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Nearly 8,000 victims of Friday night’s fire at Nimtali in the capital’s Rayer Bazar area were going almost without food, shelter and warm clothes as they lost everything in the devastating fire.
   The fire fighters, police and local people counted that 1,980 shanties had been burnt in the fire at locally known Prince’s slum, Sahar Ali’s slum, Anwar’s slum, Wahab’s slum and Shah Shaheb’s slum in the capital.
   As the affected slum dwellers have no place to go to, many of them were on Saturday trying to rebuild their shanties with the burnt CI sheets while the rest waited for assistance to rebuild their dwellings.
   The commissioner of Dhaka City Corporation ward No 47, Jashim Uddin Mahmud, distributed some blankets, rice and used clothes among the victims, but it was too inadequate to meet their demands, the victims said.
   Some outsiders have also collected relief, alleged the victims, who are mostly garments workers, domestic helps, roadside vendors, rickshaw pullers and day labours, and live from hand to mouth.
   The water used to extinguish the blaze remained stagnant in the area adding to the plights of the fire victims.
    ‘I along with my four minor daughters stayed the whole night under the open sky near the shanty amid cold,’ Hanufa Akhter, a victim, said on Saturday.
   Garment worker Marufa, who is the only breadwinner for her poverty-stricken family of five members, does not know when and how she would be able to manage a shelter for her family.
   ‘We have neither any additional clothes nor have we any food or money,’ she added.
   Maleka Begum, a tenant of the Sha Shaheb’s slum, alleged that some local miscreants had set the fire to a slum house in their bid to grab the land.
   Shahnaz Begum, wife of a stationary shop owner Nazrul Islam, said, ‘All of our goods and Tk 39,000 were gutted in the fire.’
   The Red Crescent Society has set up a mobile clinic in the area. The clinic manager told New Age that they had provided 300 fire victims with treatment and medicines since morning.
   Some people on behalf of the deputy commissioner of Dhaka also distributed some dry foods and used clothes among the victims.

Students of the city’s four high schools on Saturday pleaded for formulating a long-term disaster preparedness programme to face the natural calamities as well as their aftermath in the country.
   In this respect, they suggested regional cooperation in different parts of the country side by side with coordinated efforts of both the government and non-government organisations to effectively tackle any kind of disaster by making the best use of local resources.
   The students made their suggestions at a debate competition, held in Public Works Department auditorium with the director of the Disaster Management Bureau, Mohamamd Abu Sadeque, in the chair.
   The debate, held in two sessions with focus upon ‘awareness on risk reduction of disaster’ was organised by the advocacy component of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme under the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management and the Debate for Democracy.
   Topics of the debate were: Not Relief but risk-reduction programme can increase capacity for disaster management, and effective disaster management is impossible without regional cooperation.
   Holly Cross School and College and Dhaka Cantonment Girls’ Public School and College took part in the first session, while Shaheed Bir Uttam Lieutenant Anwar Girls’ School and College and St. Joseph High School and College contested in the session.
   The University Grants Commission chairman, Professor Nazrul Islam, was present as chief guest at the function, also attended by CDMP senior project expert SM Murshed and teachers, students and their guardians, and civil society members.
   The students called for more such debates in all educational institutions from school to university and also at madrassahs to aware the young learners about the natural calamities and their consequences.
   This will help us make up ourselves befitting enough to face such a situation in future, they said.
   As the women are the worst sufferers in such situation, they urged the government to include this important section of the society in the process of formulating policies for disaster management.
   They hailed the Bangladesh Army as well as those worked in the Sidr-hit districts for their well-coordinated efforts in mitigating the sufferings of the cyclone survivors in the south-eastern coastlines.
   They urged the government to build more shelters for the people and also for the domestic animals in all the coastal districts.

The Citizens’ Rights Movement on Saturday urged the government to fix the mobile phone call charge at Tk 0.25 per minute.
   The organisation at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka also demanded that the government fix the land phone line charge at Tk 50 and connection charge at Tk 1,000.
   While putting forward their 11-point demands, leaders of the organisation urged the government to cancel the licence of those operators, who are using VOIP illegally, says a press release.
   The other demands of the organisation include introduction of caller ID system in all land phones, handing over of shares of mobile companies to capital market, publishing a white paper detailing investment and profit of the mobile companies in the last decade, and ensuring transparency and accountability of Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission.
   Presided over by Syed Marghub Morshed, adviser to the Citizens Rights Movement, the conference was addressed by Tushar Rehman, secretary general of the organisation.
   Paying very minimal license fees to the Bangladesh government the existing mobile operators are profiting rapidly, imposing hefty call charges on the subscribers, whereas the citizens of USA, India and Pakistan talk over mobile phones at a cheaper rate, Tushar said.

