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About 700 teachers, officials and employees were given appointment to Rajshahi University since 2004 by flouting the university act, UGC rules and on political consideration, finds an University Grants Commission probe body.
   One of the four-member committee, formed to investigate into the alleged irregularities in the university and which concluded its works on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that they would submit the report to the UGC and the education ministry within seven days suggesting action against the persons responsible.
   The probe body convener, UGC member Professor Zihadul Karim, told newsmen that the university authorities had appointed candidates avoiding better qualified ones, in violation of the university and the UGC rules and regulations.
   The committee also found ‘Jamaat-backed RU authorities’ in 2004 had appointed 544 Class III and Class IV employees against 255 vacant posts in gross violation of the university rules, he said.
   Zahid also said they had asked the authorities not to recruit any manpower till 2010.
   ‘If they need any emergency recruitment, they must take permission from the UGC,’ he said adding ‘We have also asked the university authorities to minimise budget deficits.’
   The committee comprising UGC member Professor Zihadul Karim, UGC deputy director Mizanur Rahman and officials Abdul Jalil and Ferdous Mannan began investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in manpower recruitment at the university on Sunday.

The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority is contemplating increasing the price of piped water by about 20 per cent.
   The WASA authorities plan to increase water price came in the wake of increased fuel cost, inflation and to minimise the system loss.
   ‘We are seriously thinking of rising the price of water price by nearly 20 per cent and will make a proposal in this regard to the ministry soon,’ Abdullah Haroon Pasha, chairman of Dhaka WASA, told a seminar, styled ‘Integrated management of urban water cycle: Singapore’s experience’ organised by the Dhaka WASA in its conference room.
   Shaikh Khurshid Alam, secretary of local government division of the LGRD ministry, was present as the chief guest at the seminar presided over by Haroon Pasha.
   Justifying his proposal to hike the price of water, Haroon said the increase would make the people cautious about proper use of water and help further reduction in the system loss.
   He said the system loss of the water supply agency had come down to less than 35 per cent from 45 per cent in 2005.
   The Dhaka WASA claims that it supplies an estimated 180 crore litres of water a day against the demand of more than 200 crore litres for domestic as well as industrial consumption.
   The domestic consumers are now paying Tk 5.50 per thousand litres and the commercial and industrial consumers pay Tk 18.25 for the same.
   An official of the utility service agency said there would be more than 3 lakh holdings under the Dhaka City Corporation of which only 2.55 lakh are authorised consumers.
   ‘The Dhaka WASA is able to collect less than 60 per cent price of its total supplied water due to huge number of unauthorised connections,’ the official added.
   He said the Dhaka WASA could not afford waiting for raising the price of piped water as it had to keep pace with the increased fuel cost as well as the increase in inflation.
   Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority as well as experts asked the government to take immediate and realistic steps to make the alternative sources of water useable to mitigate the water crisis of the capital.
   ‘The government should take immediate measures to use the alternative sources of water like rainwater, constructing sufficient water reservoir around the capital and setting up of wastewater and effluent treatment plants,’ the Dhaka WASA managing director, Raihanul Abedin, said while presenting the keynote paper in the seminar.
   ‘The groundwater level has been dropping alarmingly in the city due to excessive dependence on it. Currently, 86 per cent of total water is coming from the groundwater,’ Abedin said, adding, ‘The groundwater level is declining by about three metres every year.’

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority in a special drive against unfit vehicles and some drivers on Wednesday filed 58 cases and seized two vehicles.
   Four teams of DMP and BRTA conducted the drive at Mohakhali, Satmasjid Road, Kamalapur and Shanir Akhra in the capital, BRTA officials said.
   The teams comprised BRTA inspectors, technical assistants, traffic sergeants and constables. The teams checked 136 vehicles.
   The DMP in association with BRTA launched the special drive on February 26 to curb plying of unfit vehicles and fake license-holding divers, officials said.
   The drive this time resumed on August 1 and it will continue till August 14 excepting for the weekly holidays, they said.
   All the cases were filed under the Motor Vehicles Ordinance against vehicles, including CNG-run auto-rickshaws, taxicabs, human haulers, buses, for not having documents like updated route permits, registrations, fitness certificates and tax tokens. The court sued the drivers for not having genuine driving licenses and violation of traffic rules. There are allegations that a large number of motorised vehicles ply the city streets without proper documents and many of the drivers do not have genuine driving licenses.

