The New Nation - Internet Edition

Cop dies in road accident

Staff Reporter

Mohsin, a police constable, was crushed under the wheels of a speeding truck under Khilgaon Flyover in the city yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Mohsin, 28 a police constable of Rajarbagh

Police Lines. He hailed from Panchtara village at Nagarpur upazila in

Tangail.

The mishap befell Mohsin who he was returning home at Goran from Rajarbagh police line on a bicycle at about 6:30.

The law enforcers seized the killer truck (Dhaka Matro Ta 11-1641), but the driver managed to flee the scene.

Later the police sent the body to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

A case was filed with the Khilgaon Police Station in this connection.

Allocation for Adivasi's in next budget likely

Staff Reporter

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Raja Debashis Roy said the indigenous (Adivasi) communities need constitutional recognition and commitment from the political parties to ensure their rights.

He was addressing as chief guest a roundtable meeting on "The Adivasi Students' Education" organised by Research and Development Collective (RDC) with support of Oxfam-GB, at the auditorium of Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Mohammadpur in the city yesterday.

The function was held as part of Global Action Week on Education from 21st to 27th April. This year the theme of the week is "Quality Education for All: End Exclusion Now."

Prof Mesbah Kamal presided over the roundtable. Columnist Syed Abul Maksud, former MP Pramod Mankin, also President of Tribal Welfare Association, and MB Akhtar, Acting Country Director of Oxfam-GB, addressed it as special guests, while Sayed Milki, Programme Communication Specialist, Education Department of UNICEF, Saiful Islam Shishir, Director (Education) of Ganoshastha Kendra and Mithal Chakma of Scholarship Associate of UNDP, among others, addressed.

Raja Debashis Roy said the Government was considering separate allocation in the next budget for development of the Adivasi communities in the country.

Accurate census of the Adivasi people should be conducted to know the exact number of indigenous people and the size of the communities in the country, he added.

He said participation of the Adivasi representatives would have to be ensured in the quota policy, adding that new quota system of the National University is not free from disparities.

Speakers urged to include the history and introduction of the Adivasi community in the textbooks of the educational institutions.

They said if Bangladesh wanted to ensure education for all by 2015 as per the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it had to take steps to enrol Adivasi children in the primary schools.

Political parties should include the Adivasi issues in their manifestos, they demanded.

Sayed Milki informed that his organisation was working to translate the Mina Cartoon into three Adivasi languages-Chakma, Marma and Tripura- under a pilot project.

Shishir Khan, Director (Development), RDC, delivered the welcome speech.

Drive to shut shops at 8pm

bdnews24.com, Dhaka

Utility agencies are set to launch a drive Sunday to ensure that shops are closed at 8.00pm in the city, now reeling under acute power outages, a senior government official said.

"Those who keep shops open past 8:00pm have to lower shutters. We will not cut off power connections in the initial stage. Power connections will be disconnected if they do not listen to our advice and continue to keep their shops open beyond the cut-off time," power secretary M Fouzul Kabir Khan told bdnews24.com.

He said the decision had been taken in discussion with the leaders of Shop Owners' Association.

A senior official of the Power Division said a probe found that many shops remained open after 8.00pm in violation of rules.

Shop owners' defiance prompted the Power Division to ask DESA, DESCO and the Rural Electrification Board to launch the drive.

The official said that 150 megawatts power could be saved a day if shops were closed after 8.00pm.

The control room of the Power Development Board said demand for electricity in the country was 4650 megawatts Sunday and projected production was 3601 megawatts.

Load-shedding was 811 megawatts on Saturday and 736 megawatts on Friday.

Acute power outages disrupted the normal life of people in the city and elsewhere.

2 hurt by bullet in separate city incidents

UNB, Dhaka

Two youths were shot and wounded by terrorists in separate incidents in the city's Moghbazar and Purbo Rampura areas Sunday afternoon.

Locals said terrorists opened fire on Ohidul Islam Apu, 28, son of Oliur Rahman near Moghbazar T&T Colony at about 6pm, leaving him critically injured.

Ohidul was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

In another incident, snatchers shot rod mechanic Rafiqul Islam, 25, son of Abdul Hakim, at Purbo Rampura at about 5pm. They also snatched away Tk 20,000 and a mobile phone set from him.

One guide for each 50 pilgrims fixed for Hajj from now on

UNB, Dhaka

The government has taken initiative to send a guide for each 50 hajj pilgrims, who will perform hajj under government management, from now on.

A view-exchange meeting between Hajj Management Monitoring Cell President and Islamic Foundation Secretary Hasan Jahangir Alam and imams of Dhaka city at the Islamic Foundation on Saturday was informed about the government decision.

It was also apprised that the pilgrims would also be able to have food of their choice at government expense. Besides, the authorities would rent houses near Masjidul Haram and facilitate them with transport. The mentioned number of pilgrims in the 'Tasriat' would stay in a room.

The meeting also stressed mending the faults of the government management during past hajj and ensuring proper facilities for the hajjis.