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The University Grants Commission chairman, Professor Nazrul Islam, on Wednesday said the government was actively considering the enactment of a law to check sexual harassment of women and girls at education institutions and working places.
   Necessary steps have also been taken to implement the guidelines recently set by the High Court until the law is enacted, Islam said at a roundtable on ‘Role of policy makers in prevention of sexual harassment of girls at all educational institutions’.
   The High Court on May 14 laid down a set of guidelines, including formation of complaint committees, to prevent sexual harassment of women and girls at educational institutions, offices, factories and other workplaces.
   The High Court bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui issued the directives after the final hearing in a public interest litigation writ petition filed by Bangladesh Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi Samiti on August 7, 2008.
   The verdict came against the backdrop of media reports on sexual harassments in some universities and workplaces.
   The speakers at the roundtable stressed the need for intervention of the policymakers to implement the guidelines set by the High Court.
   They also stressed the need for counseling at all educational institutions and to fix a day for creating mass awareness for preventing sexual harassment of girls in educational institutions.
   Former state minister for education ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon said the government should enact a permanent law in this regard. ‘Counseling is also urgently needed,’ Milon told the meeting.
   Jointly organised by weekly magazine Shaptahik 2000 and the ActionAid Bangladesh, the roundtable at the CIRDAP auditorium was attended, among others, by teachers and NGO activists.

Khulna branch of Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association formed a human chain at Picture Palace crossing in the city on Wednesday demanding conservation of wildlife in the Sundarban during Ras Mela.
   Ras Mela will start on October 31 at Alorkol of Dublar Char under Sundarban east division.
   Chaired by civic group leader Firoz Ahmed, the human chain programme was addressed, among others, by freedom fighter Sheikh Abdul Quayum, SM Sohrab Hossain, BELA Khulna divisional coordinator Mahfuzur Rahman Mukul, Gouranga Sarkar, Mahendranath Sen of Jana Udyog and Babul Hawlader of BELA.
   Apart from thousands of devotees, speakers said, a large number of people come here only to kill deer and fell Sundari trees, causing harm to the wildlife of Sundarban.
   They also said that the Sundarban has lost a number of its animal species and it is losing its heritage due to increase in manmade activities. A section of people with the connivance of some dishonest forest officials are destroying the Sundarban, they claimed.
   They urged the authorities concerned to search all the water transports before entering the Sundarban, increase patrol by the forest officials, ensure security and stop using of loudspeakers in the reserved forest.
   Ras Mela will start with the devotees taking bath in the bay at the time of sunrise on October 31. It will continue till November 2.

The Regional Training Centre of Bangladesh Krira Shiksha Protisthan in Sylhet is yet to start its activities even one year after completion of the project due to shortage of staffs.
   According to sources in the centre, the infrastructural development works of the training centre had been completed at the end of 2008.
   But the higher authorities concerned have yet to take any initiative to make more appointments, causing unnecessary delay in beginning the activities at the training centre.
   The construction work of the training centre began in June 2004 on 13 acres of land at Khadim Nagar in the city. Though the project was scheduled to be implemented by June 2006, it was completed at the end of 2008.
   Four-storey administrative building, five-storey officers’ quarters, five-storey staff quarters, four-storey hostel for trainees and a gymnasium had already been built under the project.
   Later, the National Sports Council also set up a swimming pool on the compound of the training centre. The former army chief inaugurated the swimming pool at the end of 2008, but its activities also remained stopped since its inception.
   Talking to New Age, district sports association secretary Fayzul Islam Babu said they urged the authorities concerned to begin the activities at the regional training centre, but they are yet to get any response.
   ‘Young players in the region have a good chance to develop skills, if the training centre begins its courses after making new appointments and procuring sports equipment,’ he added.
   Aminul Islam, acting deputy director of the regional training centre, said shortage of staffs is the main reason for delay in beginning the activities at the regional centre.
   Only three employees including an official have so far been appointed at the regional training centre which needs about 50 staffers to carry out its activities properly, he added.

Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, an organisation of ethnic minority people, on Wednesday urged the government to form a land commission for the ethnic minorities living in the plain land.
   Some 50 leaders and activists brought out a procession from the court premises at about 11:00am and paraded different city streets to press for their demand.
   Later, they held a meeting on Shaheed Minar premises where they demanded formation of a separate land commission for them.
   Chaired by Bimol Chandra Rajoar, president of district unit of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Anil Marandi, president of Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, indigenous leaders Rajkumar Shaw, Ganesh Mardi, Andius Biswas, Nandalal Tudu and Harendra Nath Singh, president of Adivasi Chhatra Parishad and its general secretary Manik Saren.
   After holding the meeting, they submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through the deputy commissioner to press for their demand.

