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Cloud of dust causes immense sufferings to the residents of the Dhaka city due to lack of any drive of the authorities concerned to free the capital from dust.
   Many city people are suffering from various respiratory problems, skin diseases and eyesore because of flying dust in the capital city, some residents said.
   The Dhaka City Corporation, which is responsible for keeping the city clean, is yet to launch any drive although almost all the city areas lie enveloped with dust.
   The corporation has 12 sprinklers but they are mainly used in clearing wastes of sacrificial animals during Eid-ul-Azha. They are not used in clearing dust in the city.
   The sprinklers are also used in washing the roads and the premises of Central Shaheed Minar to mark different national days such as Ekushey February, Independence Day and Victory Day, said a high official of the corporation’s transport department.
   The Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka told New Age that he would inform the conservancy officer of the corporation to take steps to check dust in the city.
   Dust is produced mainly because of increasing spate of construction of roads, buildings, other structures and digging of lanes and by-lanes, said city residents.
   Unloading of construction materials in the locality creates huge dust in the city, they said.
   During winter, flying dust adds to the sufferings of asthma patients who are usually sensitive to dust, a medical expert said.
   The presence of dust particles in the air is higher during winter than summer and it causes breathing problems to chronic and seasonal asthma patients, said Professor Falahuzzaman Khan, leader of the Asthma Association of Bangladesh.
   ‘Asthma patients have to be careful about some agents like dust, cigarette smoke, artificial fibre and animal fur,’ he added.
   ‘All kinds of dust may cause various respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, eye irritations and allergic skin reactions,’ he said.
   Dust is produced when heavy trucks and delivery vans unload bricks, cement bags, rods, sand and other construction materials on the roads.
   Even residential areas in the city are not free from dust. Drifts of heavy dust continue to envelop the houses. Household goods such as furniture and utensils get covered with dust.
   As per provision of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, all have to cover the construction sites with thick jute or plastic sheets so that no materials can fall down during construction work.
   The Rajuk rule also stipulates that bricks, sand, earth and rod should not be piled up on roads and no work relating to preparation for construction work should be done on the roads/public spaces.
   Sweeping of the city roads at daytime also increases the dust although collection of garbage and its disposal should be done before 8:00am on a regular basis as per DCC rules.
   Sweepers are usually found clearing the city roads round-the-clock in violation of the DCC rules, they said.
   People on their way to and from Moghbazar, Tejgaon Sat Rasta, Malibagh, different areas of Uttara, Bangla Motor, Rampura, Mouchak, Badda, Khilagona, Mirpur, Sheorapara, Kazi Para and Goran have to suffer a lot for cloud of dust.
   The residents of theses areas are often seen moving along the nearby roads by covering their faces with clothes to protect themselves from dust.
   Dust production increased tenfold in the urban areas over the last 10 years, said a soil, water and environment teacher of Dhaka University.
   Unplanned city expansion and development programme is the main reason for generation of huge dust in the capital, he added.

About 90 per cent people of the country are suffering from gum-related tooth problems that might cause deadly diseases like cancer, kidney and heart ailments.
   The disclosure came on Friday at the launching ceremony of the book ‘Danta O Mukher Roger Sathe Deher Roger Samparka’ by Professor Arupratan Chowdhury.
   Aagami Prokashoni, a publishing house, organised the function at BIRDEM Hospital in Dhaka.
   The planning minister, AK Khandaker, called on the dentists to launch a social campaign to protect the country’s poor people from severe tooth problems.
   ‘A campaign can help the rural and illiterate people to leave a better life without tooth ailments,’ he added.
   Dr Morol Nazrul Islam alleged that some unscrupulous businessmen were doing harmful works in the mane of ‘cosmetic dentistry.’
   To whiten teeth, he said, ‘they use tooth bleaching which reduces enamel of teeth, causing many tooth problems.
   National Professor Nurul Islam urged people to use ‘Neem-Miswak’ which helps to prevent tooth diseases, saying, ‘One should undergo tooth check-up at least twice a year.’
   The BIRDEM chairman, Professor Azad Khan said the government should take initiatives to include health hygienic and dental issues in textbooks so that students could become aware of health hygiene.
   Former army chief Lt Gen (retd) Harun ar Rashid and owner of Aagami Publisher Osman Gani, among others, spoke at the function.

‘Chetana 71’, a sculpture of liberation war, and ‘liberation war corner’ were inaugurated at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology on Thursday on the occasion of Independence Day.
   Vice-chancellor Professor Saleh Uddin inaugurated the sculpture and liberation war corner. Freedom fighter Kakan Bibi Bir Pratik was supposed to attend the function as chief guest but she couldn’t present due to her illness, campus sources said.
   The sculpture was installed in the middle of the academic building A and academic building E while the liberation war corner on the third floor of the central library building.
   Students of the academic session 2005-06 raised the money for installing the sculpture while some students, led by Nabin, sketched out the design for it, the sources said.
   Professor Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, head of computer science and engineering department, and his wife Yasmin Haq, also associate professor of physics department, announced in the inaugural function that they would donate Tk 50,000 to the fund of the liberation war corner.
   Books on liberation war, video features and documentary would be preserved in the liberation war corner.

