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The Bangla Academy is set to inaugurate the Amar Ekushey Book Fair on the first day of February amid frustration among the publishers for high price of paper, which will make books costlier.
   The chief adviser to the caretaker government, Fakhruddin Ahmed, is expected to open the fair at 2:30pm on the day.
   Hectic preparations are on to hold the Ekushey Book Fair in a befitting manner, and the academy officials, publishers and stall owners making all their efforts to complete the preparations for the fair with just five days in hand.
   The publishers, however, said skyrocketing paper price hampered their preparations and it would cause a rise in book price.
   ‘Apart from the publishers, exorbitant paper price will affect new writers and readers, as it will make books costlier this year,’ said Robin Ahsan of Shraban Prakashan.
   ‘The price hike is so unusual that we would not be able to meet the readers’ demand. The price of a single ream of paper that was Tk 1200 during the 2006 fair is now Tk 1800,’ said another publisher.
   They blamed a syndicate for pushing up the price before the January 22 national elections, which have been cancelled later. ‘Once the price shot up, it does not decrease,’ said another publisher.
   The fair is being held every year on the academy premises since 1972 and it took the shape of a full-fledged fair in 1979. The Bangla Academy is organising the fair since 1978.
   The fair was named Amar Ekushey Granthamela in 1984 and a guideline for fair was formulated that year.
   Noted publisher, Chittaranjan Saha, was the prime initiator to hold the fair in memory of language martyrs.
   The academy officials said they had almost completed the preparations for the fair. Construction of almost all makeshift stalls has been completed and the lottery for stall allotment was done Friday.
   The publishers, however, alleged that there was no identification mark on the stalls till Friday and the authorities had just given them tokens with the stall numbers.
   Four hundred stall have been allotted to 208 publishing houses —19 three-unit stalls, 104 two-unit stalls and 85 single-unit stalls.
   The authorities fixed the rent for each of the three-unit stalls at Tk 20,000, two-unit stalls at Tk 10,000 and one unit stalls at Tk 5,000.
   Some stalls have been kept reserved for government, private and voluntary organisations.
   A group of publishers alleged that some noted publishing houses including Sangskriti, which publishes books of Badruddin Umar, were not allocated stall rather some unknown houses were given stalls.
   Like the past two years, the fair organisers will take adequate security measures and set up closed circuit television cameras at different places inside the fair for continuous vigilance. They will also set up metal detectors at the entry points.
   Though the past fairs had two entrances and one exit point, this year the middle gate has been closed down.
   A number of publishers are irked at the decision, saying more than half of the visitors would have to return home without entering the fair.
   Plainclothes law enforcers will be deployed at all strategic points and the Rapid Action Battalion will roam around the adjacent areas of the fair venue.
   The budget for the fair preparations has been estimated at Tk 35 lakh and some multinational companies are sponsoring a portion of the expenses, said academy spokesman Murshid Anwar.
   The expenditure for the preparations of the fair in 2006 was Tk 26.5 lakh, Tk 31 lakh in 2005 and it was Tk 24 lakh in 2004.
   Bronze statues of the language martyrs – Abdus Salam, Abul Barkat, Rafiquddin Ahmad, Abdul Jabbar and Shafiur Rahman – will also be inaugurated at the inaugural session of the fair.
   Mofidul Alam Khan, the academy’s artist, developed the busts of the language heroes kept on a concrete base.
   Books will be sold at 30 per cent discount at the fair. Bangla Academy is publishing between 30 and 35 new books for the fair.
   The fair will remain open between 2:00pm and 8:00pm on weekdays, and from 10:00am to 8:00pm on weekends.

