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Different inter-district bus operators have already finished selling of advance tickets on ‘first come first served’ basis, said counter staffers of different transport companies.
   But some passengers alleged that a section of black marketers in connivance with the people at the booking offices booked the advance tickets for selling them later at higher rate.
   Hanif Enterprise, Shyamoli Paribahan, NP Elegance and SR Travels bus services started selling advance tickets from Friday for different districts across the country including northwestern districts such as Bogra, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Pabna, Kushtia, Jessore and Rajshahi.
   Over 3,000 chair coaches ply from Dhaka to different districts across the country.
   Though passengers alleged that bus operators charged extra fares, they (operators) brushed aside the allegations, saying that they were charging passengers fares as per the government rate.
   Homebound people always rush to bag tickets for the journey few days ahead of Eid. This year there was a rush for advance tickets for the journey on October 10-12.
   Most bus companies finished selling of advance tickets by noon after the sale started at 8:00am on Friday. The bus counter staffers of Hanif Paribahan and Shyamoli Paribahan in Mohammadpur, Shyamoli and Kalyanpur areas said they sold out tickets on ‘first come first served’ basis.
   Abdur Rahim, a government employee, said he failed to book four tickets for his family for journeying Rangpur on October 10, 11 or even October 12. ‘For being late, I couldn’t buy the tickets for journey on the days. Later I have to book tickets on October 9,’ he added.
   Another homebound passenger Khademul Islam alleged the bus counter staff keep some tickets booked in the names of their known persons who sell the tickets at higher price afterwards.
   Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners’ Association chairman GM Siraj at a discussion recently admitted that a section of unscrupulous persons buy tickets but later they sell them at higher price. The bus companies or operators have a little to do to check such malpractice, he said at the discussion held last week in Dhaka.
   Operators of air-conditioned buses have also finished selling of advance tickets, but they have not increased bus fares for the journey before Eid.
   Some launch operators said booking of advance launch cabins has almost been finished particularly in luxurious launches. A large number of passengers travel to southern districts including Barisal on decks of river vessels.
   Around 200 launches ply from Sadarghat launch terminal in Dhaka to different southern districts. The Bangladesh Railway will start selling of advance tickets from October 4.

The state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation will operate special service with its 575 buses from October 4 to facilitate the journey of homebound passengers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
   The Eid special service will continue eight more days after Eid, the BRTC chairman Hedayetullah Al Mamoon said. ‘If necessary, more buses will be included in the fleet from city bus services to ensure smooth journey of homebound passengers, he added.
   The chairman also said they will operate 575 single and double-decker buses from its 12 depots on 128 inter-district routes across the country
   The fares will be less compared to those of private services, the BRTC chief said. ‘If any lessee operating BRTC buses charges passengers higher fare than the rate fixed by the government, the lease will be cancelled and BRTC itself will operate the services instantly.’
   Advance tickets will be available from October 4 at the 12 bus depots at Kalyanpur, Mirpur, Motijheel and Joarsahara in Dhaka, and bus terminals in Chittagong, Rangpur, Bogra, Barisal, Comilla, Pabna, Narsingdi and Khulna, BRTC sources said.
   A sub-control room will be opened at BRTC depot in Motijheel from October 11 to smoothly run the special service. The contact number of the sub-control room is 9333803.
   Besides, a help desk will work at the BRTC head office as control room. The contact number of the control room is 9564361 and mobile 01713003325.
   In the capital, BRTC bus service will continue as usual and operate Volvo double-deckers on the Motijheel-Mirpur route on the Eid day with special arrangement, the sources said.
   Seats will be reserved for women and physically challenged passengers at BRTC buses. They will be able to travel under the special arrangement.
   BRTC will also operate bus service for four days from Eid day for the tourists who will visit Dhaka Zoo, Botanical Garden, National Mausoleum, Jamuna Bridge, Fantasy Kingdom and Nandan Park for amusement.
   The tourist buses will run from Joarsahara bus depot as per the demand of passengers, the sources said.

