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The Khulna City Corporation mayor, Talukder Abdul Khaleque, on Sunday announced Tk 153.58 crore budget for 2009-2010 fiscal year without imposing new taxes.
   He placed the proposed budget at Shaheed Altaf Auditorium of Nagar Bhaban in presence of local elite, political leaders and cross section of people.
   Of the total budget, Tk 46.36 crore will come from the corporation’s own resources while the remaining amount of Tk 107.22 crore from the government grant.
   The mayor also declared the revised budget of Tk 93.77 crore for 2008-2009 fnancial year against the proposed Tk 332.92 crore.
   Terming the 2009-2010 fiscal year a year of development of the city, the mayor declared to exempt holding taxes of the freedom fighters in the corporation area.
   The mayor in the proposed budget set aside Tk 16.42 crore for development works and Tk 21.81 crore for staff salary and 6.12 crore for office maintenance and other costs.
   Besides, he earmarked Tk 25.77 crore for public works, Tk 3 corer for water sector, Tk 7.19 crore for health sector and Tk 4.08 corer for conservancy sector and 53 crore for five water supply projects.
   The water supply projects include development of infrastructure, drainage system and development of water supply system, repair of flood-damaged infrastructure, repair of sidr-damaged infrastructure, establishing sanitary landfill, establishing linier park by the side of Moyur and Rupsha rivers and development of parks, garden and children’s recreation facilities.
   The mayor said the corporation had failed to collect enough holding and other taxes in the past financial year and sought cooperation of the city dwellers for improvement of corporation’s services.
   The chairman of the corporation’s standing committee on finance and establishment, Memori Sufia Rahman, presided over the budget declaration ceremony.
   Corporation’s panel mayors Ajmol Ahmed Tapan and Ruma Khatun, chief executive officer Tapan Kumar Ghosh and secretary Fayzur Rahman, among others, spoke on the occasion.

The president, Zillur Rahman, on Sunday urged the people of all walks of life to perform their duties sincerely to build a hunger and poverty-free Bangladesh under ‘Vision 2021’ based on information technology.
   ‘The present government is committed to establishing rule of law in the country alongside fulfilling the people’s basic needs — food, clothes, accommodation, education and healthcare,’ he said while addressing as chief guest the ICMAB Convocation 2009 at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka city.
   The president said the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, had already declared the ‘Vision 2021’ programme to fulfill the people’s expectations.
   He also stressed the need for adopting the latest developments of information technology for the welfare of the nation.
   ‘Unprecedented development of the information technology at the beginning of the century has turned the world into a ‘global village’ and globalisation created various challenges we are facing,’ he said.
   Zillur said Bangladesh, a country with bright prospects, has huge manpower and also a thousand year-old heritage and culture.
   ‘Our big asset is the hardworking and brave people. With their united efforts we’ll have to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh.’
   He said the cost and management accountants with their knowledge and experience could play significant role in ensuring acceptability and transparency of financial statements in the public and private sectors.
   ‘Transparency and accountability in the financial sector is essential to protecting the public interest.’
   The president also laid emphasis on raising the standard of the Institute of Cost Management Accountants of Bangladesh to international level. ‘There is no alternative to professionalism in strengthening one’s position in today’s competitive world.’
   He urged the accountants to give priority to national interest while scrutinising the financial statements. ‘While discharging duties, you should place the public interest and patriotism above everything else,’ he said.
   The convocation was attended by the commerce minister, Mohammad Faruk Khan as special guest while the Dhaka University vice-chancellor, Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique was the convocation speaker.
   The ICMAB president, ABM Shamsuddin Ahmed, former ICMAB president AKM Delwar Hossain and convocation convenor Zahir Uddin Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.
   The commerce minister in his speech urged the accountants to independently perform their duties to help build a ‘Digital Bangladesh’.
   ‘You should use your valuable knowledge for the welfare of the people and development of Bangladesh,’ he said.
   A total of 158 fellows and associate members of the ICMAB received certificates at the convocation.

Participants in an advocacy meeting on Sunday underscored the need for safe sex habit to combat HIV/AIDS.
   Safe sex is a must to prevent the deadly HIV/HIV, the speakers told the meeting held at deputy commissioner’s office in the Khulna city.
   The meeting was arranged under the HIV/AIDS Targeted Interven-tion project of Population Services and Training Center Consortium.
   Phultala and Banishanta drop-in centers of PSTC arranged the meeting under their ‘brothel-based sex workers’ package.
   Governmental officials, sex worker representatives of Phultala and Banishanta brothels and Khulna-based journalists took part in the programme.
   Akhtaruzzaman of PSTC Consortium presented the keynote paper at the meeting.
   In his keynote speech, Akhtaruzzaman said lack of awareness has made Bangladesh vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.
   Lower rate of using condoms by sex workers, increased number of injecting drug users and needle sharing by them and unsafe border are the main reasons for potential threat of HIV/AIDS in the country, he pointed out.
   The speakers urged the government to take steps to confirm 100 per cent use of condoms by the sex workers, improving sanitation in the brothels and regular medical check-up of sex workers.

