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The High Court on Sunday stayed till October 15 the process of appointment of 573 Class III and Class IV employees at Rajshahi University.
   A vacation bench of the High Court comprising Justice Nozrul Islam Choudhury and Justice Siddiqur Rahman Mian also issued a rule on the government and the university authorities to explain within four weeks why 11 advertisements for the appointments, published between May 24 and August 1, would not be declared illegal.
   The court passed the order after hearing a public interest litigation writ petition filed by a former vice-president of the Rajshahi University Central Students Union, Fazley Hossain Badsha, also a central committee leader of the Workers Party of Bangladesh.
   Pleading for the petitioner, Fazley’s counsel MK Rahman told the court that the university authorities were continuing the process of appointment unnecessarily and without any budgetary allocation from the education ministry and the University Grants Commission for the posts.
   Besides, the move of the authorities is a complete violation of law, as none of the 11 advertisements mentioned the age limit of the applicants, he contended.
   He also argued that none of the advertisements maintained any quota for the appointments, though 60 per cent of the posts, as per the law, should be reserved for the wards of the officers and employees of the university and 10 per cent for the wards of the dead employees.
   The counsel also mentioned that no quota was maintained in any of the advertisements for the dependents of the freedom fighters.
   MK Rahman with Ruhul Quddus Babu moved the case for the petitioner.

City planners and environmentalists on Monday underlined the need for city service trains and improvement of the existing railways to reduce traffic congestion in the city.
   Addressing a discussion on ‘Transport planning and environment of Dhaka city: Present and future’ at the National Press Club, they suggested that the government first improve the existing surface railways and then think about the construction of underground train service.
   Waterway can be another option for congestion-free and environment-friendly transportation system for the city, they told the discussion organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan in association with Manusher Janno Rasta.
   Professor Nazrul Islam of geography and environment department of Dhaka University, BAPA president, Professor Muzaffer Ahmad, chair of urban planning department of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and Roksana Hafiz, KM Maniruzzaman of the same department were among the discussants. The principal research engineer of UK-based Project Centre Limited, Dr Mahbubul Bari, presented keynote paper at the programme.
   Nazrul termed the plan for construction of underground train service unrealistic and untimely and suggested the government to improve the existing surface railways first.
   Quoting a newspaper report on the construction of the 52-kilometre railways for metro train service at a cost of Tk 5,000 crore, Nazrul said how the railways could be installed spending such a small sum of money.
   According to the government’s Strategic Transport Plan, it would require Tk 19,000 crore for the construction of the 52-km underground railways, he said adding ‘It should be scrutinised whether the government is going to sign another deal like that one it had signed with the Asia Energy involving the Phulbari coal mine.’
   He said waterway could be another environment-friendly transportation in the city. ‘At least 20 canals out of 43 in the city can be revived for the purpose.’
   He also stressed the need for coordination between the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha and the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board for a perfect transport planning.
   Mahbub in his keynote speech said transport planning should be based on the necessity of people, but not vehicle-centric.
   He also stressed the need for economical and environmentally viable transport plans.
   Muzaffer said without decentralisation proper administration is not possible.
   Other cities and towns alongside Dhaka should be facilitated with planned urbanisation. Indiscriminate urbanisation in the district towns are creating problems nowadays, he said.

Beef, mutton and buffalo meat will be sold in the city at Tk 140, Tk 180 to Tk 200 and Tk 120 per kilogram respectively during the month of Ramadan.
   The prices, which come into effect from the first of Ramadan and will continue till Ramadan 26, were fixed at a meeting between the Dhaka City Corporation and the meat traders’ associations on Monday.
   Beef is currently selling in the city markets between Tk 140 and Tk 150, mutton between Tk 200 and Tk 220 and buffalo between Tk 120 and Tk 130 a kilogram.
   The price of beef in the previous Ramadan was fixed at Tk 110, mutton at Tk 150 and buffalo at Tk 90 per kilogram.
   The Dhaka mayor, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, who chaired the meeting held at the Nagar Bhaban, urged the meat traders to follow the price list.
   The secretary general of Bangladesh Meat Traders’ Associa-tion, Rabiul Alam, and the acting president of Dhaka Metropolitan Meat Traders’ Association, Golam Mortoza Montu, led their respective associations at the meeting.
   They apprised the mayor of the difficulties they face in different stages of their business that force them to sell meats in high rates. They also sought proper steps in this regard.
   Rabuil said the cattle traders had to pay extortion at different points, including the Aricha Ghat, while bringing the cattle to Gabtali cattle market from different parts of the country.
   Tax on cattle import from India also increase their price, he said and requested the mayor to withdraw tax on cattle import during Ramadan.
   Rabiul also requested the mayor to improve the sewerage system in the Gabtali cattle market and to set up more sheds.
   Montu said they would follow the price fixed at the meeting.
   Khoka told the traders that he would take proper steps through the concerned ministries to withdraw the import tax on cattle during Ramadan and to stop extortion.
   He also assured them of improving the drainage system of and setting sheds at Gabtali cattle market, and requested the traders to ensure quality meat and ensure accuracy in weight.

