The Bangladesh Today (12-02-2018)

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
MONDAy, DHAkA, FEBRUARy 12, 2018, MAgH 30, 1424 BS, JAMADI-Ul-AWAl 25, 1439 HIJRI
On the eve of leaving Dhaka to attend 41st meeting of IFAD at Vatikan city, ministers and high
officials see the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina off at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday.
Photo : Star Mail
President urges varsities to turn youths
into skilled human resource
CHITTAGONG :
President Abdul Hamid on
Sunday urged the authorities
of the country's universities
to take the responsibility
of turning the youths
into well-educated and
skilled human resource,
reports UNB.
"Bangladesh is passing
through a bright time of
possibility. Therefore, the
universities must take the
responsibility of turning the
youths into well-educated
and skilled human
resource. I hope that with
the united efforts of all, we
will be able to build Sonar
Bangla as dreamt by
Bangabandhu, Inshallah."
he said.
The President was speaking
at the first convocation
of Chittagong Veterinary
and Animal Sciences
University (CVASU) here
on Sunday.
Higher educational insti-
The Seaweed Houses
of Læsø Island
INTERESTING NEWS
On the island of Læsø, located off the
coast of Denmark, there are houses with
roofs made of seaweed. These roofs are
up to a meter thick, and the way they
hang over the walls the house appears to
be wearing a cloak. Apart from their
humongous size, they look a lot like
thatch but seaweed is far more durable.
Some of these roofs are over 300 years
old. They are a unique feature of the
island of Læsø.
The practice of building roofs with seaweed—actually
a marine grass called eelgrass—dates
back to the time when the
island of Læsø had a flourishing salt
industry. The island was practically soaking
in salt. The ground water had over 15
percent salt, and during the hot dry summers
they crystallized out of the ground
naturally in large salt meadows.
Hundreds of salt kilns were built on the
tutions, including universities,
have to take initiatives
so that students can be
engaged in latest information-based
education,
research and creative activities
both at home and
abroad, he said.
President Abdul Hamid,
also the Chancellor of the
university, put emphasis on
friendly student-teacher
relationship as such relationship
can play an effective
role in creating a sound
environment for education
in the universities.
He hoped that the
CVASU will continue to
make all efforts to implement
the great aim of education
and contribute to the
formation of a knowledgebased
society - that is the
expectation of all.
Mentioning that the
importance of internship
for hands-on education is
very high, the President
appreciated CVASU's
extensive initiatives for carrying
out research and
expansion programs.
"A modern research and
pet animal hospital is being
constructed in Dhaka city.
There will be opportunities
for internships for students.
As a result, trained students
will get employment opportunities
in both home and
abroad," he added.
Citing the adverse effect
of climate change on country's
agriculture President
Hamid urged the
researchers and scientists
to invent new varieties and
methods to combat the negative
impact of climate
change to ensure continuous
progress in agriculture
and livestock sector.
He said the university can
play an important role in
conducting research for
exploring our marine
resources as Bangladesh
island to refine the salt. They needed fuel
which was provided by the island’s limited
woodlands, until a day came when the
islanders had cut down the last tree. With
no wood left to fire the kilns, Læsø’s salt
industry collapsed. With no trees left to
break the wind, Læsø’s villages were
buried in sandstorm. The air became full
of sea salt and they inhibited the growth
of any kind of plants, even grass.
Læsø, however, had plenty of eelgrass
and driftwood. So the people began using
driftwood to build their houses and the
eelgrass was used for the roof. Eelgrass
grows on the island’s seas and were once
so abundant that it frequently washed up
on the shores. They have long, bright
green, ribbon-like leaves about a centimeter
wide, and up to 2 meters long. Farmers
would collect them from the beach and
once dried, they were bundled and twisted
into thick ropes that were then woven
through a home’s rafters to form a roof.
won 1,18,813 square kilometers
of sea area through
disposal of cases with two
neighboring countries that
created a huge potential for
the development of marine
resources in the Bay of
Bengal.
