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AVERT SECOND EDITION

IMPASSE
FB whistleblower
Haugen urges US
lawmakers on
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PAGE 6

REGD. NO. DA 781 VOL. XXXI NO. 312 AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS RABIUS SANI 27, 1443 HIJRI 16 PAGES PLUS TOGGLE PRICE : TK12.00

REGULATING PUBLIC TRANSPORT UNSAFE ROADS

Now father,
Going from 7-year-old
son killed
bad to worse
Drivers with faulty or no papers, unfit
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
When students are
demonstrating for safe
roads, accidents continue
vehicles way too common on roads to take place, claiming lives
and injuring people.
TUHIN SHUBHRA ADHIKARY
At least four people,
The Anabil Paribahan bus that ran over and killed SSC examinee including a man and his
Mainuddin Islam in the capital’s Rampura on Monday had neither a route son, were killed yesterday
permit nor an updated tax token. and several others injured
Two of the three buses that were vandalised following the incident, in road crashes in the
as mentioned in documents of cases filed with police, were also without capital and elsewhere of
route permits. the country.
Such cases of vehicles or their drivers being found without proper In Rajshahi, the man
documents after fatal road crashes are by no means isolated. and his seven-year-old
Following the widespread student protest for safe roads in 2018, son died after a BRTC
triggered by the deaths of two college students, students and the general bus hit their motorcycle
public hoped for a change for the better. REGISTERED VEHICLES FITNESS CLEARANCE CERTIFICATES ISSUED “The system to ensure road in Godagari upazila. The
Those hopes were in vain as the situation has since deteriorated further As of June 2021 2020-21 6,75,460 father was taking his kid to
and a new wave of protest has taken hold following the death of Notre safety is totally dysfunctional”
Dame College student Nayeem Hasan on November 24 -- five days before 47,76,944 2019-20 7,50,722 PROF SHAMSUL HOQUE, TRANSPORT EXPERT
school in the morning.
The victims, Sazu Mia,
Mainuddin’s death. 31, a NGO employee; and
The latest data of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority indicates LICENCES ISSUED 2018-19 7,06,413 his son Abdullah Al Alif,
that at least 10 lakh registered vehicles are being operated by drivers As of June 2021
without licences. a first grader of Kumorpur
NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS
The data also shows that the number of vehicles getting fitness clearances 37,63174 KG School; were from
Dinajpur’s Ghoraghat
dropped by around 75,000 in the last fiscal year compared to the figures YEAR ACCIDENT DEATH
in 2019-20 fiscal. upazila.
“The system to ensure road safety is totally dysfunctional,” noted
LICENCES ISSUED 2021 (till August) 3,701 3,502 “The BRTC bus driver
transport expert Prof Shamsul Hoque said. 2020-21 4,62,093 lost control and hit
A driver can operate a vehicle without a proper licence for years without
2020 4,198 3,918 them while they were
any fear of surveillance because the system is not working, he said. 2019-20 5,11,464 2019 4,147 4,138 waiting beside a highway
BRTA and police are responsible for issuance and checking of fitness at Bijoynagar Basalitola
clearances, registrations, route permits and licences to drivers, Prof 2018-19 6,17,162 2018 2,609 2,635 SOURCE: BRTA, BANGLADESH POLICE around 9:30am. The bus
SEE PAGE 2 COL 3 SEE PAGE 2 COL 3

Alesha Mart
suspends
operations
Cites harassment of
employees, lack of
security
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Beleaguered e-commerce
platform Alesha Mart
has halted its official
operations until further
notice citing an unwanted
situation and inadequate
security.
In a Facebook post
around 12:30am on
Wednesday, it said, “We are
being forced to make such
a decision because some
people physically harassed
our office staff yesterday.
“Note that those people
are not our customers
and they did not have a
payment schedule as they
didn’t receive any SMS. Our
activities will resume as soon
as we get adequate security.”
Contacted, Manjurul
Alam Sikder, chairman
and managing director of
Alesha Mart, claimed that a
vested quarter began taking
money from customers
assuring them of faster
refunds from the platform.
SEE PAGE 2 COL 1
QUARANTINE FOR PEOPLE FROM AFRICA IN-PERSON CLASSES AMINBAZAR KILLING OF SIX STUDENTS
Stern action if Govt shelves 13 sentenced to
plan to raise
rules breached the number death, 19 to life
CHAITANYA CHANDRA HALDER and EMRUL HASAN BAPPI
Omicron cases detected in India STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced 13 people to death and 19 others to life
STAFF CORRESPONDENT International The government has suspended its plans imprisonment for the killing of six students in Aminbazar on the outskirts
Airport. to increase the number of in-person of the capital more than 10 years ago.
Stern action will be More than 100 classes next year as the world braces for
taken against both Judge Ismat Jahan of the Second Additional District and Sessions Judge’s
hotels have been the impact from new Covid-19 variant Court of Dhaka handed down the sentences in presence of 47 accused in a
hotel authorities listed for quarantine Omicron. packed courtroom, said Assistant Public Prosecutor Shakila Jeasmin Mitu.
and the incoming purposes, with the Education Minister Dipu Moni The death-row convicts are: Abdul Malek, Sayeed Member, Abdur
passengers from passenger bearing yesterday communicated the change in Rashid, Ismail Hossain Repu, Nihar alias Jamsher Ali, Mir Hossain,
southern Africa, the expense of the the government’s plans while visiting Majibur Rahman, Anowar Hossain, Razzab Ali Sohag, Mohammd Alam,
the epicentre of the
Omicron variant
of coronavirus, for
OMICRON fortnight’s stay.
“There are many
irresponsible
Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College
exam centre in the capital on the first day
of HSC and equivalent exams.
Mohammad Rana, Abdul Hamid and Aslam Mia. They were also fined TK
20,000 each.
breaching quarantine NEW WORRY persons who do She said the government had earlier
Twenty-five other accused were acquitted by the court as their
involvement in the killings was not proved beyond doubt. Accused Kabir
protocols. not think about planned to increase the number of in- Hossain, Mohammad Rashed and Sabbir Ahmed were acquitted as they
Health Minister themselves and their country -- they leave person classes next year, but the move has died during the trial.
Zahid Maleque said this yesterday as the their hotels for their homes and roam been suspended due to the emergence Soon after the delivery of the verdict, some convicts broke down in tears
high-risk variant is now present in more around. We will penalise the hotels for of the new variant. She added that the in the dock, said court sources.
than 30 countries including neighbouring letting anyone leave early.” government may also shut down all The judge in the verdict said the prosecution was able to prove the charges
India. The foreign returnees’ passports will be educational institutions if the Covid-19 against 32 accused beyond doubt and they were given punishments.
Passengers arriving from South Africa, held until the completion of the quarantine. situation deteriorates. The convicts with a common intention killed the victims, treating them
Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, “We are going to take strict measures this She also said next year’s Secondary robbers, which was a heinous offence, said the judgement.
Namibia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, where year.” School Certificate (SSC) and Higher The punishment of the fugitives will be effective from the day of their
the new potentially more contagious Last year, the coronavirus was able to sneak Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams might arrest or surrender, it added.
variant is dominant, will have to go for an into Bangladesh because of lax measures. take place in mid-2022. The convicts can now appeal to the High Court within seven days from
institutional quarantine for 14 days. And earlier this year, the Delta “We have shortened the syllabus for the receipt of the judgement copy.
The armed forces, the police and the variant, the most aggressive strain of the the exams of 2022. We’d like students to The 19 accused sentenced to life in prison are: Shahin Ahmed, Farid
Directorate General of Health Services coronavirus yet, had spread in the country be able to attend more classes, so we’re Khan, Rajib Hossain, Mohammad Wasim, Mohammad Sattar, Mohammad
will oversee the institutional quarantine, as the government could not keep the hoping to hold the exams in the middle of Salim, Monir Hossain, Mohammad Alamgir, Mobarak Hossain, Akhil
he told reporters after inspecting the returnees from abroad for the full duration the year,” Dipu Moni said. Khondaker, Mohammad Bashir, Mohammad Rubel, Nur Islam, Shahdat
Covid-19 testing facilities for Dubai- of the quarantine. Partial reopening of schools and Hossain Jewel, Mohammad Tutul, Mohammad Masud, Mohammad
bound passengers at the Hazrat Shahjalal SEE PAGE 2 COL 6 SEE PAGE 2 COL 1 SEE PAGE 2 COL 4

CUMILLA TWIN MURDER

Now prime
accused
killed in
‘gunfight’
OUR CORRESPONDENT
The prime accused in the
Cumilla double-murder
case was killed in a
“gunfight” with police in
the city early yesterday.
Shah Alam, 28, was
a resident of the city’s
Sujanagar Bou bazar area.
He had gone into
hiding with his family
on November 22, when
Cumilla City Corporation
Councillor Syed
Mohammad Sohel, 48, and
his close aide Haripada
Das, 45, were shot dead
by masked gunmen in the
councillor’s office in the
city’s Pathuriapara area.
Two days after the
murder, Sohel’s younger
brother Syed Mohammad
Roman filed the case with
Kotwali Police Station
against 11 named and some
eight to 10 unnamed people.
Two other accused
Sitting next to her father on a parked rickshaw, an HSC examinee busy with -- Mohammad Sabbir
Hossain, 28, and Sajon,
last-minute preparation before entering the test centre at Shiddheswari Girls PHOTO: 32 – were also killed in
ANISUR RAHMAN
College in the capital’s Bailey Road yesterday morning. Higher Secondary School a “gunfight” with police
Certificate and equivalent exams began across the country yesterday. SEE PAGE 2 COL 1

