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Mayoral candidates for the Sylhet City Corporation elections and their supporters were visiting the houses from morning to late night every day to capture the votes.
   They are also holding various programmes in different areas of the city and even they are going out for canvassing, braving the inclement weather or scorching heat.
   Six out of 15 mayoral candidates are in the lead of the election race. They are Awami League-led alliance candidate Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, former district president of BNP Abdul Haq, former Sylhet municipal chairman and former BNP leader AFM Kamal, former lawmaker and presidium member of Liberal Democratic Party Abdul Mukith Khan, former Sylhet municipal chairman and convener of Bangabandhu Sainik League Babrul Hossain Babul and divisional coordinator of Progressive Democratic Party Syed Ali Absar.
   Nine other candidates are also carrying out their election campaign at a snail’s pace.
   Family members of the detained and incumbent mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, local leaders of Awami League and its allies as well as some AL central leaders are canvassing for Kamran, activists of Nagarik Parishad said.
   Mohiuddin Shiru, member-secretary of Nagarik Parishad, said former minister and AL advisory committee member Abul Maal Abdul Muhit, Dewan Farid Gazi and presidium member Suranjit Sengupta joined the electioneering for Kamran.
   ‘Some frontline leaders of the party are expected to arrive in Sylhet from Dhaka soon to join the election campaign for our candidate,’ he added.
   Kamran’s wife Asma Kamran said she had been taking part in the processions, rallies and door-to-door campaign from early morning to late night every day.
   Students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology also formed a 71-member committee in support of Kamran to carry out the election campaign in the city, campus sources said.
   Former district BNP president Abdul Haq with his supporters was continuing with the election campaign in a full swing under the banner of Sammilita Nagarik Jote, though the leaders of his party and its allies were not extending their direct support to him, some voters claimed.
   Apart from other activities, Haq with leaders of Sammilita Nagarik Jote held view-exchange programmes with the voters on Saturday and Sunday.
   ‘We will hold view-exchange programmes today,’ said Nurul Haq, member-secretary of Sammilita Nagarik Jote.
   AFM Kamal and his loyalists are campaigning under the banner of Nagarik Committee, seeking the votes for the mayoral post in the SCC polls scheduled for August 4.
   Kamal are visiting houses in the city with making pledges to resist the criminals and corrupt persons from being elected as representatives in the SCC polls, his supporters claimed.
   Other three candidates Abdul Mukith Khan, Syed Ali Absar and Babrul Hossain Babul also continued with their campaign in the city to win the election.
   Absar has announced a 41-point charter of work plan for the development of the city, if voted for the mayoral post. Mukith Khan under Nagarik Forum has been assuring the voters to turn the city a model one, if they elect him in the elections.
   Babul is seeking votes with an announcement of a fresh war against the candidates having criminal records.

The female candidates in Barisal city corporation elections have pledged that they would not play a subordinate role rather assert their authority if elected and demanded equal number of seats for male and female councillors.
   They said the ratio of male to female [reserved] councillors should be 1:1 in every ward instead of the present system of one reserved female seat for every three wards.
   ‘The number of female voters and candidates for councillors in local government elections are increasing. But their participation in decision-making and development work are not significant due to discrimination against women and non-cooperation from their male colleagues’, said Nigar Sultana Hanufa, the outgoing ward commissioner and Kanan Begum, a candidate vying for a general ward councillor’s seat in the next polls.
   Ayesha Tawhida Luna, a member of the incumbent mayor panel, ward commissioner and candidate for a reserved councillor’s seat, said, ‘Voters often ask us what is the use of electing us to local government offices if we cannot assert our authority.’
   ’Despite the difficulties in a male-dominated society, we have proved our competence while discharging duties [as ward commissioners], especially in the last 18 months after the changeover of January 11 of 2007 when a large number of our male colleagues went into hiding’, a candidate for woman councillor said.
   The numbers of male and female voters in Barisal city corporation area are almost same and in 15 wards female voters are in a majority and they now feel free to discuss their problems with us… They are pinning their hopes on women representatives’, said Jahanara Hossain, outgoing ward commissioner and candidate for a reserved seat.
   Rimy Sabbir, cultural activist and candidate for a reserved councillor’s seat, said that more women should be encouraged to contest both parliamentary and local government to remove gender discrimination.
   Rashida Begum Baby, who is also vying for a reserved seat, echoed Rimy and demanded equal representation of men and women in local government bodies.

