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The government is unaware that the construction firm North South Property Development Ltd has unlawfully handed over more than 500 flats built under Bhasantek Rehabilitation Project.
   According to the gazette notification, flats would be handed over only to the applicants to be selected by the selection committee formed by the government, sources in the land ministry said.
   The ministry took the project in 1998 and the development company was given 150 bighas of land in city’s Dhamalcoat area to construct 15,025 flats for rehabilitating some one lakh slum dwellers.
   The price of a two-room flat was fixed at Tk 3.55 lakh and one-room flat at Tk 2 lakh. The prime minister will formally hand over the flats to the selected applicants on or before June 30, the sources added.
   ‘We have handed over at least 450 flats to the buyers who are now living in their flats,’ the NSPDL chairman Abdur Rahim told New Age.
   About handover of the flats before the selection of the applicants by the committee he said, ‘We have handed over the flats on our own authority.’
   The land minister, Rezaul Karim, told New Age, ‘We know so far that nobody is living in the flats built for slum dwellers. The selection committee will decide on who will get the flats and then the question of handover of the flats will come.’
   Asked whether the contractor has the authority to hand over the flats, the minister categorically said there was no such provision. Responding to whether the government would inspect the project he said, ‘The project director is looking after the issue.’
   He also said the government would look into the matter whether the contractor had breached the terms and conditions of the agreement.
   The dwellers in the project said although the NSPDL had allowed them to start living in the flats, they have yet to provide any registration certificate even after full payment.
   ‘We have not been given any document of our flat except a money receipt from the company,’ Romel, who has been residing in one of the flats for about a year, told New Age.
   ‘NSPDL took Tk 50,000 from each a few months back for providing the registration documents, but we are yet to get them,’ he said.
   Bhasantek Rehabili-tation Project Flat Owners’ Multipurpose Cooperative Society president Md Ajgar Ali said, ‘Although the contractor has no authority to hand over the flats, they did it apparently to show others that they had the authority to sell the flats and do a brisk business.’
   The company took the total cost of the flats from 450 to 500 buyers, although the terms of reference of the agreement between the government and the company said the buyers will pay for the flats after the selection committee choose the appropriate persons for the flats, he added.
   Ajgar Ali was confused about the fate of those who had paid for the flats and started living but finally would not be chosen by the selection committee.
   ‘The company is now putting pressure on us to give them Tk 50,000 as registration fees, but we do not know about the exact registration fees,’ he said.
   The project was first pledged by the Awami League government in 1998 following slum dwellers violent protest triggered by eviction of some 4,000 families from the slum.
   Later in September 2003, the BNP-led alliance government launched the project and the land ministry issued the work order in January 2004.

Students of Bangladesh College of Physiotherapy withdrew their fast unto death on Tuesday after the health minister AFM Ruhal Haq assured them of starting the construction of the college building between June 6 and 11.
   The students started their fast unto death at the Central Shaheed Minar on May 24 to press for their demand. Later on Monday, they declared to commit suicide on Tuesday.
   Anwar Hossain Munshi, joint secretary of the health and family welfare ministry, and Khandaker Md Sifaet Ullah, director of medical education of the health ministry, met the agitating students at 11:00am on Tuesday and asked them to withdraw their fasting programme.
   As they did not agree with them, the health and family welfare minister met with the students at midday and assured them that the construction of the college building would start between June 6 and 11.
   The health minister also said the government would not change the date for the beginning of the construction of the college building. After getting the assurance, the students broke their fast.
   Prime Minister’s Adviser Syed Modasser Ali was also present.

