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Green and development activists formed a human chain on Monday calling on the government to recover the city’s 43 cannels to put an end to water-logging problem in Dhaka city.
   They also demanded exemplary punishment for those who have occupied the canals in the city and built structures by filling them.
   The Save Environment Movement and Work for Better Bangladesh Trust jointly organised the human chain in front of the fine arts faculty of Dhaka University.
   The speakers said encroachment on the canals in and around the Dhaka city was the main reason of water-logging in the capital during every monsoon.
   If all the cannels are recovered, the water-logging problem will greatly be reduced, they said adding that city’s water crisis can also be removed by storing rainwater during monsoon.
   Abu Naser Khan, chairman of THE Save Environment Movement, said indifferent of the lending agencies to environmental issues are one of the main reasons of destroying the water bodies.
   He said every year many residential areas were created by filling the cannels, leading to the collapse of the city’s drainage system.
   Syed Mahbubul Alam, WBB programme manager, said filling of the cannels was clear violation of laws and also warned that the capital city would not be suitable for living after 10 years if the cannels can not be protected.
   Aminur Rasul, member secretary of Unnayen Dhara Trust, called the government to take immediate steps to recover Hatirzhil land lying occupied by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
   The speakers said the city will face calamities like earthquake as if the government fails to take immediate measures to stop environmental degradation.
   In this regard, they said ground water level in the city was declining because increased growth of buildings.
   Tusher Rehman, secretary general of Citizen Rights Movement, Ibnul Sayed Rana, president of Nirapad Foundation, representatives from different non governmental organisations were present.

Teachers and students of Rajshahi University formed a human chain on Monday, demanding arrest and exemplary punishment for the killers of Nima, a female student of the university.
   The management department, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, Chhatra Front and Bangladesh Chhatra Union jointly organised the human chain programme at Kazla Gate near the university campus.
   Several hundred teachers and students participated in the hour-long programme and called on the law enforcers to immediately arrest the killers of Nima, a 1st year student of the management department.
   They also demanded fair investigation into the killing.
   The speakers criticised the law enforcers for not to taking any initiatives to arrest the killers of Nima.
   They threatened to launch tougher movement a along with socio-cultural activists if the killers are not immediately arrested.
   Nima Parvin alias Lima died on June 10 in the house of her father-in-law at village Jagirpara under Puthia upazila in Rajshahi. She was allegedly killed by in-laws over dowry.
   The speakers also alleged that Nima’s father-in-law was now trying to establish that Nima had committed suicide by taking poison.

Development activists formed a human chain in Dhaka on Monday, demanding stern action against the authorities
   of Rid Pharmaceuticals
   for producing toxic paracetamol syrup that caused death of a number of children.
   The SHAKKHOR Environ-ment and Education Development Society organised the human chain programme in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh.
   Shamsun Nahar Aziz Lina, chairperson of the organisation, said the government should monitor all the pharmaceu-tical companies in the country to ensure production of quality medi-cines.
   She demanded exemplary punishment for the Rid Pharmaceuticals authorities so that none can produce such toxic medicine further.
   Other speakers called on the government to take immediate measures to control the standard of the all medicines particularly common drugs available in the market.
   They said the doctors should prescribe standard medicines to their patients and called upon the people to be cautious while purchasing medicine.
   The speakers also advised the people not to buy medicines without prescription.
   The organisation director (health) Kalim Uddin, co-ordinator Aminul Haq Tusher, executive director of INCIDIN Bangladesh Zubair Haider Ali, research director of Hunger Free World Maruf Bin Islam, executive director of TREE Shahid Mallik, project manager of Hunger Project Saidul Islam, among others, were present.

CNG pump owners have submitted their 6-point demand with logical grounds to prime minister’s adviser Dr Taufiq-E-Elahi Chowdhury.
   According to sources at energy ministry, the demands were placed on Sunday to the PM’s adviser as the follow-up of Thursday’s meeting between the CNG pump owners and the government.
   After that meeting, the CNG pump owners postponed their scheduled countrywide strike from August 1, giving the government until August 16 to meet their demands.
   The pump owners were asked by the PM’s adviser to submit their demands in detail with logical grounds.
   Their demands are reducing gas price to Tk 13.26 from Tk 16.75 per cubic metre at the consumer level, fixing feed gas price at Tk 5.23 like other industries, cancelling the minimum billing system, installing electronic volume conductors (EVCs) on emergency basis, reducing BERC license fee to Tk 5,000 from Tk 1 lakh, cancelling the cash security deposit system and exempting the CNG stations from NOC of Environment Department.

Armed muggers stabbed a policeman and took away some cash and a mobile phone set from him at Badda in the Dhaka city on Monday.
   The victim is constable Nazrul Islam, 38.
   The police said Nazrul was intercepted by a gang of about five armed muggers near Suvastu Nazar Valley at around 6:00am while he was returning to his residence at East Badda in plainclothes.
   As he resisted the gang, they indiscriminately stabbed him and then took away Tk 500 in cash and a mobile phone set from him.
   The local people rescued Nazrul and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he was undergoing treatment. The officer-in-charge of Badda police station said they launched drive to arrest the criminals.

A two-day national convention titled “Reducing Risk of Natural Calamity through School” began in the city on Monday.
   Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid inaugurated the convention jointly organized by ActionAid Bangladesh, Advancing Public Interest Trust, Eso Desh Ghori and Solidarity and South Asia Partnership-Bangladesh on the premise of National Museum.
   Experts, representatives from different international organizations and government and NGOs and students from different educational institutions took part the convention, said a press release.

The 5th Asia Pacific Air Internet Jamboree was concluded at the National Headquarters of Bangladesh Scouts here on Sunday, a press release said here today.
   Information secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury was the chief guest while additional secretary of the ministry M Mahfuzur Rahman and the Bhorer Kakoj Editor Shamol Dutta were the special guests at the concluding ceremony. National commissioner of scouts Md Rafiqul Islam Khan chaired the function.
   About 10 thousand scouts participated in the Jamboree.

A minor girl was killed in a road accident on Natun Road in city’s Daulat-pur thana this Monday morning.
   Police said Shahinur Khatun, 13, died on the spot as a truck hit her while she was standing on the roadside at about 10:30am.
   Police later seized the truck but its driver and helper managed to escape.
   The body was sent to hospital morgue for autopsy. A case was filed.

A day-long workshop on Model Project for an Improvement on Oral Health Care in Rural Area in Bangladesh’ will be held on Tuesday at Lake Shore Hotel in Gulshan.
   Jointly organised by Director General of Health Services and Hokkaido University supported by JICA Bangladesh office, DGHS Prof Shah Monir Hossain will attend the workshop as chief guest.
   M Nazrul Islam Sarker, deputy chief, ministry of health and family welfare and Eiichiro Cho, senior representative of JICA Bangladesh Office, will attend as special guests.

Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over in all the six divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places over the country till 6:00pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 7:40pm and rises on Wednesday at 6:29am.
   Country’s highest temperature 35.5 degree Celsius was recorded on Monday at Barisal and lowest 25.5 degrees at Bogra.