26-01-2022

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 2022
3
Ferry movement
resumes after 3
hours on Paturia-
Daulatdia route
MANIKGANJ : The ferry
movement on Paturia-
Daulatdia route yesterday
resumed after three hours of
suspension due to dense fog.
Bangladesh Inland Water
Transport Corporation
(BIWTC), Paturia ghat
sources said the ferry
movement in the Padma
river was disrupted from the
midnight as the river route
was covered with dense fog.
Later, at 6 am, the ferry
plying was suspended to
avoid the untoward incident,
they said, adding that all the
ferries anchored at both the
Paturia and Daulatdia ghats.
The ferry movement
resumed at 9 am when the
dense fog disappeared, the
sources said. BIWTC Paturia
ghat Assistant Manager
(Commerce)
Mohiuddin
Rusel said all of 16 ferries are
plying now to ease the traffic
at the ghat. The Private cars
and trucks loaded with
perishable goods are being
ferried on priority basis.
Bangladesh gets another
2.12 million Covid jabs
from France
DHAKA : France has
donated another 2.12
million doses of the
AstraZeneca vaccine to
Bangladesh under the
COVAX facility as a gesture
of solidarity to the friendly
country's fight against
Covid, reports UNB.
The new doses have taken
the number of Covid shots
donated by the French
government to Bangladesh
to 5.38 million to date.
An Emirates flight
carrying the third
consignment of 2,126,100
Covid jabs landed at
Shahjalal International
Airport in Dhaka late on
Monday night.
The first consignment of
2.06 million doses of the
AstraZeneca vaccine from
France arrived in Dhaka on
November 29, 2021, while the
second consignment of
1,197,600 jabs reached
Bangladesh on December 19.
All the three consignments
were sent from France to
Bangladesh under the global
sharing platform COVAX .
The government of France
has made the sharing of
Covid vaccines one of its
priorities, in solidarity with
the countries hit by the
pandemic and in order to
help accelerate the
vaccination coverage on a
global scale.
RU teachers stage
sit-in protesting
'police action' on
SUST students
RAJSHAHI UNIVERSITY :
Teachers of Rajshahi
University on Tuesday
staged a sit-in at 'Shaheed
Buddhijibi Chattar' on the
campus protesting ' police
action on Shahjalal
University of Science and
Technology (SUST)
students and expressing
solidarity with the ongoing
students' movement,
reports UNB.
The teachers urged the
government to accept the
demands of the SUST
students. Addressing the
protest programme,
Abdullah Al Mamun,
Associate Professor of Mass
Communication and
Journalism department
said, "Police attack on
students is noting new. The
students of this university
were also attacked on the
previous days. The peaceful
movement in 2014 was
attacked. In 2003, Rokeya
Hall students were attacked
during peaceful protest. The
attack incidents are still
happening. Why did it
happen at SUST? Just
because they spoke against
dictetorship!"
A multi-stakeholder consultations on implementation of National Plan of
Action (NPA) to eliminate Child Labour and formulate Child Friendly
Upazila was held at YWCA auditorium at Mohammdpur in the capital on
Tuesday.
Photo : Courtesy
Call to ensure child
friendly upazila
Stressing on ensuring child friendly upazila,
Civil Society activists said creating such
atmosphere can ensure the rights of
children, including eliminating child labour,
across the country.
If proper steps are taken to ensure a child
friendly upazila, it would create encouraging
atmosphere for other upazilas to be child
friendly, they said.
They remarked while addressing a multistakeholder
consultations on
implementation of National Plan of Action
(NPA) to eliminate Child Labour and
formulate Child Friendly Upazila at YWCA
auditorium at Mohammdpur in the capital
on Tuesday.
INCIDIN Bangladesh organized the event
with the support of Global March against
Child Labour.
The rights of children are being hampered
due to child labour. The government is
pledged bound to eliminate child labour
from all sectors by 2025 as per the NPA
(2020-25) and the Children Act 2013.
Bangladesh signed UN Charter on Child
rights for ensuring the rights of children,
they said.
They called for activating upazila level
Children Welfare Board and providing
different supports to children of poor people.
