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The National Committee on Economic Affairs in a meeting today (Tuesday) may approve the construction of three infrastructural projects worth more than $7.0 billion to ease traffic congestion in the capital and facilitate transport in Chittagong, the country’s premium seaport. The projects are metro (underground railway) and elevated express highways in the capital and a second highway between Dhaka and Chittagong.
   The meeting, to be chaired by finance minister AMA Muhith, may also approve local funding sources for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge as proposed by the communications ministry.
   The approval of the projects will help the communications ministry to cross a major hurdle after a decade of planning although urban planners and transport experts have expressed doubt about success of the metro and elevated highways in solving Dhaka’s nagging traffic problem.
   They observed that the elevated express highways and metro will not be viable in a city like Dhaka and will become a huge burden on the government exchequer in the future.
   Communication minister Abul Hossain, however, told New Age that the country would get foreign investment more than $7 billion in the next four years for the projects.
   Metro and elevated highways in the capital and the second Dhaka-Chittagong highway will be built on Built, Operate and Transfer basis by foreign private investors, he added.
   The minister hoped that the projects, after being completed, would boost the nation’s economy and the capital’s transport system.
   Professor Dr Sarwar Jahan of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology said that metro and elevated highways would not able to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka.
   Jahan, the head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning of the BUET, observed that these projects were not financially viable for an economy like ours as developed and developing countries like Thailand and India were being forced to subsidise their underground trains.
   ‘These projects will eventually be a big burden for the country’s economy,’ he told New Age.
   He raised questions as to why the successive governments are showing interest in such unviable projects when dedicated bus service and creation of circular waterways are the most suitable options for the capital.
   Dr Mahbubul Bari, an international transport expert who is now working as a communications adviser in Rwanda, told a seminar that the Strategic Transport Plan which suggested construction of elevated highways and metro was seriously flawed.
   Bari said the STP favoured the fuel-dependent transport when 76 per cent of the city’s people still travel on foot and on man-powered vehicles, including rickshaws, for short trips.
   The government should have given pedestrians the first priority and second and third priority should be for bicycles and non-motorised rickshaws as these modes of transport do not need fuel, have zero emission of smoke and occupy very small space.
   The fourth priority has to be given to public transport including buses, Bari pointed out.

Non-resident students of the Chittagong University suffer a lot as they find it hard to shuttle between the port city and the campus for acute transport crisis.
   The transport crisis facing the university for long has further worsened because of the continued increase in the number of students every year.
   The university authorities are struggling to cope with the situation but the problem is yet to be solved. Nearly 13,000 non-resident students of the university commute from the city to the campus.
   Located around 22km off the port city, the university has capacity to accommodate around 6,000 students in nine dormitories and some private cottages on the campus and the rest are forced to stay out of the campus.
   The university has only two shuttle trains to carry non-resident students from the port city to the campus everyday.
   Despite plying of shuttle trains four times a day instead of three times in the past, the transport crisis remains unresolved.
   The students staying outside the campus very often could not attend their classes and examinations in time because transport crisis.
   The students alleged that when the trains leave city’s Sholoshahar Railway Station for the university in the morning and CU Railway Station in the afternoon, there is no space to stand even a single person inside the compartments.
   Nova Akter, a journalism student, said the female students find it difficult to get on shuttle trains.
   ‘Many students are forced to travel by climbing the rooftops or sitting on the windows risking life to attend classes, examinations or return home,’ she added.
   Mahmudul Hasan Mamun, a third-year accounting student, Mamun Abdullha, a fourth- year management student and Sabina Yasmin, a third-year Banla student were crushed under the wheels of shuttle train in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
   Besides, incidents of injury resulting from falling off the rooftop and the staircases of the shuttle trains are a common phenomenon.
   The students called upon the university authorities to increase the number of the shuttle trains and its compartments for lessening the transport crisis.
   The authorities in the backdrop of the acute pressure of the students had introduced plying of the shuttle trains four times instead of two trips a day since March 9, 2007.
   The vice-chancellor, Professor Abu Yousuf Alam, said the university authorities are trying to increase the number of shuttle trains.
   ‘The railway authority is incapable of increasing compartments as the existing tracks on the route are not fit to run with additional compartments,’ he said.