The mayor-elect in Rajshahi, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, on Wednesday said he would start taking action against corrupt officials and employees of the corporation after his taking office.
   ‘I shall take action against the corrupt officials and employees of the corporation who were involved with corruptions’, Liton said.
   In a briefing after his
   election as the new RCC
   mayor through the August 4 polls, he also vowed to take action against the additional employees in the corporation, who had been given
   appointment in political consideration.
   ‘I shall take action against the additional employees, who have no need in the corporation,’ Liton told the briefing arranged at a city restaurant by Nagarik Committee under the banner of which he was elected mayor.
   He said he would start his new assignment through the fulfillment of basic needs of the people in 12 most neglected wards in the city.
   ‘I have already identified 12 neglected wards where the dwellers are deprived of their basic needs from the city corporation,’ he said.
   He also assured the city dwellers of fulfilling his commitment to work for bringing Rajshahi under gas supply through pipelines by 2009.
   Liton, also an Awami League leader, claimed that the past mayor had failed to fulfill the demands and aspiration of the city people and his election had been a result of this.
   He also pledged to work for the city dwellers irrespective of party and opinion affiliations.
   ‘The corporation will be open to all and I shall
   meet with the city dwellers twice a week in the corporation to listen to their complaints and suggestions,’ Liton declared.
   Abul Hossain, language movement hero and convener of Nagarik Committee, termed Liton’s election as the victory against fundamentalists.
   ‘We will achieve the final victory only when fundamentalists and the anti-liberation forces will be eliminated from the country,’ he said.
   Former minister Abdul Kuddus, former vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University Abdul Khaleque, language movement hero Mosharraf Hossain Akhunji, former RUKSU president Nurul Islam Thandu, Nagarik Committee member secretary Sayed Shafiqul Alam, Professor Fazlul Haque, former city AL president Mahbubjaman Bhulu and Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan Sajal also addressed the briefing, among others.
   Liton earlier visited Saheb Bazaar, Malopara, RDA Market and Sonadighi areas and thanked the people for voting him.

Bangladesh Agricultural University has chalked-out two-day programmes to celebrate the 48th founding anniversary of the first post-graduate agricultural institution of the country.
   The programmes were taken at a meeting chaired by BAU vice-chancellor Akhtar Hossain. The programmes to be observed include photo exhibition, painting contest for children, essay contest for students, rally, cultural functions and special prayers.

Speakers at a discussion in Dhaka on Wednesday called for stopping the use of weapons of mass destruction in anywhere around the world for greater interest of humanity.
   They said peace-loving people of the world had to work together in line with the sprit of Hiroshima Day for establishing global peace.
   The speakers were addressing a discussion on ‘weapons of mass destruction, disarmament and Bangladesh’ marking Hiroshima Day at the RC Majumdar auditorium in Dhaka University.
   The DU vice-chancellor, SMA Faiz, attended the function as chief guest while the DU pro-vice-chancellor, AFM Yusuf Haider, dean of Social Science Faculty, Harun-ur-Rashid, and head of Information and Cultural Section of Japanese Embassy in Dhaka, Hiroshe O Mura, as special guests.
   Organised by the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies of DU and Hunger Free World in Bangladesh, the function was chaired by the peace and conflict studies department chairman, Rafiqul Islam. Former ambassador Muhammad Jamir delivered special lecture on Hiroshima Day at the function.
   SMA Faiz called for building a world free from weapons of mass destruction and any kind of dreadful weapons. ‘We must protest stockpiling of mass weapons anywhere in the globe,’ he said.
   Pointing to many harmful aspects of the weapons of mass destruction, Yusuf Haider called upon all concerned to refrain from using weapons of mass destruction in future.
   A daylong poster exhibition and screening of a documentary were also held on the occasion.