2 NEWS
261
New cases in 24hrs
How India
remembers
the great
statesman
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT
It was an afternoon in February
1972, only two months after
the birth of Bangladesh through
a nine-month war against
Pakistan.
The Indian armed forces that
joined the millions of freedom
fighters in liberating the country,
were still in Bangladesh. Some
of them were on patrol duty on
Dhanmondi 32, the residence of
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman, in the capital.
Having returned from office
for lunch, Bangabandhu saw
the Indian soldiers outside the
house. He went up to them and
asked if they had lunch.
“Seeing their faces, he
understood that they probably
had not. He asked them to
have lunch with him at his own
house,” according to a document
of the Indian High Commission
in Dhaka.
The Indian soldiers, stunned
to see no less a person than the
prime minister of Bangladesh
himself, politely said they would
eat when they went back to their
unit.
Not accepting no for an
answer, Bangabandhu, who
SEE PAGE 5 COL 2
Govt shelves plan
FROM PAGE 1
colleges took place on September 12
after 543 days of closure due to the
Covid-19 pandemic. At first candidates
of SSC and HSC exams of 2021 and
2022 attended classes every day.
Students of other classes were
required to attend in-person classes
twice a week.
Meanwhile, HSC and equivalent
exams began yesterday amid strict
adherence to Covid-19 health guidelines
by candidates inside exam centres. But
most guardians outside the centres were
seen not following the guidelines.
Candidates sitting for the exam in
Government Shaheed Suhrawardy
College, Siddheswari Girls’ College and
other centres had to enter the centre
after going through crowds as guardians
gathered in front of the exam centres,
ignoring instructions of maintaining
at least three feet’s distance from each
other.
Dipu Moni said health guidelines
were maintained inside the centres
and that in many places, guardians
were crowding outside. She urged
all to maintain the Covid-19 health
Alesha Mart
FROM PAGE 1
“And those influential people are now
harassing my staff,” he said.
He also said they set a policy to
refund those owed below Tk 1 lakh by
them.
“We still have around 7,000
pending orders worth Tk 200 crore.
Of them, around 3,900 are small. We
are prioritising on refunding them,”
he said.
Manjurul also said they had already
refunded about Tk 90 crore in the past
several weeks and were working to
refund Tk 200 crore to customers.
Alesha Mart, a subsidiary of Alesha
Holdings Limited, was launched on
1 January this year to get a slice of
the rapidly expanding online market
by promising buyers faster delivery,
quality products and hefty discounts
with the slogan ‘Click, Relax, Enjoy’.
But the buyers’ satisfaction
appeared to fade within six months
of its operation. Many started
complaining about delays in delivery
despite making advance payments.
A customer said he made advance
payment of over Tk 350,000 to
Alesha Mart for three motorcycles in
June, but he neither got the delivery
nor the refund. Like him, many
customers lodged complaints against
the platform to the Directorate of
Now prime accused killed
FROM PAGE 1
in the city’s Shangraish Beribadh area
on November 30.
Seven people have so far been
arrested in this case, said police.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team
yesterday raided Beribadh area near
Gumti river around 12:15am to recover
illegal arms.
“Sensing police presence, miscreants
opened fire around 1:15am. In
retaliation, police fired back at the
miscreants,” said Porimol Das, sub-
inspector of the Detective Branch of
police in Cumilla.
“At one stage, the miscreants, except
one, fled the scene. Police found him
with bullet wounds and a pistol in
his hand. Locals identified him as
Shah Alam. He was rushed to Cumilla
Medical College Hospital, where
doctors declared him dead.”
Police recovered a firearm, several
bullet shells and cartridges, said SI
City
15,76,827
Total cases
guidelines.
The HSC and its equivalent exams
started yesterday after a break of a
year due to the pandemic. The exams
for 2020 did not take place last year,
with the results prepared based on the
candidates’ performance in previous
public exams.
About 14 lakh students are taking
part in this year’s tests. Of them, 7.3
lakh are boys and 6.7 lakh are girls.
About 11.4 lakh students are from the
nine general education boards, 1.13
lakh under the madrasa education
board and 1.48 lakh under the technical
education board.
Meanwhile, at least 150 students
of Biam College in Rangpur, under
technical education board, sat for
their HSC examinations with special
permissions as they had not received
their admit cards.
The Rangpur deputy
commissioner’s office made the
special arrangement following the
students’ threat of agitation after they
failed to get their cards till Wednesday
afternoon, reported our Rangpur
district correspondent.
National Consumer Rights Protection
for not getting products or refunds.
Alesha Mart is yet another platform
which takes advance payments
pledging hefty discounts and now
limping to deliver products or refunds.
E-commerce platforms with Evaly
model mushroomed since the middle
of last year when the first lockdown
for Covid-19 was lifted and they were
taking advance payments with luring
customers as much as 70 to 80 per
cent discounts.
Like Evaly, Alesha Mart was the
title sponsor for a few series of the
Bangladesh Cricket Board.
Coming to a Facebook live
yesterday, Sikder of the platform said
all the customers would get their
money back by January 30.
He urged the government to ensure
security of Alesha Mart’s staff.
On July 18, he said in a press
conference that Alesha Mart gave a
subsidy of Tk 350 crore in six months
since its inception and made a profit
of Tk 140 crore by selling products.
AHM Shafiquzzaman, chief
of Digital Commerce Cell of the
commerce ministry, told The Daily
Star yesterday that Alesha Mart was
making some refunds, but they want
security since some people have
beaten their staff member.
Porimol, adding that two police officials
were also injured in the incident.
Around 3:20am, the body was buried
at the city’s Tikkarchar graveyard in the
presence of police. None of his family
members were present.
The process of lodging a case was
underway as of the filing the report
around 9:30pm yesterday, said police.
The correspondent yesterday visited
Shah Alam’s residence, where he used to
live with his mother Parul Begum, wife
Ria Akter and a 13-month-old son. But
no one was in the house.
Neighbours said Shah Alam and his
family members have been in hiding
since the councillor’s murder.
Some locals said Shah Alam’s mother
Parul came to the house yesterday
morning hearing the news of her son’s
death, but she left within moments.
Contacted over phone, Shah Alam’s
wife Ria Akter declined to make any
comments.
27,986
Deaths
PHOTO: INDIAN HIGH COMMISSION
Going from bad to worse
FROM PAGE 1
Shamsul, also a former director of
Buet’s Accident Research Institute, told
The Daily Star yesterday.
But after the Notre Dame student’s
death, it was found that a part-time
cleaner of city corporation was driving
the waste-transporting vehicle, he said.
Road accidents are rising, instead of
dropping, due to the negligence and
lack of accountability of the agencies
concerned, he said.
At least 2,635 people were killed in
2,629 road crashes in 2018, according
to police data.
A total of 3,502 people were killed
in 3,701 road accidents just in the first
eight months of this year.
However, different road safety
organisations put the number as being
much higher.
WHAT BRTA DATA SAYS
BRTA’s 2020-21 annual report shows
that a total 47.76 lakh vehicles had been
registered with it till June 30 this year.
But BRTA issued a total 37.63 lakh
licence to drivers in the same period,
indicating that 10.13 lakh vehicles are
being operated without licensed drivers.
The actual number of licence holders
may be less than the amount of licences
issued because many people collect
more than one licence -- one for bikes
or light vehicles and another for heavy
vehicles, a BRTA official said.
Moreover, more than 10 lakh
unregistered vehicles, including locally-
made Nasiman and Kariman, are
plying the country’s roads, said people
involved in the transport sector.
Following a High Court directive,
BRTA in July 2019 said 4.79 lakh
vehicles were operating without fitness
clearances at the time.
The Daily Star could not learn the
current status of the fitness clearances of
vehicles, but BRTA’s annual report said a
total 6.75 lakh vehicles received fitness
Now father, 7-year-old son killed
FROM PAGE 1
ran them over, killing the two on the
spot,” said Kamrul Islam, officer-in-
charge of Godagari Police Station,
adding that they seized the bus, but the
driver managed to flee.
In Dhaka, a 50-year-old woman
was killed as she was hit by a speedy
motorcycle in the evening. She was
crossing the street in front of Ramna
Park in the capital.
The deceased, Trishna Saha, went
to the park for evening walks like
every other day. When she came out
of the park via gate-1 and tried to cross
the street, a speedy bike hit her, said
Kalpana Pal, who was with the victim,
at that time.
Police seized the bike and detained the
motorcyclist, said Ramna Police Station
Sub-Inspector Julhas Uddin Bhuiyan.
Trishna was a diabetic patient and
used to go to the park for evening walks
every day, said Kalpana.
In another incident, Arju Begum,
a RMG worker, was injured when a
garbage truck having the sticker of
Dhaka South City Corporation hit the
60-year-old woman in Mohammadpur
after she got down from a bus, said
Nazmul Hasan, sub-inspector of
Mohammadpur Police Station.
However, both the city corporations
of Dhaka were blaming each other for
the incident.
In a press statement, Abu Naser,
public relations officer of DSCC,
claimed that DSSC does not have a
vehicle with this number plate (Jashore
Ta – 1,236) and that if someone drives a
vehicle using a DSCC sticker, it does not
become a DSCC vehicle.
Dhaka North City Corporation also
said it was not their vehicle.
Meanwhile in Faridpur, a bus driver
DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS
15,41,661
Recoveries
13 sentenced to death
FROM PAGE 1
Mokles, Mohammad Toton and
Mohammad Saiful. They were also
fined Tk 10,000 each.
In the early hours of the Shab-e-
Barat on July 18, 2011, a mob killed
the six youths near Aminbazar bridge
and took their bodies to Keblarchar,
more than half a kilometre off, on
the instructions of police. They then
called the villagers and said they
caught robbers.
The mob started bludgeoning the
six, without knowing the ill-fated
youths had already gone beyond all
pain and this was how the murder
became known as an incident of mob
beating.
Of the six, Towhidur Rahman
Palash, Kamruzzaman Kanto and
Ibrahim Khalil were students of
Government Bangla College in
Mirpur, Shams Rahim Shamam of
Maple Leaf International School, Tipu
Sultan of Tejgaon College and Sitaf
Jabi Munif of Bangladesh University
of Business and Technology.
Only Al Amin survived the brutal
attack, but he and the six other victims
were accused in a robbery case filed by
local trader Abdul Malek.
Later, Al Amin was cleared of the
charges after police found that the
victims were not robbers.
Following the development,
Anowar Hossain, sub-inspector of
Savar Police Station, filed a murder
case against Malek and several others
in connection with the incident.
During the investigation, 14
accused, including Malek, confessed
to different magistrates about their
involvement in the killings.
A judicial probe body submitted
certificates in the last fiscal year.
The number was 7.5 lakh in 2019-
20 and 7.06 lakh in 2018-19, shows the
data.
According to existing
motorcycles need not take fitness
rules,
clearances. Cars, SUVs and microbuses
have to take fitness clearances every
two years, according to a new BRTA
rule enforced from January last year.
Earlier, those vehicles had to take fitness
clearances annually.
All other vehicles have to go through
fitness check-ups annually.
The BRTA official said biennial
clearance for cars, SUVs and microbuses
played a role in the drop in the number
of fitness clearances.
He, however, said more than eight
lakh vehicles are eligible to take annual
fitness tests but around two lakh
vehicles do not take it.
Unfit vehicles and drivers without
proper training are considered major
reasons behind road crashes.
BRTA data shows the Anabil
Paribahan bus (Dhaka Metro-BA 15-
0856) that hit Mainuddin had no route
permit. Besides, the tenure of its tax
token expired last month.
Another Anabil Paribahan (Dhaka
Metro BA-15-1736) bus, which came
under attack after Mainuddin’s death,
had no route permit, neither did a bus
of Raida Paribahan (Dhaka Metro-
BA-14-9025), which was also attacked,
had no route permit.
Route permits are mandatory for all
buses, and have to be renewed every
three years, under existing rules.
Jewel Dewan, managing director of
Anabil Paribahan, admitted that some
of their buses had no updated route
permit. But they were operating those
buses taking “slip” from BRTA.
The Daily Star tried to contact BRTA
Deputy Director Md Shahidullah,
who is also the member secretary of
was killed and nine others were hurt
on the Dhaka-Barishal highway at
Banglakanda when the driver lost
control and the vehicle fell into a
roadside ditch.
Such fatal incidents are taking
place at a time when students are
demonstrating for safe roads in the
capital and elsewhere in the country.
Around two weeks ago, the students
started protests demanding their half
fare at public transport.
In the last several days, two students
and an employee of a newspaper were
killed by a reckless bus and vehicles of
two city corporations in the capital that
triggered the protests for safe roads.
Although police allowed students to
hold protests on roads for the last few
days, they yesterday barred the students
from demonstrating in Rampura, after
two ministers said some vested quarters
were trying to destabilise the country
using the students.
“PROTESTS TO CONTINUE”
Despite police obstruction, the
demonstrators continued their protest
yesterday. Police dispersed the students
when they tried to gather for holding
a human chain in Rampura in the
morning.
A scuffle took place between female
police personnel and two female
students when they tried to gather near
Rampura Traffic Police Box around 12
noon.
Shohagi Samia, a student of
Khilgaon Model College who led the
protest, alleged that protesters came to
the Rampura Bridge area for a peaceful
protest, but were turned away by police.
One and a half hour later, at least
100 students joined them on Rampura
Bridge area and held a human chain
and a protest rally there.
5,246,241
Deaths
its report on September 8, 2011 saying
that they had found negligence by
police in protecting the students, who
had gone to Bardeshi village from the
capital’s Darussalam.
Eight policemen were suspended
after the filing of the judicial probe
report.
On January 7 of 2013, Investigation
Officer Sharif Uddin Ahmed, an
additional superintendent of police at
Rab, pressed charges against 60 people
in the case, excluding eight suspended
cops.
The court on July 8 that year framed
charges against the 60 accused.
REACTIONS
Speaking to reporters on the court
premises, the family members of
the victims yesterday expressed
satisfaction over the judgement and
urged the authorities concerned to
execute it soon.
Abdul Kader Suruj, father of
deceased Kamruzzaman, said they
were satisfied with the verdict.
However, the relatives of the
accused were seen bursting into
tears outside the courtroom after the
delivery of the judgement. They said
they would challenge the verdict at the
higher court.
One Taskin Ahmed said, “Twenty
of the convicts are our relatives. We
have been wiped out. What will I say
after returning home?”
Rakib, a relative of the convicts,
said: “My two uncles have been
convicted, but they were not involved
in the incident. They were not in the
area on the day of occurrence of the
incident. Even then they have been
punished.”
the Metro Road Transport Committee
which issues road permits in the capital,
but he could not be reached.
BRTA in 2019 had found that
around 90 percent buses and drivers
of Suprobhat Paribahan had been
operating without necessary clearances.
A committee of BRTA carried out the
investigation after a bus of the company
killed university student Abrar Ahmed
Chowdhury in Dhaka in March 2019,
triggering student agitation.
Investigation into the July 29, 2018
accident that left two college students
dead found that a race for passengers
between three buses led to the accident
and none of the three drivers had
professional driving licences.
One of the buses of Jabal-e-Noor
Paribahan did not even have the route
permit, while the route permit and
fitness of another expired months ago.
WHAT AUTHORITIES SAY
Road Transport and Highway Division’s
Secretary Nazrul Islam said BRTA’s
mobile court and police often check
documents but these buses carry out
operations “dodging” them.
“It’s difficult to prevent them unless
owners’ association plays their due
role,” Nazrul told The Daily Star last
night.
He said while it’s true that many of
the drivers of public transport have light
licences but operate heavy vehicles, at
least almost all drivers have licence.
Asked about the difference between
licence-holders and registered vehicles,
he said there are more than 30 lakh
motorcycles.
“Most bikers outside Dhaka do
not have licences. This makes the
difference,” he said.
Besides, he said, many of the
registered vehicles are no longer on the
streets, so the difference between licence
holders and vehicles on the streets is not
as big as it appears in the datasheet.
“No matter what obstacles we face,
even if our lives are in danger, we will
continue our protests,” said Samia.
On behalf of the students, Samia said
they would stage a protest on Rampura
Bridge area today from 10:00am to
realise their 11-point demand, including
justice for two students killed in road
accidents recently, safe roads and half
fare for students at public transport.
Nurul Amin, additional deputy
commissioner (Khilgaon zone) of
Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told
reporters that they permitted students
for peaceful protests, but some
infiltrators joined them to create chaos
in the city.
MINISTERS’ REMARKS
CONDEMNED
On Wednesday, Road Transport and
Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and
Information and Broadcasting Minister
Hasan Mahmud said the Rampura
incident occurred around 10:45pm and
it was found live on many Facebook
pages, including Nirapad Sarak and
Jamaat-backed Basher Kella.
The two ministers asked how they
streamed live reaching the spot within
11-12 minutes and whether they were
present on the spot before the incident
occurred.
The ministers questioned relations
between the two pages.
In a statement yesterday, a road safety
campaigning group, “Nirapad Sarak
Andolan”, condemned the ministers’
remarks saying that the allegation is
baseless.
A Facebook page is spreading lies
against them and that they would take
legal steps, said the statement.
The road safety campaigning group
lodged a complaint with Rampura
Police Station last night.
264,072,624
Total cases
Israel PM calls on
US to halt Iran
nuclear talks
AFP, Tel Aviv
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
yesterday called for an “immediate
cessation” of resumed nuclear talks
between Iran and major powers in
Vienna, accusing the Islamic republic
of “nuclear blackmail”.
In a phone call with US Secretary
of State Antony Blinken, Bennett, who
has been a consistent opponent of
the 2015 agreement the powers have
been seeking to revive, called instead
for “concrete measures” to be taken
against Iran.
He said “Iran was carrying out
‘nuclear blackmail’ as a negotiation
tactic and that this must be met with
an immediate cessation of negotiations
and by concrete steps taken by the
major powers,” a statement from his
office said.
It said Blinken had updated Bennett
on what had been happening in the
talks since their resumption on Monday
after a five-month hiatus.
The Israeli premier expressed concern
about a new report from the UN nuclear
watchdog issued during the talks which
he said showed Iran had “started the
process of enriching uranium to the
level of 20% purity with advanced
centrifuges at its Fordo underground
facility”.
A year after then US president
Donald Trump pulled out of the
nuclear agreement in 2018 and started
imposing sweeping sanctions, Iran
began a gradual suspension of its
undertakings in the deal.
The countermeasures have seen Iran
enrich uranium in greater quantities
and to higher levels of purity than
it had agreed, something Western
governments are eager to end as quickly
as possible.
Armed group
attacks Mexican
prison, frees
inmates
AFP, Pachuca
An armed group attacked a prison
in Mexico Wednesday, injuring two
police officers and freeing nine
inmates, security officials said.
The early morning assault on a
prison in Tula in central Hidalgo state
saw intruders break into the facility in
vehicles and leave with nine prisoners,
said a prison statement.
Local media reported the nine were
members of a gang involved in fuel
theft, kidnappings and extortion.
A police source, who asked not to
be named, said the aim of the raid
was to rescue the alleged founder of a
criminal group called Pueblos Unidos.
Media reports said the armed
band blew up a car elsewhere in the
city as a distraction and then used an
unspecified heavy vehicle to break
down the prison gate.
Mexico has long been hit by a wave
of violence linked to organized crime.
According to official figures, more
than 300,000 murders have been
recorded since December 2006, when
the federal government launched a
controversial anti-drug operation with
the participation of the military.
Stern action
FROM PAGE 1
The Delta variant, which emerged
in late 2020 and quickly became the
most common variant in India, went
on to cause a deadlier second wave of
Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh.
INDIAN CASES
Indian health ministry said yesterday
that two Covid cases of the Omicron
variant have been detected in
Karnataka. Both the patients are men
aged 66 and 46, reports NDTV.
Of them, 66-year-old is a foreigner
with a history of travel to South Africa,
the 46-year-old is a health worker in
Bengaluru. The first patient left India
seven days after his results came back
positive.
All people who came in contact
with the two men have been traced
and are being tested, Health Ministry’s
Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said,
adding that both the cases are mild
and there are no severe symptoms so
far.
‘ON ALERT BUT NOT
IN PANIC MODE’
First detected in South Africa on
November 25, the Omicron variant
has 50 mutations that scientists say
may allow it to spread more quickly
and cause more breakthrough
infections in vaccinated or previously
infected people, though neither
characteristic has yet been confirmed.
“All are concerned about Omicron.
We are also on alert but not in a panic
mode. As we know, it spreads very
fast but shows mild symptoms. The
symptoms are not as severe as in Delta
cases,” Maleque said, while urging the
foreign returnees to act responsibly.
A total of 240 people returned from
South Africa to Bangladesh in the last
month and they are traceless now
as they provided fake addresses and
contact numbers.
The number of RT-PCR labs will
also be increased at the HSIA to
increase testing capacities, he added.
 City
DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS CITY 3