The students of Brojo Mohon College in Barisal formed human chain on the campus on Sunday, demanding construction of hostels to ease accommodation problem at the institution.
   The agitating students under the banner of the committee for construction of multi-storey hostel organised the programme to press home their demand.
   The human chain programme was followed by a brief rally which was addressed by Palash Pandey of philosophy department, Milon Basu of social welfare department and Shushanta Adhikari of political science department.
   The speakers said the accommodation problem is seriously hampering education in the largest and the century-old college in the division. About 20,000 students, including 6,000 females read in the college which provides honours degree on 19 subjects and master’s course on one subject.
   The college has six hostels for male students with the capacity of only 658 seats while only two hostels for female students with capacity of 350 seats.
   The speakers said the college authority has sufficient lands and huge fund to be used for construction of new hostels. Due to accommodation crisis, many students of the rural areas, particularly female students, are being deprived of getting higher education at the college, they said.

The movement of cabs, auto-rickshaws and rickshaws remained suspended on the Second Buriganga Bridge for the 4th consecutive day on Sunday in protest at increase in bridge toll.
   Local sources said over, 2,000 drivers and pullers of the light vehicles and three-wheelers, plying the Keraniganj-Dhaka route, went on an indefinite strike on Thursday as the new lease holder of the bridge increased the toll rate. The drivers alleged the local Awami League leader and the new lease holder of the Buriganga Bridge-2, Sayed Ahmed, had increased the toll money from Tk 10 to Tk 15 for each auto-rickshaw, CNG-run auto-rickshaw and taxi-cab while Tk 5 for rickshaws and rickshaw vans.
   Every vehicle that crosses the bridge twice or thrice everyday, if they pay Tk 15 for each trip, they would have to pay half of their earning.
   Protesting at the toll hike, the affected CNG auto-rickshaw owners, drivers and local people staged demonstration and held a protest rally at Kadamtoli area on Sunday. They also intercepted the vehicles plying the bridge.
   The agitated people also threatened to stop all kinds of vehicular movement on the bridge if the additional toll collection was not stopped by 24 hours.

A man was crushed under the wheels of a bus in Bhugroil area of Rajshahi city on Sunday.
   The deceased was identified as Sohrab Ali, a resident of Baliadanga area in the city. He was a medical representative.
   The police, quoting witnesses, a bus of Rajshahi College ran over Sobhan on Rajshahi-Naogaon highway while he was crossing the road.
   Hearing the news, local blocked the highway suspending communication on the road for about half an hour. On information, the police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.

A Rajshahi court on Sunday sentenced six people to life-term imprisonment for abduction and rape of a teenaged girl.
   The judge of the speedy trial tribunal, ATM Mesbaouddollah, handed down the verdict. The convicts are Asaduzzaman, Shahidul Hasan, Rabiul Islam, Nurul Islam, Imam and Abdur Rashid.
   The court also fined them Tk 1 lakh each, or in default to suffer two years more in jail.
   According to the prosecution, the convicts abducted a 14-year old girl from village Srimontapur under Godagari upazila of Rajshahi on January 9, 2008. They took the girl in Dhaka and raped her.
   The victim’s father Sabiar Rahman filed a case with Godagari police station against the six people on January 17.
   After examining all documents and witnesses, the judge pronounced the verdict in a crowded court room.

A workshop on ‘disaster management curriculum’ under post-graduate diploma and professional training programme of the Institute of Social Welfare and Research at Dhaka University was held at the Centre for Excellence of the university.
   The DU vice-chancellor, Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, inaugurated the workshop as the chief guest with director of ISWR Prof Dr Nurul Islam in the chair, said a DU press release.
   Pro-vice chancellor Professor Harun-or-Rashid attended the function as special guest. The workshop was also addressed, among others, by National Disaster Management Expert Dr Mahmudul Islam and Dr Shahadat Mahmud.
   Professor ASM Atiqur Rahman of ISWR conducted the workshop.
   Speaking on the occasion, the vice-chancellor said, awareness about disaster and natural calamities must be created among the people for reducing the post-disaster losses.
   He said the country has incurred a huge loss of lives and propitious due to frequent natural calamities and disaster.
   Professor Harun-or-Rashid hoped that the post graduate diploma course on disaster management would help generate skilled manpower in the related field.

The first part examination-2007 of Master’s course of National University will begin on July 18.
   Schedule of the examination has already been announced, a press release of the university said on Sundau.
   Detailed information
   of the examination is available on the web: www.nu.edu.bd, the release added.

Light to moderate rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at one or two a few places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions till 6:00pm today.
   Mild heat wave, which is sweeping over the regions of Rajshahi, Ishwardi, Jessore, Khulna, Satkhira,Chuadanga and Tangail may continue, Met Office said.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 7:49pm and rises on Tuesday at 6:12am.
   Country’s highest temperature 37.8 degrees Celsius was recorded on Sunday at Chuadanga and lowest 25.1 degrees at Srimongal.