The prices of rice and vegetables, excepting for potato, increased in the city markets during the past week while that of many other essential commodities remained somewhat stable.
   Market sources observed that higher prices of new stocks of paddy are making the major cereal costlier while finishing supply of vegetables in late winter is making the agro-produces dearer.
   Rice of different varieties was on Friday selling at different kitchen markets in the city with an increased price of at least Tk 1 per kilogram compared to the past week.
   Per kilogram of new stock of coarse variety sharna was selling between Tk 19 and Tk 20 at Shantinagar while fine variety najirshail between Tk 22 and Tk 24.
   Superior quality and old stock of najirshail, however, was selling for up to Tk 28 while miniket between Tk 27 and Tk 29.
   ‘Price of almost every variety of rice increased between Tk 20 and Tk 40 per maund (37.3 kilogram) at wholesale level, over the week,’ Munna Mia, a wholesaler at Karwanbazar, said observing higher prices of paddy this year had made rice costlier.
   Prices of major vegetables, excepting potato, increased between Tk 2 and Tk 4 per kilogram or per piece over the week.
   The green grocers said supply of the perishable products started declining, with finishing harvest of winter produces.
   At Nakhalpara Bazar, per kg of bean, tomato and onion was being retailed between Tk 18 and Tk 20 while per pieces of medium sized bottled gourd between Tk 25 and Tk 30 and cauliflower between Tk 12 and Tk 15.
   Potato was selling for Tk 12 per kg like the past couple of weeks.
   ‘From now on, vegetables will be costlier as season for abundant supply of winter produces is running out,’ a trader said.
   Except vegetables and rice, prices of many other major essentials remained somewhat stable in the week.
   Per kg of packed coarse flour was selling between Tk 26 and Tk 27, red lentils of different varieties between Tk 58 and Tk 68, sugar between Tk 36 and Tk 38.
   Non-packed soybean was selling per kilogram at Tk 68 while per litre of branded and bottled soybean oil between Tk 67 and Tk 70.
   Prices of beef price remained stable between Tk 150 and Tk 160 and broiler between Tk 75 and Tk 78 per kilogram while farm-grown eggs per dozen was being retailed between Tk 45 and Tk 16.
   Among spices new stock of ginger was selling between Tk 28 and Tk 32, local variety of old stock garlic for Tk 150 while imported garlic was selling between Tk 70 and Tk 75 a kilogram.
   Prices of fishes were also almost stable in the week. At Nakhal Para, large-sized tilapia was selling between Tk 100 and Tk 120 per kilogram, shol between Tk 140 and Tk 150, ruhita between Tk 130 and Tk 150 while small fishes like katchki and mola were selling between Tk 120 and Tk 150 per kg.

Crisis of physicians at Chest Disease Hospital, Chittagong has long been hampering healthcare services of the city’s lone tuberculosis treatment centre.
   Only one doctor has been working with the 50-bed hospital for the past three years, sources in the hospital said.
   The medical officer of the hospital, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, told New Age that the hospital has only two posts of doctors, and one of the posts, assistant surgeon, has remained vacant.
   ‘Now I am the lone doctor at the hospital and it is very difficult for me to provide the patients with necessary treatment even looking after administrative affairs of the hospital,’ he said adding that he had been managing all the affairs since 2003.
   The medical officer also said he had to take care of at least 40 patients daily, adding that at least three more doctors were needed at the hospital to provide healthcare services to patients with chest diseases.
   According to the sources, the hospital authorities have to depend on the doctors of the nearby Railway Hospital, who are not specialised in tuberculosis treatment, when the lone medical officer goes on a leave.
   Medicare services at the hospital were being hampered not only due to the shortage of doctors but also inadequate nurses too, sources said, adding that there were six posts for nurses at the hospital, however, three of these had remained vacant for long.
   ‘Every tuberculosis patient has to stay at the hospital for at least six months, and at least 10 nurses are being required to look after 40 to 45 patients in three shifts,’ a nurse at the hospital said, adding that only three nurses were working in three shifts without any leave or weekend.
   The Bangladesh Railway Hospital authorities also had curtailed accommodation capacity of the hospital to 50 from 150 and retrenched a number of staff, due to a significant decline in the number of tuberculosis patients in the region.
   The hospital provides treatment to the employees of the railway free of cost when the common people have the opportunity to receive treatment facilities on payment of Tk 320 a day.