Jahangirnagar Univer-sity vice-chancellor Professor Shariff Enamul Kabir on Wednesday inaugurated a school named Anandashala on the campus for imparting education to the children with disabilities.
   The VC said the children with disabilities should be given special facilities to help them play due role for the welfare of the society.
   Affection, love and cooperation towards the children with disabilities can help them grow up in a decent and friendly atmosphere, he added.
   He also said that it has been possible to set up the school on the campus due to cooperation of all concerned.
   Professor Shariff urged the affluent section of the people to come forward with their helping hands for supporting the children with disabilities.
   JU pro-vice-chancellor Farhad Hossain, treasurer Nasir Uddin and executive director of the Centre for Disability in Development AHM Noman Khan, among others, addressed the function.
   Manusher Jonnya Founda-tion, an NGO, will run the school.

Most of the card phone booths remain inoperative in Barisal due to lack of proper maintenance for a long time.
   Sources in the divisional office of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Ltd said there are 50 card phone booths in the division and half of the booths are in the city.
   But most of the card phone booths have gone out of order while other booths are in poor condition due to lack of maintenance for long, they added.
   Jagadish Chandra Mandol, divisional engineer of Barisal BTCL, said the Bangladesh Telephone Shilpa Sangstha installed the booths in 1992 and signed contract with some firms for its maintenance.
   After the expiry of the contract, the booths and phone sets gradually went out of order for lack of maintenance, he added.
   Due to sharp increase in the number of mobile phone users across the country, the demand for using card phones decreased, the divisional engineer said.
   City dwellers said as the BTCL charges card phone users less than mobile phone operators, the demand for card phones increases to some extent.
   Card phone is still used in other countries especially at railway stations, bus stops and public places.

The Rajshahi City Corporation has decided to modernise the Shaheed Quamruzzaman Central Park and Zoo to make it more attractive to the visitors.
   As part of the modernisation plan, the city corporation authority has appointed a consulting firm for formulating architectural and engineering master plan and earmarked Tk 25 lakh for the purpose.
   The corporation and the consulting firm signed a contract at Nagar Bhaban Tuesday afternoon.
   RCC chief executive officer KM Abdus Salam and general manager of the Dhaka-based GPZ Consortium Istiaque Zaheer signed the agreement on behalf of the respective sides in the presence of RCC acting mayor Shariful Islam Babu.

A delegation of teachers from different universities in Russia met Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique at the latter’s office on Wednesday.
   During the meeting, they discussed the matters of mutual interests especially regarding to expansion of Russian language teaching at the Institute of Modern Languages of Dhaka University.
   They also stressed the need for establishing good academic relationship and strengthening collaborative academic programme between Dhaka University and universities of Russia.
   The DU vice-chancellor apprised the delegation of Dhaka University’s history and its academic activities in brief.
   He emphasised the importance of exchange of teachers and students between the two countries to further strengthen the existing friendly relations.

The police arrested a suspected mugger at Chandir-pool in the Sylhet city Wednesday afternoon.
   The arrested was identified as Irfan Khan, 18, son of Abdur Rahim Khan, of Gopshahar village under Dakshin Surma upazila in the district.
   The police said Irfan stopped a rickshaw in the area at about 2:00pm and took away Tk 400 from Lahin and Elina, students of Dakshin Surma College.
   Hearing screams, a patrol team of the Dakshin Surma police rushed to the spot and caught the snatcher red-handed.
   The police also recovered the money snatched by Irfan.
   A case was filed with the Dakshin Surma police station in this regard in the afternoon.

A three-day international conference on inborn heart ailment will start on October 31 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.
   Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference at 10:00am, organisers said at a press conference held at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday. Paediatric Cardiac Society of Bangladesh will arrange the conference.
   Monjur Hossain, general secretary of Paediatric Cardiac Society of Bangladesh, said 25,000 to 30,000 children are born with inborn heart ailments in the country every year while around 90 per cent children die within 5 years due to lack of proper treatment.
   Inborn heart ailments caused about 40 per cent prenatal mortality and 20 per cent neonatal mortality, he added.
   The facility for treatment of inborn heart ailments at the private and the public hospitals is very limited and expensive, Monjur said, adding that pregnant women should be aware of diabetic, rubella infection, restrain from smoking, alcohol and risky drug, take MMR vaccine in time and take proper steps by detecting inborn heart ailments of the children by foetal echocardiography.
   Vice-president of the organisation SKA Razzaq, treasurer Jahid Hossain, scientific secretary Nurun Nahar Fatema, organising secretary Mizanur Rahman and paediatric cardiologist of National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Abdullah Shahriar were also present, said a press release.

Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky over the country till 6:00pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:21pm and rises tomorrow at 7:03am.
   Country’s highest temperature 33.0 degrees Celsius was recorded on Wednesday at Cox’s Bazar and lowest 17.2 degrees at Jessore.