Among others, convocation
speaker Prof. AK Azad
Chowdhury, Chairman of
Bangladesh University
Grants Commission
Professor Abdul Mannan
and Vice-Chancellor of the
university Prof Dr. Gautam
Buddha Das also spoke on
the occasion.
Quader
against
VIP lanes
in city
DHAKA : Opposing the
idea of introducing separate
lanes for VIPs, Road
Transport and Bridges
Minister Obaidul Quader
on Sunday said rather
emergency service lanes
need to be introduced to
ease the movement emergency
service vehicles,
reports UNB.
"Though the proposal is
being scrutinised by
Dhaka Transport
Coordination Authority
(DTCA), I think there is no
need to introduce VIP
lanes as the city's spaces
are limited," he said while
relying to queries from
reporters at his ministry
about the introduction of
VIP lanes.
Quader also said his
ministry received a letter
from the Cabinet Division
in a proposal format
regarding introduction of
VIP and emergency service
lanes.
"Emergency service
lanes can be introduced
here, not VIP ones. I
think, we have to come out
of VIP culture," he added.
The Cabinet Division
recently proposed introducing
separate lanes for
the movement of Very
Important Persons
(VIPs), police vehicles,
ambulances and vehicles
of other emergency services.
Replying to another
query, the minister said
the construction of Padma
Bridge will be completed
within 2018.
The third span of the
bridge will be installed in
the first week of March
while the remaining ones
soon, he added.
Mobile internet
service disrupted
for 30 mins
DHAKA : Mobile internet
service remained suspended
for half an hour across the
country on Sunday morning
in a bid to prevent question
paper leakage, reports UNB.
Mobile phone operators
kept the internet service suspended
following a directive
from Bangladesh
T e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n
Regulatory Commission
(BTRC).
The telecom regulator took
the initiative to keep the
mobile internet service suspended
for one hour from
9am following widespread
allegations of question paper
leak of Secondary School
Certificate (SSC) and its
equivalent examinations
through different social
media apps, said sources at
mobile phone operators.
However, the service
remained suspended from
9:30am to 10am, said the
sources.
Meanwhile, the sources
could not firm whether the
internet service will remain
disrupted on other exam
days.
The SSC question papers
have been leaking out from
the very first day of the
examination. The question
papers are being found on
social media sites and mobile
phone before starting of the
examinations.
DHAKA : UN Security
Council will meet on
Wednesday (NY time
Tuesday) to discuss
Rohingya issue and situation
in Rakhine Sate,
according to a provisional
programme of the Security
Council, reports UNB.
By the time, British
Foreign Secretary Boris
Johnson has met
Myanmar leader Aung San
Suu Kyi to talk about
Rohingyas and how they
can be repatriated.
Quoting a statement
from Myanmar's Foreign
Affairs Ministry,
Associated Press (AP) said
Johnson and Suu Kyi on
Sunday discussed repatriation
and developments in
Rakhine, the western
Myanmar state from where
the Rohingya have fled.
Johnson reached
Myanmar
from
Bangladesh after meeting
Rohingyas on Saturday.
Johnson said on Twitter
Energy saving needs to be part
of building code: Nasrul Hamid
Campaign for responsible use of electricity launched
DHAKA : State Minister
for Power and Energy Nasrul
Hamid has said that issue of
energy saving should be
incorporated in the National
Building Code to enforce a
legal binding on the electricity
consumers.
"It's almost impossible to
ensure a responsible use of
electricity until this has been
incorporated in the National
Building Code", he told a
function at CIRDAP
Auditorium in the cityon
Sundayjointly organised by
Bangladesh Solar and
Renewable Energy
Association (BSREA) and
Forum for Energy Reporters
Bangladesh (FERB), reports
UNB.
"The two organisations
jointly launched a campaign
on "Responsible Use of
Electricity", at the function
inaugurated by Prime
Minister's Energy Advisor
Dr. Tawfiq-e-Elahi
Chowdhury.
Nasrul Hamid said renewable
energy will dominate
the energy sector in future
world.
"Technology is advancing
so fast with new innovations.
