The New Nation - Internet Edition

JS Election-’08: Intra-party feud both in AL-BNP in Narayanganj-1 constituency

Our Correspondent, Rupganj

Narayanganj-1, Rupganj is one of the most important constituencies of the Districts. Electionearing has been started in the location. Leaders of the political parties who were invisible after 1/11, they are busy now with mass contact. As all kinds of gathering were banned, leaders could not launch any electoral activities.

As soon as the EC declared the deadline of holding election the leaders initiated their campaigning in legal way as publicly meetings and rallies are banned under the emergency period.

All parties are facing with intra party feud. Awami League has been divided into two parts. One part is being led by KM Shafilah, former Army cheif and the member of the central Awami League advisory committee. Another part is being led by Gazi Golam Dastagir Birpratik, industrialist and a well known Awami League leader. Both the two will compete to get nomination and they are launching their campaigning separately.

On the other hand, BNP has been divided into six part as the leadership crisis is prevailing in absence of Abdul Matin Chowdhury central BNP leader and former minister as he has been suffering from old age complications for long.

Kazi Moniruzzaman Monir, former chairman of BGMEA, Advocate Taimur Alam Khandker former BRTC chairman now in imprisonment, Mustafizur Rahman Bhuiyan Dipu owner of the Gaosia group of industries, Nuruzzaman Khan, chairman of Kaitpara Union and industrialist, Muniruzzaman Chowdhury, nephew of Abdul Matin Chowdhury, Advocate Mahfuzur Rahman are aspirations of getting Nomination and they are running their political activities separately. All they are now busy with mud slinging with one another.

Apart from it Sultan Uddin Bhuiyan former MP of JP (Ershad) and Mahmud Hassan controversial Upazila JP chairman are running party activities and mass contact. Nomination aspirants of all parties told the Correspondents that they will be united and will work together after getting nominations. It may be predicted that two major parties will contest in the upcoming JS election

JS poll-'08 11 nomination papers sold in Khulna on first day

Our Correspondent, Khulna

Candidates of different political parties started collecting of nomination papers both for the Parliament and the Upazila polls here on the first day of distribution of the same on Thursday.

Total 11 nomination papers were collected from the returning officer on Thursday. Oikyabaddha Nagarik Andolon (Prashika) Chief Kazi Faruk Ahmed collected nomination papers for Khulna-2 constituency.

Returning officer sources said total 11 nomination papers for the Parliament and one for Upazila election were sold on first day.

For the Constituency Khulna-2, total 7 nomination papers were sold. One each nomination papers were collected by the probable candidats of Muslim League, Awami League, Jatiya Party, Oikyabaddha Nagorik Andolon, Sankhalaghu Party, Hindu League and an independent candidate.

For the constituency Khulna-3, total 4 nomination papers were sold-one for Jatiya Party and three for independent.

Only one candidate collected nomination paper for Upazilla election at Dumuria on Thursday.

Training on homestead gardening held in Sundarganj

Our Correspondent, Gaibandha

A day-long training on animal husbandry and homestead gardening was held at the hall room of Imamgonj Fazil Madrasha under Tarapur union of Sundargonj Upazila in the district on Monday.

With the financial assistance of Bangladesh NGO Foundation, Rural Planning and Development organisation (RPDO) Organised it aimed at motivating the poor to rear cow and goats and cultivate vegetables in the homesteads to alleviate poverty gradually.

UNO M Borad Hossain Chowdhury attended the concluding ceremony and distributed the seeds of vegetables free of cost to 100 beneficiaries as chief guest.

Executive Director of RPDO M. Emdadul Haque, public representatives, local elite and the journalists were present on the occasion.

Call to withdraw emergency for free, fair election

JU Correspondent

Speakers at a ground rally yesterday at Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus on Thursday demanded immediate withdraw of state of emergency completely, re-introducing of November 7 as National Revolution and Solidarity Day, freeing of all political arrest and holding of a free, fair and credible election.

The JU Jatiyatabadi teachers, students, officials and employees forum organized the procession on the campus at about 10.00 am from old Arts Building and paraded the whole campus and ended at the foot of Amar Ekushe.

Former Vice-Chancellor of JU Prof Khondaker Mustahidur Rahman formally inaugurated the rally as chief guest while Prof Abdul Latif Masum, former VC of Potuakhali Science and Technology University was present as special guest.