Dhaka’s overgrowth
costs up to 10pc GDP
Reveals study presented at BIDS event
STAFF CORRESPONDENT excessive concentration
of resources and
Nearly eight percent economic activities in
of jobs in the country Dhaka. In 2019, GDP
are concentrated in loss amounted to USD
Dhaka city, and 40 35 billion.
percent are condensed At present,
in the greater Dhaka Bangladesh is losing
region, which six to 10 percent of its
includes Gazipur and GDP, because Dhaka’s
Narayanganj city. growth has crossed the
Such extreme Nearly 8pc jobs concentrated in optimum rate.
concentration of capital Ahmad further
population and revealed that Dhaka’s
economic activity in 40pc jobs condensed in greater economic overgrowth
the capital are having Dhaka region has slowed down the
negative impacts on reduction of urban
the national economy. 31.9pc of country’s urban
poverty in the country
A study in this population live in capital significantly.
regard was presented According to his
yesterday by Ahmad
Dhaka’s population increased by
study, from 2010 to
Ahsan, former lead over 50pc in last 10 yrs 2016, extreme poverty
economist of the World rate in rural areas has
Bank and director of declined from 21.1 to
Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh, 14.9 percent, whereas there was virtually
at the “Annual BIDS Conference on no change in urban poverty rate. In 2010,
Development 2021”. The event was the urban poverty rate was 7.7, and in 2016,
organised by Bangladesh Institute of it was 7.6.
Development Studies (BIDS) at a city hotel. Traffic congestion in Dhaka causes losses
According to the study, some 31.9 amounting to 2.9 percent of Bangladesh’s
percent of Bangladesh’s urban population GDP, he said, citing a 2011 estimate.
live in Dhaka, whereas the country’s major There are also environmental and
cities that have over a million inhabitants health costs resulting from environmental
contain only 3.5 percent of the urban degradation. These should also be taken
population. into consideration, he said.
In the last 10 years, Dhaka’s population Ahmad added that when compared to Footover bridges are hard to find around the capital’s Rampura Bridge area. Stranded by the side of this busy road, these three children were
has increased by more than 50 percent. cities of developing countries, Dhaka’s
In 2017, per capita income and GDP was
too afraid to cross it. This is when a police officer came along and lent them his hands. By manoeuvring around the incessant rush of vehicles,
11 percent lower than its potential, due to SEE PAGE 4 COL 2 the official helped them cross the street and led them to a place of safety. This photo was taken yesterday. PHOTO: PRABIR DAS

Playground only exists on paper

10 years after plans were announced, field for children
with disabilities yet to be completed
MD SHAHNAWAZ KHAN CHANDAN
In the western corner of the National
Parliament building adjacent to the Mirpur
Road in the capital, a signboard with
the inscription “proposed playground
for children with disabilities” can be
seen erected on a field covered with thick
vegetation.
The five-acre land is supposed to be
a playground for children with special
needs, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
announced to turn it into a playground in
2011.
But 10 years later, the construction of
the country’s only playground for children
with disabilities still has not begun, all
due to the negligence of the authorities
concerned and bureaucratic tangles.
With no gates whatsoever for visitors or
A lonely signboard stands on the playground that was promised to be turned into a sports complex for children with disabilities
almost 10 years ago.
children, the field has been left unattended
all this time.
It is now covered with bushes and shrubs
of all kinds, becoming an ideal breeding
ground for mosquitoes.
According to disability rights experts,
following the announcement, the land
acquisition process for the playground was
completed by 2016.
In January 2017, ASM Feroz, the then
chief whip of the parliament, announced
that it would be completed within six
months.
But even after Feroz’s announcement,
the procurement process for the playground
remained immobile.
Initially, the National Disabled
Development Foundation was given the
responsibility to develop the playground,
which decided that the field will be turned
into a sports complex .
Contacted, Md Anisuzzaman, managing
director of National Disabled Development
Foundation, said, “We do not have the
experience and capacity to complete such
projects.”
“Therefore, the task was handed over to
the Ministry of Youth and Sports in 2019,”
he added.
On November 20, 2019 Md Zahid
Ahsan Russell, state minister for the youth
and sports ministry, and Akhter Hossain,
senior secretary to the ministry, visited
the site and promised to inaugurate the
playground as soon as possible.
In December 2020, Zahid presented a
primary design of the playground to the
speaker of the parliament.
The design included boundary walls,
SEE PAGE 4 COL 2
PHOTO: PALASH KHAN
News clippings of reports run by international media
organisations, after the successful operation.
OPERATION JACKPOT
A mission that
rattled Pakistan
ARUN BIKASH DEY,Ctg
“We started swimming in the
calm waters of the river. I was
moving fast and reached the
jetty, where I found the big
barge. The jetty was dazzling
with lights, but no guard was in
sight.”
“We were instructed to fix the
mine beneath the ship or barge,
underwater, but I was so excited
that I forgot all that and fixed
it on the barge’s side... and
then I pulled off the mine’s
safety pin,” recalled Faruk-e- VICTORIOUS
Azam, Bir Pratik, who was a
sub-commander of Operation DECEMBER
Jackpot, one of the biggest
operations undertaken during the Liberation
War.
“The timer started, and I just had half an hour
to flee the scene,” Faruk wrote in his article
“Amar Muktijuddher Kotha”, remembering the
PHOTO:
COURTESY
pivotal days.
“We were swimming back from
the barge fast,” he described.
“At one point, we were running
in the middle of the paddy
field. Right then, we heard the
explosion. One after another,
our mines started to explode,
and Chattogram port and its
surrounding areas were filled
with thunderous bangs.”
News of the incident reached
the international media, and
the whole world got to know
that a guerrilla war was going
on in the country, contrary to
Pakistan’s claims that there
was no war and everything was
under control.
Operation Jackpot was planned in May, 1971
in India. The commandos selected for the
operation were trained for two months in
Palashi’s Ambagan.
SEE PAGE 4 COL 2

DOLESHWAR HANAFIA JAME MASJID Probe into death

Keraniganj mosque of elephants
Parliamentary body directs govt
wins Unesco award STAFF CORRESPONDENT