Speakers at a discussion on Wednesday said modernisation of the National Museum and scientific conservation of its collections were necessary for keeping the museum attractive.
   Cultural affairs secretary Sharful Alam, at the programme to mark the 95th founding anniversary of the museum, said though the museum had limitations and flaws, its role in spreading the history and culture of the country was encouraging. He said, ‘Some rare collections of the museum need scientific conservation.’
   On the occasion, the museum authorities organised a daylong programme, including discussion, an exhibition of Nakshi Kantha and cultural shows, at the museum auditorium. Eighty classic Nakshi Kanthas from the museum’s collection of 1,032 Kanthas were displayed in the exhibition.

Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong divisions and at a few places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places during the 24-hour period till 6:00pm today, the Met Office said.
   The day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, it said.
   The country’s highest temperature on Wednesday, 34.4 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Rajshahi and Jessore and the lowest, 23.6 degrees Celsius, at Sandwip.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:37pm and rises tomorrow at 5:31am. The Met office predicted a little change in the outlook for subsequent two days and increased rainfall activity in the extended outlook for another five days.

Newborns need to be examined to free the country from hypothyroidism, experts said at a training programme in Dhaka on Wednesday.
   Congenital hypothyroidism is developed when a baby is born with inadequate thyroid hormone, said the experts.
   If a baby is born with insufficient thyroid hormone, his or her physical and mental growth is hindered and he of she become disabled. But the newborns could be saved from disability if the disease is diagnosed or treatment could be started within four weeks of birth, they said.
   The experts were speaking at the inaugural function of Training Programme on Newborn Screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism in the auditorium of the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Science and information and communication technology secretary SM Wahid-uz-Zaman attended the workshop as chief guest, while former adviser of the caretaker government Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury was present as special guest.
   Chairman of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission Dr Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan presided over the function.
   Wahid-uz-Zaman said thousands of people became disabled physically and mentally each year in Bangladesh due to hypothyroidism disease. He stressed the need for mass awareness to get rid of the disease.
   Due to ignorance only, Wahid-uz-Zaman said, even the children of well-off families become victims of the disease. He called for examining all newborns to free the country from it.
   Collectors of blood sample and coordinators of different hospitals and three institutes under the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission were provided with training for identification of hypothyroidism.

Sarfuddin Santu, the candidate nominated by the Progressive Democratic Party who was defeated by a narrow margin of 588 votes by the 14-party alliance’s candidate Shawkat Hossain Hiron in the mayoral election, lodged a general diary against election officials with the Barisal kotwali police station on Wednesday.
   Santu, in GD entry number 337, alleged that he had polling agents in all of the 91 centres but the presiding officers of those centres refused to give them certified copies of the election results on Monday after completing the counting of votes.
   Then he also applied to the returning officers for the certified copies on Tuesday, but he has not yet received them, he told reporters.
   Hayatul Islam, assistant commissioner of the Barisal Metropolitan Police, acknowledging the fact that a general diary had been lodged by Sarfuddin Santu, said that according to the election rules, the police will probe the allegations in the GD after getting the judicial authority’s legal permission.
   Manirul Islam, returning officer of the Barisal City Corporation election and deputy election commissioner, said that Santu had not applied for the certified copies of the centre-wise result sheets in the proper fashion. He will be given the copies if he applies for them through legal procedures.
   Sources said that Santu is collecting the relevant documents to lodge a case for re-election in some centres of the BCC and postponement of officially the published gazette notification of the result.

