The New Nation - Internet Edition

Trained manpower for nation’s development underscored

RU Correspondent

Institute of Bangladesh Studies Alumni Association (IBSAA) of Rajshahi University (RU) organised a daylong seminar titled 'Extending Education of Bangladesh and doing for future improvement' on Friday at IBS seminar hall of RU.

The inauguration program was started at 10 am through reading of written statement of Education Adviser Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman. He mentioned in his speech that Bangladesh will be a vast prospect country if people have to turn in to actual manpower. The prosperous future of Bangladesh is depending on attaining successes of developing manpower. For this reason people have to train according to the spirit of the age and turned into perfect manpower…He also mentioned in his speech that there is no way without improving manpower.

Acting new Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Mamnunul Keramat said in his inaugural speech, education is the backbone of a nation. To make a confident and powerful nation needs an educated populous and trained manpower.

So the efficient purpose will have to start from now making 100% learned people while he was present as chief guest. Prof. Dr. Abul Basher Mia, director of IBS also spoke on the programme while he was present as special guest. He emphasized on his speech for getting higher education and doing reaches to make a polite society and nation. He also demanded for sufficient budget on this sector. There also spoke Prof. Dr. M Mukhlasur Rahman who chaired on the programme and Prof. Dr. M Joinul Abedin, general secretary of IBSAA.

IBSAA also organised a cultural programme and held election of this association for 2008-09 year at the afternoon. They elected Dr. M Mukhlesur Rahman as chairman, Prof. Dr. M Joinul Abedin as general secretary and Dr. M Hafizur Rahman as treasurer.

The program was jointly presented by Nahim Ferdoudy and Mahmudul Haque and directed by Prof. Dr. Mukhlesur Rahman.

Land grabbing rackets active in Alfadanga

NN Correspondent

Rackets comprising of a section of the field level officials of Thana Settlement office of Alfadanga (Faridpur District) and neo-riches of the villages with both black money and muscle powers are grabbing lands and paternal homes of the poor people through forged and defrauded documentation of settlement records that are going on in the upazilla currently. Such allegations were brought against the Thana settlement officials by dozens of local people. Genuineness of facts could be established even by a single case story. The story goes as:

Because of his stay in London (UK) Mr. Gopal Chandra Biswas, a retired Deputy Secretary of the Government of Bangladesh, of Mouza Titurkandi under Tagorbandh Union could not attend the settlement official at the time of Field Survey. In his absence his homestead and another 50 holdings belonging to his forefathers for over centuries have been recorded in the names of a neo-powerful Sheikh family.

Being aggrieved Mr. Biswas lodged a formal complain to the Director General, Department Land Records and Survey on April 02, '08 demanding a relief in setting the records straight.

The DG, Land Records and Survey, then directed the Zonal Settlement office, Faridpur District to stop the survey work of Seat 1 & 2 of the concerned Mouza and to constitute a 3-member committee headed by an Assistant Settlement officer, one Settlement officer and one surveyor. Accordingly, the ZSO formed a three member committee vide Memo No. 689(6) dated 6-4-08 giving 15 days' time limit to submit reports.

Mentionable, Mr. Biswas' case is not the lone one. Similar stories run with at least 25 persons of the same village. The committee convened a meeting of the affected persons of the village at Tagorbandh Union Parisad office on April 22, '08. While the proceedings of the meeting was in progress one Abdul Mannan Sheikh - a power lord of the village - ensued altercations with the villagers and eventually attacked them physically in which one Mohammad Hafizur Rahman was seriously injured (Police Case No. 07/32 dated 22-4-08 of Alfadanga Police Station). The meeting ended in fiasco.

However, it is learnt that the said Mannan Sheikh has managed to get a secret report from the said committee upholding his earlier misdeeds. Police on the other side seems to be inactive in dealing with the perpetrators threatening law and order situation in the area.

Elders of the villages told that there are uncounted cases of similar false recording in the settlement document and unless the government takes meaningful measures in setting the records straight hundreds of poor people will be cheated and deprived of their parental lands belonging to them over the years. They also opined it might ensue prolonged social conflict amongst the families aggrieved by such land-grabbing activities for several coming decades. It may even realign the political power structure of the villages.

One killed in Comilla road mishap

Our Correspondent, Comilla

A truck driver was killed in a road accident on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Comilla.

The deceased was identified as Masud, son of Abdul Mannaf of Senbagh Upazila under Noakhali district. The accident took place when a Dhaka- bound truck coming from Chittagong and Chittagong bound track comins from Dhaka collided head-on at Mustapur under Sadar Dakkhin thana.

The driver of Chittagong-bound truck died on the spot and the body was sent to Sadar hospital for autopsy.

Police seized both the ill-fated trucks and filed a case in this connection.

One held, arms recovered in CHT

Our Correspondent, Bandarban

Law-enforcers nabbed a tribal terrorist and recovered arms and ammunition from his possession at Hajacchara under Dighinala Upazila of Khagrachhari on Friday.

Being informed members of law enforcing agency in a raid recovered one pistol, cut rifle, 20 bullets two walkie-talkies, two Mobile phone sets from the hideout of terrorists at Hajachhara.

60 kutcha houses damaged by tornado in Chuadanga

Our Correspondent, Chuadanga

About 60 kutcha houses were damaged by a tornado which blew over Khagerhuda village under Jibonnagar Upazila in Chuadanga on Thursday morning.

Due to tornado the power supply was snapped and huge standing crops were damaged. Boro paddy, mangoes were severely affected by the tornado. No incident of casualty was nated till writing this report.

News Briefs

Phensidyl seized in Jhenidah

JHENAIDAH, May 18: Police seized 300 bottles of phensidyl from Sadar and Kaliganj upazilas of the district and arrested five persons in this connection on Thursday night.

Sources said police intercepted a passenger bus in front of Jhenaidah police lines and recovered 60 bottles of phensidyl after searching the bodies of three passengers.

They were identified as Titul Mian, Shafiqul Islam and Iman Ali of Lebutala village under Moheshpur upazila of the district.

In another drive, police recovered 210 bottles of phensidyl contained in a vegetables sack near Barbazar highway police station and picked up two persons in this connection.

They were identified as Nazrul Islam of Baliadanga village under Kaliganj upazila and Mokhbul Hossain of Munshiganj.

Two separate cases were filed with concerned police stations, reports BSS.

Businessman stabbed to death

Comilla, May 6 - A small trader, stabbed by unknown miscreants at Singharikhala village in Debidwar upazila, succumbed to his injuries on way to Dhaka on Monday. The dead was identified Kabir Hossain, 25, son of Badsha Miah of the village. Police said some miscreants swooped on Kabir Hossain and stabbed him indiscriminately when he was returning home from Kangsanagar Bazar at night, leaving him critically injured. On Monday morning, local people rescued him and admitted to Comilla Medical Collage Hospital, reports UNB.

One gets life for murder

Sirajganj, May 6 - A court here Monday convicted a man and awarded him life term imprisonment for killing a man in 2002. The court also fined the convict, Mahmud, Tk 10,000, in default, to suffer three months more RI.

According to prosecution, the convict chopped Abu Syed to death at Char Haripur village in sadar upazila following past enmity over land on January 17, 2002. A case was filed, reports UNB.