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Tuesday, April 6, 2010

[ALOCHONA] BCL men ransack Kushtia College office



BCL men ransack Kushtia College office 

A group of activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League on Tuesday ransacked the office of Kushtia Government College, demanding that a leader of the ruling party-backed student body be freed on bail.

Witnesses said the BCL men also confined the principal of the college in his office room as they asked him to recommend release of the student leader, Abu Taib Badsha.Badsha, president of BCL sadar upazila unit, was arrested with firearms a few days ago following an intra-party clash over �illegal� admission at the college.

College sources said the BCL activists on Tuesday noon asked the principal to arrange freedom of Badsha. When the principal expressed his inability, they got furious and started ransacking the office.The police later went to the campus and brought the situation under control.

Juba League men snatch tender docs in Rajshahi

Activists of the ruling Awami League�s youth front, Juba League on Tuesday snatched the tender document of a contractor who wanted to bid for a road construction project in Rajshahi.Local sources said the contractor, Hafizur Rahman, went to the office of Local Government Engineering Department in Rajshahi city to drop the tender schedule worth Tk 4.32 lakh, a component of a Tk-4.32-crore road project.

More than a dozen activists of local Juba League chased the contractor and took way his tender documentsThe Jubo League activists also kept surveillanceon the LGED office so that that none could drop the tender schedule on the last day [Tuesday], added the sources.

Some other contractors were learnt to have returned failing to drop their schedules. However, none of them talked to the press or disclose the identity of any of the Juba League men involved in the tender manipulation process.I know the men who snatched the schedule are doing politics of Juba League, but I cannot name them exactly,said a witness who too declined to name himself.

The police later went to the spot but could not take any action in this connection.We went to the compound of the LGED office but nothing was found,said Afzal Hossain, officer-in-charge at the Rajpara police station, adding that no formal complaint was lodged with the police.
http://www.newagebd.com/2010/apr/07/front.html#19


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[ALOCHONA] Water, power shortage prompts people to take to streets



Water, power shortage prompts people to take to streets


 
Water and power shortage has hit hard the city which forced residents in different areas to go out on demonstrations on Tuesday.The residents demanded immediate steps for uninterrupted supply of water and power as they had to remain awake for supply water at night and also could not sleep in the sweltering summer heat.

Residents of Mohakhali on Tuesday blocked a road stretch for an hour demanding water supply. The blockade caused heavy traffic congestion in the area. Residents of posh Gulshan area in the evening also sat at a meeting to chart out their course of action to get supply water.
 
 
http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2010/04/07/26301

Power crisis in the city has, meanwhile, aggravated over a few days although five fertiliser plants have been closed to divert more gas to power plants as a number of power units went out of operation for technical faults.

Witnesses and the police said more than 400 people, holding pitchers and buckets, had taken to the streets in front of Titumir College about 11:00am.The demonstrators alleged they had not been getting supply water for four days. They called off their blockade on assurances from the water supply agency that the matter would be resolved soon.

The authorities hoped that the supply water situation would improve after the army officially starts helping Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority in easing the persisting water crisis in the capital from today.A cabinet meeting on March 29 decided to deploy army men in aid of WASA on April 1 to ensure smooth supply of water in city areas facing shortage.

The Dhaka WASA now produces 185 crore to 190 crore litres of water a day whereas the demand has increased to 225 crore litres in recent days because of increase in temperature.

Residents living on Gulshan Road 24 /30 alleged they had not been getting water over three weeks.

Our daily life has become miserable as we have not received supply water for three weeks and we keep facing frequent power outages,Asif Ibrahim, a director of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry and resident of the area, told New Age after the meeting at the New King Kitchen restaurant at Gulshan.We are making preparations for a signature campaign and will submit a memorandum to the WASA authorities to press home our demand for the installation of a deep tube well, he said.

Anwar Hossain, a resident of Shewrapara in the city, told New Age they could not sleep throughout the night as they had to wait for supply water. �We get water for only an hour or two at night. We pass sleepless nights as we do not know when we will get water. Sometimes we get water at 1:00am and sometimes at 4:00am.�

Sarwar Alam, a government official who lives at Khilgaon in Dhaka, said he could not sleep properly because of power outage. �Usually I go to bed at 11:00pm and wake up at 6:00am to go to office. But these days, we face four hours of power outages between 11:00pm and 6:00am. It is difficult to sleep in the sweltering heat without power,� he said.