The prices of some essential commodities including onion and flour increased in the city markets during the past week while that of chickpea, ginger and some other goods declined.
   Market sources said supply shortage pushed up prices of the few goods while dampening demands or increased supply pushed down that of others.
   Although the onion prices showed abnormally rising trend, wholesalers, according to market sources, are compelled to sell the essential spice at prices lower than their procurement costs due to the ‘action’ of the law enforcers.
   Up by Tk 4 over the week, imported Indian onion was selling between Tk 36 and Tk 40 per kilogram at different kitchen markets in the city on Friday and the local variety between Tk 40 and Tk 46.
   Increased import cost and supply shortage due to the finishing stocks of local variety onion are pushing up the price of the sensitive agro-produce, wholesalers said.
   Wholesalers at Shyambazar were on Friday selling Indian onion between Tk 34 and Tk 36, up by Tk 2 over the week, while at Karwan Bazar wholesale rates of Indian onion ranged between Tk 34 and Tk 38 and local onion between Tk 40 and Tk 44.
   Stock of local variety onion at Shyambazar was too inadequate as, according to the traders, the law enforcers did not allow them to sell onions at more than Tk 35 or Tk 36 per kilogram although it was selling between Tk 38 and Tk 40 at mokams (primary source of goods after its collection from the fields).
   The price of flour and atta increased by Tk 1 per kilogram over the week as traders said the suppliers had raised the prices on ground of increased import cost of wheat.
   At the weekend, atta of different brands in popular 2-kilogram packs was selling between Tk 64 and Tk 66 as against Tk 62 and Tk 64 a week ago.
   Other vegetables showed a mixed trend on their prices with some items, including cumber, maintaining declining trend and some others kept rising.
   Cucumber of different verities were retailing between Tk 22 and Tk 32 per kilogram, down by Tk 10 over the week and less than half of its retail prices in the beginning of Ramadan.
   ‘Declined demand and increased supply of vegetables pushed down its prices significantly,’ said a green grocer at Karwan Bazar on Friday. Prices of other vegetables including aubergine and ridge gourd increased further while pointed gourd, snake gourd and okra declined.
   Reduced demand also resulted in the fall of chickpea and whole gram prices by Tk 4 over the week. Chickpea was selling between Tk 56 and Tk 68 per kilogram and whole gram between Tk 76 and Tk 80.
   Newly harvested spice of local variety hit the market to bring down the spice, which was on Friday selling between Tk 36 and Tk 58 per kilogram as against between Tk 48 and Tk 60 a week ago.
   Price of rice remained somewhat stable with the ordinary grade and medium grade of coarse rice was selling between Tk 22 and Tk 24 and the fine varieties between Tk 32 and Tk 38.
   Maintaining downtrend for two consecutive weeks, price of broiler started increasing again due to supply shortage ahead of Eid.
   Broiler was retailing between Tk 90 and Tk 95 against Tk 85 and Tk 90 a week ago and Tk 100 and Tk 110 a month back.
   Beef and mutton remained stable at their earlier prices ranging between Tk 170 and Tk 180 and between Tk 220 and Tk 240 per kilogram respectively. Egg was also stable at its earlier price of Tk 48 per dozen.
   Price of most fishes remained stable although hilsa was selling at cheaper rates for more than two weeks with their huge catches.
   Cooking oils also remained somewhat stable in the week with non-packed soya bean was on Friday retailing between Tk 78 and Tk 82 per kilogram while bottled soya bean between Tk 74 and 79 per litre.
   Among other major commodities, red lentil was selling between Tk 62 and Tk 80 and sugar between Tk 28 and Tk 30.

The Dhaka City Corporation has submitted revised project proposals to the local government ministry to construct two roads in Mirpur — Grameen Bank Bhaban at Mirpur Section 2 to Agargaon and Ansar camp bus stoppage to Kachukhet.
   ‘We have submitted a revised project proposal to the LGRD and cooperatives ministry on September 19 for the road from Ansar camp bus stand to Kachukhet via Paikpara, Shewrapara, Roquiah Sarani, Kafrul and Ibrahimpur with an estimated cost of Tk 171 crore,’ a corporation official said.
   The road will be 6.66-kilometre long and 60-foot wide and 13 acres land and structures will have to be acquired to construct the road, the official said.
   Of the total project cost, about Tk 140 crore will be used for acquiring land and structures while Tk 31 crore for the construct of the road, he said.
   The revised project proposal for another road between the Grameen Bank Bhaban at Mirpur Section 2 to Agargaon Road, adjacent to Bangladesh Betar Bhaban, via Kazipara and Pirerbagh was submitted to the LGRD ministry on September 10, the official said.
   The estimated cost of the 3.63-kilometre long and 60-foot width road has been fixed at Tk 83 crore, he added saying that Tk 60 crore would be spent to acquire 13 acres of land and structures while Tk 23 crore for road construction.
   The project proposal of both the roads will be sent to the Planning Commission and the construction work of the roads will begin after the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, the highest policy making body of the government, approves it, said the official. There is no drainage system in areas including Piredbagh, Kazipara, Paikpara, Shewrapara and these roads will create drainage and footpath facilities in the areas.
   Both the projects were submitted earlier to the Planning Commission in 2004 under an integrated project of four roads that also included Hajaribagh to Kalunagar Road and Mirpur Section 12 (cantonment) to Zia Colony Road.
   As the estimated cost of the project, Tk 265 crore, failed to get ECNEC approval in 2005, separate projects for two roads were submitted to the Planning Commission, he said adding that one of the roads — Cantonment to Zia Colony Road — is now under construction.
   All the planned roads, which was taken by the corporation, is under the master plan of Rajuk, said the official adding that the roads, once constructed, will play important role to reduce the traffic congestion in the city.
   ‘The government is very positive to implement the projects and we are hopeful to get the approval of the roads as early as possible,’ said another official of the corporation.