A parliamentary committee meeting has

directed the government to investigate
the recent serious of elephant deaths due
to electrocution and file a report at the
next meeting.
The parliamentary standing committee
on the Ministry of Power, Energy and
Mineral Resources gave the direction
yesterday. The meeting was held at Jatiya
Sangsad Bhaban, chaired by lawmaker
Wasika Ayesha Khan.
According to media reports, five out of
the eight elephants that died over the last
PHOTO: COLLECTED one month died of electrocution.
UNB, Dhaka State Minister for Power, Energy
and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid,
Doleshwar Hanafia Jame Mosque, situated in Keraniganj on the outskirts
lawmakers Md Abu Zahir, SM Jaglul
of Dhaka, has won the “Award of Merit” in the 2021 UNESCO Asia-Pacific
Haider, Md Aslam Hossain Saudagar,
Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
Popularly known as “Daroga Masjid”, the mosque was constructed by Khaleda Khanam and Nargis Rahman
Daroga Aminuddin Ahmed in 1868. were present at the meeting.
After Aminuddin’s son Moiz Uddin Ahmed, brothers Khidir and In addition, the standing committee
Kader Baksh, Moiz’s relatives, continued the mosque’s construction and also discussed issues relating to
renovation. underground power distribution systems,
Kader Baksh’s grandson former lawmaker Prof Hamidur Rahman fuel use in public transports, and system
expanded the mosque further and built its minaret in 1968. loss of Bangladesh Rural Electrification
SEE PAGE 4 COL 1 Board.
 CITY
4 CITY
Four of a family
burnt in fire
PHOTO: STAR
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Munshiganj
Four members of a family, including children, sustained
burn injuries in a fire at their house in Char Muktarpur
area of Munshiganj’s Sadar upazila early yesterday.
The injured are Md Kausar Khan (42), his wife Shanta
Begum (38,) their son Md Yasin Khan (6), and daughter
Nahar Khan (3). They are undergoing treatment at heikh
Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery.
The incident took place at 4:15am on the first floor
of the building. Titas Gas officials assume the family fell
asleep at night after inadvertently turning on the gas stove.
Two firefighting units brought the fire under control
with the help of locals, said fire service sources.
Keraniganj mosque
FROM PAGE 3
Later, his son State Minister for Power, Energy and
Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid took an initiative for its
restoration, keeping the main infrastructure intact.
Architect Abu Sayeed M Ahmed finished it in 2018.
Meanwhile, the historic Nizamuddin Basti, a slum in
the Indian capital, has received the Award of Excellence
for its “outstanding achievement in placing heritage at the
heart of the sustainable development agenda”.
The project also garnered a Special Recognition for
Sustainable Development.
Nine projects from six countries -- Bangladesh, China,
India, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand -- have been honoured
by a jury of heritage experts under the awards, the UN body
said in a release.
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage
Conservation programme recognises the efforts of private
individuals and organisations in restoring, conserving, and
transforming structures and buildings of distinct heritage
value in the region.
A mission that rattled
FROM PAGE 3
Submariner Abdul Wahed Chowdhury,
Bir Uttam, was the operation’s leader in
Chattogram port. Naval operations of the
commandos, however, were launched in
Chattogram under leadership of Sector
Commandar Major Rafiqul Islam.
After the grueling training, the
commandos were prepared for the
operation. “I was a member of the group
of 60 commandos selected to conduct the
operation in Chattogram port,” he wrote.
“Abdul Wahed Chowdhury was made the
group’s commander, and Shah Alam, then
a student of Chattogram Medical College,
was his deputy.”
“We returned to Bangladesh on August
10 in three groups, each comprising 20
commandos. But the 20 in the third
group could not reach Chattogram city,
as they were stranded at Mirsarai upazila.
Meanwhile, three of the 40 could not report
to the commander,” he said.
On the morning of August 15,
Commander Wahed said the operation
would start that night -- it would be
conducted at the same time at all naval and
sea ports of East Pakistan.
“To coordinate the operation, two
specific songs were to be transmitted
by Kolkata’s Akashbani Radio for two
consecutive days, after the end of evening
and morning news,” the Bir Pratik wrote.
The first song, “Ami Tomay Joto Shuniye
Playground only exists
FROM PAGE 3
walkways, audience gallery, washrooms
and changing rooms for children with
special needs.
Contacted, Akhter Hossain of the
Ministry of Youth and Sports said, “We are
progressing a bit slowly because the site is
at a very sensitive location.”
“When we placed the project before the
planning ministry in 2019, they asked for
clearance from the Ministry of Law, Justice
and Parliamentary Affairs,” he told The
Daily Star on November 15.
Finally, they got clearance from the
parliament and sent all the required papers
to the planning ministry, he added.
“In fact, I gave them a reminder yesterday
mentioning that this is a priority project
of the prime minister,” said the senior
secretary.
“We are hoping that we shall get the
approval within a few weeks. After that, we
should be able to deliver the sports complex
within six months,” Akhter Hossain further
said.
Asked whether the complex will
facilitate access for children with all types
of special needs, he said, “We’ll follow the
proposed design. Since it is located within
the premises of the parliament, we can’t
build too many structures.”
Meanwhile, disability rights activists
and parents of children with special needs
expressed disappointment over the delay in
the project.
Dhaka’s
FROM PAGE 3
share of the national GDP is among the highest in the
developing world. He suggested policies for decentralisation,
de-concentration and devolution to mitigate the crisis.
It is impossible for the 35 development-related ministries
headquartered in Dhaka to ensure well-coordinated urban
planning and management for the country’s 340 city and
municipal corporations, he said.
“Empower city governments and implement laws on
decentralisation,” he said.
DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS
Chhilem Gaan”, was transmitted on August
13. The second, “Amar Putul Ajke Prothom
Jabe Shwashur Bari”, was transmitted
on August 15. It was the final signal to
conduct the operation. “This meant that
the operation would have to be conducted
tonight,” he wrote.
“We all reached Karnaphuli riverbank
by 11:00pm. We were a total of 37
commandos. Each of us was given a limpet
mine, a knife, a pair of swimming fins and
some dry food. Group of three commandos
were given targets to fix mines, and each
group was given a sten gun.”
After conducting the operation, the
Pakistan army began searching for the
commandos, while the general people felt
invigorated, he observed.
Most ships and barges -- including MV
Harmuz, MV AL Abbas and Orient Barge,
which carried arms and ammunition for
the Pakistan army -- were destroyed in the
operation.
Contacted, Freedom Fighter Dr
Mahfuzur Rahman, also chairperson of
Research Centre for Bangladesh Freedom
Struggle and Liberation War Trust, said
Operation Jackpot was a huge moment of
the Liberation War.
“The Pakistan occupational army did not
admit that guerilla warfare was ongoing for
liberation, but the operation exposed the
situation to the whole world,” he said.
Syeda Asma Rashida, project manager,
Sightsavers Bangladesh, an INGO working
for disability rights, said, “We are really
disappointed that despite repeated
promises from the government, the
playground has not been built yet.”
According to the Persons with
Disabilities Rights and Protection Act,
2013, the government has the responsbility
to ensure safe playgrounds for children
with special needs, she said.
“If this playground is opened as soon
as possible, it will give these children and
their parents a huge relief,” commented
Rashida.
She noted that the sports complex
must have instructors, physiotherapists,
doctors and proper equipment to make it
accessible and usable for all children with
special needs.
“The government should also think of
building more outdoor sports facilities
for children with special needs all over the
country as their number is increasing day
by day,” she added.
Ayesha Parveen, mother of a visually
impaired boy, said her fourth grader son
feels frustrated when he sees that his
friends can play in the school playground
but he cannot.
“In fact, there is not a single outdoor
space in the entire city where my son can
play safely,” she said.
Such a playground could be a great place
for children with disabilities, she told The
Daily Star.
 City
DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS COUNTRY 5

Black soldier fly, a friendly insect INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PERSONS WITH

SHYKH SERAJ
I have been hearing the complaint
about the quality of fish and poultry
feed for a long. Farmers complain that
the food available in the market does
not contain as much protein, vitamins
or minerals as it should have had. More
than half of what is written on the feed
packet is absent and this is where the
question of food purity raises. Tannery
waste or DDT mixed dry fish is heard
to be used as food ingredients.
A variety of insects are farmed in
many foreign countries to provide safe
protein in fish. The insect is also used
as poultry feed. But there were concerns
about how acceptable it would be in
our farming social trend. I have been
listening to the story of the Black
Soldier fly (BSF) for some years now.
Farmers in several European countries
as well as in China, Japan and Australia
have developed this Black soldier fly
farm as an excellent source of food for
poultry and fishery. Needless to say, the
fly has received a good response from
all over the world in the last one and a
half decades. In South Korea, this feed
is being bought and sold in shops. In
recent times, some of our local farms
have developed such fly farms.
The Black soldier fly is very calm
and its larvae stage is most important.
In the last week of October this year, I
had the opportunity to visit a remote
village in Munshiganj to witness the
Shykh Seraj is
Bangladesh’s
pioneer
development
journalist.
He received
country’s two
highest civilian
honours, Swadhinata Puroshkar
and Ekushey Padak, respectively.
He is a BIDS, Ashoka and Bangla
Academy Fellow. He also received
highest award for agricultural
journalism from the United Nations,
FAO A.H. Boerma Award, Gusi Peace
Prize (Philippines) and many other
prestigious accolades at home and
abroad. At Channel i, he’s the Founder
Director and Head of News. He’s
also Director and Host of Channel i’s
popular agro-documentary, Hridoye
Mati O Manush.
Shykh Seraj witness the production stages of black soldier fly at Mohammad
Hasan’s farm in Munshiganj.
farming of black soldier fly. The fly
farm is built by three entrepreneurs,
who also have fish farm and poultry
projects. Like the other farmers, they
also had problems with fish and
poultry feed. To ensure the feed system,
they have built the black soldier fly
farm. Besides, even a hundred years
ago, this fly was considered as an
insect. In the evolution of time, which
is now a very useful fly. One of the
entrepreneurs Mohammad Hasan told
me the story behind the farm, “I have
been farming fish and raising chickens
for a long time. I always had to get the
obstacle from the feed.”
A couple of years back one of his
teachers came from Australia and
informed him about the black soldier
fly and how it could resolve all his
problems. “I learned about the fly
farming from watching YouTube,”
Hasan said. Last year, during the
COVID-19 pandemic that turned
everything upside down, Hasan
collected the fly eggs from Malaysia.
“Chicken and fish get 45 to 50 percent
protein from the larvae, which you
cannot find in any feed available in the
markets,” says Hasan.
Hassan said the fly has several stages
in the production process. Although it
is black in appearance, this beautifully
shaped fly is not at all scary. It has a
wing but no sting. Even adult flies do
not eat any food, they live by drinking
water only. The first stage is to breed
flies and lay eggs. In the second stage,
the larvae grow from the eggs. Then
20-day-old larvae are collected for
poultry and fish farms. This is not the
end. In the third stage, flies are made
from larvae. The production process
is not too difficult, but it should be
scientific and timely.
Black soldier fly has brought new
hope. There is a lot of unknown
information about these flies or larvae.
The fly is one of 2,700 soldier fly
varieties. More than 99 percent of the
fly species spend most of their lives in
water, but these flies spend their lives
on land. Mainly the land area is their
roaming area and it prefers ‘Coffee’
and ‘Beer.’ The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
conducted a research on black soldier
fly in 2014 and they said it is a great
source of healthy protein. The oil
produced from the fly can be turned
into biodiesel. The fly can become a
source of natural antibiotics as well.
In the laboratory, the black soldier
is a unique assistant in the work of
genome sequencing of flies. The fly
lives around 45 days. Surprisingly,
DISABILITIES
The indomitable
Sinha sisters
MINTU DESHWARA
Even though they had no disabilities at birth, two sisters, namely Supriya
Sinha, 22, and Priyanti Sinha, 19, lost motor function in their hands when
they were in school. Presently, they are living with their family in a rented
house in Magura area of Moulvibazar’s Kulaura municipal town.
Despite their growth debility, the sisters didn’t lose hope. With the
support of their parents, they completed their primary, secondary and
higher secondary education and are presently en route to complete their
tertiary education. Keeping their academics aside, Supriya and Priyanti
have made a name for their participation in cultural activities as well.
Their father, Surendra Kumar Singh, used to work in the settlement
office as a process server. In November 2019, he went on LPR and their
mother Sushila Rani Sinha is a housewife.
Sushila told this correspondent, “Supriya is in the fourth year of
acquiring her BA (Hons) in Sociology at the local Yakub-Tajul Women’s
College and Priyanti is in the second year, pursuing her BA (Hons) in
English at Moulvibazar Government College.”
In the conversation, Surendra said, “Both my daughters used to
walk to their institution since primary school, but then suddenly they
started losing their mobility. We immediately took them to Dhaka for
examination. Although they were taking their medication regularly, they
failed to work and eventually inherited the disability.”
Supriya aspires to do a government job after graduation, while Priyanti
wants to be a teacher.
PHOTO:
HRIDOYE MATI O MANUSH “When they were little, I used to carry them in my arms and go to work
after dropping them off at school. Even now, at the undergraduate level, I
sometimes take them to their university,” said Singh.
after becoming adults they live only
for nine days. Priyanti gets a disability allowance every month from the Upazila Social
Services Department, however, Supriya receives nothing of the sort.
The black soldier fly market is
expected to reach USD 3.4 billion Their mother said, “God gave me two beautiful children and I will
by 2030, says a report by Meticulous continue to support them to achieve their dreams.”
Market Research. The fly is now being Supriya said, “I am indebted to my parents, since, without them we
couldn’t have come this far.”
marketed in all continents of the
world in the form of protein meal,
Asked, Kulaura Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) ATM Farhad Chowdhury
said they will try to provide all kinds of cooperation to the sisters.
biofertilizers, whole dried larvae, larvae
oil and others. It’s widely marketed in
the United States of America, Canada,
The Netherlands, France, England,
Germany, Finland, Belgium, China,
South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam,
and Thailand.
All farms cannot prepare food for
their farms. Everyone has to depend
on the market for some materials. But
the market is not able to guarantee
proper nutrition. This is where the
black soldier fly comes into play. It is
a natural solution to ensure nutrition
and protein for the livestock sector. I
am very much hopeful that its farms
will spread across the country in a short
time. I would rather suggest to keep an
eye on everything from production
stages to marketing, also looking at
how this can get a fair market structure
that will eventually benefit the farmers.
Black soldier fly can truly become the
future of our poultry and fish feed. Supriya Sinha and Priyanti Sinha