Later, they organised a ground rally in where Prof Khondaker Mustadur Rahman said that withdraw of emergency are necessary to hold a free, fair and credible election. Specially, neutrality of present interim Government is more essential for credible election.

The president of Jatiyatabadi Teachers Forum Prof Syed Kamrul Ahsan Titu conducted the rally while JU proctor Mafruhi Sattar Titu, Prof Shamsul Alam Selim, president of Samomona Teachers Forum, Ziaur Rahman joint convener of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal JU Unit and Nahid addressed the demonstration among others.

Concerted efforts to eliminate child labour from society underscored

BSS, Rangpur

Speakers at a workshop on 'Elimination of Hazardous Child Labour Movement in North-Western Region' on Thursday stressed the need for concerted efforts of all stakeholders to eliminate child labour from the society.

Child Labour Elimination Action Network (CLEAN) with the help of ESDO and Manusher Janno Foundation organised the workshop at Rangpur Shishu Academy auditorium and Director of Rangpur Regional Labour Department (RLD) Shafikul Islam Dulu chaired it.

Assistant Director (Labour) of Rangpur RLD Alamgir Kumkum attended the workshop as the chief guest while District Women's Affairs Officer Shameem Ara Begum was present as the special guest.

Latifpur Union Chairman Shah Hafizur Rahman, President of CLEAN Mizanur Rahman, Child Organiser of Rangpur Shishu Academy Mokhlesur Rahman, Cluster Manager of District unit of Hazardous Child Labour Maruf Ahmed, addressed. Public representatives, government and NGO officials and experts, elite, journalists, professionals and public representatives, child labours, among others, addressed the workshop.

The speakers elaborately discussed different reasons and aspects of the problems and its present situation and suggested to save the hundreds of child labours engaged in hazardous works in the region. The children are engaged in hazardous works like battery charging, garments, bedding shops, welding, household iron-made necessary goods making shops, breaking of stones and bricks, car and furniture colouring, binding bidi at the bidi factories, etc. Many of the child labourers have been suffering from severe and deadly diseases like lung ailments, lung cancer, cough, pneumonia, gastric and peptic ulcers, traumatis, tuberculosis, asthma, chronic bronchitis, and many other diseases, they said.

The children should be freed from hazardous labour, given the opportunity of education, training on different trades and should be properly rehabilitated by protecting their fundamental rights to make them as worthy citizens of the country, they said.

They called upon the NGOs and concerned government departments for playing their due role in a concerted manner to provide all necessary facilities to eradicate child labour so that they can be built up as a competent workforce in the country.

News briefs

Valuables looted

Savar, Nov 6 : Robbers looted valuables worth Tk 2 lakh from a house after injuring four family members at Dattapara under Birulia Union here early Wednesday. Police, quoting local people said, the gang numbering 15/20, broke open the collapsible gate of the house of Rajab Ali Master and looted four tolas of gold, Tk 55,000 in cash, two mobile phone sets and other valuables at about 2 am. They also stabbed Rajab Ali, his son Shafiqul Alam, daughter-in-law Sanjida Begum and nephew Amanullah indiscriminately as they started shouting seeking help. They were admitted to a local hospital, report UNB.

Phensidyl recovered in Rangpur

Rangpur, Nov 6 : RAB personnel recovered some 176 bottles of Phyensidyl syrup and arrested two drug paddlers at Barobala village in Mithapukur upazila Tuesday. Acting on a tip-off, a team of the elite force raided the area and arrested Mostafiz and Abdus Sattar of the village. According to their statements the team seized the phensidyl bottles from inside a sack. RAB handed over them to local police station and a case was filed, report UNB.

Housewife sustains acid burn injuries in Jamalpur

Jamalpur, Nov 6 : A housewife sustained severe burn injuries in an acid attack by rivals following a land dispute at Kumaria Battala village in Sadar upazila on Tuesday night. Local people said Angur and Saiful, sons of Abdul Latif, hurled acid at Khodeza Begum, wife of Anwar Hossain, when she went out of her house to respond to the call of nature at about 10 pm, leaving her critically injured. Khodeza, 35, who received burn injuries in her face, was admitted to the district General Hospital immediately. Family sources said there was a longstanding dispute between Abdul Latif and Anwar Hossain over the ownership of a plot a land, report UNB.