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People in the Sylhet city and adjoining areas have been suffering severely due to acute power crisis.
   Frequent power outages are also affecting water supply mounting sufferings of the people, and causing a setback in the processing of tea in all the gardens in the region.
   Activities in all offices, markets and shopping centres and household works are disrupted due to the frequent power outages and fluctuation of voltages.
   Students, mainly the examinees of HSC examination scheduled to being May 29, are the worst sufferers of the load shedding.
   ‘Frequent power outages are forcing my daughter, an HSC examinee, to study in candlelight amid scorching heat,’ Farzana Begum, a banker at Tantipara in the city, said.
   According to sources in the Power Development Board, on average, the region has been facing 62 megawatts to 67MW load shedding a day as the PDB can supply 53MW to 58MW against an estimated demand of about 120MW.
   Almost all the places in the city and adjacent areas, experience eight to 10 hours of load shedding every day, sources concerned said.
   An official of Lakkatura Tea Garden in the city said processing of tea was being hampered severely due to power outages. ‘Frequent power outages also affect the quality and standard of tea,’ he added.
   Talking to New Age, an official in the Grid Line Control office of electricity at Kumargoan in the city, said they had requested the authorities to increase power supply in the region from the national grid due to its rising demand in Sylhet.
   ‘But the authorities failed to increase power supply in the region due to its rapidly increasing demand countrywide and no improvement in power generation,’ he said.
   The chief engineer of Sylhet PDB, Jamal Ullah, said they had no way to improve the power situation in the region, until the overall situation in the country improved.
   ‘The number of subscribers had increased manifold during the past years, but production had not increased in that ratio,’ he said.

The Dhaka University social welfare department students on Saturday confined their teachers for about two hours protesting at the delay in starting the classes for the masters coerces.
   The agitated students kept the entrance of the social welfare institute under lock and key between 11am and 12.45 pm confining the teachers.
   According to the students, they completed their honours 11 months ago, while their classes for the masters courses were yet to start.
   Although they were notified for the starting of their classes on Saturday, the students found that there was no such preparation, while classes for others courses were going on.
   The agitated students instantly shut down the entrance confining the teachers and other students. They, however, withdrew their programme after the institute director Syeda Firoza Begum assured them of starting the classes on May 26.
   The teachers of the institute told NewAge that the director had issued the earlier notice without any decision of the academic committee.
   Class distribution and syllabus for the current masters students were not discussed in academic committee following the rules of institute, they alleged.
   The director alleged that some of the teachers were creating obstacles to the starting of the masters classes.
   A teacher, D.M.Samad told reporters that the director tendered her resignation on February 28 and now she had no right to issue such notice.
   The resignation is, however, yet to be accepted by the university vice-chancellor, he mentioned.
   The acceptance of the director’s resignation can only resolve the matter according to the demand raised by the most of the teachers, he added.

Academics and writers on Saturday stressed the need for promoting the rich heritage of different ethnic community groups in the country to present its rich entity.
   Different ethnic minority communities and their culture are under constant threats of settlers, they told the launching ceremony of a research work on Tripura community at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
   They also observed that the authorities concerned had been failed to protect the life, properties and culture of the ethnic minorities in the country.
   They also stressed that the authorities concerned pursue research activities on cultural and anthropological aspects of different ethnic groups.
   Adibsasi Gabeshana Kendra organised the function to launch the book, entitled ‘Tripura Jati Parichay’ by Mustafa Majid.
   Bangladesh Bank governor Salehuddin Ahmed attended de the function as chief guest while Dhaka University professor of public administration Syed Giasuddin Ahmed was in the chair. Agriculturist Usit Mong, journalist Syed Abul Maqsud, DU professor of history Ahmed Kamal and Bangla Academy director general Syed Mohammad Shahed also spoke on the occasion.
   Salehuddin suggested public-private initiatives for more researches on ethnic minority issues.
   Ahmed Kamal said Mustafa Majid’s book would be considered as an important reference in further research and studies on Tripura community.
   Stressing the need for promoting ethnic minority culture, Abul Maqsud said ‘Ethnic community people and their cultures are neglected and endangered in different contexts in the country. It must be stopped.’
   Majid felt the need of equal distribution of properties and resources among the ethnic community people and the poor people for a balanced development in the country.
   Bangla Academy has published the 312-page book in February 2008. Eminent artist Qayyum Chowdhury has designed the cover based on a painting by Kanak Chanpa Chakma. The book is priced at Tk 200.
   Born in Patuakhali in 1955, Mustafa Majid, a poet and researcher, works in Bangladesh Bank as a general manager to the public relations department. Majid, also the treasurer of the National Poetry Council, has so far authored more than 30 books. He did his PhD from the Department of Public Administration at Dhaka University in 2002.