Work as
FROM PAGE 12
at DSCSC in Mirpur
Cantonment.
The PM said the
armed forces members
participated in various
activities as frontline
fighters in facing the
Covid-19 pandemic and
earned praise for their
deeds.
As of now, 383 members
of the Armed Forces from
24 friendly countries have
received higher education
and training at the NDC.
Bangladesh will be able
to attain the sustainable
development goals within
the stipulated time of 2030
and Bangladesh will be
turned into a developed
country by 2041, she said.
The PM virtually
conferred certificates
upon the fresh graduates
of the two courses, and
congratulated them.
LPG price
FROM PAGE 12
for marketing the fuel,
which has progressively
become the fuel of choice
for cooking by the poor
and the middle-class and
running vehicles.
For LPG cylinders of
other volumes, every
kg would cost Tk 102.3,
down from Tk 109.4 last
month.
However, the price of a
12.5 kg cylinder from the
state-owned Bangladesh
Petroleum Corporation
would remain unchanged
at Tk 591.
The 27 private operators
meet 98 percent of the
country’s demand for 11
lakh tonnes of LPG.
The price of LPG used
in cars, commonly known
as “autogas”, has decreased
to Tk 57.2 per litre at the
retail level, including value-
added tax and taxes, down
from Tk 61.2 per litre last
month.
Astronomers
FROM PAGE 12
million years,” Holger
Baumgardt, a professor
at the University of
Queensland, said.
These enormous
wells of gravity have
incredibly dense masses,
which astronomers
from the Strasbourg
Observatory in France
were able to measure by
looking at how the stars
around them were being
manipulated.
Today the war in Bangladesh
FROM PAGE 12
would be decisively and finally repelled.
“Today the war in Bangladesh has
become a war on India,” she said. “We have
no option but to put the country on a war
footing.
“Since last March,” continued Indira,
“we have borne the heaviest of burdens and
the greatest of pressures in a tremendous
effort to ask the world to help in bringing
about a peaceful solution and preventing
the annihilation of an entire people whose
only crime was to vote democratically.
But the world ignored basic causes
and concerned itself only with certain
repercussions.
“The situation was bound to deteriorate,”
she said. “We must be prepared for a long
period of hardship and sacrifice.”
A state of emergency throughout India
was proclaimed this evening.
CONVERSATION BETWEEN NIXON AND
KISSINGER
US President Richard Nixon had a
telephone conversion with his Assistant for
National Security Affairs Henry Kissinger
this morning on the Indo-Pak conflict.
Kissinger informed Nixon, “It appears
that West Pakistan has attacked because
situation in East collapsing. State wants to
use it as a pretext not to put out statement
[announcing the cut-off of military
assistance to India] at noon. I think it’s
more reason to cancel programs. State
believes and I agree that we should take
it to the Security Council once actions are
How India remembers
FROM PAGE 2
fought for the rights of common people all
through his life, took the soldiers by their
arms and took them inside his house for
lunch. The soldiers were delighted.
“This is how India remembers this great
statesman: a man of all seasons, and a man
for all people” -- are the words written on a
rare photo where Bangabandhu, wearing a
shirt and lungi, a traditional men’s wear of
Bangalis, is seen taking the Indian soldiers
to his residence for lunch.
Indian High Commissioner to
Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami
What is cirrhosis?
FROM PAGE 12
or fibrosis. As more and more scar tissue
forms, it becomes difficult for the liver to
function.
There are many causes of cirrhosis, such
as obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,
high alcohol consumption, hepatitis B or C
infection, autoimmune diseases, cholestasis
diseases, and iron or copper overload.
Its symptoms are usually slow to
emerge. Early symptoms may include
tiredness, weakness, loss of appetite,
unexplained weight loss, nausea and
sickness, and discomfort in one’s upper
right abdomen.
With declining liver function, cognitive
impairments, confusion, memory loss,
confirmed.”
Nixon replied, “I am for that. We have to
cut off arms aid to India. We should have
done it earlier.”
Kissinger replied, “If they [West Pakistan]
lose half of their country without fighting
they will be destroyed. They may also be
destroyed this way but they will go down
fighting.
Nixon further said, “Pakistan thing
makes your heart sick. For them to be done
so by the Indians and after we have warned
[India]… they have brought it on. We have
to cut off arms. Why not? Because [they
were] attacked by West Pakistan. Tell them
that when India talks about West Pakistan
attacking them it’s like Russians claiming to
be attacked by Finland.”
Later, on the same day, Nixon had
another telephone conversation with
Kissinger.
Kissinger said, “It’s more and more
certain it’s India attacking and not Pakistan.
We cut off other military supplies. Secy
wants to go to Security Council and go on
TV. I say we can go just as soon as Pakistan
says it’s alright with them. We are sending
a message through our channels to speed it
up. I don’t think we should rush until we
see what they want. And tell the Chinese it’s
done with Pakistan’s concurrence.”
Nixon commented, “Why stick our nose
in unless they want us.”
Shamsuddoza Sajen is a journalist
and researcher. He can be contacted at
sajen1986@gmail.com
handed over the photograph to Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina when he called
on her at her official residence the Gono
Bhaban on November 30.
Bangladesh and India will celebrate
Maitree Diwas or Friendship Day on
December 6, marking the day of India’s
recognition of an independent Bangladesh
on December 6, 1971.
In view of Bangladesh’s golden jubilee of
Independence as well as the establishment
of bilateral diplomatic ties, the two
countries will jointly commemorate the
day in 18 countries.
sleep disorders, and changes in personality
may also develop.
The management of liver cirrhosis is
centred on the treatment of the causes and
complications. Liver transplantation can be
required in some cases.
In order to reduce the risk of cirrhosis,
you should eat a balanced diet and
maintain a healthy weight. Excess body fat
can damage the liver.
Reduction of risk of hepatitis B and C is
necessary. Never share needles or engage in
unprotected sex. Get hepatitis vaccinations.
You should speak to a doctor if any of
the above mentioned symptoms is noticed.
Detection in the early stages of the disease
makes it easier to treat.
Accident
FROM PAGE 12
Maruati, who also owns
Sajek Eco Valley Resort,
Immanuel Resort and
Maruati Restaurant, said, “I
have struggled all my life and
invested around Tk two crore
in these establishments. All
of that hard work went up in
flames in a moment.”
Mohammad Jahid,
manager at Obokash, said,
“We saw the fire in the
bathroom around 3:40am.”
He added that one of the
tourists, aged around 26,
brought one litre of octane
to the resort. “We asked him
why he brought it but he
did not reply.”
Jahid further said, “The
man claimed he was part
of a team from Dhaka,
who were staying on the
fourth floor. The fire broke
out on the second floor.
However, before anyone
on the second floor could
even realise there was a fire,
the man who brought the
octane and his group were
the first to raise the alarm.
“We could not find any of
their names as all the records
were burnt in the fire.”
Jahir Uddin, owner of
Megh Chhut Resort, which
was also burnt down as the
fire spread there, said, “The
fire could not have been
caused by short circuit, as
all the cottages [in all the
resorts here] have circuit
breakers… It might have
been an act of sabotage.
“My dreams, along with
my resort, were burnt down
in the fire,” said Jahir, from
Bagaichhari upazila of
Rangamati.
Mir Muddasser Hossain,
superintendent of Rangamati
police, said “The fire broke
out from a short circuit. Even
though there was no scope of
sabotage, we are investigating
the allegations.”
Babla Das, chief of
Dighinala Fire Service, said
firefighters reached the spot
around 6:00am, when the
cottages and restaurants
were already burnt to ashes.
“We are still suspecting it
was from a short circuit.”
Shariful Islam,
upazila nirbahi officer of
Bagaichhari, said, “At this
stage, it’s not possible to
make any comments about
how the fire originated.”
According to locals,
violence and arson have
become commonplace in
the hill tracts on or the day
before the CHT Peace Accord
Day, which was yesterday.
Bangladesh 6th biggest sender
FROM PAGE 12
On the other hand, before borders were
closed in Bangladesh in March 2020,
approximately 400,000 workers returned,
mostly due to the pandemic. A July 2020
report found 70 percent of such returnees
were unemployed.
The IOM report says the number of
international migrants has grown from 84
million globally in 1970 to 281 million in
2020.
It says with nearly 18 million people
living abroad, India had the largest migrant
population globally in 2020. Mexico was
the second largest origin country with
around 11 million migrants.
The Russian Federation (10.8 million),
China (10 million), and Syrian Arab
Republic (over 8 million, mainly refugees)
made the global top five.
The report reveals a dramatic increase
in internal displacement due to disaster,
conflict, and violence at a time when global
mobility ground to a halt due to Covid-19
POSTING PROPAGANDA
Twitter shuts 3,500 accounts
in 6 countries
AFP, San Francisco
Twitter yesterday said it had shut down
nearly 3,500 accounts that were posting
pro-government propaganda in six
countries, including China and Russia.
The vast majority of the accounts
were part of a network that “amplified
Chinese Communist Party narratives
related to the treatment of the Uyghur
population in Xinjiang,” Twitter said in
a statement.
China faces accusations of grave human
rights violations against the ethnic minority
in the northwestern province, where experts
have estimated that more than one million
people are incarcerated in camps.
Aside from 2,048 accounts linked to
the pro-Beijing campaign, Twitter also
shut down 112 accounts connected to a
company named Changyu Culture, linked
to Xinjiang’s regional government.
The move came a day after Facebook’s
parent company Meta said it had shut
down more than 500 accounts that were
part of a China-linked influence campaign
relating to Covid-19.
The accounts promoted claims from a
fictitious Swiss biologist, Wilson Edwards,
Fifth-grader
FROM PAGE 12
on a secluded road in Bhir Narayan village,
Jahir gagged and forcibly took her to a
nearby shop where he raped her.
After Jahir released the girl, she screamed
for help. She was then rescued by locals,
but Jahir had already fled, she said.
Jahir was absconding. Police were trying
to arrest him, said the inspector.
travel restrictions, says the statement.
“We are witnessing a paradox not seen
before in human history,” said IOM’s
Director General Antonio Vitorino.
“While billions of people have been
effectively grounded by Covid-19, tens
of millions of displacement events have
forced many others from their homes,” he
said.
The number of air passengers globally
dropped 60 percent in 2020 to 1.8 billion
(down from 4.5 billion in 2019) while at
the same time internal displacement due
to disaster, conflict and violence rose to
40.5 million (up from 31.5 million in
2019).
In terms of receiving remittance, India
topped the list with $83.15 billion in 2020.
China ($59.51 billion), Mexico ($42.88
billion), the Philippines ($34.91 billion),
Egypt ($29.60 billion), Pakistan ($26.11
billion), and France ($24.48 billion) were
above Bangladesh in terms of receiving
remittance.
that the United States was interfering
in efforts to identify the origins of the
coronavirus.
Chinese state media had widely quoted
“Edwards” in July, although several
newspapers deleted references to him after
the Swiss embassy in Beijing said there was
no trace of him.
Both Twitter and Facebook are banned
in China, but Beijing frequently uses both
US social networks to promote its positions
on the international stage.
Beyond China, Twitter also shuttered 16
accounts linked to the Internet Research
Agency, a Russian company labelled a
“troll farm” by critics, which runs pro-
government online influence campaigns.
“The operation relied on a mix of
inauthentic and real accounts to introduce
a pro-Russia viewpoint into Central African
political discourse,” Twitter said.
Conspiracy
FROM PAGE 12
People in the hills are in a situation where
they are about to become expatriates on
their own lands, she added.
Rashed Khan Menon, president of
the Bangladesh Workers Party, said the
government’s decisions in the name of
tourism and development are imposed on
the people of the region.
He said peace would prevail on the CHT
if the people’s right to land is ensured.
Moderated by Sanjeeb Drong, general
secretary of the BAF, the event was addressed
by veteran politician Pankaj Bhattacharya,
rights activist Sara Hossain, and Dhaka
University’s Prof Sadeka Halim and Prof
Mesbah Kamal, among others.
6 INTERNATIONAL DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS

