Price escalation leaves 30m hungry
Staff Correspondent

Abnormal price escalation has increased the number of hungry people to 30 million-up by 50 percent from the previous level, said speakers at a discussion on 'Stop Price Hike, Save People' held at the National Press Club yesterday.
"During the last one year prices of food grains shot up by 50 to 150 percent but the income of poor people and service holders has not risen. As a result it is very difficult to sustain the poor and service holders," they said.
AL presidium member Suranjit Sengupta, Dr Abdur Razzaque, Shirin Akhter, M.A Mannan and Sheikh Sahidul Islam took part in the discussion.
They said silent famine or hidden hunger is prevailing throughout the country although common people don't think the country is facing food deficit.
"Advisers of the interim government including Chief Adviser and army chief are always saying there has been bumper production of boro crops and there is no food deficit in the country. Besides, they are also assuring people of that the price of rice or food grain will come down soon. But panic is still gripping the people as they are not seeing similarity between government's assurance and current market price of rice. It is proved that the government does not have any control over the market. If this situation continues, more people will have to starve," they observed.
"To ensure smooth supply of food and other essentials, government will have to introduce rationing system. Simultaneously the size of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) should be enhanced and the projects included in it will have to be implemented," they said.
Suranjit Sengupta said if the political government does not govern the country the price of essential would not come down.
"We are calling upon the government to hold a free, fair and credible election and hand over the power to people's mandated democratic government. Otherwise, the situation will continue to deteriorate," he said.

 12,000 BD workers passing inhuman life, languishing in jails in S Korea

Staff Correspondent

At least 12,000 Bangladeshi workers are now passing inhuman life or languishing in jails in South Korea due to faulty work permit and expiry of tenure of visa.
"A large number of people especially the youths, who were sent to Korea for jobs through different local manpower recruiting agencies, are the worst sufferers. Local manpower agencies are realizing money three times higher than the actual rate and are sending these youths to Korea illegally. When job seekers with false visas arrive in Korea, they were arrested and sent to jail. Even many of them are hiding to avert arrest and passing their days without food," a group of Bangladeshi expatriates in Korea told The Bangladesh Today on Thursday.
According to sources, around 12 thousand workers are now working in South Korea. Of them, at least 80 percent of workers are passing inhuman life as the date of their visas has already expired. Due to this reason, many workers are now behind the bars passing inhuman life there.
A group of dishonest recruiting agencies are collecting Tk 7 to 10 lakh in the name of processing papers. However, the authority fixed Tk one lakh for processing papers including plane fare, the sources said.
Despite massive drive against all irregularities, a good number of manpower recruiting agencies are still running their business and collecting huge amount of money from innocent people under the very nose of the administration, the sources claimed. They are also issuing fake visas without any clear evidence and legal work permission abroad, the sources added.
Kabir who returned from Korea earlier, told this correspondent, there is no legal process to go to Korea since 2004. But the agencies with the help of their brokers are processing working visas of different foreign countries including Korea. Without knowing this, many people are still going to Korea for jobs and facing difficulties as they have no any clear evidences in favor of against their work permits.
"Due to severe hardship in Korea, a good numbers of workers died there in the last few years but the authority did not give us clear information about the unexpected deaths. Even the Bangladesh government is yet to take any steps over the issues," Kabir said.

Submarine cable to be privatised
Staff Correspondent

Government is thinking to privatise the submarine cable system in a bid to increase capacity of Bandwidth.
"Process is on, to privatise the submarine cable. If the submarine cable is handed over to the private sector, alternative Bandwidth will be added with the existing service ," BTRC Chairman Major General Manzurul Alam (retd) told at a discussion on "Telecom and ICT Industry in Bangladesh: the Past, the Present and the Future" held at Bangladesh Enterprise Institute in capital on Thursday.
He said cable setup between Chittagong and Cox's Bazar, often remains cutoff. "With a view to resolving the present problems, BTTB and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) singed a contract recently. If the cable is detached or damaged, it would continue the net connection through line, provided by PGCB."
Referring to the price of Bandwidth, the BRTC chief said, "We will sit with BTTB Chairman immediately to reduce bandwidth's price.
Manzurul Alam said, "Initiatives have been taken to launch satellite both individually or in joint-venture as we don't have our own satellite. If the satellite is launched the rate of bandwidth will come down. As a result, we would not have to hire foreign channels," he added.
"The government wants to provide its service to people rather the commercial usage," he mentioned adding "So we are welcoming the world's latest technologies.
Process is going on to launch the satellite and it will take four to five years for launching this satellite."