Five out of more than 50 roads of the Barisal City Corporation have been named after freedom fighters, but only one of them is used officially, locals said.
   According to the BCC sources, the city has five roads — Zia Road, Shaheed Abdul Gani Road, Shaheed Nazrul Road, Shaheed Mushtak Ahmed Sentu Road and Major MA Jalil Road — named after the heroes of the war of independence.
   Of the five roads, the Zia Road between the C&B Road and Nabogram Road named after Ziaur Rahman during the BNP regime in 1991, is used officially.
   The road between Battala and Nabogram Road crossing was named as Major MA Jalil Road in 2005, but the city dwellers still identify parts of the road as Battala, Karimkutir, Forester Bari and Nabogram Crossing. The market built on the MA Jalil Road by the BCC also uses the old name on the signs and documents.
   Some business establishments at the Battala BCC market had started writing the name, keeping the old name in brackets, on their signs and documents following an initiative by local socio-political elites, said Zakir Hossain Jelal, a BCC ward commissioner.
   The road between Barisal Zilla School and Amtala crossing, was named as Shaheed Nazrul Road, but it has remained only on declaration.
   The road renamed after Shaheed Abdul Gani, a rickshaw puller who was one of the first martyrs of the independence war in the city, is still known by its old name Bhati Khana. The name plate carrying the name of the freedom fighter has also disappeared.
   Though Peshkar Bari Lane was renamed after freedom fighter Shaheed Mustak Ahmed Sentu, the new name of the road could not be established due to dispute between Sentu’s family members over the ownership of the land used for constructing the road.
   Awlad Hossain Dilu, mayor in-charge of the BCC, said the city corporation was eager to name the roads after the great heroes and martyrs of the independence war. He, however, stressed on building awareness among the people for using them as postal addressees and in official documents.

Speakers at a seminar in Khulna on Saturday emphasised checking unplanned cultivation of shrimp in saline water to preserve environment including paddy, local fishes, and crops.
   Cultivation of saline water shrimp in an unplanned way has put an adverse impact on the ecology of the country’s south western region, they told the seminar on ‘Preserving environment to develop southwest coastal zone’.
   Organised by Committee to Preserve Paddy, Fish and Environment in Coastal Belt, in collaboration with Uttaran and Manusher Jonno, the seminar was attended by farmers’ representatives, government officials, civil society members, public representatives and journalists working in the southwest coastal belt of the country.
   The committee convener, Sheikh Sultan Ahmed, chaired teh seminar addressed, among others, by human rights activist and former adviser to the interim government, Sultana Kamal.
   Bangladesh Arthaniti Samiti general secretary Abul Barkat, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association director Rezwana Hasan, Justice Nizamul Haque Nasim, human rights activist Sara Hossain and 28 representatives of farmers from different upazilas of the coastal region also spoke on the occasion.
   Green activist Rashiduzzaman presenting the keynote paper alleged that saline water shrimp cultivation in the southwest zone had forced a section of farmers to turn into day labourers or migrate to towns and cities for their livelihood leading to collapse in the agricultural infrastructure or the region.
   Former adviser Sultana Kamal stressed measures for increasing food production by controlling the intrusion of salinity in the coastal belt.

In a bid to find out the little talents from all parts of the country, Dano Bangladesh organised a rhyme and painting competition, titled ‘Chora Lekho Aar Chobi Ako’ contest 2008 in the ICMAB auditorium in Dhaka on Friday.
   A large number of contestants participated with their own rhymes and drawings. A panel of judges comprising eminent personalities of the country selected the winners among the best rhymes and drawings.
   Renowned litterateur Selina Hossain, Moinul Ahsan Saber, artist Hashem Khan, and chairman of Mutual group Azim Uddin Ahmed, agent of Arla Foods in Bangladesh; Ahmed Kabir, Arla Foods country manager Aminul Islam handed over prizes along with crests and certificates to the 120 winners.

Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gust or squally wind is likely at a few places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong divisions 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 Saturday, 35.4 degrees Celsius, was recorded in Faridpur and the lowest, 22.4 degrees Celsius, in Dinajpur.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:39pm and rises tomorrow at 5:12am.