The election office in Rajshahi has planned to set up 129 polling centres in for the August 4 city corporal polls and the district administration has identified 15 of the centres as most risky.
   The centres identified most risky are Kashiadanga Primary School for Ward 1, Daspukur Baharampur Non-Government Anawara Junior School, Daspukur Baharampur Anawara KG School, Shah Mukhdum Rupos (R) Kariana Hafezia Madrassah and Etimkhana for War 3, Primary Teachers’ Training Institute, Zulfia Government Primary School, Mahisbathan Darus Salam Aliya Madrassah, and Mahisbathan Government Primary School for Ward 5, new and old buildings of the Upashahar Model Government Primary School for Ward 14, Uttar Bhaban at Annada Sundari Primary School for Ward 18, the ground and first floors of the Rani Bazar Girls’ High School for Ward 20, Dasmari Government Primary School for Ward 29 and Budhpara Government Primary School for Ward 30.
   The election office has taken all necessary steps for polling in the centres, officials said.
   The election office also appointed 129 presiding officers and 1,548 polling agents for polling at 774 booths. A total of 2.59 lakh voters will cast their vote on August 4.
   ‘We have informed the law enforcement agencies of the polling centers,’ deputy election commissioner Sayed Muhammed Musa, also the returning officer, told New Age. ‘The voters will be able to cast their vote without any hassle.’
   The law enforcement agencies will, meanwhile, launch drives to arrest wanted criminals before the elections, sources in the Rajshahi Metropolitan Police said.
   Candidates for the mayoral post and the posts of councillor are carrying out campaign in the city.
   Nagarik Committee candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, Ganatantrik Oikya Parishad candidate Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul, independent candidate Abdul Matin Khan, city Awami League president Masudul Haque Dulu and Progressive Democratic Party leader Raihanur Rahman on Sunday held campaigns amid rain.

The Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, has called upon officials and employees of the service sectors to be vigilant so that the country’s poor people do not become victims of corruption.
   ‘To eliminate corruption from the service and administrative sectors of the country, we all have to take a vow we won’t do any corruption, nor allow our family members and subordinates to do so,’ he said at a discussion titled ‘taking initiative to prevent corruption.’
   Addressing the meeting at Lokbhaban in Dinajpur town Sunday morning, the ACC chairman said: ‘We don’t want to see Bangladesh on top of the corruption chart. We’ll work for building a corruption-free Bangladesh getting out of the cycle of corruption. And we will start it from Dinajpur.’
   Indicating a recent TIB report, he mentioned that presently corruption was taking place mostly in the service sectors. ‘Stern legal action will be taken if we receive any complaint of bribery-related corruption in these sectors within next three months,’ he said.
   Mashhud also announced that the ACC was going to start an anti-corruption campaign within next one month. The ACC will also reward those who will help the commission in arresting people for taking or giving bribe, he said.
   Terming bribe as the root of corruption, he said corruption would decrease to a large extent, if bribery could be stopped.
   ‘If the head of an organisation is honest, no officials and employees will dare to resort to corruption,’ he added.
   The ACC chairman urged the government officials to provide the due services to the poor people.
   Identifying land, power, education, income tax, LGED, BRTA and health departments as the most corrupt among the service sectors, he said the ACC would take tough action if the departments fail to stop corruption.
   The Dinajpur deputy commissioner, M Nabiul Haq Mollah, presided over the meeting. Additional deputy commissioner (revenue) M Ashrafuzzaman, Dinajpur municipal mayor Shafiqul Haq Chhutu and civil surgeon Mizanur Rahman were, among others, present.
   Earlier, the ACC chairman also visited the district Anti-Corruption Commission office and took part in an anti-corruption rally.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party will not accept any condition over Khaleda Zia’s release, said a senior party figure on Sunday.
   BNP joint secretary general Goyeshwar Chandra Roy said his party had never yielded to any conditions or compromise and would not start doing so now.
   ‘We want unconditional release of our chairperson to overcome the current political crisis,’ Goyeshwar said at a press conference organised by former Juba Dal leaders at BNP’s Naya Paltan office.
   He called the government’s decision to release Arafat Rahman on medical parole a positive one.
   The former leaders of the BNP front organisation demanded unconditional release of chairperson Khaleda and other BNP leaders including Tarique Rahman, Mirza Abbas and Syed Moazzem Hossain.
   Former Juba Dal vice-president Ziaul Haque Milu, reading out a written statement, alleged that there was a conspiracy to destroy the country’s nationalist forces.
   They expressed resentment over the ‘biased attitude of the government.’
   Milu demanded the government release Khaleda Zia so that she could stand by her people.