Coordinated approach involving all
concerned is also important for addressing
the issue, they observed.
Advocate Salma Ali, Co-chair, National
Child Labour Monitoring Committee;
attended as the chief guest while Dr.
Mostafizur Rahman, Joint Inspector
General of Department of Inspection for
Factories and Establishments (DIFE); as a
special guest.
Moderated by A.K.M Masud Ali,
Executive Director of INCIDIN
Bangladesh; Advocate Md. Rafiqual Islam
Khan, Manager (Programme) of INCIDIN
Bangladesh; Abdus Shahid Mahmood,
Director of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar
Forum; Lima Ferdous, President, SWWN;
ZM Kamrul Anam, General Secretary of
Bangladesh Labour Foundation; among
others, spoke.
Virtual meeting on making all
public places smoke free held
A virtual meeting which was attended by members of the Executive
Committee of Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of
Bangladesh (ATJFB), officials of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
Bangladesh and the tobacco control project of Dhaka Ahsania
Mission was held yesterday.
Photo : Courtesy
Journalists and dignitaries have demanded
that the law must be amended to make all
public places, including restaurants and
tourist areas, 100% smoke-free. The demand
was made at a virtual meeting on January 25.
The meeting was attended by members of
the Executive Committee of Aviation and
Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh
(ATJFB), officials of Campaign for Tobacco
Free Kids Bangladesh and the tobacco
control project of Dhaka Ahsania Mission.
Md. Mukhlesur Rahman, Assistant
Director, Health Sector, Dhaka Ahsania
Mission delivered the welcome address at
the meeting presided over by ATJFB
President and ATN Bangla News Editor
Nadira Kiron. Campaign for Tobacco Free
Kids Bangladesh's Lead Policy Advisor Md.
Mostafizur Rahman and Tanzim Anwar,
General Secretary of ATJFB and Online
Incharge of BSS spoke as guests at the
meeting. Program Officer Sharmin Akhter
Rini presented the keynote paper at the
meeting moderated by Rezaur Rahman
Rizvi, Media Manager, Tobacco Control
Project, Dhaka Ahsania Mission, a press
release said.
Md. Mukhlesur Rahman, Assistant
Director, Health Sector, Dhaka Ahsania
Mission, said that 63 countries, including
Canada, Spain and Nepal, have laws
prohibiting smoking zones in public places.
However, the law of our country provides for
smoking zones in public places such as
multi-room restaurants, public transport
(trains, launches) and non-mechanical
public transport. As a result, non-smokers
also go to these places and become victims of
secondhand smoke. Therefore, in order to
protect the health of non-smokers, Section 7
of the Tobacco Control Act should be
repealed and designated smoking areas in all
public places should be banned.
Md. Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy
Advisor of Campaign for Tobacco Free
Kids Bangladesh, said that non-smokers
have the right to protect themselves from
the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
However, the number of victims of
secondhand smoke is higher. Since the
smoke from smoking cannot be controlled.
That's why smoking in all public places
should be banned. In this case, the media
can convey this message to the
government on a regular basis.
Nadira Kiran, president of ATJFB and
news editor of ATN Bangla, said that if
smoking is banned in the air, then strict laws
should be enacted to ban smoking in other
public transport as well. In addition, all
concerned stakeholders should take
initiative to keep restaurants and hotels
100% smoke free. Therefore, the law should
be amended to make public places
completely smoke free.
The members of ATJFB who participated
in the meeting in collaboration with
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids are Masud
Rumee (Kaler Kantho), Shafiullah Sumon
(BTV), Manjurul Islam (Balik Barta), Rita
Nahar (Baishakhi TV), Baten Biplob (Asian
TV). ), Imrul Kausar Emon (Bhorer Dak),
Rashidul Hasan (The Daily Star), Altab
Hossain (Yay Yay Din), Julhas Kabir (RTV),
Touhidul Islam (Our Time) and Abdullah
Tuhin (Jamuna TV).
30 held for selling,
consuming drugs
in city
DHAKA : Members of the
Detective Branch (DB) of
the Dhaka Metropolitan
Police (DMP) in several
anti-drug raids arrested a
total of 30 people on
charges of selling and
consuming drugs during
last 24 hours till 6am
yesterday.