Five farmers from Madaripur have submitted a petition to the agriculture adviser, CS Karim, seeking actions against officials, who, they alleged, were responsible for misappropriating irrigation subsidy money in their area.
   The farmers complained the local officials in collaboration with the union parishad chairman had given farmers
   far less an amount of diesel subsidy than what they were entitled to, by ‘intentionally’ creating disorder during the
   distribution in Kadombari Union of Rajoir upazila in Madaripur between May 6 and 9, 2008.
   The ‘naïve and almost illiterate’ farmers were compelled to sign or give finger prints on the receipt of higher amounts although they had received Tk 50 in place of Tk 550 and Tk 700 in place of Tk 1,100, according to the petition forwarded in the last week.
   When contacted, the agriculture adviser assured that he would take necessary measures, had there been serious allegations.
   ‘I don’t indulge in anything like that [corruption].
   ‘There may be deviations in a few cases,’ he told New Age.
   The Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Rajoir and the deputy commissioner of Madaripur were two officials who were blamed for suppressing allegations of ‘corruption, cheating and embezzlement’ against the officials and the union parishad chairman.
   The complainants are Joydev Gain, Suresh Majumder and Gobindo Mondal from Kadombari, Kalachand Majumder from Barokhola and Uddhob Gain from Aruakandi in Rajoir upazila.

The family of politician and journalist Comrade Abdus Shahid on Saturday sought the chief of army staff’s intervention in saving their house in Integrated Hatirjheel-Begunbari Canal Development Project area Shahid’s wife Razia Shahid and his daughters Shamim Ara Tania and Joya Shahid at a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity said they would have no
   shelter in the capital if their house was acquired for the project.
   Tania said her father, leaving aside the family’s well being, dedicated himself for the people as a progressive politician and journalist.
   ‘My mother bought the piece of land at Ulan in Rampura and built a house there in 1980 with all of her efforts.’
   The project authorities marked for acquisition the settlements of the Ulan area where the house of the late politician is located.
   ‘The move is unfortunate and unexpected as a vast land is left unused at the northern end of Ulan where the project could be implemented,’ Tania said.
   ‘The only source of our income is the house.’
   She alleged the alignment of the project has been changed for saving more than 200 houses located on the eastern and the western end of their house.
   ‘Even a housing company establishment beside our house was kept out of the project, but the authorities are yet to take any steps to save our house despite a request by 40 eminent personalities, including AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, Dr Kamal Hossain, Professor Anisuzzaman and Sultana Kamal,’ Tania said.
   The family appealed to the army chief, General Moyeen U Ahmed, to take step to save their house.
   ‘Intervention of the army chief saved the life of a condemned convict, who was a freedom fighter, and we believe that he will save our house on humanitarian ground,’ Razia said.

Abdus Shahid and Muhammad Baker Hossain have been elected president and general secretary respectively of the Dhaka Union of Journalists.
   The election was held at the National Press Club Friday.
   A total of 704 voters, out of 811, cast their votes in the polls.
   Abdus Shahid was elected president securing 438 votes against 243 votes bagged by his rival Azizul Haque Banna. Muhammad Baker Hossain bagged 390 votes while his rival Sardar Farid Ahmed got 293 votes.
   Other elected office-bearers are: Vice-presidents Amirul Islam Kagaji, Khandaker Hasnat Karim and Dr Mahbub Hassan, joint secretary Khurshid Alam, treasurer Shahidul Islam, organising secretary Abdullah Ferdaus, publicity secretary Zahirul Haq Rana, sports and cultural affairs secretary Shahadat Hossain Khan and office secretary Akon Abdul Mannan.
   The elected members are Abdul Baset Mian, Sharif Abdul Gofran, Muhammad Sanaullah, Nurul Islam, Toufiqur Rahman Fahim, Mainuddin Ahmed, Abdul Baten and Azhar Ali Sarkar.
   Earlier, the biennial general meeting of the DUJ was held at the press club auditorium on Thursday.
   Former Chief Justice JR Modassir Hossain attended the meeting as chief guest.
   Chaired by outgoing DUJ acting president Azizul Haque Banna, the function also addressed, among others, by News Today editor Reazuddin Ahmed, BFUJ president Mozammel Haq, BFUJ secretary general Ruhul Amin Gazi, National Press Club president Shaukat Mahmud, National Press Club general secretary Kamaluddin Sabuj, and DUJ leader Altaf Mahmud.