People passing days in fear
Barapukuria coal-mine area subsides
with huge jolt, loud bang

UNB, Dhaka

The Barapukuria coal-mine area is feared to experience a major soil subsidence in its southern part as a big bang accompanied by a huge jolt scared local people on Wednesday.
According to a report received here from the mine area, the villagers heard a loud bang with a huge jolt for a few seconds at about 9pm Wednesday at the Kalupara Bara Raipur Mouza of the coal-mine area. Even part of the area subsided slightly to about 1-1.5 feet. Coal-mine experts say that the subsidence is an obvious incidence in any underground mining during coal extraction or after extraction.
They said when an area of a mine experiences subsidence, it becomes unsafe for living and normally that area turns into a pond. The local residents got frightened with the unexpected huge bang and jerking, and many of them passed sleepless night.
Following the incident, top officials of the Barapuria coal mine visited the area on Thursday morning and briefed the local residents about the incident.The Barapukuria coal mine is the country's only mine that was developed through underground mining method.
A Chinese company developed the mine with a depth of 350 metre and is now extracting about 2,500 tons coal a day. A 250-MW power plant was set up adjacent to the mine to run it with the extracted coal. A senior official of the Barapukuria coal mine told UNB that they feared that a major subsidence might occur anytime at the coal mine area, particularly on its southern part. He mentioned that the mine was advanced about 500 metres towards the southern part under ground that is likely to have caused this subsidence.
He also said a similar incident was recorded last year on an area beside the Bara Rampur Mouza.

Rabindranath a source of inspiration: CA
UNB, Dhaka

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed on Thursday said Nobel-laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore remains a great source of inspiration in the nation's all-out efforts for establishing a superstition-free, knowledge-based developed society through a rigorous transition.
Inaugurating national-level celebration of the 147th birth anniversary of kabi-guru Rabindranath, he told the function that Bangladesh is now engaged in a tough task of building good, balanced and well-arranged society and life through transition along a problem-strewn rough path.
He noted that the great poet raised his voice against ultra-nationalism, repression and snatchers of human rights. "Rabindranath called for freedom of knowledge and soul rising above superstition and narrowness," he said.

Crime

2 little girls violated
Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj
Two little girls were raped in different areas of Gomostapur and Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj district recently.
Sources said student of class 'III' Shirina Khatun, 7, daughter of a daily labour Seraj Uddin of Malpur village in Parbortipur union under Gomostapur upazila were raped by one Nuruzzamal, 32, son of late Lutfar Sardar of same village at a corn field on Tuesday night.
Victim's father was not able to file a case in fear of a BNP leader and local UP chairman, Sardar Lutfar Rahman, and his associates.
Besides, another sixteen years old girl, Rupa Khatun, daughter of Moktar Hossain of Tarapur Pandit Para under Shibganj upazila was raped by Subed Ali, 35, son of late Momjed Ali of the same area on Wednesday morning. A case was filed with Shibganj Thana.

Husband to die for killing wife
BSS, Jhenaidah
A man has been sentenced to death by a court here for killing his second wife in Sadar upazila of the district in 2007.
The convict was identified as Asalat Hossain of Gopinathpur village under the same upazila.
Judge of the Women and Children Repression Special Tribunal Mafizul Islam delivered the verdict on Wednesday.
The court, however, acquitted Aharannesa, first wife of Asalat Hossain, as charges brought against her were not proved.
According to the prosecution, Asalat Hossain married to Maryam Begum of Gopinathpur village. It was his second marriage. Earlier, Asalat Hossain had married to Aharannesa.
Since his second marriage, Asalat Hossain had been demanding Tk one lakh as dowry from Maryam Begum and he used to torture her frequently. On the night of February 14, 2007, Maryam Begum was beaten to death by Asalat Hossain and his first wife Aharannesa.
Shakera Khatun, mother of Maryam Begum, filed a case with Jhenaidah police in this connection.
After investigation, SI Sikdar Motiar submitted chargesheet to the court. The judge after examining 21 witnesses handed down the verdict.

Farmer killed over trifling matter
UNB, Sherpur
A farmer was stabbed to death by his rivals at Sonyasibhita village in Nalitabari upazila Tuesday night.
The dead was identified as Amir Ali, 45. Sources said Amir Ali's wife and his neighbour Tofazzal Hossain's wife locked into an altercation over a trifling matter on Monday.
In a sequel to the incident, Tofazzal and his men swooped on the house of Amir Ali the following night and stabbed him with sharp weapon, leaving him critically injured. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. A case was filed.