Power outages in the city have also increased as two 210MW units of the Ghorashal power plant and a 225MW unit of the private Meghnaghat power plant had been out of operation for a few days.

Because of the closure of such large power units, there was little improvement in the power generation despite the closing of five fertiliser plants.Almost all parts of the city continued to face 10 to 12 hours of power outage in the sweltering heat.

The power secretary, Abul Kalam Azad, told New Age on Tuesday they could not get power up to their expectations after the closing of fertiliser plants as some large power units had tripped.As many of our power plants are very old, some of the units often go out of operation. We hope that the situation will improve in three to four days,� he said.
Power generation has hovered around 3800MW against a peak demand for 5,500MW�6,000MW for two days.

The Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited, which covers Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Dhaka (south) and Narayanganj, has a demand for 1,200MW but gets about 650MW.

The Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited, which covers Mirpur, Shyamali, Gulshan, Badda, Dhaka (north) and Tongi areas, gets about 300MW�350MW against the demand for about 585MW.

http://www.newagebd.com/2010/apr/07/front.html


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[ALOCHONA] Rajakar Delowar Hossain Sayedee challenge



Click and take the challenge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJD-hhYOyqU&feature=related




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[ALOCHONA] 20-mile Elevated Expressway for US$1.2 billion?

Let me get this right... We are talking about a 32.1 km (19.95 miles) long elevated expressway. And the cost is Tk. 8,617 crore, that is Tk. 86,170,000,000. Using 1 US$ to Tk. 69 conversion rate, the cost is US$ 1,248,840,580. That is, 1.2 billion US$. Can this be right for building a 20 mile highway, elevated, underground, or however?? Lets use some perspective, entire Bangladesh garment export is $4 billion US dollars for one year. This 20 mile highway construction cost is more that 25% of that?? I am not a civil engineer, nor am I an expert in this. But to a layman like me, it seems very very high.

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http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=133294

4 firms short-listed for expressway
Rejaul Karim Byron
The government has short-listed four companies for the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project at an estimated cost of Tk 8,617 crore.

The Bridge Division yesterday informed the cabinet committee on economic affairs about the matter at a meeting at the Cabinet Division with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair.

The Bridge Division asked the committee to give it Tk 2,500 crore allocated for public-private partnership (PPP) in the current budget to meet the primary expenses including consultants' fees.

The meeting, however, did not take any final decision in this regard. If needed, the Bridge Division will be given more than Tk 2500 crore for the purpose, meeting sources said.

The four companies are Italian-Thai Development Public Company Ltd (Thailand), Sikder Real Estate KCC JV (Bangladesh-Korea), Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd. Bouygus Travaux Publics SA Consortium (India-France) and China Railway International Ltd (China).

A 7-member experts committee headed by Prof Dr Jamilur Reza Chowdhury selected the four companies after examining pre-qualification proposals of nine local and foreign companies, meeting sources said.

The committee has advised the Bridge Division to float the final tender to select one of the four companies.

In November last year, the Bridge Division invited international tender to select pre-qualified investors.

The experts committee categorised AR Track Hawai Rocket Rahmat (Bangladesh) and BPHB-BCC JV (Malaysia-Bangladesh) as unresponsive as they had not met the mandatory requirements to qualify.

Soma Enterprise (India), Sino-Global (China-USA) and Simplex-Seri JV (India) were not selected as they failed to score 60 -- the minimum points to qualify.

The government has already appointed AECOM Australia Proprietary Ltd as consultant to the project. It will complete the work in three months.

As per the preliminary estimate of the communications ministry, the four-lane Dhaka Elevated Expressway (Gazipur-Narayanganj) will cover 32.1 kilometres and cost Tk 8,617 crore.

Meanwhile, the cabinet committee on economic affairs at the meeting yesterday decided to import 3 lakh metric tonnes of wheat from Russia on state-to-state basis.