Jahangirnagar University Day was observed through various programmes on Sunday marking the 37th founding anniversary of the university.
   The authorities took adequate security measure to mark the day as tension gripped the university following Wednesday and Thursday’s clashes between Jatiyatabadi Chattra Dal and Bangladesh Chattra League.
   The university wore a festive look as former and current students, employees, officers and teachers joined the programmes inaugurated by the vice-chancellor, Khandaker Mustahidur Rahman.
   He hoisted the national and the university flag at the old arts faculty building in the morning to inaugurate the programmes.
   A procession was also brought out from in front of the building and it marched the campus. The procession was followed by a reminiscence meeting at the JU amphitheatre.
   ‘In the last 37 years, the university has a lot of achievements and we all have to work together to maintain the flow,’ the vice-chancellor told the meeting.
   The university pro-VC, M Maniruzzaman, treasurer Syed Abdul Hye and former and current teachers and students also spoke on the meeting.
   A cultural function was also held at the amphitheatre at 3:30pm where the university students performed.
   Founded on August 20, 1970, Jahangirnagar University formally began the academic activities as a residential university on January 12, 1971 with four departments, 21 teachers and 150 students.
   There are 8,105 student and 441 teachers with 26 departments under four faculties — social science faculty, mathematical and physical science faculty, arts and humanities faculty and life science faculty. The university has 11 halls of residence — six for male and five for female students.

Ashraful Alam Shimul, a Master’s student in the applied physics, electronics and communication engineering department at Islamic University in Kushtia, has made an office file carrier robot, using simple and cheap electrical and mechanical instruments
   This robot can shift official files or letters from one place to another, he claimed, adding it would bear the weight of heavy tools if the technology was improved.
   This success of Shimul is a part of his MSc thesis, which he had worked on under the supervision of Khalilur Rahman, a teacher of the department.
   Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology students Morshed, Siam and Palash helped him accomplish his work.
   Shimul said first it was necessary to form a visible line along which the robot would move.
   He said, ‘structurally, the robot has two major parts – electrical part and mechanical part. The electrical part includes four units – censor unit which works as eyes of the robot, controller unit or the brain of the robot, which is made of a microprocessor, calling unit, which calls out someone to give or take files or letters, and power supply unit, which supplies power to the robot’.
   In the mechanical part there are some units like dc motor, gear box and main body. The DC motor provides necessary force to the wheels of the
   Robot while the gear box controls power supply with the help of DC motor and the main body, made of a smooth and transparent crystal sheet, includes the structure and file box of the robot.
   The robot’s ocular activities have been possible with the help of two photo cells attached to the robot that function as its eyes and follow the visible line on the floor, he added.
   Although it was built without adopting any modernised system, the mechanical response of the robot was quite effective, claimed Shimul.

Education of over 10,000 students of Islamic University in Kushtia is being hampered as 66 out of 317 teachers are now on leave.
   According to the campus sources, 51 teachers are now on study leave, 12 are on lien and the rest three are on deputation.
   Applied Science & Technology Faculty topped the list of teachers’ on leave. Of the 31 teachers of the faculty now on leave — seven are of computer science and engineering department, six of biotechnology and genetic engineering department, five of applied chemistry and chemical
   technology department, five of information and communication engineering department, four of applied physics, electronics and communication engineering department, and four are of applied nutrition
   and food technology department.
   11 teachers of Theology and Islamic Studies Faculty, 10 of Arts Faculty, 5 of Business Administration Faculty, 4 of Social Science Faculty and 5 teachers of Law and Shariah Faculty are also on leave
   now.
   Most of these teachers have gone to the USA, Australia, Japan, Italy and other countries for higher studies, sources said, adding many of them are yet to return to the campus although the time for their study tour has expired.
   IU registrar Moslem Uddin said, ‘We have already written to the teachers asking them to join their respective departments immediately. But they are not responding. We will take steps in accordance with the university rules.’

The Chittagong City Corporation repaired and reconstructed 498 roads at a cost of Tk 55 crore in the last year, the corporation sources said. They said renovation of another 100 roads in the city was also progressing fast.
   The work orders of over 650 tenders were given in November 2007 and 80 per cent of the work has been completed so far and the rest will be completed by next month, they said.
   A total of Tk 52 crore was allocated from the government in 2007 for the renovation and carpeting of over 650 roads, lanes and by-lanes and the rest of the money is being spent from the corporation’s own fund.
   Of the total amount, Tk 40 crore were allocated for renovation while Tk 15 crore for carpeting.
   The carpeting of Mehedibag Road, JI Madrasa Road, Chatteshari Road, Bayezid Bostami Road, Shaheed Saifudding Khaled Road, Station Road, OR Nezam Road, Buddhist Temple Road, Agrabad Sheikh Mujib Road, College Road and another 328 roads, lanes and by-lanes in 41 wards have already been completed in December last, the CCC officials added.
   The Chittagong mayor in-charge, M Manjur Alam, told the news agency that 41 committees in each of the 41 wards, headed by commissioner of respective wards, had been formed to monitor the development work in their areas.

