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Eight-year-old orphan Ibrahim Miah steps out of the stuffy and stifling rubber factory, with no childhood fancy left after an exhausting toil of 14 hours to feed himself and his family.
   What he gets in exchange is Tk 1,500 to Tk 1,800 only to maintain a bare survival in the capital.
   ‘It is hard work around here but the payment is too scanty to feed a family comprising my mother and three younger brothers,’ he said when approached on his way out of the factory for dumping industrial wastes on the bank of the River Buriganga.
   Asked about the environment inside the factory, he managed a smile and said, ‘It is extremely hot. I feel as if my skin has burned. Besides, five heavy machines that produce sandals torture my ears.’
   His factory colleague Babul, one year younger than him, nodded in agreement saying, ‘Since we have no other options, we are working here.’
   Twelve year-old Nazrul Islam, the immediate boss of the child labourers in the factory situated in the Old Dhaka’s Islampur area, said, ‘Though the work is not very hard, it is hazardous. We have to be in the scorching heat for about 16 hours a day.’
   The three are among more than one million children who have been forced to undertake hazardous jobs at an age when they are supposed to be at school.
   Such is the scenario when the country observes World Day Against Child Labour today.
   According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, more than 1.3 million children in Bangladesh are engaged in 47 types of hazardous work, while 7.4 are involved in more than 400 types of work.
   Unicef and children’s right groups say although the law prohibits engaging children in risky work, they are found engaged in dangerous jobs like ship-scrapping, welding, motor garages and handling of equipment like lathe machines in violation of the Child Rights Act, 1974 and the Labour Law 2006.
   According to the Labour Law, children must be at least 14 years of age to work in informal and formal industries, including garments, provided the working conditions meet certain criteria and they are not employed for more than 42 hours per week.
   Risky jobs may lead the children to permanent physical impairment, physicians warned.
   ‘If a child works in a noisy environment, he/she is likely to be affected physically and psychologically,’ said Abdus Sattar, an associate professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
   Although the country will march today with the world in observing the day marking the need to tackle the worst form of chid labour, the children in hazardous jobs are being deprived of their due wages.

Four multi-storey buildings erected on the banks of the River Sitalakhya were razed on Thursday.
   The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority and the district administration continued the drive for the third consecutive day to reclaim from the encroachers the banks of the river stretching from Kanchpur to Syedpur.
   ‘About 50 structures including seven brick-built buildings have been razed to the ground so far,’ Narayanganj Port deputy director Abu Zafar Hawlader told New Age.
   About 200 labourers worked to complete the unfinished demolition of one seven-storey garment factory, owned by one Shahnewaz, a six-storey garment factory and a six-storey building, owned by former municipality commissioner Jahangir, and another five-storey garment factory, owned by MD Malek, he said.
   The authorities concerned earmarked 134 structures along the 27-kilometre stretch of the river for demolition during the drive.
   The drive will continue until the selected 134 structures are pulled down, he said, adding, ‘We will take one day break tomorrow [Friday] to give the labourers some rest.’
   A large number of law enforcers including members of the Rapid Action Battalion were also there to avert any trouble during the eviction drive.
   Meanwhile, the drive on the banks of the River Turag ended on Thursday by completely knocking down two huge structures at Tongi Bazar.
   ‘The drive officially ends today with a success,’ BIWTA deputy director Saiful Islam told New Age.

At least 10 students were injured in an intra-party clash of Bangladesh Chhatra League, student wing of the Awami League, at the Institute of Glass and Ceramic College in the city’s Tejgaon area on Thursday.
   Witnesses said the clash ensued between two rival groups — one led by Shashi-Manik Group
   and another by Kamal-Shakib Group — over establishing supremacy on the campus.
   A group of students loyal to Kamal-Shakib Group attacked Shamim and Salam of Shashi-Manik Group at the canteen of Kazi Nazrul Islam Hostel at around 1:30pm, leaving them injured critically.
   Soon after the incident, several hundreds students equipped with sticks, rods, cricket stumps, bamboo sticks, brickbats and hockey sticks attacked each others triggering a hour-long fierce clashes between the two rival groups leaving 10 students injured.
   Of the injured, Shamin Ahmed and Abdus Salam were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital while others treated at different local clinics.
   The students alleged that law enforcers arrested five of their fellows on charge of creating anarchy on the campus but the police denied.
   Police from Tejgaon Industrial Area police station rushed to the scene and brought the situation under control at around 2:45pm.
   The duty officer of the Tejgaon Industrial Area police station told new Age, ‘The situation is under control.’
   A huge contingent of police was deployed on the campus to fend off further trouble.

