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Most of the CNG-run auto-rickshaws plying the Chittagong city roads continue to charge extra even after the recent increase in the fare chart, causing sufferings to the people.
   The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority increased meter fare following the price hike of compressed natural gas but most of the owners of the CNG auto-rickshaws have not adjusted the meters to the revised charges, BRTA sources said.
   The BRTA authorities have re-fixed Tk 14 for the first two kilometres against Tk 13.5 and Tk 6 for each of the subsequent kilometres against Tk 5.5, the sources said.
   But despite hike in the fare, majority of the owners of CNG auto-rickshaws have not yet updated meters with the revised fare, thus helping the drivers to charge extra at their whims.
   Shahenewaj Chowdhury, a businessman residing in CDA residential area at Agrabad, said he had been paying Tk 50 for five-kilometre journey from his residence to New Market area for the last couple of weeks.
   ‘The actual fare for the five-kilometre journey is Tk 32, but the drivers realise Tk 50 forcing me to count Tk 18 more,’ he added.
   The general secretary of the Chittagong CNG Auto-rickshaw Owners’ Association, HM Delowar Hossain, acknowledged it, saying this is happening as most of the owners could not yet adjust the meters to new charges.
   ‘Only five BRTA-authorised companies are engaged in adjusting the meters of around 12,000 CNG auto-rickshaws in the Chittagong city. It is quite impossible for them to complete the task in 15 days,’ he noted.
   He also said they could adjust a meter at Tk 150 from any workshop while BRTA-authorised companies are allegedly demanding Tk 2,000 cashing in on the huge rush.
   The deputy commissioner of the traffic department of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police, Mohammed Ali Mia, said they had already directed drivers and owners associations to complete adjustment of the meters by May 20.
   ‘We will not allow plying of any CNG auto rickshaw without meters after the expiry of the deadline.’
   He said the CMP would launch drive in the city from May 21 to take action against the CNG auto-rickshaws plying on the city roads without having meters and charging extra.
   The government introduced meter system for CNG-run auto-rickshaws in 2005 but the traffic department of the CMP could partially implement it only from January 1 last.
   The authorities issued at least 15 deadlines for introducing the meter system in the last three years but they failed to do it due to strong resistance by CNG auto-rickshaw drivers and owners.

A recruiting agency owner was shot dead by assailants at Khilkhet in the Dhaka city on Wednesday.
   The deceased was identified as Mominul Alam Shimul, 34, of Khilkhet.
   Family said a gang of assailants riding motorbikes waylaid Shimul on Road 11 at Nikunja-2 in Khilkhet when he came out of his residence in the area at around 9:30am.
   The assailants indiscriminately shot at Shimul him and then left him on a vacant plot on the Road 11.
   Seriously injured Shimul was taken to the Apollo Hospitals where the doctors declared him.
   The police sent the body to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy in the afternoon.
   The victim’s elder brother, Maksudul Alam, said Shimul had manpower business with one Mizanur Rahman, owner of Airmet Co International at Banani Chairmanbari.
   Later, he broke away with Mizan following a conflict over business and then started new partnership with another company, Unity Overseas in the same area.
   Mizan’s three associates — Monir Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain and Chanchal,— killed Shimul at his instruction, Maksud alleged.
   None was arrested till filing of the report in connection with the incident.

Speakers at a daylong seminar at Jahangirnagar University on Wednesday urged all to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of science and make the best use of it to keep pace with the modern world for the development of the country.
   The faculty of mathematical and physical science organised the seminar on science and technology in the conference room of the faculty.
   Chaired by the dean of the faculty, Professor Mahmuda Gani Ahmed, the seminar was addressed by JU vice-chancellor, M Muniruzzaman, as chief guest.
   Scientists, including Professor Jamal Nazeul Islam, Professor M Ali Asgar and Professor Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, also spoke at the inaugural session of the seminar.
   A total of 11 keynote papers were presented in the seminar. Professor M Ali Asgar presented a paper on chemistry and chemical technology, Professor S Shafiullah on aero gel and zero gel in new wonder material, Professor Khalil R Chowdhury on ‘present energy scenario in Bangladesh, Professor M Al-Amin Bhuiyan on face detection and eye
   tracing for human-robot symbiosis and Dr M Khabir Uddin presented a paper on impact of industrial wastewater of Bangladesh on the environment.

