Gopalganj on Thursday night.
   The dead were identified as Ashraf Ali, 52, a freedom fighter, also the headmaster of Tentulia Primary School and Liku Mia, 25.
   The accident that took place at Gauhardanga under Tangail upazila when their three-wheeler collided head-on with another vehicle, police said.
   Ashraf Ali was returning home from the annual Waj Mahfil of the Gouhardanga Madrasa.
   Ashraf Ali was buried at his village home at Salenga under Sadar upazila here with state honour.