The Khulna City Corporation is yet to launch drive to dismantle illegal structures on the canals in and around the city even after three weeks of the deadline given to the encroachers to shift their establishments.
   The corporation authorities in a notice published in different local dailies on May 10 asked the encroachers to remove their establishments from the canals within 10 days.
   Official sources at the corporation told New Age that demolition drive in the canals was being delayed because of legal tangle.
   They, however, said the corporation would launch the drive soon after settling the legal issue.
   A section of influential persons have encroached on 22 canals in and around the divisional city, hampering flow-out of water from the city, corporation sources said.
   Every year during monsoon, different parts of the get clogged with rain water due to encroachment upon the canals, the sources said.
   Against this backdrop, the corporation authorities formed a committee on February 5 to identify illegal structures on the city canals.
   The committee headed by Khulna additional deputy commissioner Mrinal Kanti Devm submitted its report to the city mayor on March 24.
   Representatives from the city corporation, Khulna Development Authority, Water Development Board, District Administration, Khulna Metropolitan Police, civic group leaders, NGO personnel and development workers were on the committee.
   The committee in its report has identified 81 occupants on the canals in and around the city.
   The report found that corporation’s 31 no ward office and Nagar Health Center, several roads built by Khulna Development Authority and corporation, Khulna office of Juba Unnayan Department and Mohila Krira Complex were built after filling different canals either partly or totally.
   The corporation at a meeting with different organisations and government departments concerned on March 31 published the committee report.
   Later, the corporation at a general meeting on May 4 took the decision to demolish all the illegal structures built on the canals in and around the city.
   As per the decision, the corporation issued notice on May 10 asking the encroachers to remove their establishments from the canals by May 20.
   The notice also said if anyone fails to remove the illegal structure within the time, the corporation will start demolishing the structures.
   A committee member, who is also a top official at the Khulna district administration, said the encroachers are influential persons and they are issuing legal notices and filing cases against them.
   About 30 cases had so far been filed against the committee members, he said adding that the corporation would start demolition drive after completing the legal process.
   Sheikh Abdul Quayum, another committee member and chairperson of Khulna Nagarik Forum, said encroachers have got an opportunity to file cases against them because of delay in launching the drive.
   He also stressed that the demolition drive should start as early as possible before monsoon to prevent water-logging in the city.

A female student of Rajshahi University committed suicide allegedly by taking poison at her father-in-law’s house at village Jagirpara under Puthia upazila in Rajshahi on Wednesday night.
   The police said Nasima Akter Lima, 1st year management student, took her life at about 9:00pm.
   Victim’s family members alleged that her in-laws used to torture Lima for dowry that led her to commit suicide.
   The police recovered the body and sent it to the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.
   Department teachers and students expressed deep shock at the death of Lima and demanded neutral investigation into her death.
   An unnatural death case was filed with the Rajpara police station in this connection.

Stressing comprehensive programme on ensuring child rights, the education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, said the government would take effective measures to eliminate child labour in the country.
   The government would take measures to ensure child rights for brightening their future, he said while addressing a programme at Tejgaon in Dhaka on Thursday.
   The function was organised by the Bureau of Non-formal Education to mark World Day Against Child Labour that falls today.
   The state minister for primary and mass education, Mohammed Motahar Hossain, Unicef country representative Carel de Rooy, among others, spoke at the programme.

Sikder Real Estate Limited launched its housing project ‘Sikder River View Satellite Town’ in the Dhaka city on Thursday.
   The real estate firm announced the launch of the project at a news conference held at Rifles Square in the city, says a press release.
   The chief operating officer of Satellite Town project, Kamal H Chowdhury, gave an overview of the project highlighting its key features.
   He said the project offers modern civic facilities with a touch of traditional living style.
   The vice-chairperson Pervin Hoque Sikder, present at the briefing, explained various aesthetic features of the project.
   The Satellite Town is being built just 1000 feet away from the River Buriganga River, one kilometre off Dhanmondi in the city.
   It will have all the modern facilities including park, super market, bank, restaurant, swimming pool, gymnasium, community centre, mosque, hospital and school, the release said.
   Sikder Real Estate director Fatema Hoque Lisa, managing director Monowara Sikder, finance director Ron Hoque Sikder and director (admin) Rick Hoque Sikder, among others, were present at the briefing.

Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over all the six 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 6:47pm and rises tomorrow at 5:10am.
   Country’s highest temperature 36.0 degrees Celsius was recorded on Thursday at Jessore and lowest 21.0 degrees at Rangpur.