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The number of diarrhoea patients has come down in different hospitals, including the ICDDR,B hospital, in the capital following rain, an ICDDR,B scientist said.
   Dr Shahadat Hussain, head of the short stay unit of the ICDDR,B and a scientist there, told New Age on Monday, ‘The number of diarrhoeal patients has started to come down from Saturday with the change in the weather. When the temperature goes up, people from all sections drink water and the poor people have no access to pure drinking water.’
   It makes the poor people more vulnerable to diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases, said the scientist.
   Dr Shahadat said, ‘After the Saturday night’s rain, the temperatures have come down slightly, and the arrival rate of diarrhoeal patients has also declined.’
   He also said that the average number of diarrhoeal patient was 900 each day which has declined to 630.
   On Monday, some 637 patients were admitted to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh in 24 hours beginning at 8:00am, which was 851 last Monday.
   According to the health control room of the Directorate General of Health Services, a total of 1,367 patients were admitted in different hospitals in the country during the past 24 hours beginning at 8:00am on Monday.
   Diarrhoea is a tropical water-borne disease that weakens the body system due to dehydration. Doctors advise patients to drink enough pure water to fight the disease.
   ‘Without personal hygiene and enough supply of pure drinking water,
   it is difficult to prevent its outbreak,’ said ICDDR,B scientists.
   Diarrhoea breaks out in the country twice each year – before the advent of monsoon (from April to June) and in the post-monsoon period (from August to October).
   Though the number of patients came down in past few days, it has already claimed 11 lives in a month since March 1, said Dr Habiba Khatun, medical officer of diseases control of Directorate General of Health Services of the health and family welfare ministry.
   She said nine of them expired at the ICDDR,B and rest two were reported from Kustia and Magura.

The students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology will observe class boycott and refrain from taking the scheduled examinations today, protesting at the increase in tuition fees.
   They announced the class boycott programme at a rally held in front of the central library of the university on Monday, according to campus sources.
   The students also decided to resist plying of university buses on Wednesday demanding immediate withdrawal of the university authorities’ decision to increase tuition fees.
   Earlier, the agitating students brought out a procession on the campus and forced suspension for university buses for about one hour to press for their demand.
    No buses could leave and enter the campus between 12:00pm and 1:00pm, campus sources said.
   Earlier on March 18, the students gave an ultimatum to the university authorities for withdrawal the decision to increase 25 per cent tuition fees by March 29.
   Student associate bodies of different political parties also extended their support to the movement of general students over the tuition fee hike.
    The university unit of Samajtrantik Chhatra Front in a press release said the University Grants Commission will not be allowed to implement the 20-year strategy paper prescribed by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
   The strategy paper if implemented will go against the interest of students of the university, it said.
   The organisation threatened to go for tougher movement in association with the general students to resist any decision that goes against the interest of the students.
   The vice-chancellor, Professor Saleh Uddin, told New Age that said the university syndicate and students’ advisory committee will decide on the matter.

Speakers at a rally on Monday called for running the community clinics properly to ensure healthcare service for all, especially the poor and disadvantaged.
   The Population Services and Training Center under its Health Rights Movement programme arranged the rally at Bhuban Mohan Park in Rajshahi city.
   The Rajshahi city mayor, AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, inaugurated the rally.
   Civil surgeon Dr Zahurul Alam, deputy civil Surgeon Dr Abul Fazal and upazila health officers and family planning officers, among others, joined the rally.
   With HRM committee president Mozammel Haque in the chair, the rally was addressed, among others, by mayor Liton, civil surgeon Dr Zahurul Alam and PSTC committee secretary Shahnaj Begum Shikha.
   Getting healthcare service is one of the fundamental rights of all citizens irrespective of religion, caste, creed, speakers said.
   They also observed that healthcare services could not be ensured for the distressed people without making the community clinics effective.
   They said importance should be given to making the jobs of the service providers, especially the physicians, surgeons and technicians, accountable and transparent so that the receivers could get regular services from them.

The businessmen of the RDA Market in the Rajshahi city formed a human chain on Monday, demanding immediate withdrawal of the decision to build a multi-storey building in the market.
   Several hundred businessmen under the banner of RDA Market Businessmen Association formed the human chain in front of the market at about 12:30pm to press for the demand, market sources said.
   They also demanded removal of the chairman of Rajshahi Development Authority saying he had taken the decision to build a multi-storey building without discussion with the businessmen.
   The human chain programme was followed by a rally held on the same place.
   The speakers said the Rajshahi Development Authority had recently invited tender for construction of a multi-storey building at the south portion of the market.
   ‘If the south portion is demolished for building a high-rise, at least 250 shop owners will be affected’, they said.
   Earlier, the businessmen requested RDA chairman not to build multi-storey building but he did not pay any heed to the plea, the speakers said.
   ‘The RDA chairman is involved in various
   corruptions. ‘We are suffering because of him’,
   said Khandaker Shamsul Haque, president of the association.
   The businessmen also threatened to go for tougher movement if the decision to build the building is not withdrawn.