The Dhaka City Corporation plans to expand its healthcare services by incorporating vision centres in general hospitals in the capital.
   The DCC-run two hospitals Mohanagar General Hospital and Mohanagar Child Hospital which remain almost inactive will be turned into a well-equipped healthcare providers with the introduction of the vision centres.
   A memorandum of Understanding to thie effect was signed between the DCC and SightSavers International, Bangladesh and Islamia Eye Hospital on Monday.
   DCC chief health officer Brig Gen Dr M Shawkat Ali and country director of the Sightsavers International Dr Wahedul Islam and acting director general of Islamia Eye Hospital Prof ASM Kamal Uddin signed the aggrement on behalf of their respective sides.
   Project coordinator of Dhaka Urban Comprehensive Eye Care M Nurun Nabi and senior project manager of Sightsavers International M Rafiqul Islam were present, among others.

Jagannath University, the oldest educational institution in the Dhaka city, will celebrate its founding anniversary today.
   The president, Zillur Rahman, is expected to inaugurate the celebration programme in a function at Osmani Memorial Hall auditorium.
   The programmes taken up to mark the day will be held on the university campus. They include hoisting of flags, processions, cutting of cake, reception to former students, discussion and cultural function.
   Jagannath University is situated at the southern part of the Dhaka city near the River Buriganga.
   This prestigious educational establishment has a history of about 150 years which started in 1858 when Dhaka Brahma School was founded in 1858 by Dinanath Sen, Prabhaticharan Roy, Anathbandhu Mallik and Brajasundar Kaitra.
   The name Jagannath School was given by Kishorilal Chowdhury, the zamindar of Baliadi who took over the school in 1872 and renamed it after his father. In 1884, it was upgraded to a second grade college.
   A common management committee ran the school and college till 1887 when the school section was separated to form an independent school named Kishore Jubilee School. It is now known as KL Jubilee School.
   The administration of the college was transferred to a board of trustees in 1907. In the following year, it became a first grade college.
   The college started with only 48 students and in five years, the number of students rose to 396.

A total of 19,536 candidates have submitted their admission forms for taking part in the first year honours admission test in the 2009-2010 academic year of Khulna University within the deadline for form submission till October 18.
   Official sources said KU has 824 seats in the first year honours courses in 18 disciplines (departments) under five faculties and fine arts institute. The admission tests will be held between October 26 and October 28.
   According to sources, in management and business administration faculty 3,076 candidates have submitted their forms against 55 seats of business administration department, while 4,330 candidates have submitted their forms against 62 seats of two departments of social science faculty.
   Besides, 3,445 candidates have submitted forms against 42 seats of one department of arts and humanities faculty, 4,965 against 294 seats in seven departments of life science faculty and 3334 against 304 seats in seven departments of science, engineering and technology faculty, the sources added.
   The sources said a total of 386 candidates have submitted forms against 47 seats of the fine arts institute.
   After scrutiny, the list of the eligible candidates of science, engineering and technology faculty and the fine arts institute will be published on October 21, life science faculty, management and business administration faculty and social science faculty on October 22 and arts and humanities faculty on October 25, said public relation office of the university.
   The office, quoting the admission schedule, said the tests of science, engineering and technology faculty and fine arts institute will be held at 10:00am and 3:00pm respectively on October 26, the tests of management and business administration faculty and life science faculty will be held at 10:30am and 2:00pm respectively on October 27 and the tests of social science faculty and arts and humanities faculty will be held at 10:00am and 1:00pm respectively on October 28.
   The public relations office also said all the information about the admission tests is now available on
   the university website www.ku.ac.bd

The Dhaka University has extended the deadline for distribution and submission of admission forms till today.
   The authorities will distribute and receive admission forms of A (Ka), B (Kha), and D (Gha) unit today as Dhaka University deans committee decided on Monday.
   The admission forms of C (Ga) unit will be distributed today but they will be received on October 21 at Business Studies Faculty Dean office.
   The authorities also extend the date for form submission of ‘Cha’ unit till October 25.

The deadline to register for appearing in the admission tests of first year honours courses in 2009-10 session at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology has been extended by two more days.
   The university administration in a press release issued on Sunday said that the time to register applicant’s name has been extended to October 22 from October 20.
   The admission test, however, would be held on the scheduled date on October 30, the press release, signed by the university’s acting register Ishfaqul Hosen, said.
   According to sources in the admission committee, the authorities are apprehending fall in the number of admission seekers in a large scale this year as only 12,804 students have registered for the test till Sunday.
   The number of admission seekers was 26,474 in 2008-09 session, the sources said.

Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky over the country 6:00pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:28pm and rises tomorrow at 6:59am.
   Country’s highest temperature 34.4 degree Celsius was recorded on Monday at Jessore and lowest 19.6 degrees at Jessore.