Archive for August 5th, 2006
Saturday, August 5th, 2006The forest department in Bogra sold over 7,000 trees at a throwaway price of about Tk 135 each through a secret tender and allowed local BNP men to have nearly the same number of timbers for free allegedly under pressure of a ruling party lawmaker.In the last three years, the same BNP lawmaker-- Kazi Rafique-- also reportedly influenced the forest department to let BNP leaders and activists plunder 14,000-15,000 more trees on a Bogra sandbank-- Dharaborosa Char in Shariakandi, according sources at the district administration.The latest controversial tender was put to the fridge after a probe committee of ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006Rajshahi University (RU) authorities have started issuing letters to the 546 employees for attending written tests and interviews scheduled to begin from August 11 while a legal suit against the controversial recruitment is still pending with the Supreme Court.The class III and IV employees, who were 'illegally' recruited in April 2004, have been allowed to apply against 350 newly advertised posts.There are recommendations from officials for the 546 employees whereas none of over 50,000 general applicants for the posts has been called for written test or interview, informed sources said.Rajshahi University, already facing a huge deficit budget, will have ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006In an unprecedented instance, the Dhaka Central Jail (DCJ) authorities failed to provide fish or meat to inmates almost throughout the entire months of June and July even though it is obligated to provide the items every other day.It has been learnt that the contractors had stopped supplying fish and meat to the DCJ as the authorities did not approve the contractors' bid, which quoted higher rates for the items, on time. The DCJ is now accommodating around 9,000 prisoners and detainees.According to sources concerned, the bidders' rates for different items were quite in line with existing market prices ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006Israeli air strikes killed at least 40 civilians in Lebanon and a Hezbollah rocket barrage into Israel killed three people yesterday as world powers tried to agree on a resolution to halt the fighting.One air strike hit a farm near Qaa, close to the Syrian border in the Bekaa Valley where workers, mostly Syrian Kurds, were loading plums and peaches on to trucks, local officials said. They said 33 people were killed and 20 wounded.An Israeli army spokesman said air strikes in the area had targeted two buildings that military intelligence had showed were used by Hezbollah to store weapons. ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006Technical faults are increasingly plaguing different power plants and regional grids, adding to the already acute power crisis across the country.Ashuganj power plant, the second biggest of the country, yesterday morning suffered the latest in a series of breakdowns in power generation. The plant has tripped thrice in two and a half months.Besides, different regional grids have experienced major technical setbacks four times in last five months.Two current transformers (CTs) of the Ashuganj plant yesterday stopped functioning after flashing an overload signal on the monitor at 8:05am.Power generation at two 300-megawatt units--number 3 and 4--came to a halt ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006Five out of seven remanded militants, who had been arrested from Bhaluka madrasa on August 2, were sent to Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) in Dhaka for questioning yesterday.They are Moulana Mufti Abdur Rouf, suicide squad members Saiful Islam and Kamruzzaman Kamal, and two Ehsar (full-time) members of banned Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) Tofazzal Hossain and Mahmudul Hassan.Two more remanded militants -- Abu Huraira and Shafiq -- are undergoing interrogation at Bhaluka police station.Police have yet to get any 'important information' from them, Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman of Bhaluka police station told The Daily Star yesterday.Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006With over 567 residential buildings -- each six-storey high and crammed -- over an area of 82.99 acres Defence Officers' Housing Society (DOHS) in Baridhara represents one of the most densely built modern housing projects, devoid of any consideration for the environment. Approved by the Cantonment Board, over 90 percent of these six-story buildings have been built deviating from the original plans but later legalised and certified through a 'fine' paid by the builders to the board, sources said.According to Estate Officer of the Military Lands Wadudul Bari, the board approves construction of 2,540 square feet of floor space ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006Teachers of government colleges under the banner of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) General Education Association will refrain from work for six days starting from today. They join the non-government primary school, high school, college and madrasa teachers who are on indefinite strike.The government college teachers will refrain from work until August 10 and form human chain in front of the Shikkhak Bhaban from 10:00am to noon on August 10 demanding halt of the initiative to amend the Absorption Rules 2000.At a press conference, members of the BCS General Education Association yesterday alleged that the teachers, who were recruited through ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006Amid widespread allegations of misuse of subsidy by private importers, the government has decided to import and market a portion of fertiliser through its own wings from the current fiscal year.According to the government decision, 30 per cent of around 10 lakh tonnes of fertiliser with import subsidy would be imported and marketed by Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC).The BADC would import and market 1.25 lakh tonnes of Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) and one lakh tonnes of Muriate of Potash (MoP) this fiscal year (2006-07). And the demand for Di Ammonia Phosphate (DAP) that used to be imported in the ...
(read more) Saturday, August 5th, 2006Following a three-year old child's death due to alleged wrong treatment at a private hospital at Dhanmondi in the capital, the girl's relatives manhandled the hospital staff yesterday.Fever-affected Farzana Faiza Chowdhury alias Rowshi, daughter of Shafiul Alam Chowdhury in Tajmohal Road in Mohammadpur, was admitted to the Pancare Hospital and Diagnostics at 10:30am on Thursday with fever.After Rowshi died at the hospital at 10:00am yesterday, relatives wanted to see treatment papers and prescription. As the doctors failed to provide those, the aggrieved relatives vandalised furniture and flower tubs and got locked into a scuffle with the hospital staff.Police ...
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