Left leaning progressive teachers’ alliance staged a sit-in at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology on Monday for removal of the vice-chancellor, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed.
   More than fifty members of the teachers’ alliance gathered in front of the vice-chancellor’s office in the morning and staged demonstration from 9:00am to 5:00pm to prevent him (VC) from entering the campus.
   Professor Zafar Iqbal, Sushanta Kumar Das, Mohammad Younus, Akhtarul Islam, Rashed Talukder, Syed Hasanuzzan, Zahir Uddin and Faruque Uddin Ahmed, among others, took part in the daylong programme.
   The agitating teachers also decided to continue their agitation programme today to push for the same demand. They will hold a meeting today to discuss the issue and decide the next course of agitation.
   ‘We will meet on Tuesday to review the ongoing agitation programme and decide the next strategy,’ said a senior leader of the organisation.
   The teachers had been continuing their agitation for withdrawal of the vice-chancellor for the last two weeks after Islami Chhatra Shibir activists issued threat to some senior teachers including Zafar Iqbal.
   Meanwhile, guardians of the university students on Monday morning submitted a memorandum to the chancellor of the university, Iajuddin Ahmed, also president of the country, demanding an end to the ongoing deadlock at the university.
   The guardians led by Professor Kabir Chowdhury, Ataur Rahman Pir, principal of Madan Mohan College, Zubayer Siddiqui, principal of Scholars Home School and College and Azizul Malik Chowdhury, former president of the Sylhet Bar Association, submitted the memorandum through the deputy commissioner, campus sources said.
   The copies of the memorandum were also sent to the prime minister, finance and planning minister, education minister and state minister for education.
   The guardians in the memo expressed their concern over the existing situation on the university campus and urged the chancellor to take immediate initiatives to end the deadlock.
   On the other hand, the university students will hold a rally, scheduled for today in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, demanding solution to the deadlock and resumption of classes.

Examinations at Dhaka University were postponed three times in a single week due to student strike, hartal and PM’s office siege propgramme by the opposition alliance.
   The university authorities, however, did not mention the reasons for postponement of the examinations as they termed it ‘unavoidable circumstances’.
   The campus sources said examinations scheduled for September 11 were postponed because of a student strike called by Chhatra Sangram Parishad and examinations scheduled for September 10 for hartal.
   Besides, the university authorities postponed examinations scheduled for September 12 because of siege programme at the Prime Minister Office, sources said.
   Students feared that the frequent programmes by political parties and other organisations and consequent deferment of examinations would cause session further jams at the university.
   Chhatra Sangram Parishad, an alliance of the opposition parties’ student organisations, enforced a strike on the campus Monday to protest at the appointment of a teacher in the genetic engineering and biotechnology department.
   The teacher concerned is thought to belong to Jamaat-e-Islam.

No classes were held at the University of Dhaka on Monday as the Bangladesh Chhatra League and its six allies observed a student strike to protest at the recruitment of a Shibir activist as lecturer.
   The organisations also demanded immediate cancellation of the appointment of Shahnoor Hossain at the genetic engineering and biotechnology department. The DU Syndicate at a meeting on September 7 finalised the appointment.
   The student bodies brought out a procession on the campus amid rain and held a brief rally where the speakers condemned ‘criminal activities of the Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir’ in different residential halls of the university.
   They also demanded immediate release of the party activists arrested in the city during Sunday’s hartal hours. They threatened to go for tougher agitation programmes if the arrested students were not released by Tuesday.

The Criminal Investigation Department seized a 32kg touchstone statue worth about Tk 7 crore from the Elephant Road area in the Dhaka city and nabbed the owner of the statue on Monday.
   The arrested was identified as Khandakar Sirazul Islam alias Siraz, 53, of the Elephant Road area under the New Market police.
   The police said a special team of the CID, led by Special Police Superintendent Ruhul Amin, conducted a raid and arrested Siraz along with the statue of Buddha from a house on 181/Elephant Road at about 1:00pm.
   Earlier the CID members visited the house in the guise of purchasers and negotiated the price of the statue.

The Bangladesh Film Censor Board suspended the censor certificates of three full length Bangla films –– Nishiddha Yatra, Agun Amar Nam and Ora Loraku due to vulgar and objectionable scenes.
   According to a press release of the Information Department, Nishiddha Jatra was screened at Sikta Cinema of Dhunat upazila in Bogra, Agun Amar Nam at Chitra Cinema of Kotowali thana in Jessore while Ora Loraku at Jhinuk Cinema of Sonadanga upazila in Khulna. Directives have been issued to stop the screening of the films at any cinema of the country, the release added.

Lightning kills one in Dhaka
A man was killed in lightning at Gulshan in the Dhaka city Monday morning. The deceased was identified as Rafiqul, 20, caretaker of House 8, Road 87 Gulshan 2. Local people said Rafiqul was found dead behind the house in the morning. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors confirmed his death. Doctors said Rafiqul was struck by lightning sometime in the morning. added.
— UNB

R&H deptt staff observe work abstention in Rajshahi
Hundreds of employees of the Bangladesh Roads and Highways Department in Rajshahi on Monday observed eight-hour work abstention and staged demonstration at the main gate of the office in protest against retrenchment order of 7,500 employees. Earlier, they brought out a procession from Lakxmipur and it paraded main streets of Rajpara police station areas. The rally was addressed, among others, by Akber Ali, Humayun Kabir, Saiful Islam Talukder, Khosh Mohammad with the employees’ union president, Shahjahan Ali, in the chair.
— New Age