Global aid needs MORE NEWS

will surge in 2022 Delhi shuts schools again due

Says UN amid pandemic, conflict
AFP, Geneva
The UN warned yesterday that the need for humanitarian
aid was skyrocketing worldwide, as the pandemic
continues to rage, and climate change and conflicts push
more people to the brink of famine.
The United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA
estimated that 274 million people worldwide would
need some form of emergency assistance next year, up 17
percent on an already record-breaking 2021.
That means one in 29 people will need help in 2022,
marking a 250-percent-increase since 2015 when one
in 95 needed assistance, OCHA found in its Global
Humanitarian Overview report.
The number of people in need “has never been as high
as this”, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths told reporters.
Providing aid to so many “is not sustainable, but it has
to be sustained,” he said.
The annual appeal by UN agencies and other
humanitarian organisations said that providing aid to the
183 million most vulnerable people across 63 countries
next year would require $41 billion -- up from the $35
billion requested for 2021 and double what was requested
just four years ago.
The report presented a depressing picture of soaring
needs brought on by conflicts and worsening instability in
places like Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Myanmar.
Natural disasters and climate change also drove
up displacement and humanitarian needs, as did the
continuing Covid-19 pandemic, it found.
to air pollution
India’s polluted capital again ordered schools
closed yesterday over dangerous smog
levels, as the country’s top court demanded
officials take action to address the toxic haze.
New Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted
cities and home to about 20 million people,
is cloaked in a thick blanket of smog every
winter. The city government shuttered schools
in November but allowed classes to resume
on Monday after claiming air quality had
improved. They reversed course yesterday after
a Supreme Court hearing gave authorities 24
hours to reduce smog levels. “Small children
have to go (to class) in morning fog. There’s no
respect,” Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said.
Russia, Asean hold first naval
drills off Indonesian coast
Russia and a number of Southeast Asian
countries kicked off their first ever joint naval
exercise along the Strait of Malacca, one of
the world’s most important shipping lanes, on
Wednesday, Indonesia’s navy said. The drills
come at a time of growing tensions in the
Pacific, particularly around the South China
Sea. All ten members of Asean participated
in Wednesday’s drills. “This exercise is about
peace, stability and prosperity in the region,”
Afghan refugees display banners and placards during a protest in front of the US Consulate in Surabaya, Indonesia yesterday.
Russia’s ambassador to the bloc Alexander
An Afghan asylum seeker set himself on fire in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia on Tuesday in protest at his seven-year wait Ivanov said in a statement.
for resettlement in a third country, a local refugee coordinator said. PHOTO: AFP
SOURCE: AFP, REUTERS

Quote
of the day
South Africa sees rise in cases Avert impasse DENYING ENVOYS’ SEATS
Myanmar,
AU’s CDC says ‘no need to panic’; US, France report first confirmed cases Facebook whistleblower urges US
AGENCIES a surge in vaccination efforts.
US officials said a surge in outreach
Angela Merkel and her successor, Olaf
Scholz, plan to discuss with regional
lawmakers on social media laws Taliban
The Omicron variant has fuelled
a “worrying” surge in coronavirus
cases in South Africa and is rapidly
on vaccines and booster shots will be
launched, with a nationwide campaign
leaders restricting the unvaccinated
from access to all but the most
AFP, Washington
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen urged a US
condemn
targeting recipients of Medicare public essential businesses, such as grocery
With a
becoming the dominant strain, local
health officials have said, as more
health care, reports AFP. stores and pharmacies, reports
Reuters.
Congress panel Wednesday not to get mired in drawn out
debate amid a new push to set social media regulations, UN move
which have long been blocked by partisan combat. AFP, Yangon
virus that is countries including the US, France, The WHO has issued stern warnings Haugen’s leaks of internal company documents sparked
truly borderless,
Finland, India detected their first
cases.
OMICRON COVID VARIANT on the dangers of vaccination outrage, damning press reports and pledges from elected Myanmar’s junta and
apathy and the European Union put officials to finally take action against the platforms -- but the Taliban authorities
travel restrictions The African Union’s health mandatory jabs on the table. so far, no new rules have been enacted. of Afghanistan yesterday
watchdog, however, appealed for calm South Korea’s daily coronavirus case “Globally, we have a toxic mix of
that isolate any over Omicron. John Nkengasong, numbers rose to a new high yesterday, low vaccine coverage, and very low
“Facebook wants you to have analysis paralysis, to get slammed the United
stuck on false choices and not act here,” Haugen told a US Nations for denying their
one country or head of the Africa Centres for Disease as authorities halted quarantine testing -- a recipe for breeding and House of Representatives panel on Big Tech accountability. chosen representatives seats
Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), exemptions for fully vaccinated amplifying variants,” WHO chief
region are not urged moderation. inbound travellers for two weeks in a Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said
“Facebook wants you at the world body.
to get caught up in a long, The committee
only deeply “We are very concerned but are not bid to fend off the Omicron variant. Wednesday.
drawn out debate over responsible for
worried that the situation cannot be The Korea Disease Control and Meanwhile, British regulators
unfair and managed,” he told a press briefing Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported yesterday approved a GlaxoSmithKline
the minutiae of different approving nominations
legislative approaches. of ambassadors met
punitive - they yesterday. 5,266 cases for Wednesday, a day after drug to treat those at high risk
Please don’t fall into that Wednesday but deferred a
US President Joe Biden was set the daily tally rose above 5,000 for the of developing severe Covid-19
are ineffective.” to announce yesterday a winter first time amid concerns over a sharp symptoms, with the manufacturer
trap,” she added in written decision over rival claims to
testimony. the seats for both countries,
UN CHIEF ANTONIO campaign against Covid-19, with new rise in patients with severe symptoms. saying it appears effective against the
A series of articles diplomats said.
GUTERRES ON COVID-19 testing requirements for travellers and In Germany, outgoing Chancellor new Omicron variant.
underpinned by the leaked documents argued Facebook, The deferral keeps in
which changed its name to Meta in October, knew its sites place envoys appointed
could harm some of their billions of users -- but executives to the UN by former
chose growth over safety. governments in both
nations before they were
THIS DAY IN The social media giant has pushed fiercely back against
the press reports as selectively using its research to paint a toppled -- by a coup in
HISTORY dark vision of the company’s work. Myanmar in February and
“What we need is a set of updated rules for the internet the Taliban’s takeover in
set by Congress that companies should follow, which is Afghanistan in August.
why we’ve been asking for this for nearly three years,” Meta “This decision does not
said in a statement. reflect the reality on the
US lawmakers have put forth new or updated legislative ground and existence of
DECEMBER 3 proposals in the wake of the scandal, but efforts to our country,” Myanmar
regulate social media in the United States have long lagged junta spokesman Zaw Min
1912 - Turkey, Bulgaria, technology’s advances and been stymied by partisan Tun told AFP. “We will
Serbia and Montenegro divides. continue submitting (to the
signed an armistice Republican lawmakers frequently argue that speech UN) as usual according to
ending the first Balkan limits on the platform stifle conservative voices, while diplomatic procedure.” he
War. Democrats worry over the harms of misinformation online. added.
1984 - A gas leak at a
Union Carbide pesticide
plant near Bhopal, India,
killed at least 3,000
people and disabled
thousands.
2004 - Pakistan and
India agreed to reopen
a rail link severed nearly
40 years earlier between
Munabao in Rajasthan
A leg-amputee groom along with others dressed in traditional Yemeni garb attend a mass wedding for 1000
state and Khokrapar in
southern Pakistan. couples organised by the Huthi-held Zakat authority in Yemen’s capital Sanaa yesterday. Yemen, one of the
Arab world’s poorest countries, has been devastated by a civil war. PHOTO: AFP
SOURCE: REUTERS

US world’s biggest
plastic polluter
AFP, Washington
The United States is by far the biggest contributor to global
plastic waste in the world, according to a new report
submitted to the federal government Wednesday that
called for a national strategy to tackle the growing crisis.
Overall, the US contributed around 42 million metric
tons (MMT) in plastic waste in 2016 -- more than twice
as much as China and more than the countries of the
European Union combined, according to the analysis.
On average, every American generates 130 kilograms
(286 pounds) of plastic waste per year, with Britain next on
the list at 99 kilos per person per year, followed by South
Korea at 88 kilos per
year.
Entitled “Reckoning Report says US contributed
with the U.S. Role in around 42m tonnes in plastic
Global Ocean Plastic waste in 2016 -- more than
Waste,” the report was twice as much as China
mandated by Congress
as part of the Save Our
Seas 2.0 Act, which became law in December 2020.
“The success of the 20th century miracle invention of
plastics has also produced a global scale deluge of plastic
waste seemingly everywhere we look,” wrote Margaret
Spring, chief science officer of Monterey Bay Aquarium,
who chaired the committee of experts that compiled the
report.
She added global plastic waste was an “environmental
and social crisis” that impacted inland and coastal
communities, polluted rivers, lakes and beaches, placed
economic burdens on communities, endangered wildlife
and contaminated waters that humans depend on for
food.
Global plastic production rose from 20 million metric
tons in 1966 to 381 MMT in 2015, a 20-fold increase over
half a century, the report said.
 DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS
staryouth@thedailystar.net 7

PHOTO: COLLECTED
Global
professional
certification in
engineering
now at
fingertips
MD MIZANUR RAHMAN
HIMADRI
Construction engineers in
Bangladesh can now appear
in global professional certifi-
cation exams without flying
abroad.
The registration is already
open for the Certified Weld-
ing Inspector (CWI) exam,
set for December 20 and 21,
as the test organiser Ameri-
can Welding Society (AWS)
has expanded its footprint to
Bangladesh.
This will be a sustainable
journey, initiated by AWS,
the most trusted global
authority in this field, to en-
able thousands of engineer-
ing graduates and diplomas
to be globally certified
staying in Bangladesh, said
Mohammad Tanvir Hossain,
CEO, and MD of engineer-
ing solutions company
Reactron, the local facilitator

THE HOPE OF A SUSTAINABLE

of the exam.
Previously, students used
to fly abroad to pursue train-
ing in the subject and then
appear in the exam. Since
most engineering graduates

GREEN BANGLADESH
YOUTH DESK
Worldwide, climate change is destroying
livelihoods, infrastructure, and communities,
forcing people from their homes and towns.
Whereas, Bangladesh is exceptionally vulner-
able to climate change, its low elevation, high
population density, and inadequate infrastruc-
ture further jeopardize the situation. Add to
that, an economy that is heavily reliant on
farming only feeds the raging fire.
Because of Bangladesh’s natural susceptibil-
ity to extreme weather, the locals always have
used migration as a coping strategy. However,
as conditions intensify under climate change,
more people are being chased away from their
homes and land, fighting for survival by more
frequent and severe hazards such as rise in sea
level, storms, cyclones, drought, erosion, land-
slides, flooding, etc.
A climate crisis is a water crisis that threat-
ens critical water supplies and services for the
world’s most vulnerable people. Bangladesh
stands on the frontline of climate change,
and places like Shyamnagar, Gabura, Assasuni
(coastal regions), and Tahirpur (wetlands) suf-
fer from severe water, sanitation, and hygiene
crisis, where the impacts are real and measur-
able and hundreds of stories exist like Reshma,
a visually impaired woman who could hear the
super cyclone Amphan that made landfall in
2020 destroy everything she once hold dear to,
or Kohinoor and Rozina who works tirelessly
at local shrimp farms to support their husband
while facing the gender pay gap and are re-
sponsible to fetch water miles away meanwhile
also maintain household including children
every day. These stories only portray the fact
that the ones suffering most from the crisis are
not the ones causing it.
The 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of
the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held from
October 31 to November 12, 2021. Being the
largest global climate summit, Bangladesh had
an all-time high stake in it as less developed
countries like Bangladesh suffers the worst
from the problem mostly contributed by the
developed countries. The covid-19 pandemic
has put additional strain on climate-vulnerable
countries. The pandemic is considered to have
increased inequality not only within countries
but also among the countries. Therefore, with-
out enhanced finance, countries like Bangla-
desh will struggle to recover from the fallout of
the pandemic and build a better economy.
Hence, several nonprofit organizations,
especially WaterAid, an international leading
water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) charity,
operating in Bangladesh to counteract this issue
with intention of contributing towards achiev-
ing universal access to WASH by 2030, and the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Each of WaterAid Bangladesh’s programmes
- Urban, Rural, Climate Change, and Influ-
encing & Enabling are working to contribute
most effectively towards the strategic objectives
are job holders, they could
hardly manage a couple of
months off their work or
afford the cost to stay out of
the country for this purpose.
Consequently, they were
given their distinctive contexts. With three deprived of their deserved
goals (clean water, proper sanitation, and promotions and progress in
good hygiene) and one team, they are active in many aspects of their profes-
the complex and diverse urban environment sional life, he added.
through projects that bring safe water and Since the infrastructural
improved sanitation and promote hygiene be- development in Bangladesh
is reaching a new dimen-
haviour for lasting change; working with City
Corporations and service providers to expand sion, this certification will
help many engineers and
public services to reach slums in cities; running
welders to apply for quality
projects that are intervening in schools to pro-
assurance and quality con-
mote WASH for a better learning environment. trol jobs at the mega-projects
Furthermore, ensuring inclusive and sus- such as the Padma Bridge
tainable WASH services in rural households, construction. The huge de-
healthcare facilities, and schools for the most mand for these certifications
vulnerable and excluded communities in can be readily understood as
remote rural areas, including tea gardens, even foreign professionals
hill tracts, and char and haor areas, and help working in Bangladesh are
everyone around live happy and healthy lives registering for the course, he
everywhere with the hope of a sustainable further said.
green Bangladesh.

