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The High Court on Monday issued rule upon the Dhaka city mayor, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, the inspector general of police, Abdul Quayyum, and four others to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be drawn against them for violating its interim order to maintain status quo on a peace of land in Osmani Udyan area.
   The rule was made returnable in two weeks.
   The other contemners are Mahbubur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Ramna police station, Chowdhury Alam, commissioner of ward No 56, Anwar Hossain, proprietor of Shamima Enterprise, and Abu Kawsar, assistant estate officer of the Dhaka City Corporation.
   A HC division bench comprising Justice MA Matin and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, issued the contempt rule upon a petition filed by Monwara Begum of Pallabi, the land owner.
   The contemners, excepting Khoka and Quayyum, have been asked to appear in person before the court on May 22 at 10:30am for reply. Barrister Rafiqul Huq assisted by MK Rahman and Zahurul Islam appeared for the contempt petitioner.

The Dhaka City Corporation ignores its public health service. There is little attention of the authorities to provide free treatment to the poor people through the charitable dispensaries.
   Although the corporation had 20 charitable dispensaries including four homeopathic ones, seven dispensaries have remain closed unofficially for long.
   The ones that are running have been in an acute shortage of medicine for the last six months.
   A corporation official said the corporation provides little money and the allocation is also much less than that projected in the budget.
   Most of the doctors appointed for the dispensaries after about 10 years of part-time appointment are on duty only for one day in a week instead of the required three or more days.
   The budget for allopathic medicine in fiscal 2005-06 is Tk 25 lakh and Tk 2 lakh for homeopathic. But most of the money during the current fiscal is remained only on paper as the corporation till April has allocated less than Tk 50,000 for medicine, said sources.
   Rafiqul Islam pharmacist of Faridabad dispensary told New Age on Wednesday that the centre has been running without 90 per cent medicines for primary treatment.
   Most of the patients who went there were poor but had to return without medicine for the last six months due to lack of supply.
   Nurul Islam a pharmacist of the Topkhana Road dispensary told New Age on April 30 that the number of patients reduced drastically due to the medicine crises.
   Dinesh Chandra Dash, pharmacist of the Farashganj dispensary on Wednesday, expressed the same views.
   A mother of an eight-year old, Hasnabanu, said she had to return empty handed from the dispensary. Hasnabanu has been suffering from fever for the last few days.
   Rahela Khatun, a poor woman, who also came with her ailing three-year old said she had to be satisfied with only a prescription as the dispensary failed to provide any medicine.
   ‘I do not know how I will buy medicine as I have no money,’ she said.
   Farajganj Homeopathic hospital’s assistant doctor Mijanur Rahman told New Age on Wednesday that they got some medicine two years ago and they have been running the centres with those supplies.
   He said the condition of the dispensary was also terrible and it needed immediate renovation.
   Chief Health officer of the corporation, Md Azizul Haque, told New Age on Monday that they got a fresh supply of medicine a few days ago and would start distribution from Tuesday. He said the fresh supply would take care of the medicine shortage.
   Aziz said the corporation would take action against the negligent doctors who are not found on duty.
   ‘We will ask the zone to investigate the matter shortly,’ he said.
   Another official of the corporation said the doctors were reluctant to go the dispensaries following their scheduled date as they get only Tk 1,500 as salary.
   The corporation recently decided to fix their salary at Tk 5,000 and a proposal in this regard was sent to the LGRD and cooperatives ministry.
   The ministry in the beginning of April approved Tk 2,500 as salary instead of Tk 5,000, said the official.