The committee also approved manpower and organogram of "National Wage and Productivity Commission 2010" to fix the wage of state-owned industrial units.

A 19-member committee headed by a retired secretary will be formed for the purpose, which will cost the government about Tk 79 lakh per month.

The committee will work for six months.

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[ALOCHONA] Please join us on May 29, 2010 (Saturday) by 5:30 pm to enjoy BAAI's Rabindro Joyonti, Nazrul Joyonti, & Welcome Bangla New Year 1417. [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from Mahfuzur Rahman included below]


Bangladesh Association of America, Inc. (BAAI) ®

(Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland)
presents
a super entertaining "three-in-one" event filled evening
 
 ~ Rabindro Joyonti ~
~ Nazrul Joyonti ~
&
~ Welcome Bangla New Year 1417 ~
 
 
Date: May 29, 2010 (Saturday) 
 
Time: from 5:30 pm to 10:30 pm
{We expect to start program on-time, because we are going to present very long three individual events in one evening. 
Therefore, we are strongly requesting you to arrive by 5:30 pm.} 
 
Location: Robert E. Lee High School
6540 Franconia Road
Springfield, Virginia 22150
 
Admission:  FREE
 
 
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
 
Details of the events will be announced during the first week of May 2010.   
 
At the end of our show, we will throw an exciting & attracting quiz game "Who is the best guest among the audience?".  We will ask few questions on different segments & slots of the whole program.  Whoever among the audience can answer most of the questions correctly, he/she will get a very good prize and will win the title as "The Best Guest".  To win the prize & to get title as "The Best Guest", you must watch the whole program very attentively from the beginning to end and take notes.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
 
Directions: From interstate 95 in Virginia, take exit 169A (Franconia Road) towards route 644 East.  Keep left on Franconia Road.  After a little while, make a U-TURN onto Franconia Road.  Robert E. Lee High School (6540 Franconia Road) is located on your right side.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
 
Please bring your family, relatives, & friends on May 29, 2010 (Saturday) by 5:30 pm to enjoy a super fun-filled "three-in-one" evening. 
 
Best Regards,
 
Inara Islam: 703-866-2893;  Misu Tasnim: 240-516-8276;  Rajib Bhuiyan: 202-330-8655;  Samina Chowdhury: 301-502-2944;  Aref Baig: 443-472-4158;  Taufique Alam Sumon: 410-446-2574;  Nurain Jamil Chaman: 571-265-7004Beauty Karim: 301-528-6135

******************************************************************************
Based on BAAI's request, this announcement is being sent by:
 
MAHFUZUR  RAHMAN
6524  Ivy Terrace
Elkridge,  Maryland 21075
410-796-0577 (home); 301-646-3475 (cell); 703-875-4054 (work)
BangaliBhai@hotmail.com

Attachment(s) from Mahfuzur Rahman

1 of 1 File(s)


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[ALOCHONA] Govt extends 'black law' by 2 yrs



Govt extends 'black law' by 2 yrs
 
Dhaka, Apr 5 (bdnews24.com) – The cabinet on Monday approved extending the use of 'speedy trial tribunals' for a further two years to allow for quick trials of crimes including extortion, vandalism and mugging. UPDATE

The government made this decision even though the Awami League had opposed its introduction when it was originally enacted in 2002 describing it as a "black law".

The Law and Order Disrupting Crime (Speedy Trial) Act 2002 was enacted by the previous BNP government for an initial two year period so that trials could take place quickly in cases of serious crime. Subsequently, it has been extended by a further two years on an additional three occasions.

In 2002, the Awami League – when it was in opposition - strongly protested the passage of the Act, terming it a "black law containing coercive and oppressive elements". At the time the party stated that, "It is a bad law and intended to jeopardise the country's legal system gagging people's voice. It will make the judicial system a farce, subjecting people to harassment and repression."

The current extension of the Act will expire on Apr 9. The government will issue an ordinance on the matter if the passage is not possible during the current parliament session, Abul Kalam Azad, the prime minister's press secretary, told a briefing after the cabinet meeting.