Thirteen out of 15 mayoral candidates in Monday’s Sylhet City Corporation election, including the BNP-backed Sammilito Nagarik Jote’s candidate Abdul Haq, will lose their deposit money.
   A candidate must get at least one-eighth of the total votes cast to get his/her deposit back, said Khandakar Mizanur Rahman, returning officer in the SCC election and also deputy election commissioner.
   According to information available at the local returning office, Haq got only 23,487 votes, which is less than one-eighth of the total votes cast, though he secured the third position in the mayoral race. The number of the total votes cast in Monday’s polls was 1,92,362.
   The other 12 mayoral candidates, who have also lost the money they deposited, are Babrul Hossain Babul, dissident candidate of Awami League, Mawlana Sirajul Islam Siraji of the Khelafat Majlish, Kunu Miah of the Jatiya Party (Ershad), Abdul Mukith Khan of the Liberal Democratic Party, Abdus Samad Nazrul of the Jatiya Party (Ershad), Syed Muhibur Rahman of the Khelafat Majlish, Syed Ali Afsar of the Progressive Democratic Party, Kazi Kamal Ahmed of the Bikalpadhara, Salah Uddin Rimon and Bashir Ahmed, both independent candidates, Syed Habibur Rahman Hiran of the Jatiya Samajtrantik Dal and M Kutub Uddin of the Liberal Party.
   The AL-led alliance supported the Nagarik Parishad’s candidate, detained incumbent SCC mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, who was re-elected in the mayoral poll after bagging 1,15,436 votes. His nearest contestant AFM Kamal, former BNP leader and former Sylhet municipal chairman, got only 30,097 votes.

After the local government polls, there is every reason for optimism that general elections in Bangladesh will be free and fair this December, said Lord Eric Avebury on Wednesday.
   Avebury, the vice-chair of the UK Parliamentary Human Rights Group, made the comment as he called on the foreign affairs adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, in his office. He said the city corporation and municipality elections were free, fair and peaceful with a large turnout of voters.
   In reply to a query whether the general elections too would be credible under the state of emergency, he said, ‘Everyone who wants to vote in the local government polls is able to do so without fear and people are able to freely elect the candidate of their choice.’
   ‘There is every reason for optimism that forthcoming general elections will also be free, fair and peaceful,’ Avebury, also the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson, said.

Students of Faridpur Medical College on Wednesday boycotted classes and formed a human chain on the campus to press home their various demands, including shifting of Medical Assistant Training School from the campus.
   Later, the students submitted a memorandum to the college principal, Enamul Karim, giving a 24-hour ultimatum to resolve their problems.
   University sources said the students were facing various problems, including accommodation, water and transport, for long. They informed the authorities about their problems on various occasions but did not get any response from them.
   Setting up of the training school on the campus added fuel to the flame. Over 400 students staged demonstration and brought out procession chanting slogans and carrying banners at about 10:00am on the campus.
   They also formed a human chain demanding immediate remedy of their problems and shifting of the training school from the campus.
   The students said that they would boycott their classes until fulfil their demands.
   Principal Enamul Karim told the news agency that he would inform the matter to the higher authorities and request to shift the training school from the campus.
   He also requested the students to join classes to restore normalcy on the campus.

Career festival begins at JU
A two-day campus career fair began on the Jahangirnagar University campus on Wednesday. Bdjobs.com has arranged the fair in cooperation with the JU Students Welfare and Counselling Centre. JU vice-chancellor Mohammad Muniruzzaman inaugurated the fair. The centre director ATM Atiqur Rahman and chief executive officer of bdjobs.com addressed the function. A number of organisations, including Dhaka Bank, ACI, Concord Group, Eduaid, Spectrum, Max and bdjobs.com, are taking part in the fair.
— BSS

JU students to hold programmes in other univs for teacher’s removal
Jahangirnagar against Corruption, a platform of Jahangirnagar University students, on Wednesday held a news conference in Madhu’s Canteen at Dhaka University for removal of the drama and dramatics teacher Sanwar Hossain, and formulation of policy against sexual harassment. The students said they had been rallying for the past four months to press home the demands but the authorities paid no heed. They were planning to hold similar programmes at other public universities.
— New Age