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Three machines at the Central Drug Testing Laboratory for testing the standard of drugs and arsenic in water and the presence of formalin and artificial colouring in food items have been lying idle for the last four years because of lack of skilled manpower and funds.
   These machines were purchased at about Tk 4 crore.
   Despite having such machines, the authorities have failed to check the production and marketing of the substandard drugs by a number of pharmaceuticals, said laboratory sources.
   The machines — Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer, High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Gas Chromatography — were procured in 2004 but none has been trained to operate the modern equipment, said a chemist of the government testing lab at Mohakhali.
   Another source at the lab said that a section of the employees had taken away and sold some parts of these machines.
   An analyst, however, said, ‘To operate these machines, we need at least Tk 10,000 per week to buy the sample preparation kits and chemicals for conducting tests’.
   He said letters were sent to the ministry of health and family planning to take necessary steps to bring these machines into operation.
   ‘We need trained manpower to operate these machines,’ said an assistant chemist of the lab established in 1947 under the Institute of Public Health.
   The Gas Chromatography is used in the analysis of drugs and other organic compounds.
   ‘To test drugs, vaccines, food, water, and sera, a laboratory needs sophisticated machines which require central air-conditioning but this laboratory is housed on the second floor of the IPH building, which is not centrally air-conditioned,’ said a senior official.
   The laboratory tests about 4,000 samples of drugs, chemicals and biological products every year, which are sent mainly by the Drug Administration, Central Medical Store, Combined Military Hospital, family planning directorate, and the Directorate of Ansars and VDP.
   The lab also conducts researches to invent vaccines, tests the quality of vaccines, identifies the infectious diseases, and finds out ways and means to prevent the contagious diseases.
   The World Health Organisation and the concerned professionals on various occasions in the 1990s had recommended upgrading of the lab to a national drug testing laboratory and giving it the status of a directorate for its role in safeguarding the country’s pharmaceutical sector, said an official.
   Sources said that another government-run drug testing laboratory of the country in Chittagong was suffering from manpower shortage and inadequate equipment.

Former vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Zillur Rahman Siddiqui on Tuesday said Bangladesh was lagging behind other countries in education for lack of political talent.
   ‘We have huge talent in different sectors but we are lacking political talent,’ he said while addressing a function organised at the auditorium of Institution of Engineers in the city to mark the 7th founding anniversary of Premier University.
   With Chittagong mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, also founder chairman of the governing body of the university, in the chair, the function was addressed, among others, by Anupam Sen, vice-chancellor of the university, Professor Abdul Mannan, former vice-chancellor of Chittagong University, Subrata Bhattacharya, assistant high commissioner of India, Oleg Avdeev, consul general of Russia, and Mohammad Shamsuzzoha, acting chief executive officer of City Corporation.
   Zillur Rahman said all concerned should give highest priority on education to push the nation towards development. ‘National unity is a must to push the nation ahead.’
   The mayor said they were working to upgrade Premier University into one of the best universities in the country within a few years. ‘We have a vision to compete with the world famous universities by 50 years.’
   He also demanded formation of city government for proper development of the city, adding that they would be able to carry out development activities without taking any financial help from the government after formation of city government.
   Anupam Sen said, ‘We will have to enhance educational competency for the sake of the country’s development.’
   Abdul Mannan said, ‘We can turn the country into developed ones if we can turn our population into skilled workforce.’
   Shamsuzzoha, also a member of the university’s governing body, said the city corporation is running different educational institutions to ensure quality education for city dwellers.

Speakers at a workshop in Khulna city on Tuesday urged the government to immediately make amendments to tobacco control laws.
   The existing tobacco control laws are not followed properly and even these laws are not enough to control tobacco and tobacco products, they said at the workshop.
   Khulna Press Club and Rural Acting Arrangement Centre organised the workshop on ‘amendments to tobacco control laws’ at the auditorium of Press Club.
   Chaired by press club president AK Hiru, the workshop was addressed, among others, by deputy civil surgeon Maqsuda Begum, senior journalist Shahabuddin Ahmed, press club general secretary Zakir Hossain, Shahidul Islam Babu of RAAC, Rezaul Karim of NGO Forum, journalist Shah Alam and Mamun Reza.
   The speakers said that the government should impose a ban on any kind of advertisement of cigarettes in print or electronic media and display of posters on cigarette in public places.
   The government should insert certain provisions into the laws to collect at least half of the total profit of cigarette and bidi companies to raise funds for treatment of patients suffering from tobacco related diseases in the country, the speakers said, adding that awareness campaign should be launched from family level to control smoking effectively.
   They also urged the law enforcers to enforce existing tobacco control laws effectively, saying that the amount of fines for smoking in public places should be increased from Tk 50 to Tk 100.
   A number of government officials, NGO activists, civic leaders and journalists were also present.