Shujan, an NGO working to promote good governance, on Sunday blamed the Election Commission for not ensuring the voters’ right to know six vital items of information about the candidates in the approaching local government polls.
   ‘The Election Commission has taken no steps to make information about the candidates public,’ said Professor Muzaffer Ahmed, president of Shujan, at a press conference in the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity’s auditorium.
   ‘For the first time, the provision of the candidates giving affidavits has been introduced during submission of the nomination papers. But we did not see any specific instructions of the Election Commission regarding the issue. It could have arranged training for the candidates to ensure that they give affidavits,’ he said.
   Professor Ahmad also alleged that the candidates contesting the local government polls are spending excessive amounts of money that are highly likely to cross the expenditure limit set by the EC.
   He called upon the EC to closely monitor the expenditure of the candidates to ensure the holding of a fair election that is free from the influence of money.
   Shujan’s secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar, in his speech, said that this time it has been made mandatory for the candidates to disclose seven items of information about themselves, such as educational qualification, criminal records if any, their professions and sources of income and the status of their bank loans and their taxpayer identification numbers.
   ‘But the voters are not being provided with those seven items of information and that’s why they are raising questions as to whether or not the candidates have submitted any information,’ said Shujan’s secretary.
   He expressed the apprehension that all the efforts to bring about a qualitative change in the election culture would be in vain if the voters’ right to get vital information about the candidates is not ensured properly. He called upon the Election Commission to make all the required information about the candidates public in its website.
   Shujan’s vice-president M Hafizuddin Khan who is also a former adviser to the caretaker government, executive member Syed Abul Maksud and coordinator Swapan Kumar Saha were present on the occasion, along with many others.

All the 13 accused in one of 12 cases, filed in connection with the August 17, 2005 bomb blasts, were acquitted of the charges by Barisal divisional speedy trial tribunal on Sunday.
   Earlier, the 13 accused were also acquitted of the charges in two more blast cases.
   They are Golam Morshed Chowdhury Reza, chemistry honours student, Jalal Arefin, SSC student, Hafez Saiful Islam, Abu Yusuf Majumder, Abu Solaiman Sujan, blind and HSC student, also officials and staff of Al Ikram Social Welfare Society, Md Maruf, Jasimuddin, Abdus Sobhan, Giasuddin, Sarwar, Abdur Rahim and Zahid Babu and Ziaur Rahman Zia, director of Al Ikram.
   Three of them, Abdur Rahim, Zahid Babu and Ziaur Rahman Zia were tried in absentia as they were on the run.
   Rabiul Hassan, judge of the tribunal, delivered the verdict, saying that the prosecution failed to prove the charges against the accused. Nine accused, now in jail, was not released as they are still facing nine more cases.
   The family members of the accused demanded quick trial of nine other cases and claimed that they were harassed by the police. But prosecution lawyers said three out of 12 cases that went to trial ended in acquittals due to faulty investigation.
   The judge handed down the verdict after examining 19 out of 24 prosecution witnesses and other evidences.
   On August 17, 2005, a series of bomb blasts took place at all the district headquarters across the country excepting one. In Barisal, blasts took place at 18 places and the police lodged 12 cases in connection with the blasts.

The 32nd anniversary of death of Colonel Abu Taher Bir Uttam, the hero of 1975 mass-sepoy uprising, will be observed today.
   Taher, the Sector Commander of Sector 11 during the War of Independence in 1971, one of the founders of the Jatiya Samajtanrik Dal and the mastermind of the mass-sepoy uprising, was executed after a secret trial in court martial on July 21, 1976.
   The Colonel Taher Sangsad will observe the day as ‘Taher Day’ and will stage various programmes to mark the day.
   The factions of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal will also stage separate programmes to mark the day.
   The Taher Sangsad will hold a discussion on the present crisis of democracy in Bangladesh at the Teachers-Students Centre of Dhaka University. Taher Sangsad’s president, Kamal Lohani, will chair the session, and Taher’s younger brother, Anwar Hossain, will read out keynote paper.
   Workers Party’s president Rashed Khan Menon, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal’s convener Khalequzzaman, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal’s executive president Moinuddin Khan Badal, Communist Party of Bangladesh’s general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim and New Age’s editor Nurul Kabir will take part in the discussion.
   The JSD faction led by Hasanul Haq Inu will organise a discussion meeting at Taher Auditorium in its central office.
   The JSD faction led by Noor Alam Ziku will place floral wreaths at Taher’s grave in Kajla in Netrokona at 8am.
   The party will also a organise discussion meeting in its central office.