Construction of the 100-bed diabetic hospital building near the Power House crossing in Khulna begins today.
   The four-storey hospital on 0.925 acres of railway land allocated for the diabetic hospital will cost Tk 7 crore, Mahabubur Rahman, a sub-assistant engineer of the Public Works department, Khulna, which will supervise the work, said.
   The construction of the building is scheduled to be completed within two years, he added saying that Tk 30 lakh of the total project amount has already been released to begin the work.
   The hospital will have 88 general beds, 16 cabins, consultant physicians, operation theatres, intensive care unit, mortuary and laboratory for pathological tests alongside the outpatient facilities, Mahbub said. Sources in the Diabetic Samiti in Khulna said the existing diabetic clinic on Sir Iqbal Road in the city can only provide outpatient facility, a few pathological tests and treatment of eye diseases for diabetes.
   But 24-hour supervision is crucial for critical diabetic patients, and if they suffer ailments from eye, kidney, dental, heart or diabetic neuropathy, they are needed to be admitted to hospital, they said.
   Critical diabetic patients of Khulna and surrounding districts usually go to Dhaka for their treatment spending a lot of money as there is no diabetic hospital in Khulna. After the completion of the hospital, the diabetic patients of the area will get easy access to the much needed health services, they said.
   Mohammad Siddique, general secretary of Diabetic Samiti in Khulna, told New Age that they had 45,000 registered diabetic patients in Khulna and parts of Jessore, Satkhira, Bagerhat and Gopalganj districts and on average, 15 new patients enrol their names every day.
   A diabetic patient, if registered with the samiti, gets free treatment and pathological tests for diabetes round the year, he said adding that the charge of registration is Tk 427 with an annual renewal fee of Tk 200.
   The present clinic has 42 staff members, including nine physicians, which is too inadequate to the huge number of patients in the area, Siddique said, adding once the hospital was completed, diabetic patients in the region would get improved service.

The students of drama and dramatics of Jahangirnagar University continued demonstration for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday demanding expulsion of the department chair for ‘sexual harassment’ of the four female students.
   The department students and the Progressive Students’ Alliance brought out separate protest processions and held sit-in programs in front of the administration building to push for their demand. The students brought out a procession from the department in the morning. They also took out a torch procession on the campus. They also staged a street drama on the incident.
   The alliance took out the procession from the Social Science Faculty building at 12:3pam and paraded the campus. They held a demonstration in front of the administrative building. Earlier in the morning, they submitted a memorandum to the JU vice-chancellor, M Muniruzzaman in the morning.
   The department teachers at noon sat in a meeting to fix a chairman, but it ended without any decision as no one agreed to take the charge, sources in the department said.
   Meanwhile, the leaders of the Jahangirnagar University Teachers’ Association in a statement condemned the incident and demanded proper investigation into the matter.
   Four students of drama and dramatics department under the academic session of 2004-2005 claimed that the department chair, M Sanwar Hossen (Ahmed Sani), had sexually harassed them recently. The students complained it to other teachers of the department.
   Failing to get any satisfactory results, the students started agitation on Sunday demanding expulsion of Sanwar, who went on leave after the students had started rallying against him.

The Press Information Department has published a citizens’ charter with its aims and goals, organisational structure, responsibilities and the areas to provide service to the people.
   The charter also mentioned how to procure service of the PID. Anyone can browse its website www.bdpressinform.org to get desired service, a handout said on Wednesday.
   PID disseminates the government’s policy, opinion and daily activities through handout, press release, press note, feature and photograph, and by arranging press conference, it said.
   Besides, this department sends newspaper clippings to the government’s policy makers, so that the high officials understand people’s hopes and aspirations, the handout also said.

The Rapid Action Battalion on Wednesday arrested three persons with 5,784 pieces of Spasmo Proxyvon, a tablet substitute of yaba tablets, from a market at Midford road in the capital.
   The arrested were identified as Raju Mandol, 38, son of Diren Mondol of Dhaka, Santu Hassan, 35, son of Ali Akbar of Mirpur and Ahmed Asadul Haque alias Rumon, 35, son of late Azizul Haque of Bogra district, a press release of the RAB said tonight.
   Acting on tip-off, members of the elite force conducted a raid at Monjur Market in the area and arrested them in possession of the illegal drugs from the 6-storey market.
   Legal actions against the arrested persons were underway, the release said.

The police on Wednesday took Shipar Ahmed, a close aide and car driver of the prime suspect of SUST student rape case, on a three-day remand.
   Sub-inspector Harunur Rashid, also investigation officer of the case, presented Shipar to the chief judicial magistrate’s court of Sylhet praying for his five-day remand, but the court granted three-day remand.
   Shipar was arrested from his village home at Rajanpur in Fenchuganj upazila of Sylhet on Saturday.
   Pradip Kumar Basak, acting registrar of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, filed the case with the Kotwali police on April 24 against Mahbubur Rahman Shamim accusing him of kidnapping and rapping the student of mathematics department on April 21, sources in the administration said. Shamim, an expatriate in Dubai is also a relative of the victim.

A day labourer was drowned in a water body at Khilkhet in the capital Wednesday afternoon.
   The victim was identified as Billal Hossain, 35, of Balurmath slum situated behind the Khilkhet police station.
   The police said Billal along with his son and mother went to the water body at about 1:30pm for taking a bath.
   At one stage, Billal drowned. On information, a rescue team of fire brigade recovered Billa’s body at about 4:00pm.

Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gust or squally wind is likely at one or two places over all the six divisions — Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet and Chittagong — during the 24-hour period till 6:00pm today, the Met Office said.
   The day temperature may rise slightly over the country, it said. The country’s highest temperature on Wednesday, 38.6 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Jessore and the lowest, 22.0 degrees Celsius, in Sylhet.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:31pm and rises tomorrow at 5:19am.