GUIDES NURTURING DREAMS

5 things to consider before
choosing your university major
MORMEE MAHTAB
Choosing a university major can be
daunting, especially when you are
surrounded by unsolicited advice on
what you should study, the peer pressure
of applying to a popular programme,
and the uncertainty around your own
choices.
A little research and introspection can
help you make an informed decision
and extensively abate the pressure. Here
are five things to consider before choos-
ing a university major.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Before you apply for your degree, it is
important that you have a dialogue with
yourself about what are the things that
you enjoy doing. If you are passionate
about something, ask yourself if you
would be happy studying it for the next
few years. In case you don’t know that,
ask yourself what skills you would you
like to develop over the years and couple
it with your strengths and weakness to
select a major.
SKILLSETS
Learning about a particular major
includes having a basic idea about the
kind of skills the subject will offer you.
You can talk to experts who have built
a career on that field. Along with that
you can read articles, watch YouTube
videos, do a crash course on the inter-
net to know more about facets of the
major. Research helps you narrow your
choices down.
FUTURE EMPLOYBILITY QUOTIENT
Look for job prospects that the major
provides and ask yourself if it aligns
with your future goals and priorities.
Even if you are unsure about your future
career goals, you can follow an induc-
tive method and know about the career
options that your area of interest could
lead to. At times, having a particular
degree opens up doors to job opportu-
nities to more than one sector.
AVAILABLE PROGRAMMES AND CUR-
RICULUM
Besides all the above points, you also
have to consider the programmes
available around you. In that case,
you can either go to the website of the
university of your Interest or collect a
brochure from their office. Websites
contain admission details along with
course outlines. Moreover, talking to
a few students currently pursuing the
major that interests you could help
you assess the quality of education and
the academic opportunities that the
programme offers.
AFFORDABILITY
Affordability is a huge factor to con-
sider. As you are investing both time
ILLUSTRATION: SALMAN SAKIB SHAHRYAR
and money into building a future, it is
important that you choose a major that
optimally benefits you. Learn about the
tuition fees and make a comparative
analysis of alternative choices. Inquiring
about scholarships and tuition waivers
can also play a huge part in making the
right decision.
Undergraduate programmes are
broad, and gives you a chance to build a
foundation and learn further about your
potential areas of interest. If you have
some ideas about the career you want to
build, go for a major that points towards
that direction. And if you like making
lists like me, jot down the pros and cons
from the information you already have.
The author is a student of Political Science,
and a freelance journalist. Email: mor-
meemahtab23@gmail.com.
Prapty’s earnest mission
to popularise programming
among children
SHANIZ CHOWDHURY
Ministry of Codes is a laudable initiative founded by
Prapty Rahman with the aim to impart knowledge
about science, technology, engineering, and mathe-
matics (STEM) education, especially programming
and robotics, among children. It offers a wide range
of products, like STEM toys, tutorials, and classes,
depending on age groups.
This year, Prapty was named one of the nine
Global Shapers, which is a community by the World
Economic Forum that recognises talented individuals
working in diverse fields, ranging from art and engi-
neering, to climate change, human rights and animal
conservation.
“When I was a first-year student back in 2019, I
participated in the Bangabandhu Innovation Grant
competition. For this, I developed the app Doctor AI,
which detects skin diseases using artificial intelligence
and a smartphone camera. When I received the grant
for it, it made me confident to transform my other
ideas into tangible actions,” shared Prapty. Prapty Rahman. PHOTO: COURTESY
On April 24 last year, over a month after lockdown
started in Bangladesh, she opened her YouTube chan- Thankfully, studying engineering made me a creative
thinker because I was using my learnings in real
nel and Facebook page, “Ministry of Codes”. She start-
ed with C programming tutorials, which were all in life,” said Prapty, who is currently in her final year at
Daffodil International University, studying Computer
Bangla because she believes that learning something
Science and Engineering.
in one’s mother language is crucial. Prapty aspires to
She received the BASIS National ICT Award for her
encourage young kids to use their skills in program-
ming and robotics for practical scenarios, when they work with Ministry of Codes.
pursue their dreams. She is currently writing a book about program-
She and her team created a STEM robot called ming for kids, which will be out in next year’s
Ekushey Boi Mela.
KITTY, which can help kids to perform activities
based on their basic knowledge of coding using visual “In the near future, I want Ministry of Codes to
be available to underprivileged kids who don’t have
programming language. Ministry of Codes has run
many campaigns in different institutions, focusing on access to education as well as everyone else from
the older generations,” she added. For her graduate
primary school children.
“Usually, a kid’s learning capacity is wider than an programme, Prapty plans to go abroad. “Many foreign
countries have advanced in the education sector. I
adult’s. This is why I want to instill confidence and
want to utilise their tools to teach kids, in the context
knowledge among them from a very young age. My
of our country. I want to inspire every child to inno-
motto is to promote “learning by doing” so people
can understand the practical implications of what vate without boundaries,” she concluded.
they are taught. When I was younger, I did not have The author is a student of BRAC University, and a free-
the ability to express myself or think outside the box. lance journalist. Email:shanzaychowdhury@gmail.com.
8 EDITORIAL
DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS
Rising inequality bane
to our progress
The problem is political, experts say
E
XPERTS at a development conference on December
1, 2021 lamented that Bangladesh’s remarkable
economic growth since independence had also
led to an inequitable society, and we cannot help but
share in their disappointment. For a country that was
founded on the basis of equality, it is hugely disappointing
that as Bangladesh celebrates its 50th anniversary of
independence, the country has experienced rapid increase
in inequality, especially in recent times.
According to a report published by this daily in May
2019, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) found in its
Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) that the
country’s Gini coefficient, which is the economic measure
of equality, stood at 0.482 in 2016, up from 0.458 in 2010.
That, reportedly, meant inequality in the country was at an
all-time high. At the latest development conference, experts,
while lauding the entrepreneurial spirit of Bangladeshis that
propelled the country’s outstanding economic growth, also
criticised the large-scale corruption that has been taking
place, leading to growing inequality.
While the country has made huge progress on social
indicators, the benefits of health measures and education
have not been equally distributed between the rich and the
poor—as well as across gender and other social divides.
And this, experts opined, is mostly a political problem. The
lack of accountability of various government organisations
has not only become a major barrier to our progress and to
social and economic equality, but is also challenging the
very credibility of the state. That is extremely concerning.
Apart from economic inequality, we have seen in recent
times that various types of social inequalities are also on
the rise. The space to criticise those close to power has
shrunk. Questioning the decisions of policymakers is now
often seen through an adversarial lens. But without such
open discussions, addressing the issues that are leading
to greater economic inequality will become increasingly
more difficult. The recent tendency of government officials
to refuse to look at data provided by independent non-
government agencies is another cause for worry. Without
taking such data into consideration—and in the absence of
unbiased data collected by the government—how can the
authorities address these difficult challenges?
Bangladesh’s overall human development score,
evaluated by the Human Development Index (HDI), was
0.632 in 2019, but declined to 0.478 when discounted
for inequality, implying a loss of 24.4 percent in human
development due to inequality. This is just one example
of how rising inequality is holding back our development.
Therefore, while policymakers congratulate themselves for
the country’s development, the reality is that most of it is
down to the hard work and ingenuity of its citizens—while
some of the policies that are being pursued are actually
negatively impacting this development. If we are to reach
our development dreams, then it is the policies that must
change.
Hence, the authorities must work towards bringing
greater accountability and transparency in governance.
And, most importantly, take every necessary step to reduce
corruption, as well as make policies that aim to address
inequality.
Joyous centenary
celebration of DU
It’s time to look to the future now
T
HE edifice called the University of Dhaka is one
of the iconic symbols of the independence of
Bangladesh. It remained at the forefront of the major
sociopolitical and cultural movements of the Bengalis
that ultimately spearheaded the final thrust for total
independence in 1971.
We pay homage to Dhaka University on its completion
of a 100-year run, leaving behind many glorious milestones
for all Bangladeshis to be proud of. The auspicious journey
had begun on July 1, 1921 to fulfil the dreams of the people
of East Bengal. Today, Dhaka University celebrates the
university’s 100 years and also the golden jubilee of the
country’s independence.
While addressing the teachers and students of DU,
President Abdul Hamid said that an academic degree is not
enough—students have to achieve international standards
of education. He further suggested that the university
authorities keep in their mind the standards maintained
at the top universities around the world while approving
curricula and teaching faculty.
We believe the president hit the right button when he
talked about the standard of education at Dhaka University.
It is not unknown to anyone that the standard of teaching
and learning and the overall academic environment in this
institute have deteriorated considerably in the past decades
because of various reasons.
When we talk about its glorious past, we must recall the
qualifications and quality of the first few generations of
teachers. It is because of them that DU had reached the high
level of excellence since its inception. It has produced world-
class economists, engineers, sociopolitical researchers,
scientists, medical and social scientists and so on, but,
unfortunately, though the number of enrolled students has
gone up phenomenally, we see less presence of our students
on the world stage.
Today, Dhaka University is not among the top universities
in the world for many reasons; lack of research is one of
them. No international standard research work has been
undertaken by the faculties of this university in the past
decades. The fund received by the institute is primarily
spent on teachers’ salaries and construction of various
infrastructures on campus. As a result, it cannot fund big
research undertakings. On the other hand, students living
in dormitories complain of substandard food, lack of study
materials, laboratories, etc.
It needs no emphasising that a university can reach the
desired level of excellence when it has highly qualified and
competent faculties, sound academic environment, scientific
and general research activities, and the required number of
departments and institutes. The quality of education and
research should remain as the key indicators.
The glorious past in the early decades of DU was
determined through reaching academic excellence. In
the 60s and 70s, its involvement and role in the glorious
liberation movement of Bangladesh became a model before
nations struggling for liberation.
Today, we have to look to the future and prepare ourselves
to face the challenges of the technology-driven world.
Therefore, Dhaka University should invest more on science
and technology, so that the present generation can be
sufficiently equipped to take up the challenges.
Our killer roads: Students have
once again raised a vital issue
J
UST as we are
THE THIRD making news as
VIEW a role model of
development, we
are also attracting
global attention
as perhaps the
only country
in the world
where school
MAHFUZ ANAM students need to
demonstrate on
the streets for days on end to demand
road safety measures. Things that others
take for granted—things that governments
should take as a matter of law—are
things school students in Bangladesh
have to demonstrate on the streets for,
occasionally facing attacks by criminal
elements who profit from the lawlessness
on our roads.
It has been around two weeks now
that our school students have been
demonstrating on the streets. For what?
Except the demand for half fare on
the buses for themselves, all the other
demands have to do with road safety
issues that concern all citizens of the
Students demanding safer roads stop a vehicle of the Armed
Police Battalion in Dhanmondi, Dhaka on November 28, 2021,
as the vehicle had no number plates.
country, not just students.
The number of deaths on the streets,
especially of students, are just the tip
of the iceberg of an all-encompassing
malaise that has turned our roads into the
deadliest in the world.
There are three main elements of the
whole road safety question: The level
of training of the drivers who run the
buses, trucks and other vehicles—like the
DNCC garbage truck being driven by the
unlicensed assistant of its driver; the level
of fitness of the vehicles and the quality of
Make the post-Covid world more
inclusive for people with disabilities
T
HE theme
of the
International
Day of Persons
with Disabilities
this year is
“Leadership and
participation
SALAHUDDIN of persons with
KASEM KHAN disabilities toward
an inclusive,
accessible and sustainable post-Covid-19
world.” The inclusion of individuals
with disabilities in all spheres of society
and development is mandated by law.
When we successfully do so, we recognise
and respect the rights of people with
disabilities as equal citizens. Similarly,
when we fail to do so, we deny those very
same rights. These rights are enshrined in
the Rights and Protection of Persons with
Disabilities Act, 2013, which is aligned
with the UN Convention on Rights of
the Persons with Disabilities, which
Bangladesh has ratified. This is a shift
from an antiquated welfare, charity or
