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Frequent power outages disrupt normal life in Rajshahi city and its adjoining areas even after introduction of the government’s daylight saving time, claimed the city dwellers.
   They observed that frequent power outages due to load-shedding had increased the sufferings of the city dwellers recently, which continued despite introduction of the daylight saving time.
   Sources at the Power Development Board in Rajshahi said the short power supply situation had aggravated recently as they could meet only 45 per cent of the total demand for the areas.
   ‘Now we get supply of only 40-45 megawatt of power from the national grid against the daily demand of 95 megawatt for the areas,’ said an engineer of the PDB in Rajshahi.
   He added that under this short supply situation they went for load-shedding in the Rajshahi city areas for six to eight hours daily.
   He, however, claimed that the power supply crisis in Rajshahi had turned into acute because of the scorching heat in the areas.
   The city dwellers alleged that their sufferings knew no bound for the frequent power outages due to load-shedding at most of the time.
   ‘The seven to eight times load-shedding daily amid the ongoing hot spell has become unacceptable to us,’ said Sumona Akter, a resident of at Boaliapara area in the city.
   Madhobi Mukharjee of the city’s Sagarpara said the power outages had increased recently despite the introduction of the day saving time and their sufferings reached an intolerable level.
   Sohel Rana, a resident student of the Rajshahi College, said that frequent load-shedding coupled with an ongoing hot spell made their life measurable.
   ‘It is unbearable to stay in a room of dormitory due to frequent load-shedding amid scorching heat,’ said Tanjirul Islam, a masters’ final year student of Rajshahi University.
   Jamaat Khan, convener of the Rajshahi Rakkha Sangram Parishad, a platform of the cross section of people, told the New Age that they were preparing for staging a demonstration protesting at the frequent load-shedding in the city.
   ‘The city dwellers are immensely suffering due to frequent load-shedding and we demand to get rid of the problem immediately,’ he said.

Participants in a discussion on Tuesday underscored the need for family cooperation to help recover ther drug addicts.
   Family cooperation is a must for recovery of the drug addicts, the speakers told the discussion organised by Ahsania Mission Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre.
   The centre arranged the programme at Dhanmondi Mission Bhaban auditorium to mark its 5th founding anniversary and Anti-drug Day.
   ‘Better relationship, fellow feelings and sympathy of family members are indispensable for preventing relapse of recovered addicts,’ lawmaker Hafiz Ahmed Mojumder, also chairman of Pubali Bank Limited, told a discussion.
   The discussion was divided into two sessions —one for the recovered drug addicts and another for their guardians.
   Appreciating various activities of DAM, Majumder said materialisation of any initiative is not difficult if its aim is honest and noble.
   Speaking as special guest, The Bangladesh Observer editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, also president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, urged all to build a greater social movement to eradicate the menace of drugs from society.
   Assuring uninterrupted media cooperation in creating awareness among the people about bad effects of drugs, he called upon the government to create more job opportunities and provide other facilities to youths.
   Misty McDuel, country director of Family Health International, Dr M Mozammel Huq, Bangladesh adviser of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (HIV/AIDS) and M Ehsanur Rahman, DAM executive director, also spoke.
   Dr Akhtaruzzaman Selim, resident psychiatrist of the Central Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Centre of the Mission, read out the keynote paper in the discussion chaired by DAM president Kazi Rafiqul Alam.

The Rajshahi City Corporation authorities on Tuesday launched a drive to knock down the makeshift shops illegally constructed on footpaths in the city.
   Corporation officials said they had started the drive to free the footpaths from the encroachers who are partly responsible for traffic congestion in the divisional city.
   On the first of the drive, the corporation with the help of law enforcers pulled down some 50 illegal shops in the city’s New Market area.
   Small traders are doing business by setting up makeshift shops on most of the footpaths and even on several points of the city road, corporation sources said.
   Encroachment on the footpath and road often causes traffic congestion and road accidents, the sources said.
   The Rajshahi mayor, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, at a recent meeting with the corporation’s beautification cell directed the officials to pull down all footpath shops in the city.
   The footpaths in different places including Saheb Bazar, Moni Chhatar, Sonadighi Crossing, Ganakpara, Bindur Crossing, New Market area, Railway Market, City Corporation market, Dhaka Bus Stand area, Shiroil, Binodpur and Kazla, in front of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Laxmipur, Haragram and court areas have remained occupied by small traders.
   The past military-backed caretaker government evicted the small traders from the footpaths but after some days, the encroachers staged comeback.
   The corporation officials claimed that many city dwellers in different times appealed to them to free the footpaths from encroachers.
   Corporation sources said before the demolition drive, they had issued notice to the traders to shift their shops but traders clamed that they did not get such notice.
   ‘The corporation is carrying out the demolition drive without prior notice’, said Ayub Ali Talukder, president of Chinnomul Footpath Babosayee Samity of the city unit.
   He also blamed the corporation for launching the drive without rehabilitation of the footpath shop owners.
   The corporation’s superintendent engineer, Ashraful Haque, told New Age the drive has been launched as part of the city beautification programme.
   ‘The demolition drive will continue until the city footpath is cleared from the encroachers,’ he added.

