The New Nation - Internet Edition

Social justice can be ensured through rural arbitration

BSS, Patgram

Speakers at a workshop here on Wednesday stressed the need for strengthening of the rural arbitration process to ensure justice for all in rural areas through resolving their problems and conflicts locally and to reviving lost social values.

It will also help building friendly and congenial relations among all rural people including the backward section, poorer and distressed, and enable them getting justice at their door-steps without knocking the doors of the court of justice, they said.

They said this while addressing at the workshop titled Gram "Adalat' that was organized by reputed NGO Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) at its Patgram Upazila Office in Lalmonirhat district for the local public representatives and professionals. Chaired by President of Upazila Peshajibi Sangathan Abdul Jabbar, the workshop was attended by UNO of Patgram upazila Kazi Abu Taher as the chief guest while Principal Prof Shahidullah was present as the special guest.

Fahima Foysal, senior manager (Nari Adhikar) of RDRS Dilruba Parveen, Kuchlibari UP chairman Hamidul Haque, Patgram UP chairman Mokhlesur Rahman and Taherul Islam, addressed. Upazila level government officials, UP chairmen and members in the upazila including female UP members, chairmen of different UP level RDRS Federations, NGO activists, socio-cultural workers and community leaders, professionals, teachers, lawyers and journalists took part.

The speakers suggested that the public representatives and legal aid organizations in the rural areas should be strengthened and their workers should be provided with more supports in achieving desired success and create trust of the mass people in the process. They said that justice would be ensured at the grass roots level if the rural arbitration process was strengthened again through empowering the local government bodies and the initiatives would also help in reviving the lost social values and glories of the society.

Sub-standard note-books flood Rangpur markets

Our Correspondent, Rangpur

A section of dishonest people are publishing and selling sub-standard note-books despite government ban.

According to sources, a section of dishonest men were doing brisk business in Rangpur areas where note-books are being sold at high prices.

It may be mentioned that Government prohibited publication of note-book upto class seven a few years back. Teachers and guardians alleged that note book with errors and distortion of facts are beeing sold to the students.

Local people said due to lack of proper attention of the teachers in the classrooms and standard note books the guardians are forced to appoint private tutors for their wards while the poor students are compelled to depend on sub-standard notebooks.

Legal rights for adopted children stressed

Our Correspondent, Barisal

A workshop on child rights held in Barisal on Thursday afternoon called for giving legal rights for the adopted children and forming laws in favour of ensuring their social and financial security in future.

The programme was organised by Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) with assistances from Association of Voluntary Assistances for Society (AVAS) at the Celebration Point Auditorium of the city under caption of 'Withdrawal of reservation on Article 21 of Child Right Convention in Bangladesh'.

The workshop aimed at soliciting, without any pre-conceived ideas and opinions of the experts present, so country may arrive at a solution to protect children who are the future and hope our country.

Md. Kafiluddin, director, BSAF, gave the welcome address and Prof. Shahnaz Huda of law department of Dhaka University and consultant of Networking and Advocacy For Child Rights(NACR) project of BSAF presented a study report on the topics as facilitator and moderator of the workshop.

Rahima Sultana Kajol, executive director of AVAS presided over the program participated by more than 40 representatives from child organization, non-government organizations, religious leaders of Muslim, Hindu, Christian Communities, advocates, journalists, doctors, government officials, police and other professions.

The participants discussed the role of Bangladesh as one of the foremost countries to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) of 1989 declared National Children Policy in 1998 recognizing the basic rights of children in the country.

However Bangladesh when ratifying the CRC expressed its reservation to Article 21, which deals with adoption within and outside the country and now it needs to be withdrawal of that reservation to ensure social and economical security of the adopted child

The participants on this point called for introducing laws irrespective of religion to protect the rights of adopted child, who also may be a victim of war, natural calamities, family disputes, and validating their rights on property as member and inheritance of the adopted family to ensure social and financial security in future life.

Govt takes steps to create job opportunities

BSS, Narsingdi

A daylong workshop on '100-Day Employment Programme' organized by the district administration was held at the local Town Hall today.

Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) of all the six upazilas, union parishad chairmen, union parishad secretaries, concerned project officers and representative of school and college teachers took part in the workshop.

Mollah Waheduzzaman, Secretary Food and Disaster Management, attended the workshop as the chief guest while Khalilur Rahman Siddique, director general of the same ministry and Major Ashraful Alam were present as the special guests.

The chief guest said the present government has the sincerity to solve the problems of the poor and taken the program to create job opportunities during the lean period from mid October to mid January and mid March to mid May.

He said a total of 29,600 destitute in the six upazilas of Narsingdi district will be included in the programme and each individual will get Taka 100 daily.

He said the 100-day programme will reduce poverty in the rural areas.

3 held with phensidyl in Rangpur

Our Correspondent, Rangpur

Members of Rapid Action Batalion (RAB) arrested three persons with Phensidyl from Gangachara upazila of the district on Tuesday night.

The arrested were identified as Aminul Islam, 40, Klaorumapa 24 and Moni Begum 32.

RAB sources said, acting on tip off a team of the elite forces arrested him with 133 bottles of phynsidyl from Mornev union under Gangachora upazila.

Reception accorded

Our Correspondent, Mymensingh

President, Bangladesh Tax Lawyers Association Golam Sarwar, Secretary Kamrul Alam Chowdhury's accorded reception which was held at Mymensingh Taxes Bar Association office on 75th August.