Underground parties have demanded heavy tolls from garment factory owners in the industrial belt of Fatullah creating tension among them.
   At least four owners filed GD with Fatullah thana on Wednesday saying they received telephone calls in the name of Sarbahara Party and Purbo Banglar Communist asking for tolls in lakhs of taka with threat on their lives.
   One of the garment factory owners in his GD said he received a call from cell phone at ab0out 9:00am Wednesday. Identifying as Abir Hasan, regional commander of Purbo Banglar Communist Party, the caller demanded Tk 4 lakh. His leader Ziaul Haq also talking to him asked to pay the money at a designated place of Shibu market at 12 noon.
   Some other factory owners said they received cell phone call demanding heavy tolls with threat on their lives. The caller sometime identified as leader of Sarbahara Party and sometime leader of Purbo Banglar Communist Party.
   The factory owners said they were moving with caution after receiving the threat on their lives.
   Fatullah thana officer-in-charge Mahbub Hasan admitted filing of four GDs complaining of demand for tolls from the underground parties. Some other owners made verbal complaints to him.
   Police sSibgatullah said they were investing matter with all seriousness.
   Informed sources said a number of intelligence agencies were in the field to find out the culprits.

The two-day governing council meeting of the four-nation ‘Bay of Bengal Programme’ ended in Dhaka on Wednesday with a call to mull over an integrated action plan for harnessing the fisheries resources of the common sea in the region.
   The meeting also discussed various issues relating to development and exploitation of the fisheries and other resources in the off-shore waters of the Bay of Bengal.
   India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives and Bangladesh are the members of the regional organisation.
   The fisheries and livestock secretary, Syed Ataur Rahman, also the new chairman of the forum said, ‘The meeting has stressed the need for ensuring the security of the fishermen as they can come back to the shore without any hazard after fishing in the deep sea.’
   Issues regarding to capacity building of the fisheries officials and increasing awareness among the fishermen about natural calamities came up at the meeting for discussion, he said, adding that a code of conduct had already been framed for the fishermen.
   ‘The fishermen will have to follow the code of conduct while fishing in the sea. As per the code of conduct, they will not be able to catch a huge quantity of fish from the sea.’
   Special assistant to the chief adviser for the fisheries and livestock ministry Manik Lal Samaddar inaugurated the two-day meeting at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council on Tuesday.
   Samaddar said the Bay of Bengal was contributing a lot to the socioeconomic development of Bangladesh and other off-shore nations. ‘It helps to promote Bangladesh’s external trade and maintain ecological balance and provide a huge fish stock to nourish people.’
   As the country’s population was on the rise, he said, many sweet water fishes would become extinct in the future and the people would have to depend largely on sea fish and such other resources.
   ‘This is why concerted efforts are badly needed to develop and exploit the fisheries resources in the Bay of Bengal,’ he added, saying that the four-nation forum should expand its flank to include some other regional countries.
   The special assistant said inclusion of Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar and other Asian states in the forum would help achieve the goal.

Kazi Meherin Hossain Pinky, daughter of Kazi Moazzem Hossain Sabu of Chiora Kazi Bari under Chowddagram in Comilla, died in a road accident at Texas, Houston in USA on Sunday, said a news release. She was 22.
   Brilliant student Pinky was studying BBA. She was buried in Texas on Tuesday. Her qul khwani will be held after maghrib prayers at Eastern Palace, 21 Siddheshwari, Dhaka.
   All relatives and well-wishers have been requested to attend the occasion.

The seventh anniversary of death of Kulsuma Begum, wife of Delwar Hossain Khan of Sholaghar, Vikrampur, will be observed today. A doa mahfil will be held on the occasion, family sources said.

The Old Faujians Association, Chittagong Chapter will hold  the second part of  the golden jubilee celebrations of Faujdarhat Cadet College  on the college premises tomorrow.
   The first part of  the golden jubilee celebrations of Faujderhat Cadet College, the country’s first cadet college, was kicked off through a grand seminar, titled ’50 years of  cadet college education’ in Dhaka on April 28, said a press release.
   Chief of Army Staff General Moyeen U Ahmed attended the seminar as chief guest.
   The seminar was conducted by M Anwarul Huq, convenor of the celebration committee.

Workshop on young leaders begins at RU
A four-day workshop on young leaders’ training began at the Rajshahi University Cafeteria on Wednesday. The Rajshahi University unit of Youth Ending Hunger is organising the workshop. Mostafizur Rahman, a professor of sociology department, and ANM Saleh, an associate of psychology department, spoke at the inaugural session. The trainers include Bidhan Chandra Paul, assistant programme officer of the Hunger Project, and youth activists Mariful Haque Shawon and Firoz Al Mamun. Forty students of the university are taking part in the workshop.
— New Age

UPL extends exhibition in
Ctg by 2 days
University Press Limited will now continue its annual book exhibition in Chittagong till May 11, as it extended the display by two days. The exhibition at the mini hall of Chittagong Muslim Institute will remain open to the visitors from 10:00am to 7:00pm every day. All UPL publications will be sold at varying discounts and some attractive books will also be sold at Tk20, said a press release.
— New Age