The Ministry of Education has taken stringent measures against artificial crisis makers of secondary school textbooks in the country.
   The government has already sought cooperation of law enforcers to ensure availability of textbooks at a fair price in the markets.
   The ministry has sent a letter to the Rapid Action Battalion seeking their help to launch a drive against the makers of artificial crisis of textbooks in the country through syndicate, sources in National Curriculum and Textbook Board told the news agency on Tuesday.
   The Ministry of Home Affairs would supervise the marketing of books so that students can get books smoothly, the sources said, adding that a total of 40 teams of NCTB are monitoring the supply and selling of textbooks across the country. Besides, a seven-member team is monitoring the situation.
   The government has decided to print 2.60 crore textbooks on 76 subjects for secondary level students in the country. Textbooks on 38 subjects have been supplied on Tuesday, the sources said.
   Textbooks on 24 subjects, the last instalment, will be released by January 31.
   Books on 14 subjects have already been supplied in the market throughout the country.
   The sources said additional 20 lakh textbooks are being printed to supply in the market to make available the books for the secondary students.
   NCTB hoped that additional prices couldn’t be charged from the buyers as the ministry had taken stern steps against the syndicate.

The detective police seized 100 litres of local wine and picked up 12 persons from Muchi Patti at Rikabibazar in Sylhet city Monday night.
   The arrested were Debu Rabidas, 38, Abu Rabidas, 40, Lokman Khan, 53, Shamim Ahmed, 32, Milan Babu, 55, Ali, 32, Dilip Gosh, 38, Ana Miah, 35, Babul Roy, 42, Rahu Robadas, 33, Zahid Mridha, 45 and Alam Ahmed, 35.
   A team of the DB police raided the area at about 10:30pm and seized 100 litres of liquor.
   They also arrested the 12 persons on charge of selling liquor, sources in the detective branch said.
   The arrested were handed over to the Kotwali police and a case was filed with the police station in this connection early Tuesday, the police said.

A group of activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League ransacked windowpanes, doors and furniture at academic and registrar sections of Barisal Polytechnic Institute on Tuesday, demanding immediate publishing of the results of their examinations.
   The police later brought the situation control. The police were also deployed on the campus to fend off further trouble.
   Abdur Razzak, president of BCL Barisal polytechnic unit, said final results of 147 examinees of different disciplines and semesters have not been published more than three months after the examinations.
   Zahiruddin Kazi, principal in charge of the institute, said angry students damaged glasses of windowpanes and doors and some furniture. He blamed the technical education board for delay in publishing the results.

Save the Environment Movement on Tuesday demanded taking measures to protect all the playgrounds and open spaces in the capital.
   Leaders of the organisation also called for making it mandatory to keep the playgrounds in each educational institution and locality.
   They made the demands at a rally held in front of National Museum at Shahbagh where representatives of different non-governmental organisations were present. Manjurul Hasan, a geography professor of Jahangirnagar University, presided over the rally. Earlier, they formed a human chain at the place.
   Speakers at the rally said lack of open spaces is a major problem for the citizens. As playgrounds in many areas have been occupied, city dwellers go for movement to save them, they said.
   The speakers also emphasized the necessity of playgrounds especially for the children, saying that children become now dependent on television and computer which hampers their physical and mental growth.
   Activists from Jibika, Genesis, WBB Trust, Swakshar, Best and other social organisations also took part in the human chain.

The 10th reunion of the History Department Alumni Association of Dhaka University will be held on March 20 at Teachers-Students Centre.

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose Foundation under Srinagar in Munshiganj will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of famous scientist Sir JC Bose through a yearlong programme.
   As a part of this, it will organise a study tour to National Museum and Liberation War Museum for students from 10 educational institutions under the district on Jan 29, said a press release signed by Foundation general secretary Abdur Rashid Sikder on Tuesday.

 Teachers and students of different madrassahs brought out a procession in the city on Tuesday in protest at Israeli attacks on Gaza.
   They also held a protest rally in front of Aswani Kumar Hall with Maulana Sharfuddin Beg in the chair.

Results of the admission test of Cha unit for the first year honours course of Islamic University were published on Tuesday.
   The viva voce of the admission seekers, who have got chance, will be held on January 28, February 2 and February 8 at business faculty building.
   The viva of the applicants in waiting list will be held on February 24 on the basis of seat vacancy, unit sources said, adding that the applicants have been asked to send applications with photocopies of their admit cards to the unit authorities within February 22 for their enrolment in two departments under the unit.

Weather is likely to remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky over the country during next 24 hours till 6:00pm today.
   Light to moderate fog may occur over the country during late night till morning, Met Office said in a forecast on Tuesday.
   Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
   Country’s highest temperature on Tuesday, 28.5 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Cox’s Bazar and lowest 12.5 degrees at Rangamati.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 5:37pm and rises tomorrow at 6:43am.