The research centres and bureaus at Dhaka University fail to take up major projects due to lack of adequate budgetary allocation.
   The 33 centres and bureaus had a total budget of only Tk 2.13 crore for research, laboratory and infrastructures in the fiscal year 2008-09 while
   Tk 1.47 crore revised budget in 2007-08, Tk 1.15 crore in 2006-07 and Tk 80.79 lakh in fiscal year 2005-06.
   On average, the university had allocated Tk one crore for its research centres and bureaus per annum during the last five years.
   Officials said due to resource constraints, many of the centres could not be able to function properly. Only a few centres had something for publication in the annual report of the university in 2008, they added.
   Allocation of nominal funds virtually kept a few research centres non- functional. In fiscal year 2008-09, the DU authorities had allocated Tk 10,000 for its Urban Research Centre, Tk 50,000 for Bangladesh Research Centre and Tk 75,000 for Nazrul Research Centre.
   In 1981, the university authorities set up the Renewable Energy Research Centre aiming at organising research activities in the field of solar, wind and other alternative sources of energy, encourage research for utilisation of solar energy, help multidisciplinary research in this field and look for international assistance and collaborations in this field.
   The aims of the RERC were to coordinate and establish liaison with scientists and engineers working with other institutions inside and outside the country and gather information about researches in solar and other alternative energy sources and disseminate them among the research workers.
   But DU had allocated Tk 20.88 lakh during the last five fiscal years for salary, research and publication of the RERC, director of the centre Dr Neem Chandra Bhowmik
   said. ‘We were unable to carry out any research activities worth mentioning because of resource constraints.’
   An administrative official of Social Science Research Centre said, ‘We had an allocation of Tk 3 lakh in the last fiscal year for salary, research and publication.’
   Officials of the different centres and bureaus said paltry honorarium, paid to their directors, gives them hardly any incentive to work.
   Sources said many of the centres have also lost their importance as different faculties of the university have their own publications. All the faculties except pharmacy publish the research works of their teachers.
   ‘The research centres take more time to select works for publication. Often, they do not properly evaluate the works and offer little honorarium,’ said a social science teacher.
   ‘Teachers are interested in getting their research papers published by their respective faculties, which is much easier to do,’ he added.

Speakers at a discussion on Tuesday demanded special allocation in the upcoming budget for the development of Rajshahi.
   They also demanded implementation of the North Rajshahi Irrigation Project to resolve water crisis and urged the local lawmakers to work together for the development of Rajshahi.
   Rajshahi Rakkha Sangram Prishad, a platform of cross-section of people in Rajshahi, organised the meeting at Nagar Bhaban of the Rajshahi City Corporation.
   Rajshahi mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton addressed the meeting as the chief guest. Chaired by Jamat Khan, convener of the parishad, the meeting was also addressed by Liakat Ali, editor of the local daily Sonali Sangbad, Mosharraf Hossain Akhunji, language movement veteran, Abu Bakkar Ali, president of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Harunur Rashid, director of RCCI, and freedom fighter Mostafizur Rahman Sawdagar.
   The speakers said underground water level of the region is falling alarmingly due to lifting of excessive water. If the North Rajshahi Irrigation Project is implemented, water crisis will be resolved, they added.
   The people of the northern region were deprived of various facilities, they said, adding that the government should work out plan for overall development of all the regions of the country.
   Though the majority of the people in the area largely depend on agriculture, no governments introduced modern technology for the development of farmers, they said.
   They also demanded gas supply through the pipeline, setting up of industries to create job opportunity, building of more schools and colleges, ensuring supply of medicines and foods for patients at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and establishment of Export Processing Zone based on agriculture.

Residential students of Sergeant Fazlul Huq Hostel of Barisal Braja Mohan College brought out a procession on the campus Monday night demanding immediate removal of the hostel superintendent for his alleged corruption.
   Witnesses said the agitated students also pelted brickbats at the residence of the principal. Later, student leaders rushed to the spot and calmed them down.
   Principal Professor Nani Gopal Das said an inquiry committee would be formed to investigate the allegations of corruption against hostel super Bellal Hossain, also assistant professor of history department.
   The hostel super denied the allegations brought against him.

Dhaka Ahsania Mission will hold a seminar titled Global Warming and Climate Change for School Students at its auditorium on Wednesday marking the World Environment Day.
   DAM President Kazi Rafiqul Alam will chair the opening programme of the first session, said a press release.
   Environment and Forest Secretary Mihir Kanti Mojumdar will be present at the seminar as the chief guest while Erich Otto Gomm, coordinator, SED, GTZ, as the special guest, the press release added.

A woman was killed in a road accident at Osmani Nagar on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Sylhet on Monday night.
   The deceased was identified as Laila Begum, 45, wife of Matasir Ali, of Bara Dirarai village under Osmani Nagar police station.
   The police said the accident took place at about 10:00pm when a Kushtia-bound truck ran over the woman in the area. She died on the spot. The police sent the body to the Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely at a few places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Khulna and Rajshahi divisions in next 24 hours till 6:00pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:43pm and rises tomorrow at 5:11am.
   Country’s highest temperature 37.8 degrees Celsius was recorded on Tuesday at Jessore and lowest 22.8 degrees at Srimongal.