The condition of the playground behind the Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard at Mirpur, popularly known as Golartek Eidgah maidan, is better than many other playgrounds in Dhaka.
   Absence of cricket pitch and water supply, uneven ground in some portion and no trees around the filed are the shortcomings of one of largest playground in the Dhaka city, the local people said.
   They said the elderly people in the area come to the filed every day in the morning and in the afternoon for walking and jogging while the young people play games in it.
   Aprt from the locals, about 500 boys from different areas, including Golartek, Lalkuthi, Mirpur Section 1 and Jahurabad, come to the filed every day to play different kinds of games, including cricket and football.
   But due to the lack of cricket pitches, it has become difficult for the young cricketers to practice on the ground, said Kaysar Hossain Khan, a resident in the area.
   Four local cricket clubs also practice on in the filed. The clubs are — GBSB Club, Young Talent Cricketers, Shaheed Buddhijibi Smrimti Club and LCA, he said.
   A high boundary wall was constructed around the field about five years back and the field was extended at the southern side by filling up a water body, said the local people.
   An office of the association of local people (seniors) has been constructed on the western side of the playground and two more rooms of another club are under construction, they said.
   ‘We appreciate the Dhaka City Corporation for constructing the boundary wall around the field, which has protected the field, but it would be better if the corporation plants trees around the field, which will increase the beauty of the large field,’ said Ausafur Rahman, coach-cum-manager of Young Talent Cricketers.
   Referring to the absence of cricket pitches in the field, he said, ‘Absence of permanent cricket pitches on the ground creates problem to our practice young cricketers.’
   There is no facility of water in the playground, which is also very essential for the players, said Anisur.
   Some portion of the playground is uneven which hampers practice and playing games by the club members and the local people, he added.
   The local people have been plying in the field since the Pakistan period and there was also a boundary wall around the filed then, but it was damaged many years ago, the local people said.
   The Dhaka mayor, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, while announcing the budget for 2007-2008 fiscal year, said they were giving more attention to reclaiming and maintaining the open spaces and parks properly.
   ‘We have increased the allocation for parks, open spaces and amusing facilities to Tk 11.30 crore this fiscal from Tk 8 crore in the previous fiscal,’ he said.
   Of the total amount, Tk 1 crore has been allocated for Shahid Zia Shishu Park, Tk 8 crore for other parks and Tk 2.50 crore for the playgrounds in the city.

Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely at a few places over Chittagong, Barisal and Khulna divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions during the 24-hour period till 6:00pm today, the Met Office said.
   It predicted nearly unchanged day temperature over the country.
   The country’s highest temperature on Friday, 34.2 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Rajshahi and the lowest, 23.5 degrees Celsius, at Sylhet.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 5:48 and rises tomorrow at 5:50am.

Juvenile painting contest held in Barisal
A divisional-level painting competition for juveniles was held at Amrita Lal Dey College in the Barisal city on Friday. Barisal Charukala Bidyalaya organised the competition as part of the national-level talent hunt programme, sponsored by the Mutual Trust Bank. A total of 159 artists participated in the competition and eight of them were selected for the national level competition. They are Mou Mandol, Adnan Hossain Anjan, Suraia Akhter Muna, Maliha Akhter Muna, Sinthia Tahrin, Rakibul Iqbal, Badhon Chakraborty and Al Amin Sajib. Renowned artists Hashem Khan and Abdus Shakur were the judges at the competition. They also distributed certificates and prizes among the competitors. Khandokar Asaduzzaman, senior executive president of Mutual Trust Bank, said 48 juvenile artists would be selected from the six divisions for the national-level competition. Works of 12 of them would be used in the calendar for 2008 of the bank, he added.
— New Age