The New Nation - Internet Edition

JU Correspondent

Mixed reaction is prevailing among the teachers and students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) as the Ashulia Thana police submitted a charge sheet against ten students of the university, following the student demonstration in the universities of the country on August 22 and 23.

The teachers and students of the university termed the charge sheet as false and baseless as some innocent students were included in the charge sheet instead of the real culprits.

They also said the investigation officer of the Ashulia Police Station submitted the charge sheet against eight present and former two innocent students of the university to save the guilty ones.

It is learnt that, centering the incident of vandalizing the car of army personnel in the campus on August 23, the Savar police and Ashulia police filed two cases separately against 1500 students of the university. Sub Inspector Manjur Morshed was made the investigation officer of the cases.

Last Thursday the IO submitted the charge sheet against Shamsuzzoha Pervez, Polash, Maruf Hossen, Hasibul Haque Bhuan, Sojib, Raihan Kabir, Ziaur Rahman, Sohel Rana Sharif, Zia and Billal Hossen.

SI Munjur Morsed told reporters that he submitted the charge sheet under pressure from his high officials despite it was difficult to ascertain the real addresses of the students within a short time.

He said he would submit another charge sheet if names and addresses of real culprits were found.

On the other hand, the JU Proctor Syed Kamrul Ahsan expressed disappointment following the submission of the charge sheet against the innocent students.

He urged the police administration to conduct further investigation and bring to book the real culprits instead of the innocent students.

Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat

A new type of ophthalmic disease has broken out in different upazilas of the district recently. A large number of people have been attacked with the diseases last week.

It is a seditious condition of the conjunctiva. It may be acute or chronic according to the onset and nature of axiological factors.

It may be bacterial, viral or traumatic either physical or chemical or allergic. Discomfort, foreign body sensation, swelling of the eyelids, tearing, exudation, papillary hypertrophy, chemosis, membranes, granulomas and pre auricular adenophthy are the symptoms and signs of the diseases, according to eye specialists.

Saline irrigations may be used if there is much purulent discharge.

The patient should be kept in darkroom or to wear dark goggles. Eyes should not be bandaged, great care must be taken to wash after handling and special precautions must be taken with towels, handkerchiefs; otherwise the disease will spread; antibiotic eye drop and ointment may be applied, the specialist further added.

The worst affected areas are Sadar, Aditmari, Hatibandha and Patgram upazilas of the district. About 20 percent people of the area have been suffering from the disease, it is learnt. Necessary steps should be taken immediately to combat the diseases, sources said.

BSS, Rangpur

The government and various other organisations have completed distribution of relief goods and cash among flood-hit distressed people of 13 unions and a pourasabha in three upazilas of the district, official sources said.

The district administration distributed 153.28 tonnes as GR rice, Taka 1.77 lakh as GR money, Taka 34.74 lakh as house- building grants, including Taka 31 lakh from the Chief Advisor's Fund, 212 cartoon biscuits, 250 cartoon food stuffs, 100 cartoon dates, 50-set water filters, 5,999 packets of food stuffs, 300 cages of milk powder for babies, 5,000 packets of other foodstuffs and goods.

Besides, 66.84 tonnes of GR rice, Taka 1.18 lakh, 1,700 packets of other foodstuffs and many other relief goods were also distributed among flood-hit people in some other unaffected areas in the district during the recent floods.

NGOs like RDRS and BRAC, Red Crescent, 23 other organisations, institutions and persons also distributed relief goods, including 60 tonnes of rice, 18.7 tonnes of puffed rice, 2.89 tonnes of molasses, 300 kgs of flattened rice, 600 kgs of sugar, 7.3 tonnes of pulses, 4.76 tonnes of salt, 10.62 tonnes of potato, huge biscuits, 18,838 packets of oral saline, 16,115 pieces of candles, 13,015 match boxes, Taka 21.55 lakh, 3.7 tonnes of edible oil, 4.6 tonnes of flour, 2,770 pieces of shari and lungis, and other goods.

A total of 1,65,588 people of 39,210 families were affected, one baby died, 359 houses were totally and more 3,258 houses partially damaged, crops on 209 hectares of land were totally and in 8,415 hectares partially damaged, two-km roads were totally and more 156 km partially damaged and 2.5-km flood control embankments were partially damaged during the recent floods in the affected 13 unions and one pourasabha, officials said.

District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Rafiqul Islam today told BSS that besides distribution of relief distributions among flood-hit people, the government launched distribution of 10,375 tonnes of rice worth about Taka 23 crore under the VGF programme among the distressed people throughout the district since last August.

So far, VGF rice in the tune of 2,075 tonnes was distributed every month among 2,07,500 distressed families in last August, September and October. The same will be distributed this month and next December under the programme and every family will get 50 kg rice in five months, he added.

The test relief programme is to be launched very soon for assisting the jobless farm-labourers of the district and the other government departments and organisations including Polli Karmo Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) are providing assistance to distressed people for earning their livelihoods through various rehabilitation activities, he said.

BSS, Gaibandha

The earth work to raise homesteads and community places has began in the chars of Haripur and Kapasia unions under Sundarganj upazila in the district with participation of char dwellers.