The DB in association
with local police carried
out the drives
simultaneously starting at
6am on January 24,
according to a DMP
release.
In separate anti-drug
raids, police conducted
those drives in different
areas of the city under
various police stations and
detained drug peddlers,
users and also seized
different kinds of banned
and illegal drugs from
their possessions.
During the anti-drug
raids, police seized 109
grams and 330 puria
(Small Packet) of heroin
and 2.105 kilograms and
120 puria (small packet) of
cannabis (ganja) and
11,227 pieces of
contraband yaba tablets
from their possession, the
release added.
Police filed 26 separate
cases against the arrestees
in these connections with
respective police stations
under the Narcotics
Control Act.
Microbus catches
fire on Hatirjheel
bridge
DHAKA : A microbus on
Monday night suddenly
caught fire on a bridge in
Hatirjheel area
Two firefighting units
rushed to the spot and
brought the fire under
control at around 9.53 pm,
said fire service sources,
reports UNB.
No casualties were
reported.
Police disrupt
JCD's symbolic
hunger strike at
Shaheed Minar
DHAKA UNIVERSITY :
Police in Dhaka disrupted
a symbolic hunger strike
by
Bangladesh
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal
at Central Shaheed Minar
on Tuesday, reports UNB.
Members of the student
wing of BNP embarked on
the hunger strike around
9am to express solidarity
with the protesting
students of Shahjalal
University of Science and
Technology (SUST).
Before leaving the
Shaheed Minar ground
around noon, the Chhatra
Dal members demanded
the removal of SUST Vice-
Chancellor Farid Uddin
Ahmed and the
withdrawal of a police case
filed against the university
students.
Fazlur Rahman Khokon,
president of JCD, saids,
"We condemn the heinous
attack on the students. We
are demanding the
immediate resignation of
this inhuman V-C."
General secretary of
JCD, Iqbal Hossain
Shamol said, "V-C means
teacher and teacher means
guardian, but SUST V-C
showed us his
authoritarian behaviour.
Police League and Chhatra
League have attacked
ordinary students under
his direction."
Asked about the
disruption, the joint
convener of JCD's Dhaka
University unit, Nasir
Uddin Nasir, said, "We
had planned to hold the
hunger strike till 3 pm
today, but it was disrupted
by police around 11.45
am."
First national NCDs
conference begins
DHAKA : The first national noncommunicable
diseases (NCDs) conference
begins yesterday with an aim to diagnose
non-communicable diseases, develop its
treatment facilities and raise mass
awareness. The non-infectious diseases have
been increasing globally including
Bangladesh while people's prevention
capacity has also been declining
significantly, said member secretary of the
organizing committee of the conference Dr
Shamim Haider Talukder while addressing a
virtual press conference on Monday.
Consequently, various sides of the noncommunicable
diseases will also be
discussed in the conference.
Public health experts including Health and
Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque,
Planning Minister MA Mannan, Education
Minister Dr Dipu Moni, Information and
Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud,
Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC)
Mayor Atiqul Islam and Dhaka South City
Corporation (DSCC) Mayor Sheikh Fazle
Nur Taposh, among others, will address the
conference.
A total of 30 different national and
international organizations including Non-
Communicable Diseases Control
Programme (NCDC), Bangladesh Non-
Communicable Diseases Forum (BNCDF),
Bangladesh Clinical Research Platform and
Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum,
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease
Research (ICDDR'B), Bangladesh Rural
Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission Scholarship for visually
challenged students has been introduced at Dhaka University. BSEC
Chairman Prof. ShibliRubayat-Ul-Islam handed over a cheque for Tk. 7 lac
and 20 thousand to the Vice-Chancellor of DU Prof. Dr. Md.
Akhtaruzzaman on Tuesday at the Vice-Chancellor's office to introduce
this scholarship.
Photo : Courtesy
BSEC Scholarship introduced at DU
Bangladesh Securities and Exchange
Commission (BSEC) Scholarship for
visually challenged students has been
introduced at Dhaka University
(DU).Chairman of BSEC Prof.