Under the Act, a special court is required to dispose of a case within 90 working days of the matter being transferred to them. A further 30 working days can be granted if it has not been completed in that time. An aggrieved person is entitled to appeal to the High Court against a judgment of the Speedy Trial Tribunal within 30 days of the ruling.


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[ALOCHONA] Poison in fish, chicks & eggs



Poison in fish, chicks & eggs

 
A section of traders are engaged in producing poultry and fish feed using tannery wastes from the city's Hazaribagh area



The Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) has detected presence of heavy metals in poultry and fish feed which are made from solid wastes of tanneries and those are entering into human bodies as poultry and fish are two popular food items.

The metals are chromium, cadmium, lead, arsenic and mercury.

A section of traders are engaged in producing poultry and fish feed using tannery wastes from the city's Hazaribagh area. The manufacturing plants are located in the densely populated areas of old part of the city including Hazaribagh.

The owners of such manufacturing plants burn these heavily toxin pasted hide indiscriminately and the plants are presently emitting smokes from 80 burners creating a suffocating situation in the areas, local people said yesterday.

Professor Dr SM Imamul Huq, chairman of the BCSIR, told The Independent that the harmful metal chromium was found in broiler chickens and their eggs.

"During a laboratory test, presence of chromium as high as 23 micro-grams was detected in eggs of broiler chicken, while a child between four and 8 years can absorb only 15 micro-gram of chromium a day," he said.

Replying to a query, he said, chromium is deposited in kidney and liver. "In the long run, it will be harmful for children between four and 13 years of age and women of 50 years and above, if they consume such eggs."

In the long run, chromium, lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and nickel may damage kidney and may cause damage to DNA, bones, brain, blood, liver, lungs, central nervous and cardiovascular systems, Prof Huq said.

Principal scientific officer of the BCSIR Shahidul Islam said the maximum chromium content of the solid tannery waste was found 3.2 per cent, while the final product contained as high as 2.5 per cent and 1.9 per cent in two different places.

He said these wastes are being converted to protein-concentrate for poultry and fish feed, and in production of bio-fertiliser without any proper treatment.

Several feed mills and agro-industries near the tanning industries presently produce a minimum of a hundred tonne of protein-concentrate per day, he said.

He said at least 120 various types of chemicals like-acids, caustic materials, ammonia, chromium salts, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, hydrogen peroxide, organic solvents, aluminium sulphate, carbon black, enzymes, dyestuffs, fungicides and some other compounds are used in tanning process.

Tanning industries of Hazaribagh are processing about 220 tonnes of hide a day, in turn producing 600-1000kg of skin-cut wastes (SCW) from per tonne of processed hide, he said.

"It is a matter of concern, a significant migration of harmful chromium can occur into poultry products, fish and vegetables, and further it can have direct implication on public health through food chain," Shahidul Islam said.

BAPA chairman Abu Naser Khan talking to this correspondent expressed his deep concern over production of poultry and fishery feed using toxic wastes.

He described the products as a "silent killer."

These highly toxic poultry and fishery feed are supplied to big companies for marketing the items across the country as feed for fish and poultry birds.

President of Bangladesh Chemical Association Professor Mohibur Rahman said harmful chromium exist in wastes of tanneries.

Apart from this, chemicals, when burnt, cause air pollution, pollution of water and soil and in the process also enter human bodies. He said in turn can cause diseases like cancer and kidney and lung damage.

Chairman of BAPA (Bangladesh Paribesh Andalon) Abu Naser Khan said, "People of the areas where these feed plants are located, cannot breath because of the smokes from the burning of tannery wastes. All these happen before the eyes of the authorities concerned.

We will launch a big movement against such heinous acts to stop it immediately."

Raza Mia, a labourer of the pasted hide factory, said, "We are eating poison and making poison. This poultry and fish feed are processed by using harmful toxic elements."

Replying to a query, he said, "We are also suffering from diseases like respiratory problems.

We cannot breath fresh air in the area as stinky smell spreads from feed plants of the area"

A section of greedy people across the country are producing poisonous feed for fish and broiler chickens posing a serious threat to health and environment including pollution of wetlands, experts observed.

 http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=168652



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