Sources said, the aim of carrying out the work is to help stop migration of the poor char people to other places during the monga.

Ekota, a local NGO, is implementing the work in cooperation with Char livelihood programmes (CLP) funded by DFID, UK under its infrastructure and employment programme.

Under the programme, the homesteads of 750 ultra poor families and four community places-Eidgah, mosque, school and graveyard would be raised at Raghols, Madaripara, Haripur and Porar char, Ugan Burail and Bhati Burail under sadar upazila.

The work would continue for two months till the monga period is over. Taka 36 has been fixed for filling one cubic meter of earth. If a labourer works for eight hours a day he would be able to earn Taka 100 as wage.

A total of 1,086 job cards were distributed among the char dwellers of the two unions and they were also given Taka 500 each as advance in the month of holy Ramadan.

Those who have no member in their family to involve in this work they are being given Taka 175 each per week under social safety activities.

Our Correspondent, Jessore

This year about 3.5 lakh children from 8 upazilas in Jessore district were immunized.

In the first day on 27th October a total of 2307 children of the district were administered polio doses and vitamin A capsules.

Jessore pourashava chairman SM Kamruzzaman Chunnu inaugurated the 16th National polio day at Paribar Kalyan Samity (PKS) at Chanchra Dal Mill Square office in Jessore. Civil Surgeon of Jessore Mohammad Salauddin Khan, Deputy Project Manager EPI Sadar Daptor, Health Department Dhaka Dr. Md. Tajul Islam, Divisional Co-ordinator Dr. Morshed, District Immunisation Medical Officer Dr. Sarwar Farooque, General Secretary PKS Jessore M Abu Sayed, Project Director PKS Jessore Faridatun Nahar, Poura Commissioner Al-Haj Md. Anisur Rahman Mukul and others attended the programme.

2 arrested with BADC seeds

SHERPUR, Nov 9: Two van peddlers were arrested along with 20 sacks of BADC's Boro seeds from Bhayadanga Bazar in Sribordi Upazila on Monday. Acting on a tip-off, Assistant Commissioner (Land) held Alamin, 38, and Imam Miah, 32, from in front of the local food godown and recovered the BR-28 seed. They were later handed them over to the police. When produced on Tuesday the court sent them to jail hajat rejecting their bail prayers, reports UNB.

Farmers gherao agriculture office for fertilizer in Barguna

BARGUNA, Nov 9: Farmers gheraoed agriculture office in the town and staged demonstration on Tuesday demanding supply of fertiliser during the current peak season. Sources said acute scarcity of TSP and MP fertilisers has been prevailing for the last few days in the district as some dishonest traders creating artificial scarcity are selling fertiliser at high prices. A 50-kg bag of TSP fertiliser is now being sold between Tk 1300 and Tk 1400 in the local markets against the government rate of Tk 950. They said the agriculture office introduced a token system to benefit the maximum number of farmers. But when the farmers rushed to the dealers' shops they have to return empty handed as the dealers told them that the stock already has exhausted. Finding alternative, more than a hundred farmers' gheraoed the agriculture office. At one stage, they went to local army camp and complained of acute fertiliser crisis hampering their farming. Later, Navy forces picked up fertiliser traders Abdul Aziz and Mantu and took them to their camp for interrogation, reports UNB.

Body recovered

DINAJPUR, Nov 9: Body of a fish trader was recovered from a paddy field at Bherveri village in Khansama Upazila on Monday morning. The dead was identified as Rabbani, 35, son of Liakat Ali, of Monishapara village in Nilphamari district. Police said local people found the body in the paddy field and informed them. Later, they recovered the body that bore several injury marks and sent it to the hospital morgue for autopsy. Some fish sales slips and Tk 585 in cash were found in his pocket. The reason behind the killing could not be known. A UD case was filed. UNB Nilphamary correspondent adds: Body of an unidentified man was recovered from Tongua Dalbari bridge on Nilphamari-Khansama road on Monday morning, reports UNB.

Bicycle parts seized

BENAPOLE (Jessore), Nov 9: Customs officials and joint forces in a joint raid on Tuesday seized a consignment of bicycle accessories here while the importers were trying to release the consignment evading import duty. Customs sources said Khan Enterprise, a dealer of bicycle accessories of Dhaka, imported a consignment of 107 mts of accessories on October 29. Being tipped off that the importer imported the consignment concealing the actual quantity of the goods it mentioned in the bills of lading submitted to the customs house, joint forces and customs officials seized the consignment in the morning, reports UNB.

Sexagenarian woman killed

JHALAKATI, Nov 9: A sexagenarian woman was killed in a tragic road accident at Rother crossing in Kathalia Upazila on Kathalia-Bhandaria road Tuesday. Witnesses said a speedy motorcycle hit Amirun Begum, 65, wife of late Hasan Commander of Koikhali village in the Upazila, while she was crossing the road at about 10:30 AM, injuring her critically. Local people rushed her to Kathalia Hospital where she died at about 12 noon. A case was filed with the local thana. Another report from Sherpur adds: A housewife was killed when a mud wall collapsed on her at Chhitpara Mohalla in Nalitabari Poura area on Sunday, reports UNB.