Mymensingh Taxes Bar Association organised the programme. It was presided over by President, Mymensingh Taxes Bar Advocate Abdul Latif and Secretary Advocate Sadiq Hossain conducted the meeting. Later, the central leader handed over the Tax ID card to the layers.

8 held, drugs, fertilisers seized in Rangpur

BSS, Rangpur

Police in separate drives arrested eight persons including drug traffickers and fertiliser traders and seized huge quantities of drugs and narcotics substances and fertilisers here on Monday night, police said.

The arrested drug traffickers were identified as Rahman, 45, Abdul, 30, Raju, 26, Rafikul Islam, 22, Hafiz, 35, and Kamal, 30, of different places in the district.

Police seized a total of 86 bottles of phensidyl, 20 litres locally produced wine and three-kg ganja during the raids at different places in Sadar, Mithapukur and Pirganj upazilas. Pirganj police arrested fertiliser traders Sajedul Islam, 32, and Ashraful, 28, and seized 20 sacs of illegally hoarded Potash fertilisers from their shops during the period.

Separate cases were filed in these connections with the concerned police stations and the arrested persons were sent to jail hajat after producing before concerned Rangpur courts, the sources said.

Academic feat

Biswajit Paul has obtained GPA-5 in SSC Examination held in 2008 from Jagadishpur High School of Madhabpur Upazila in Hobiganj under Sylhet Board. He is the son of Sunil Paul and Rila Rani Paul housewife. He wants to be a doctor in future. He seeks blessings from all, says a press release.

One beaten to death over land dispute in Ulipur

BSS, Ulipur, Kurigram

One persons was beaten to death following an enmity over land dispute at village Mondolerhat under Ulipur upazila in Kurigram on Sunday, police sources said.

The victim was identified as Rostam Ali, 45, son of Bazlar Rahman of the village.

The sources said there was a long standing enmity between Rostam Ali and his cousin Rafiqul Islam of the same village.

On Sunday, a group of four miscreants led by Rafiqul Islam, attacked Rostam Ali while he was returning home with a cow in the outskirts of the village and murdered him by beating mercilessly and stabbing with sharp weapons.

The killers soon escaped the scene leaving the body there.

Ulipur Thana police recovered the body, conducted its autopsy at Kurigram Sadar Hospital and later handed it over to his relatives.

A murder case was filed in this connection with Ulipur police station, the sources said.

News briefs

100kg hemp seized

in Comilla

COMILLA, Aug 20: Police recovered 100kg hemp from a truck and arrested its driver near Daudkandi toll plaza on Dhaka-Chittagong highway Wednesday early morning. Acting on a tip-off, police raided the Dhaka-bound truck from Comilla and recovered the hemp from it at 4am. Police also seized the truck and arrested its driver Kamal in this connection. Another report from Chapainawabganj adds: Elite force RAB arrested two people along with a firearm from Usirbeldanga area in Nachole upazila Monday midnight, reports UNB.

Husband gets life

for killing wife in Chuadanga

CHUADANGA, Aug 20: A court here Monday sentenced a man to life term imprisonment for killing his wife two years ago. The court also fined the convict Ibrahim, son of Yusuf Ali of Hudapara village in Damurhuda upazila, Tk 5,000, in default, to suffer six months more in prison. According to the prosecution, Ibrahim strangulated his first wife Marjina Khatun to death following a family feud on April 2, 2006. Later, victim's brother Zeher Ali filed a murder case against Ibrahim and his second wife Hasina Begum. After examining the records and 17 witnesses, District and Sessions Judge Sarkar Abul Mansur Ahmed found Ibrahim guilty and handed down the verdict acquitting Hasina Begum, reports UNB.

Two drug peddlers arrested with

phensidyl in Savar

SAVAR, Aug 20: RAB members, in a drive, arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 663 bottles of Indian phensidyl syrup from a private car in Tulivita area here on Tuesday. The arrested were identified as Arifur Rahman and Ibrahim, residents of Sharsha upazila of Jessore district. Acting on a tip-off, a RAB team halted the private car on Dhaka-Aricha highway in the area and recovered the contraband drugs from the vehicle and arrested them. Later, they were handed over to the police along with the seized car. The arrested drug peddlers confessed that they were engaged in smuggling drugs from border areas since long, reports UNB.

Two get life for

murder in Sherpur

SHERPUR, Aug 20: A court here on Tuesday sentenced two people to life term and three others to seven years imprisonment in sensational Moyezuddin murder case. The lifers are Hamed Ali, 32, and Foyezuddin Munshi, 60, while the other three convicts are Monu Miah, Badar Ali and Furkan Ali. They all hailed from Taragarh Gangpara village in Sadar upazila. According to the prosecution, Hamed Ali and his people killed Moyezuddin, 62, and injured 4/5 others following a land dispute at Taragarh village on June 2, 2005. Victim's son Noor Hossain, 28, filed a murder case with the police, reports UNB.

Workshop on

telecenter concludes

in Bagerhat

BAGERHAT, Aug 20: A two-day workshop titled Media Telecenter Workshop concluded here at Khanjahania Gono Bidyalaya in the district town on Wednesday. Relief International Bangladesh organized the workshop with the financial assistance from European Union and Bangladesh Center for Development, Journalism and Communication (BCDJC). The workshop was organized with a view to improving the media skills and introducing the modern communication technologies with the secondary school students, media professionals and civil society members concerned with human rights, reports UNB.