ShibliRubayat-Ul-Islamhanded over a
cheque for Tk. 7 lac and 20 thousand to the
Vice-Chancellor of DU Prof. Dr. Md.
Akhtaruzzaman yesterday at the Vice-
Chancellor's office to introduce this
scholarship, a press release said.
Treasurer of DU Prof.MamtazUddin
Ahmed, Chairman of the Department of
Economics Prof. Dr. Mahbubul
Mokaddem, Chairman of the Department
of Mass Communication & Journalism
Prof. Dr. Abul Mansur Ahmed, DUTA
Secretary Prof. Dr. Md.Nizamul Hoque
Bhuiyan andDirector of ICT Cell Prof. Dr.
Mohammad Asif Hossain Khan were,
among others,present on this occasion.
Out of this donation, 20 visually
challenged students of DU will be given
monthly Tk.three thousandas scholarship
money. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md.
Akhtaruzzamanstressed the need for
bringingthe distressed, physically and
financiallychallenged students under
social safety network to make an inclusive
society and achieve Sustainable
Development Goals. He also emphasized
on strengthening relationship between
industries andacademic institutions to
produce skilled human resources. The
VCcalled upon the corporate houses to
come forward with their helping hands for
establishment of special research fund at
DU. Hethanked BSEC authorities for
providing scholarship to DU visually
challenged students.
NU students in Jashore stage
protest for postponing exams
SAHID JOY, JASHORE CORRESPONDENT
The students of National University (NU)
have organized a human chain and
symbolic activity resembling an
examination program in Jashore. They
demand to take the postponed
examinations of the university. On Tuesday
at around 10:30 am, more than two
hundred students observed the program on
the road in front of the Jashore Press Club.
Students of various colleges including
Jashore Government Michael
Madhusudhan College, City College, Dr.
Abdur Razzak Municipal took part in it.
During the hour-long program, students
chanted slogans in protest of the suspension
of ongoing examinations at the National
University. The students said that they will
continue their activity till a positive decision
is taken about the examination. At the end
of the human chain, the students took out a
procession. The procession ended by
circling the city's main areas from the Press
Club.
Speakers at the human chain said that the
life of the students is going to be in extreme
crisis as all the examinations of the National
University have been closed for almost two
years due to Covid-19. Those who were
supposed to finish their formal education in
Advancement Committee (BRAC),
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical
University (BSMMU), Dhaka University and
Popular Medical College will jointly arrange
the conference.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such
as cardiovascular disease (CVDs), cancers,
chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and
mental illnesses, are the significant and
increasing causes of illnesses, disability and
deaths globally, Shamim said.
For instance, of the 54?·?7 million global
deaths in 2016, 39.5 million, or 72?·?3%,
were due to NCDs, with majority occurring
within low and lower-middle income
countries.
5-member probe committee formed
to investigate BSMMU fire
DHAKA : The authorities of Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU)
have formed a five-member committee to
unearth the reason behind the fire incident
broke out at the hospital on Monday,
hospital sources said.
BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Md
Sharfuddin Ahmed formed the committee.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Sayef
Uddin Ahmed has been made the head of the
probe body while an Assistant Proctor of the
university will act as the member secretary.
The fire broke out on the 14th floor of the
hospital at 6:25 pm on Monday.
2020, did not finish it in 2022 either. This
reduces the time to enter the job after
receiving the certificate of graduation. By
the time students complete their
undergraduate or postgraduate studies, the
age will be 26 to 27. But the age limit for
entering the job is 30 years.
This is not enough time to prepare for a
competitive job like BCS. The National
University authorities have suspended all
examinations without stopping the causes
of the spread of coronavirus related
infection, which is by no means logical. But
in the meantime, various universities have
continued to take physical examinations.
They demanded that the decision to
postpone the examination be reconsidered
and the schedule of all the examinations be
announced soon.
Sadia Jahan, a student at the Government
Women's College, said the government has
given public universities the power to make
their own decisions about taking exams. But
the government has stopped the
examination of the national university with
the announcement. Besides, if there is a
public meeting on trade fair or many other
issues in the country, then why this
restriction in taking exams? If everything
can be done according to the rules of
hygiene, then why can't the test be done?