The industries minister, Dilip Barua, on Monday directed BSCIC authorities to take effective steps for setting up central effluent treatment plant at leather estate in Savar and relocate tanneries from the city’s Hazaribagh area soon.
   ‘Construction of CETP should be completed as soon as possible to keep up the export of Bangladeshi leather goods to the European market after 2010,’ he told a review meeting on the progress of the projects of the industries ministry under ADP.
   The meeting was told that there are 19 projects under the industries ministry and other organisations under it, which received Tk 309.61 crore in ADP allocation.
   Fifty-five per cent of the allocated money was used till February this year, the meeting was told.
   The minister asked the officials concerned to expedite the work on installing Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredient Industries Park at Gozaria in Munshiganj to give a further boost to medicine export from Bangladesh.
   He also instructed the officials concerned of BCIC (Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation) to keep sufficient urea fertilizer in stock for the next year.

A team from a British agency on Monday exchanged views with the Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital authorities to explore potentials for skilled health workers for employment in the UK and other European countries.
   The team from Consultancy and Human Resources Outsourcing, headed by its managing director Tim Edwards arrived on Sunday on a fortnight long visit to set up a world class training academy styled ‘Cahro Vocational Academy, Bangladesh’ under a UK-Bangladesh joint ventures.
   The programme to be launched in different regions of the country would create opportunities to get jobs in various medicare installations in the UK and other European countries.
   During discussion with OMCH authorities, the UK team said there is potentiality to absorb thousands of trained medical workers of Bangladesh annually in the UK and other European countries.

The Rajshahi Metropolitan Police on Monday arrested four people in the Rajshahi city as part of their drive against those who pile up construction materials on the city roads.
   The arrested are Rahmatullah of Shiroil, Shajahan Ali of Rajarhata, Delower Hossain of Upar Bhadra and Shabar Ali of Baduria Dakkhinpara under Charghat upazila in Rajshahi.
   Local sources said the arrested were constructing buildings in the Rajarhata area of the city keeping construction materials on the road.
   Informed, a DB police team, led by Mahfuzur Rahman, RMP assistant commissioner, raided the area and arrested them.
   After filing a case against them with the Boalia Model Police Station, the police produced them in the court and the court sent them to jail.

An old woman was hacked to death allegedly by her husband at their residence at Mohirbari Khalpar in the Khulna city early Monday.
   The deceased was identified as Hosne Ara Begum, 50, wife of one Chand Mia of the area.
   The police, quoting
   the locals and hospital sources, said Chand Mia, a rickshaw puller, had an altercation with Hosne Ara over family matter at around 3:00am and at one stage, he hacked her with a sharp weapon.
   Hearing screams, neighbours came in aid of Hosne Ara and took her to Khulna General Hospital where the on-duty doctors declared her dead dead, the police said.
   The police sent the body to hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination.
   A case was filed with the police. The police also arrested Chand Mia in connection with the killing.

A Barisal court on Monday sentenced two siblings to life-term imprisonment for committing a robbery in a lawyer’s house and attempting to kill his brother.
   The second additional district and sessions’ judge, AM Joynul Abedin, handed down the verdict against Slahuddin Akon and his brother Alamin Akon. The court also fined the convicts Tk 30,000 each, or in default, to suffer one year more in jail.
   According to the prosecution, a gang of armed robbers including Slahuddin and Alamin Akon looted valuables worth Tk 2.5 lakh from the house of lawyer Zahidur Rahman in the city’s Ichhakati area on the night of November 24, 2003.
    The gang also stabbed Kamrul Ahsan, brother of lawyer Zahid anf managed to flee after the local people chased them. Zahid, a member of Jatiytabadi Ainjibi Forum, filed a case against the identified two shiblings with Kotwali police station the same day.
    The police sub-inspector Anwar Hossain, investigation officer of the case, submitted charge sheet on August 15, 2006, against the two convicts.

Rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong divisions till 6pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met office said.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:14pm and rises on Wednesday at 5:51am.
   Country’s highest temperature 35.6 degrees Celsius was recorded on Monday at Rangamati and lowest 19.2 degrees at Srimongal and Chuadanga.