Weather is likely to remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky over the country during the 24-hour period till 6:00pm today, the Met Office said.
   Light to moderate fog may occur over the river basins of the country during early morning.
   The night temperature may fall slightly over the country, it said.
   The country’s highest temperature on Saturday, 29.0 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Cox’s Bazar and Maizdi Court and the lowest, 11.8 degrees Celsius, at Jessore.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 5:30pm and rises tomorrow at 6:44am.

Decorators are busy preparing the large stage on 163 acres of land for the ‘Bishwa Istema’ beginning January 25 on the bank of river Turag at Tongi, some 35 kilometres off Dhaka.
   Organisers this year expect that nearly 30 lakh devotees will join the three-day annual Muslim congregation, rated to be the second largest after Hajj.
   Tin-shed accommodations are being built for about 9,000 foreign devotees expected from 77 countries including India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
   Akheri Munajat, the prayer marking the conclusion of the congregation, will be held at noon on January 27 after three days of deliberations by Islamic scholars from around the globe.
   The local government ministry and the Department of Roads and Highways repaired about four kilometres of approach road to the Istema venue.
   The Dhaka WASA has set up four deep tube wells, while the government’s other utility agencies including the Fire Brigade and PDB are making additional arrangements for ensuring other facilities including lights and sanitation.
   Six battalions of the Bangladesh Army from Dhaka, Savar, Comilla, Ghatail, Rajshahi and Bogra cantonments have been engaged in setting up seven temporary bridges over the river and canals to facilitate the devotees to reach the venue from any direction. ‘We have materials to set up three more if necessary,’ said Captain Manowar of the Army Engineering Corp.
   The army has also engaged heavy equipment to level the land at the Istema site.
   Apart from government and private medical teams, organisers will also set up several medical centres to respond to urgent healthcare needs of the devotees.
   Nearly 2500 volunteers will work round the clock to take care of devotees, while law-enforcing agencies like police, RAB and BDR will be in charge of overall security in and around the venue.

The foreign affairs adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury,
   on Saturday said the country war of independence is a
   glorious chapter in our life and the freedom fighters are our pride.
   ‘The freedom fighters do not belong to any party. They all belong to us and it is our duty to show respect to them,” the adviser said while speaking at a function marking the 17th death anniversary of Commandant Manik Chowdhury at the Habiganj District Lawyers’ Association office here.
   Iftekhar said the present generation is forgetting the contribution of the freedom fighters. But, we earned this soil at their supreme sacrifice, he said. He said the present government had shown due respect to the freedom fighters and the mortal remains of the Birshresthas were brought back to the country. He said the foreign ministry played an effective role in this regard.
   The adviser further said the government was trying to bring the freedom fighters under rationing system. He said it is our moral duty to show respect to them.

The pir shaheb of Mokamia Darbar Sharif in Barguna, Alhaj Hazrat Moulana Shah Mohammad Abdul Aziz, died at a hospital in Dhaka on Saturday. He was 72.
   He was under treatment at the United Hospital at Gulshan for a brain tumour, said a press release.
   Abdul Aziz is survived by wife, eight sons and three daughters.
   His namaj-e-jazana will be held on the Mokamia Senior Madrassah premises at 10:00am on Monday. He will be buried at the graveyard of the Darbar Sharif.

Syed Mohiuddin Ahmed Alam, freedom fighter and deputy director of Barisal Red Crescent Society, died of brain haemorrhage at his house in the Barisal city on Saturday. He was 57.
   He is survived by his wife, one son and one daughter. He was the younger brother of Syed SM Iqbal, former president of Barisal Press Club and Barisal Reporters Unity.
   He would be buried at Barisal muslim graveyard with states honour after namaj-e-janaza in front of Barisal Ashwani Kumar Hall after zuhr prayers today.

Seminar on climate change held in
Khulna
Speakers at a climate change seminar on Saturday urged the locals in Khulna to save the nature and natural resources. Samaj Pragoti Sangstha organised the seminar at the Khulna Chamber of Commerce and Industry with Professor Wahidur Rahman in the chair. Journalist Rakib Uddin Pannu read out the keynote paper. Water Development Board engineer Abdur Razzak, fisheries officer of Batiyaghata upazila Prafulla Sardar, SPS executive director Alamgir Hossain Lavlu, and Batiyaghata River Committee president Sultan Ahmed spoke on the seminar moderated by Firoz Ahmed. Although the livelihood of the people in the area depends largely on nature, the environment has already been changed due to the intrusion of saline water, waterlogging and some man-made obstacles, Rakib said. The speakers urged all, including the local administration, to check river pollution and prevent their encroachment and commercial usage. The government should take steps to save the rivers and water bodies by removing all the dams that are hindering the free flow of the rivers. They also stressed the need for excavation of the dead rivers.
— New Age