Tension mounted on the Rajshahi University campus following fresh allegation that a student of sociology department was sexually harassed by a teacher as students continued protest demonstrations against repeated scandals involving the university teachers in recent days.
   The fresh charge of harassment of a student came when the students are boycotting classes and examinations for over a month at botany department.
   Hundreds of students of botany department of the university on Monday staged a three-hour sit-in demonstration, blocking the entrance to the university administrative building demanding removal of a teacher of the department for allegedly harassing a female student.
   The botany students, under the banner of general students’ council, brought out a protest procession which paraded the campus.
   The speakers at the rally warned the authorities of tougher action programmes including an indefinite strike if the probe committee report on the allegation was not made public within 24 hours and the teacher, Professor Nurul Amin, was not removed.
   On April 7, a fourth year student of botany department lodged a written complaint with the department chairman, Professor Shah Alam claiming that she was sexually abused by Professor Nurul Amin in the laboratory.
   On Saturday, the students of the department confined the RU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Altaf Hossain, at his office for six hours to press the demand for removal of the teacher.
   Meanwhile, another female student of sociology department on Sunday submitted a written complaint to the department chairman, Professor Faizer Rahman, claiming that Sabbasachi Shaha, an assistant professor of the department, had tried to sexually harass her in his office room.
   Following the complaint, the department’s academic committee on Monday held an emergency meeting at the department chairman’s office.
   The meeting formed a committee comprising three female teachers to investigate the allegation.
   The committee members are: Professor Sultana Mostafa Khanam, Professor Wardatul Akhman and Mahbuba Sarker of the same department.
   The academic committee directed the probe committee to submit its report within 24 hours (by Tuesday noon).
   The committee also sent a copy of the letter to Professor Sabbasachi Shaha asking him to give his explanation.
   Professor Faizer Rahman told New Age that the meeting had decided to send a report to the university registrar for action as per the University Act.
   The students of sociology department staged demonstration on the campus in protest against the alleged sexual assault demanding punishment of the teacher.
   The leaders of Chhatra League Rajshahi University unit met the department chairman and demanded removal of the teacher.
   When approached for his comments, professor Shaha denied the charge saying: ‘I did not do any such offence’.
   Meanwhile, the university vice-chancellor, Professor Altaf Hossain, on Monday told New Age that he was yet to receive any such complaint against the teacher. ‘If the allegation is proved, the teacher must be punished’.

The Bangladesh Auto-rickshaw Chalak Samabay Federation demanded that its interests for a loan of Tk 138 crore be waived at a press conference on Monday.
   The cooperative federation had taken the loans to import 3200 auto-rickshaws. The federation also demanded that it be sanctioned fresh loans to import CNG-run auto-rickshaws at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.
   Between 1972 and 1994 the federation took loans five times from a consortium but failed to pay the interests of the 5th loan programme.
   Although the consortium finalised loans of Tk 50 crore for the 6th loan plan it is yet to be sanctioned, said the federation members.
   The federation also demanded that the government ensure rehabilitation of about 20,000 drivers and workers who have lost their employment due the drastic reduction of the number of auto-rickshaws in Dhaka.
   Among others, general secretary of the federation, Golam Faruk, and directors, Ashraful Alam, Mujibur Rahman Bashar, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Mojnu Mia and Solaiman Khan addressed the press conference.

The campus of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology heated up due to a clash between leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Bangladesh Chhatra League on Monday.
   Chhatra League, student wing of the main opposition Awami League, declared a daylong strike at the university on Tuesday in protest against Monday’s attack on its activists by activists of the Chhatra Dal, student wing of the ruling BNP.
   The Chhatra League leaders also declared a five-point charter of demands including immediate judgment of the assault and steps for holding elections of the central students’ union after suspending the expired committee.
   They also gave a four-day ultimatum to the university authority to fulfil the demands and warned that they would go for tougher movements from May 13, if their demands were not met by that time, said sources in the party.
   Witnesses said the Chhatra League leaders and activists of Ruman group and Raju-Salam group locked in an altercation on campus in front of an academic building Monday morning at about 11:00am after they brought out a procession. It was later resolved with the intervention of the leaders of the two groups.
   But 20 to 25 Chhatra Dal activists led by the university unit’s convener, Akhlakur Rahman, reached the spot and threatened the Chhatra League activists to leave the campus saying that no unruly activities would be permitted.
   At one stage of heated altercation among the activists of the opposing sides, the Chhatra Dal activists attacked Chhatra League supporters and severely beat a non-partisan student, Abdul Kader Limon, suspecting him to be an activist.
   The Chhatra League activists left the place and gathered in front of the main entrance of the campus at about 1:30pm. But the Chhatra Dal activists again chased them, which led to the unrest on campus amid chase and counter-chase till 3:00pm, said sources.
   Later the Chhatra League activists were forced to back off from the main entrance to the nearby Madina Market and held a rally there protesting against the attack.
   Speakers at the rally, with acting president of its university unit, Ratan Chandra Sarker, in the chair, declared that they would observe a daylong strike today.
   The Chhatra League leaders at the meeting said they would start tougher movement programmes on the campus if their five-point charter of demands were not met within the deadline.
   They said there would be an indefinite strike pending the realisation of the Chhatra League’s demands.