The Rajshahi city was almost rickshaw-free on Friday, following drives against illegal rickshaws, much to the suffering of the city dwellers on the day, the weekend shopping day.
   Rickshaw pullers said they had refrained from taking their rickshaws to the streets to avoid police harassment as the police had seized hundreds of rickshaws from different city points.
   The Rajshahi Metropolitan Police sources said they had launched the drive against rickshaws without license and lamp, and it would go on until further directives of the higher authorities.
   Shajahan Ali, a middle-aged rickshaw puller at city’s Seroil Colony areas, was seen waiting on the office premises of Ward 21 commissioner to take back his rickshaw.
   The police on Thursday seized his rented rickshaw as he had no license from the Rajshahi City Corporation, Sajahan said.
   Another rickshaw puller Jamsed of Shaheb Bazar area alleged that the on-duty traffic police had seized the seat of his rickshaw, the only earning source of his seven-member family.
   ‘We rent rickshaws from the owners for Tk 30 a day and we are not liable the license but the police are harassing us,’ lamented Maidul, another rickshaw puller of Shaheb bazaar.
   Abdul Wahab, a owner of rickshaws, alleged that collection of licenses from the corporation was tough as the staffs did not cooperate with them.
   Sources in the Rajshhahi City Corporation said around 10,000 rickshaws registered with the corporation while more than 25,000 rickshaws are plying the city streets illegally.
   ‘I had wait 15 minutes for a rickshaw at Shahebbazar with a huge bag containing green items on Friday. It was a rare incident to me’, said Abu Kalam, a shopper from Ranibazar in the city.

Snatchers stabbed a fashion designer of a garment industry to death at Bandartila area in Chittagong on Friday.
   The deceased was identified as Shahajahan Jaman, fashion designer of Bandar Knit Export Garment Limited at Barrister Sultan Degree College at Bandartila area in the city.
   The police and locals said, two snatchers intercepted Jaman on the footpath at around 1:00pm and tried to snatch his cell phone set when he was heading towards a local mosque from the factory on foot.
   They stabbed the young fashion designers as he tried to resist them, said the police adding that injured Jaman was taken to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
   The local people said, they had captured one of the snatchers, beat him and handed him over to the police. The injured snatcher was undergoing treatment at the CMCH. A case was filed with the Bandar police in this connection.

The Khulna Development Authority has finalised a list of 150 unauthorised structures in different areas of Khulna city for demolition within two to three days.
   Official sources said they planned to evict the illegal grabbers and demolish illegal structures in the city and handed the list of 150 illegal structures to the joint forces seeking their help.
   The sources in the authority said some of the plots and places owned by the KDA have been occupied by a number of people, erecting makeshift structures on them.
   According to the estate department sources, the grabbers occupied two KDA plots on KDA Avenue. The other occupied places and erected illegal structures are found at different points on Majid Sarani, MA Bari Sarak, Outer Bypass Sarak, Boyra main road and Mujgunni Main Road in the city.
   The illegal structures include 10 shops by the side of KDA Prantik Market and illegal shops by the side of Bangabazar.
   A high official of KDA told New Age that they launched eviction drive now and then but the drives often failed due to the local influential persons. We will start the eviction drive within two to three days, he added.

Weather may remain dry with partly cloudy sky all over Bangladesh till 6:00pm today while light to moderate fog may occur over the river basins during late night till early morning, said the Met Office in a forecast on Friday.
   Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged. The highest temperature on Friday, 29.4 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Chittagong and the lowest, 10.1 degree Celsius, in Rajshahi.
   The sun sets in the capital city today at 5:41am and rises on Sunday at 6:42pm.

Acid attack on teenage girl in Khulna
Miscreants hurled acid on a teenage girl at Darogar Bhita in the Khulna city in the city Thursday evening. The victim, Anita Dhali, 17, daughter of late Sitaram Dhali of Putimari village in Batiyaghata upazila, was admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital. Four to five the miscreants threw acid on Anita when she was on her way home at around 7:00pm. The local people took Anita to KMCH with her face, neck and back burnt. The reason for the attack could not be known.
— New Age

DU professor donates Tk 5 lakh to AMCH
Professor Nazneen Afroz of the Department of Geography and Environment of Dhaka University on Friday donated Tk 5 lakh to Ahsania Mission Cancer Hospital. She handed over a cheque to M Ehsanur Rahman, deputy executive director of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, at the Mission Bhaban at Dhanmondi, said a press release. The donation has been made for dedicating a bed of the hospital after the name of Nazneen’s mother late Eva Shamsun Nahar. Still, Tk 150 crore is needed for completion of the construction and making the hospital fully functional, the release added.
— BSS