A mob beat a suspected extortionist to death as he tried to get away by exploding crackers at Pallabi in Dhaka on Sunday.
   The deceased was Bachchu, 26.
   The police said Bachchu went to a place near a Standard Group factory on Kalsi Road at about 8:00am and demanded Tk 50,000 from Mohammad Israfil, 30, assistant manager of the factory’s washing section. As Israfil refused to pay the money, Bachchu threw a cracker at him. Israfil was injured in the incident.
   After throwing the cracker, Bachchu tried to get away, but the local people chased and caught him. They beat Bachchu severely until the police rescued him.
   Bachchu was taken to a clinic and then was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he was declared dead. Israfil was also admitted to the hospital.

Railway authorities of Bangladesh and India have agreed to cut travel time by two hours on Dhaka-Kolkata passenger train Maitree Express by minimising customs and immigration formalities, officials concerned said Sunday.
   According to a preliminary agreement between Bangladesh Railway and India’s Eastern Railway, the time for customs and immigration at border stations will be reduced to three hours from the existing five.
   In line with the new arrangement, Maitree will reach Dhaka from Kolkata in 10 hours.
   A team of the Eastern Railway will arrive in Dhaka and hold a meeting on July 27 in an attempt to finalise the plan.
   ‘On July 27, the heads of department meeting will discuss cuts in travel time,’ Quazi Asadullah, additional director general (operation) of Bangladesh Railway, told the news agency Sunday.
   The plan for reducing travel time for Maitree came up for discussion at the just-concluded Bangladesh-India foreign secretary talks in New Delhi.
   ‘Both Bangladesh and India have agreed that travel time should be reduced,’ foreign secretary Md Touhid Hossain told reporters at a press conference at the foreign ministry Sunday.

Speakers suggested formation of a national commission for antiquity with the help of experts in different fields including archeology, history, folklore and culture, media and the law enforcement agencies.
   Formation of a national commission requires identification, protection and management of the archeological and historical sites and resources in the country, said the speakers on Sunday at a seminar.
   They said the commission would work as an autonomous body under the ministry of cultural affairs and submit a report every year surveying and researching into the archeological sites and resources of the country.
   They said this at a seminar styled Protection of Archeological Sites, Resources and Historical Establishments and Role of the Civil Society, held at the Public Library auditorium in Dhaka. Save the Environment Movement organized the seminar.
   Professor Shamsuzzaman Khan, folklorist and also former director general of the Bangladesh National Museum and Shilpakala Academy, said government officials who served at different organizations of the cultural ministry were mostly from the administration cadre.
   He said, 'As many administrative cadre officials do not have proper knowledge about history, archeology, culture and folklore, the ministry of cultural affairs needs specialists in those fields.'
   The former director general suggested introduction of a cultural
   affairs cadre in the Public Service Commission to look after the cultural affairs.
   'Graduates in history, archeology, anthropology, folklore and fine arts should join this cadre and special training programmes should be organised to increase their efficiency', said Shamsuzzaman.
   He said if the archeological and historical sites could be brought under the department of tourism their protection and management costs could be met from their earnings as tourist spots'.
   The Antiquities Act, 1968 is flawed and not appropriate for the protection of country's antiquities, said Sayeda Rezwana Hasan, director of the Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association.
   She said the old buildings having archeological values at the old town were not
   declared antiquities as a result it was not possible to take
   any initiative by the government to save these buildings. 'Moreover, most of these buildings are private properties, which complicates the matter', she added.
   The department of archeology can solve the problem, taking the initiative to declare those buildings antiquities, said Rezwana, adding that the department's duties and responsibilities were not clear yet.
   She suggested a new rule for protecting the antiquities launching a mass awareness programme, to save the archeological resources.
   Monir Morshed, a documentary film maker, said the archeology department was destroying the archeological value of the buildings at Panam City in Sonargaon and Paharpur archeological sites by changing their colours and designs. Same thing was happening to the Sat Gambuj Masjid at Mohammadpur, he added.
   Journalist Kamal Lohani, poet Rabiul Hossain, chairman of the architecture department of the Asia Pacific University, Dr Abu Ahmed, and Abu Naser Khan, convener of Save the Environment Movement, attended the programme.