Internet connections of the state run Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board have been disrupted in Barisal since Sunday creating problems for the local media, businessmen and banks.
   Zahirul Islam, sub-assistant engineer of the board’s Barisal divisional office, admitted the problem and said the Dhaka authorities had already been notified of the problem.
   The board’s internet customers alleged that there is no transparency and accountability of this service and whenever there are problems the authority cites ‘technical difficulties’ in the server at Dhaka. They thus claim that they have nothing to do locally.

Djuice, a GrameenPhone brand, accounts for 11 lakh customers out of Grameen’s entire customer base of over 60 lakh subscribers.
   Eric Aas, chief executive of Grameen, the largest mobile operator of Bangladesh made the remarks when addressing the inauguration of a two-day Djuice lifestyle fair in Chittagong on Monday.
   He said Djuice marked a rapid growth with a good response from the youth.
   ‘Djuice, with more opportunities, drew in a lot of subscribers,’ he said.
   The fair was organised to mark one year anniversary of Djuice.
   Organisers said 54 stalls at the fair included those with Djuice connection, mobile sets, mobile contents like ring tones and wallpapers, clothes, sports items, accessories and food.
   The fair also showcases other features that dominate the lifestyle of the youth.

Ruling BNP-Jamaat-backed ‘white’ panel on Monday swept the election to the Chittagong University Teachers’ Association, bagging nine posts, including those of president and general secretary.
   Pro-liberation ‘yellow’ panel got only two member posts in the 11-member executive committee.
   The office-bearers elected from ‘white’ panel are: president Siddique Ahmed Chowdhury, vice-president Atiqur Rahman, treasurer SM Nazrul Kadir, general secretary Mohammad Ali Chowdhury, joint secretary Tanvir Md Haider Ali and members Begum Ismat Ara Haq, Zahed Hossain Sikder, Moktar Ahmed and Syed Rashidunnabi.

The business administration faculty of The People’s University of Bangladesh organised a seminar on ‘managing external environment’ on Sunday.
   The university vice-chancellor (designate), Md Aslam Bhuiyan, presided over while the university’s board of governors’ chairman, Md Shirajul Islam Mollah, was chief guest.
   Nurur Rahman, a former director of the Institute of Business Administration, Dhaka University, presented the keynote paper.

Rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely at one or two places over the Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions till 6:00pm today, said the Met Office in a forecast on Monday.
   Day temperature may rise by 1-2 degrees centigrade over the country.
   The highest temperature on Monday, 35.5 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Feni and the lowest 20.5 degrees Celsius, at Khepupara.
   The sun sets in the capital city today at 6:30pm and will rise at 5:19am on Wednesday.

Two women held in possessing bullets
The police on Monday arrested two women from the entrance of the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate court in possession of four bullets. The women, Parvin, 30, of Uttar Goran and her neighbour Ozufa, were on their way to meet an accused in the court lockup at about 11:00am. The on-duty women police seized two bullets from each of them after searching their bodies and purse. Parvin’s husband Selim has been detained in the Kashimpur Central Jail as he is accused in as many as 50 criminal cases, the police said. A case was filed with the Katwali police under arms act.

One jailed for life
A Dhaka court on Monday sentenced one Shawpan of village Chapulia in Gazipur to life-term rigorous imprisonment for killing a pedestrian, Ismail, at Karwan Bazar in January 2002. Mohammad Aman Ullah, judge of the fifth additional metropolitan session’s court, handed down the verdict. The prosecution said about ten assailants led by Shawpan open fired from in front of WASH Bhabhan at Karwan Bazar, killing Ismail and injuring Mizan, owner of a tea stall. A case was filed with the Tejgaon police.
— New Age