‘Adam Bepari’ gets 3-yr RI
Meherpur Correspondent
A main known as 'Adam Bepari' (human trafficker) was sentenced to jail for four years Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and fined Tk 20 thousand in default 3 months more RI on charge of emblazing money in the name of sending people abroad for job.
The story in brief, the 'Adam Bepari' named Muktar Ali son of Zamiruddin of village Amdah under sadar upazila of the district took Tk 1.20 lakh from one Rayhan, son of Foyjuddin of the same village, for sending him to Malaysia for job. He failed to send him to Malaysia. Later, Rayhan filed a cheating case against him failing to get money back. After examining the records and witnesses the Chief Juridical Magistrate, Mahfuzur Rahman, found him guilty and handed down the above verdict.

Two jailed in
abduction case
Meherpur Correspondent
Two persons were awarded seven years RI and fined Tk ten thousand, in default one year more RI by a court here on Wednesday in an abduction case. According to story in brief, one Rolex, son of contractor Anwarul Islam Badol of Hetel Bazaar of Meherpur town, was abducted by abductors, Salam Pappu and Pavel, of the town on October 28, 2006.
After examining the records and witnesses the District and Session Judge, Taposh Kumar Dey, found them guilty and handed down the verdict. One accused, Dhuku, of the case was acquitted from the charge. Public Prosecutor Advocate AKM Shahidullah on behalf of the state while Advocate Kamrul Hasan for the accused pleaded.

6 fugitives arrested in city
UNB, Dhaka
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested six fugitives accused in a murder case along with arms and ammunition on Wednesday in the city.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB-2 arrested Mansur Ahmed Mohan alias Suman, 23, Kamruzzaman alias Kamrul, 28, Munna, 38, Parvez Hossain alias Rony, 22, Jasim Uddin, 26, and Sona Miah, 35, from different parts of the city in raids between 1:00 am to 2:00 am. Following their statement, the elite forces raided a house at South Paikpara in Mirpur and recovered one revolver, one pistol and ammunition from inside a wooden showcase kept under the stairs of the 3-storied building. On April 21 this year, the arrested people allegedly gunned down a man and injured two others in Adabor area of the city.

3 extremists held
BSS, Bagerhat
Three extremists were arrested while they were trying to collect extortion from a businessman at Syed Moholla village under Fakirhat upazila in the district on Tuesday night.
The arrested extremists were identified as Zulfiqar Ali Ripon, 38, Mehedi Hasan Bipur, 27 and Selim Mollick, 32. A case has been filed against them under the Special Powers Act. Police said one of the three extremists, Zulfiqar called a businessman named Kazi Masud using his familiarity with him and invited him to come to a place near Kazi Azhar Ali College. As Kazi Masud responded to Zulfiqar's call he detained Masud at his house and demanded extortion. At one stage the extremists threatened Masud's wife Fatema Yasmin over telephone that if she failed to give them Tk 50,000 they will kill his husband Masud. Fatema informed the matter to the Officer-in-Charge of Fakirhat police station.
A team of police raided the house of Zulfiqar at Syed Moholla village at midnight on Tuesday and rescued Kazi Masud. Police arrested three extremists and seized two mobile phone sets from their possessions. Police said the arrested persons are listed terrorists and accused in a number of cases including murder and arms case.

Mobile court realises Tk. 42,000 as fine
in Sylhet
BSS, Sylhet
Mobile courts, in separate drives, realized Tk 42,000 as fine from different business institutions in the city and Golapganj upazila on Tuesday.
BSTI sources said the mobile court led by UNO Begum Badrun Nahar conducted drives at grocery shops, jewelry, restaurants and welding shop and hardware shops in the different parts of the city including Baluchar area. The court filed 10 cases against the shop owners for malpractices and realized Taka 25,000 as fine from them. Another mobile court led by UNO Khalilur Rahman conducted similar drives at Dhaka-Dakkhin Bazar under Golapganj and filed eight cases and realized Taka 17,000 from the owners of the business institutions.

69 persons arrested
BSS, Rangpur
Police in separate drives during the past 48 hours ending at 8 pm last night arrested 69 persons from various places in the district.
Police said the arrested included alleged criminals, muggers, listed terrorists, cheats, absconding convicts, murderers, thieves, drug traffickers, extortionists, absconding accused and warrantees. Police also recovered phensidyl, locally produced wine, ganja, narcotics substances, lethal weapons and other illegal goods during the raids, the sources said.
Of the arrested, Kotwali police picked-up 35 persons, Gangachara police six, Taraganj police one, Badarganj police three, Mithapukur police nine, Pirganj police six, Kawnia police five and DB police arrested four persons during the drives. The arrested were sent to jail after producing them before different courts, the sources added.