Sandhani’s Sylhet Osmani Medical College unit organised a painting competition for schoolchildren in the city on Friday on the occasion of Independence and National Day.
   A total of 298 students from 35 educational institutions of the city and its outskirts participated in the competition held on the Central Shaheed Minar premises in the morning.
   The schoolchildren were divided into four groups. Students from playgroup to nursery competed in Group A while Class I to Class III in Group B, Class IV to Class VI in Group C and students from Class VII to Class X in Group D.
   Topic of painting in the competition was open for Group A, ‘Shaheed Minar’ or ‘Mausoleum’ for Group B, ‘War of Independence’ for Group C and activities of Sandhani for Group D.
   Sandhani, a voluntary organisation of medical and dental students, handed over crests to three best participants and prizes to two more contestants of each group. Besides, certificates were handed over to all the participants, organisers said.
   Ehteshamul Haq Chowdhury, assistant director of Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital, inaugurated the competition as guest of honour. Arbinda Dasputa, head of Charukala Shishu-Charu Bidyalaya, and artist Chuni Chowdhury acted as adjudicators.
   Sandhani’s central unit advisers Sudip Kumar Dey, Zulkar Naim Mazumdar, Mehedi Mannan, Syed Ahmed Resa-I, Azreen Chowdhury and Sanjida Shabnam, central representative Fayad-Bin Jasim, local unit vice-president Nayeem Ahmed, general secretary Shahriar Shafiq, assistant general secretary Prianka Dash and organising secretary Raqib Rahman were, among others, present at the function.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency said on Friday more Bangladeshi students would get opportunities for higher education and research in Japan every year.
   JICA’s chief representative in Bangladesh Nobuca Suzuki Kiwasima gave the assurance while addressing a seminar on ‘Education in Medical Technology to Enhance Healthcare Services in Bangladesh’ at LGED auditorium in Agargaon.
   Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin MP was the chief guest at the seminar organised by the JICA Alumni Association of Bangladesh. The director general of the health directorate Shah Monir Hossain and general secretary of the JICA Alumni Association Mohammad Izar Uddin also addressed the seminar.
   Mohiuddin urged the physicians to be more sincere and devoted in reaching the health services to the doorstep of all, particularly the poor people, in the country.
   Stressing the need for quality education on medical technology for further progress in the country’s health services, he said the present government would provide all-out cooperation in this field.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion in separate drives seized two firearms from Panchlaish and Baizid Bostami areas in the Chittagong city on Friday.
   Acting on a tip-off, RAB sources said, they conducted a raid on the Khatiberhat area under the Panchlaish police station in the city at about 3:00am to arrest a gang of criminals who were reportedly taking preparation to commit crimes in the locality.
   Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the criminals managed to flee the spot, RAB officials said, adding that they found a single barrel gun searching the area after the incident.
   Acting on a tip-off, the RAB members also raided on the Shaheed Nagar area under Baizid Bostami police station at about 2:00am to arrest a gang of criminals.
   But the criminals managed flee the spot sensing the presence of the law enforcers, a RAB official said. ‘We found a light gun and two cartridges searching the locality after the incident,’ the official added.
   No arrest was made till filing of this report. The seized firearms were handed over to the respective police stations.
   Two separate cases were filed with the police stations in this connection.

Two young textile workers were electrocuted in the city on Thursday night as they were working at a cloth printing press at Eastern Asia Printing Factory in Kadamtali.
   The victims were Akhtar Hossain of Dinajpur and Jabed of Jhalakati, said factory workers. Soon after the accident at 8:30pm, they were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared them dead at around 9:00pm.

Officers’ Club Dhaka celebrated the 39th Indepen-dence and National Day with daylong programmes.
   On the occasion, discussion, daylong sports event and swimming competition were arranged and in the evening a discussion meeting and cultural programme was held in club auditorium.
   Vice-chancellor of Dhaka University AAMS Arefin Siddique and member of the club Professor Momtazuddin Ahmed attended the discussion as speakers.
   General secretary of the club Shafiq Alam Mehedi and cultural secretary of the club Kazi M Abu Bakar Siddiqui spoke, among others, on the occasion. Artistes performed in the cultural programme.

A weeklong drama festival, organised by Jahangir-nagar Theatre, begins today at Jahangirnagar University.
   Various cultural organisations from JU and Dhaka will participate in the festival and stage their dramas at the amphitheatre on the campus.
   On the first day, ‘Ebong Vidyasagor’ will be staged by Aranyak Natyadal. The other dramas to be staged are ‘Hatyar Shilpakala’ by Jahangirnagar Theatre on March 29, ‘Samayer Proyajane’ by Theatre Art Unit’ on March 30, ‘Kaibalya’ by Jahangirnagar Theatre and ‘Ekjan Ruhul Amin’ by Battala on March 31, ‘Kinu Kaharer Theatre’ by Prachyanat on April 1 and ‘Half Akhrai’ by Udichi on April 2.
   A convention of theatre activists will be held on the concluding day on April 3.

Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions in next 24 hours till 6:00pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
   Country’s highest temperature on Friday, 34.6 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Jessore and lowest 16.2 degrees at Rangpur.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:13pm and rises tomorrow at 5:53am.