One person was killed and 20 other people were injured in a microbus gas-cylinder explosion at Panchabati under Fatullah police station in Narayanganj on Saturday.
   The dead was Bakul Chandra Mondol, 40, a trader of the area. Eyewitnesses said the engine of a microbus, which was standing on the road, caught fire and was spewing smoke.
   Local people rushed there to douse the fire. At one stage, the gas cylinder of the microbus exploded, leaving Bakul Chandra dead on the spot. The gas explosion at about 2:00pm also left 20 other people injured.

Local fishermen rescued five Sri Lankan fishermen from the Bay of Bengal at Hiron Point on Friday after they went for fishing in the sea about two months back.
   The officer-in-charge of the Kotwali police station Mohiuddin Ahmed said the crewmembers and fishermen of FB Shishir saw the five fishermen on a small boat floating in the sea and rescued them.
   The fishermen are identified as Kristi, 57, Ananda, 41, Anthony, 41, Sarat, 48, and Annandate, 34.
   Ananda said they went for fishing in the Bay of Bengal two months ago but the engine of their fishing boat went out of order. The local fishermen along with Lankan fishermen reached Nazirartek Ghat in Cox’s Bazar in the evening.
   As the Lankan fishermen became very ill due to starvation, they were admitted to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital. After getting treatment, they took shelter at the house of Shamsuzzoha Bahaddar, owner of FB Shishir, at Noniharchara in the town.

A fund raising dinner to help the victims of a cyclone which ripped through Bangladesh last November has been cancelled to help focus attention on the current disasters in China and Myanmar.
   The event was expected to have raised thousands of pounds which would have gone towards the Bangladesh Cyclone Sidr appeal.
   However, organisers of the Edinburgh event, said they had taken the decision to cancel it in order to ensure that much-needed funds were not diverted from appeals to help victims of two more recent disasters, China’s devastating earthquake and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis, according to news.scotsman.com.
   City school pupils were among those taking part in the drive to raise £2,00,000 to build 200 new homes in Bangladesh, but organisers said that as the appeal had already raised more than £1,50,000, and was close to reaching its target, they felt it would be better for people to focus on helping those currently urgently in need.
   All ticket money for the event, which was due to be held on Tuesday, May 27, will be returned.
   Councillor Ewan Aitken, leader of the city council’s Labour group, said the cancellation was a gesture ‘of great integrity’ and showed ‘powerful support for suffering people.’

The Chittagong University authorities have compensated the family of Mahmudul Hasan Mamun, who died in a train accident on Thursday.
   Professor Ranjit Kumar Chowdhury, chairman of the department of accounting and information, on behalf of the CU authorities, handed over a cheque for Tk 5.00 lakh to Mamun’s mother at their house under Bahuli in Patiya upazila Saturday afternoon.
   Mamun, a third year student of the accounting department, got entrapped between two compartments of the shuttle train and died on the spot triggering violent protests by the university students in the Sholoshohar railway station area.
   The CU authorities gave the money as the vice-chancellor assured the agitating students of compensating Mamun’s family.
   Meanwhile, the CU syndicate Friday night suspended all the classes for three days, as the railway authorities sought the time to resume shuttle train service after repairing the signal system and other infrastructure damaged by the rampaging students.

A suspected underground party activist was killed in an encounter with the Rapid Action Battalion at Haripur village in Atrai upazila of Naogaon early Saturday.
   The victim, Uzzal, 32, was a regional commander of underground Purba Banglar Communist Party (ML-Lal Pataka).
   Tipped off, a RAB team raided a hideout of the underground party operatives at Haripur at around 2:30am. Sensing RAB’s presence, the activists opened fire on them and the elite force also retaliated.
   After the skirmish, RAB members found bullet-riddled Uzzal lying in a pool of blood. They took him to Atrai Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.
   The RAB recovered a pistol, two bullets, three cocktails and a hand bomb from the scene.

VC of Indian univ calls on DU vice-chancellor
The vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, R Karpaga Kumaravel, called on the Dhaka University VC, SMA Faiz, at the latter’s office on Saturday. They discussed matters of mutual interest, especially the possibility of introducing exchange and collaborative programmes between the DU and Madurai Kamaraj University. Director of the DU Institute of Modern Language Anwar Hossain and Professor Mostafizur Rahamn of English department of Bangladesh Open University were present on this occasion.
— BSS