The students of the Agricultural Training Institute in Sylhet continued agitation for eighth day on Tuesday demanding immediate implementation of their eight-point demand.
   The agitating students formed a human chain on Sylhet-Tamabil Highway and held a rally on the institute campus to press for their demands.
   Their demands include introduction of higher education at all ATIs across the country by setting up an independent university for them, providing allowances for the interns and all kinds of facilities for ATI students like the polytechnic students.
   The speakers in the rally said they would continue the agitation programme until their demands are met.
   They also threatened to go for fast unto death on June 29 to press for their demands.
   President of Krishi Diploma Chhatra-Kalyan Parishad, Sylhet regional unit, Abdullah Al-Mamun, senior vice-president PRP Palash, general secretary JK Chowdhury Raju and former general secretary Shah Parvej, among others, spoke at the rally, campus sources said.

The launch of long expected alternative transport service by Barisal City Corporation in the city has become uncertain due to politicisation of the service implementation committees and lack of assurance of security.
   The alternative transport service in the form of maxi service was scheduled to be started on June 1 this year aiming to travel of commuters and ease traffic congestion.
   The decision of alternative service was approved at a meeting between the city councillors and law enforcing agencies and traffic department and leaders of maxi-minibus-tempo-rickshaw owners’ associations on May 18 with BNP leader and acting mayor Altaf Hossain Shikder in the chair.
   The meeting selected city corporation market in the steamer ghat area as the makeshift maxi terminal.
   The routes are Bhatarkhal-Kalijira, Bhatarkhal-Nathullabad, Shapla Square-Mohabaj, BCC-Rupatali, BCC-Nabogram Chowmatha, City Market-Kagashura, BCC-Shafimiar Garage, BCC-Amtala crossing and BCC-Amanatganj crossing.
   After Barisal mayor Shawkat Hossain Hiron returned home from abroad he changed the previous decision by replacing minibus that created complexity in introducing the service.
   The situation became more complicated after the mayor, also the city Awami League convener, asked for forming convening committees in 30 wards of the city led by local AL presidents and secretaries.
   Most councillors, who were not AL activists, were angry and stopped cooperation. On other hand leaders of Barisal minibus owners association said they do not have sufficient minibus for city service.
   The roads of the inner routes were not wide enough, one association member said.
   Rezaul Kabir, BCC road inspector, said the city corporation had planned to introduce minibus service as they were able to carry more passengers at a time than maxis.
   The launch might be delayed for some more days as we are working to repair the roads and drainage system, he said.
   The BCC earlier tried to introduce city bus and alternative transport service but failed in the face of strong protests by rickshaw pullers and tempo drivers.
   Although the authorities concerned allowed plying of battery-run auto-rickshaws in the city, it was yet to gain popularity because of high fare, sources in transport sector said.
   Once maxi and minibus service is launched in the city, it will ease traffic jam, said Mizanur Rahman, member-secretary of Nagorik Samaj. ‘Rickshaw pullers are charging at their will as there is no alternative transport,’ he said.

The Rajshahi mayor, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, on Tuesday urged the government officials of all departments to work with sincerity to ensure improved service for the people.
   He made the call while addressing as a chief guest a discussion held at the Rajshahi Medical College Auditorium in the city.
   The deputy commissioner’s office in Rajshahi organised the programme, marking World Public Service Day.
   ‘We can establish good governance in the country only by providing better services for the people,’ the mayor told the discussion chaired by deputy commissioner of Rajshahi, Shefaul Karim.
   He also urged the RMCH authorities to ensure better treatment facilities for the people.
   Liton said widespread corruption in all the sectors was impeding development of the country. ‘This social ill must be rutted out in the greater national interest,’ he added.
   ‘Our dream for a hunger-free Bangladesh is yet to be fulfilled even after 38 years of the country’s independence, the mayor noted.
   He called upon the all sections of people to come forward to help the government in establishing a modern Bangladesh free from hunger and poverty.
   Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, divisional commissioner of Rajshahi, Colonel Abdul Latif, director of the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Dr ABM Abdul Hannan, principal of the RMC and Nawsher Ali, RMP commissioner, addressed the programme as special guests.

The police on Tuesday arrested 36 persons including 15 sex workers and 20 of their customers from a residential hotel in Fakirerpool area in Dhaka city.
   The police said on information, they raided New Sagorika Hotel at about 1:00pm and caught 15 women and 20 men from different rooms of the hotel.
   They also rounded up Swapon Kumar Das, manager of the hotel, for his alleged involvement in illegal activities.
   A case was filed with Paltan police in this connection.

Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions till 6:00pm today.
   Mild heat wave is sweeping over the regions of Tangail, Rajshahi, Ishwardi, Khulna, Satkhira and Jessore and it may continue, Met Office said.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 7:50pm and rises on Thursday at 6:13am.
   Country’s highest temperature 38.0 degrees Celsius was recorded today
   at Rajshahi and Jessore and lowest 24.0 degrees at Rangpur and Sayedpur.