Now the developed world is
that Sunday's discussion
concerned investigating
violence in Rakhine and
creating the right conditions
for repatriation.
"Held talks with Aung
San Suu Kyi. Discussed
importance of Burmese
authorities in carrying out
full & independent investigation
into the violence in
#Rakhine & urgent need to
create the right conditions
for #Rohingya refugees to
return to their homes in
Rakhine," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh
and Myanmar are in talks
to hold a home ministeriallevel
meeting this month.
If finalised, Myanmar
Home Minister Kyaw Swe
will lead his country while
Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal
Bangladesh at the meeting
which will discuss
Rohingya repatriation,
smuggling of drugs, security
and other relevant
issues.
reducing their electricity
consumption through adopting
new technologies", he
said. He also asked the
power distribution companies
to introduce new technologies
to ensure the
responsible use of electricity
by their consumers.
He also advised the stakeholders
in the energy and
power sector to use the effective
communication mechanism
like social media to
reach their call to the targeted
group of the society.
The function, divided into
two sessions, was addressed
by power secretary Dr.
Ahmad Kaikaus, Power
The dried leaves at Ramna park hinting the advent of spring season.
UNSC to meet Wednesday
on Rohingya issue
Boris Johnson discusses Rohingya
repatriation with Suu Kyi
Four teams of Members
of European Parliament
(MEPs) comprising 11
MEPs are currently in
Cox's Bazar and they visited
a Rohingya camp there
on Monday to see their
plight on the ground.
In October last year, the
Council of the EU in its
conclusions said it may
consider additional measures
if the situation does
not improve but also
stands ready to respond
accordingly to positive
developments.
On January 16,
Bangladesh and Myanmar
signed a document on
'Physical Arrangement'
which will facilitate the
return of Rohingyas to
their homeland from
Bangladesh.
The
'Physical
Arrangement' stipulates
that the repatriation will be
completed preferably within
two years from the start
of repatriation.
Development Board (PDB)
chairman Khaled Mahmood,
Rural Electrification Board
(REB) chairman Major
General (retd) Moin Uddin,
Solar and Renewable Energy
Development Authority
(SREDA) chairman Helal
Uddin, Power Cell director
general Mohammad
Hossaein, BSREA president
Dipal C Barua and FERB
chairman Arun Karmaker.
Inaugurating the function,
Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury
said responsible use of electricity
has to be pursued
through both the use of
advanced technology and
change of behavioral pattern.
Rajuk's eviction drive
in Uttara
DHAKA : Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakhha (Rajuk) conducted
drives in different places of Uttara on Sunday to evict
illegal establishments, reports UNB.
Rajuk removed several illegal shops and business establishment
set up in residential buildings on the east side of Dhaka-
Mymensingh road.
'Akhtar Furnishers' was fined Tk 5 lakh for illegally using
four floors of a residential building while an Apex showroom,
See Shell Party Centre and Rangs Toshiba were partially
evicted.
A mobile court, led by Rajuk's authorised officer Ashraful
Islam and Rajuk executive magistrate Jesmin Aktar, conducted
the drives, said a press release.
Photo : TBT
Harsher punishment
for disrupting law &
order; Bill passed
SANGSAD BHABAN : The
Jatiya Sangsad on
Sundaypassed an amendment
bill raising jail term for
disrupting law and order to
maximum seven years from
five years under speedy trial,
reports UNB.
Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan placed
the bill titled 'The Law and
Order Disruption Offence
(Speedy Trial) (Amendment)
Bill, 2018' in the House
which was passed by voice
vote.
The original Law and
Order Disruption Offense
(Speedy Trial) Act was first
framed in 2002 to ensure the
trial of some offences disrupting
the law-and-order
situation like extortion, disrupting
traffic movement,
vandalism, tender manipulation,
giving threats, mugging,
terrorising people as
well as vandalism of public
property and immovable
property.
According to the Bill, anyone
responsible for committing
offence disrupting law
and order will face minimum
two years and maximum
seven years of rigorous
imprisonment along with
fine.
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