purely medical approach to a progressive
social and rights-based model. As we
await the end of Covid-19, it is worth
reflecting on what we expect from the
post-pandemic world in terms of work.
The recent global shift to remote
work due to the pandemic presents
a big opportunity for people with
certain types of disabilities—it
can be an enabler for people with
mobility impairment or those who
face inaccessible transportation and
infrastructure. This type of flexibility
with work can significantly support
employees with disabilities—and
ideally it makes employers open to
offering other enabling flexibilities.
However, at the same time, it must be
ensured that the progress in establishing
greater accessibility to transportation,
infrastructure and other facilities for
people with disabilities remains on track.
The dependence on technology for
remote work has further made clear the
great digital divide. Those with devices,
reliable internet connections and
our roads, both in terms of planning and
maintaining them; and finally, the state
of our traffic system that is supposed to
ensure safety for all who use them.
The situation of the drivers is clearly
a recipe for disaster. To start with, there
is no formal channel for their training.
They learn to drive on the sly—from other
drivers. Even if they get some rudimentary
ideas about driving, they get absolutely
no training on traffic laws, differences
in driving on the city roads and the
highways, when or when not to overtake,
how to navigate turns, especially narrow
ones, and about driving within one’s lane.
A large number of drivers have no
licence—one of the grievances expressed
by the agitating students was the high
number of drivers without any licence,
including those found driving several
police cars. Those who do mostly have
fake ones. They are procured through
bribery, without any test or any sort of
screening.
Just imagine: drivers with some
rudimentary exposure to driving and
with no practical exposure to traffic rules,
no idea of the differences between light
PHOTO:
RASHED SHUMON
vehicles, like private cars, and heavy
ones, like buses and trucks, are allowed
total freedom on our streets to drive any
vehicles that their owners assign. Add to
that the fact that most drivers never face
any medical examination—many drivers
have never had an eye examination—or
psychological counselling on how to
manage pressure and tension on the road.
Add further to the above fact that many
drive for hours, sometimes all through
the night, without adequate rest. It’s quite
possible that many drivers may need
adequate digital literacy have been able
to continue working during lockdowns,
but those who did not have access to
those tools were left behind. In the face
of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the
need for digital solutions for our day-
to-day life will grow more prominent.
Technology can become a great equaliser
if accessibility and inclusion can be
ensured—otherwise it can further widen
the existing divide.
So how do we build a world that
The global shift to remote work, caused by the pandemic, has opened up new
opportunities for people with certain types of disabilities.
is more inclusive, accessible and
sustainable? From the perspective of
employment, it begins with a shift in
mindset. We must recognise that to
become inclusive as employers, merely
hiring a few people with disabilities is
not enough. Rather, it is about building
a holistic, enabling environment and
ensuring that in an organisation,
team members are onboard with
disability inclusion and equipped
with the necessary tools and capacity
to meaningfully include people with
glasses, which they don’t know about, and
some may even suffer from occasional
night blindness.
If you put all of the above together,
is it any wonder that our roads are as
dangerous as we are now seeing them to
be?
Then comes the issue of how
scientifically our roads are constructed,
and how regularly they are maintained
to ensure safety. We have reported
several instances where accidents were
The number of deaths
on the streets, especially
of students, are just
the tip of the iceberg
of an all-encompassing
malaise that has turned
our roads into the
deadliest in the world.
caused solely due to badly planned
roads, non-existent stop signs, confusing
intersections, no indication for blind
turns, and insufficient signals for
oncoming traffic.
Often, roads are not maintained,
which poses a serious threat to vehicles
and to the passengers. On occasions
that a section of a road is closed for
maintenance, the diversion is so
inadequately spaced and marked that
those accidents become inevitable. It is
not known how much the unscientifically
placed speed breakers have helped to
ensure safety, but they definitely have
contributed to the rising back problems of
the passengers.
Is there anything called a traffic system
prevalent here? Well, if Dhaka city traffic
is anything to go by, then there isn’t.
If there is a practical illustration of the
phrase “anything goes,” then our streets
exemplify it. Anything that moves is on
our streets—from the fast moving to
the very slow, from the fully mechanical
to the completely human-powered,
from very small, compact ones to the
highly oversized ones. There are no
clear directives as to the type of vehicles
allowed on the streets and ones which
are not, with the result that our traffic
is among the slowest in the world. The
World Bank reported some years back
that in the very near future, the speed of
motorised vehicles on our streets would
be the same as that of pedestrians.
There is practically nothing called
parking restrictions on our highly over-
subscribed streets. Literally, anyone can
park anywhere—sometimes blocking a
whole lane. If you are linked with the
disabilities and ensure their active
participation.
The other key word in this year’s
theme is leadership. There is a saying
in the community of people with
disabilities that there should be “nothing
about us, without us.” It indicates
the need to ensure that people with
disabilities are central in the process of
designing solutions or programmes that
are for them. We must ensure that there
is a pathway for people with disabilities
FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
to take up leadership roles—not only
on issues that affect them, but on
mainstream issues as well.
To build an accessible world, we need
the Bangladesh National Building Code,
which has provisions for accessibility,
to be strictly enforced. In developed
countries, one often sees that people
with disabilities are prioritised in
public transport and infrastructure,
whereas in Bangladesh, they are often
unnecessarily harassed and discriminated
against (e.g. being charged extra for
powers that be, then of course you can
park at the busiest corner with impunity.
The “no parking” signs are more observed
in their violation and act as sources of
extra money for allowing illegal parking.
Perhaps, the matter of most concern
is the manner in which those who
violate traffic rules are treated, even
when those violations lead to fatality. An
example of the clout of the bus owners
and concerned unions is that they were
able to force modification and outright
elimination of some important passenger
rights protection provisions before the
adoption of the Road Transport Act,
2018 in parliament. Even after adoption,
operation of some approved provisions
has been held back.
Taking everything into consideration—
the indiscipline, the corruption, the lack
of ability to enforce the law, the lack of
training, and the lack of supervision—
the road transport sector remains as
one of the most neglected sectors,
where passenger rights are practically
non-existent. From providing unsafe
vehicles, to hiring untrained drivers, with
no road discipline to speak of, no law
enforcement that is of any consequence,
and no accountability on the part of the
drivers and owners if an accident occurs,
including those that cause loss of lives—
our roads have been and continues to be
“killing fields” in every sense, except the
name.
So, the issues that the students have
raised is a national one, a matter of
concern for everyone in the country
far beyond the needs of the students
themselves. The nation should express
gratitude to them for raising the issue that
always seems to get ignored under the
pressure of the bus and truck lobbies.
The prime minister’s call for the
students to go back to their classes and
not to indulge in vandalism is a correct
one. But what happens when the students
do heed her words? They listened in 2018.
Did anything change, especially the daily
killings that occur on our roads? The issue
is not about punishing a few who were
responsible for some recent deaths. It is a
far wider one that concerns the totality of
our road transport system, the system of
running private buses within the city and
beyond, the way trucks are hired, loaded
with goods weighing far more than they
are legally allowed to. We must examine
the question of total indiscipline on the
city streets and highways, the corruption
in issuing fake licences, the ways in which
vehicle maintenance tests are carried
out—mostly manually, without proper
equipment and checks—and the overall
lawlessness in which this sector functions.
Our students’ actions must trigger a
wider and deeper examination of the
issue of safe roads, which affects all of us.
Mahfuz Anam is the editor and publisher of
The Daily Star.
having a wheelchair). In addition to the
government’s efforts, the private sector
must also ensure that all the infrastructures
they are building or using are accessible
to people with disabilities. Development
partners can also consider mandating this
in all new infrastructure projects that they
are financing. Soft infrastructure such as
information, training modules, websites,
public announcements, etc also need to be
made accessible. Support from specialist
organisations may be availed to facilitate
this.
Then comes the issue of sustainability
of these initiatives. This is where policy
needs to be put into practice. Many
skills development programmes funded
by development partners have targets
for including people with disabilities
as trainees. These targets need to be
met, not only by ensuring that enough
people with disabilities get access to
these programmes, but also by focusing
on the necessary provisions to ensure
that an enabling and accommodative
environment is created, and that there
is sufficient budget allocation to see
these programmes through in the long
term. Simultaneously, as the supply side
grows, so must the demand side. A greater
number of employers need to come
forward to offer opportunities to skilled,
qualified and experienced people with
disabilities. Gender-sensitive approaches
must also be considered as women with
disabilities face a number of additional
barriers.
As we continue to build capacity and
our labour market matures, more types
of disabilities must also be progressively
addressed. All this and much more can
only be achieved through collective multi-
sectoral effort. We invite all interested
organisations to join and engage with
the Bangladesh Business and Disability
Network, a non-profit trust established
by Bangladesh Employers’ Federation,
to realise this vision of establishing
a disability-inclusive workforce in
Bangladesh.
Salahuddin Kasem Khan is chairman of AK Khan and
Company Ltd, and former president of Bangladesh
Employers’ Federation.
DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS
Refusing to Conform in Digital Spaces
S
HOSHI
(not
her real
name) runs
an online
business on
Facebook. This
means having
to deal with
KAJALIE unwanted
SHEHREEN ISLAM
messages
from men
on a regular basis. Sometimes, these
even include pornographic videos.
A university student and young
entrepreneur, Shoshi spends much of
her time online, communicating with
friends, staying abreast of news and
views, and even making it a point to
write positive comments on public
posts which receive a lot of negative
comments.
Once, when Shoshi congratulated
a celebrity on her maternity photo
shoot post, a man sent her a private
message, saying that such photo
shoots were vulgar. Then he began to
send her pictures of himself, followed
by images and videos of his genitals.
Shoshi’s own photos have been used
to create fake social media profiles.
When she wrote an article on the
importance of financial independence
for women before marriage, she was
attacked in the comments section for
spreading “filth.” She even received
messages through an anonymous app
from people at her university, saying
that she should wear more decent
clothes, or else…
These are just some stories, of
only one woman. Research in the
Bangladesh context has found
that over 70 percent of women are
subjected to online harassment, with
the majority of them aged between
18 and 30 years. Receiving abusive
comments and profane messages,
offensive images and videos, and
having one’s photos distorted and
distributed or used to create fake
social media profiles are a part of
everyday life online for women
and girls. Revenge pornography—
disclosing private sexual images
without consent—and photographs
and videos of rape are used to harass
or intimidate women into entering
or continuing relationships, or for
blackmail.
Let people with disabilities into our judicial service
S
UDIP
Das, a
person
with visual
disability,
has always
aspired to join
the judicial
service of the
MD REJAUL KARIM country. He
SIDDIQUEE
obtained LLB
(Honours)
degree in 2014 and LLM in 2016,
from the Department of Law at
Chittagong University, and since then
has been diligently trying to enter
the judicial service. He attempted
to take four successive—11th to
14th—Bangladesh Judicial Service
(BJS) examinations, regulated by
the Bangladesh Judicial Service
Commission (BJSC). Because of
his visual impairment, he asked for
permission to bring a scribe into
the exam hall to be able to take the
recruitment test. Not once did he get
the permission. In his latest attempt,
Sudip applied to take part in the
14th BJS exams, but his application
was rejected by the BJSC on
September 19, 2021. On September
25, the day of the test, Sudip entered
the exam hall and then walked
out in silent protest against the
discriminatory recruitment process of
the BJSC.
According to various reports, as
well as the experiences of individuals
with some form of disability and
the organisations that advocate for
them, there is a crisis in Bangladesh
regarding the employment of people
with disabilities. Despite strong legal
protection in place, a large number
of young people with disabilities are
unemployed even after completing
higher studies from universities. The
stigma of unemployment, combined
with that of having a disability,
has jeopardised and dehumanised
the lives of youths with disabilities
in the country. As Bangladesh,
along with the rest of the world,
observes the International Day of
Persons with Disabilities today
(December 3), this article intends to
review the existing legal framework
related to employment and their
implementation status.
According to the constitution
of the country, existing laws and
various international human
rights instruments, the recruitment
process of government and non-
government organisations should be
inclusive of persons with disabilities,
based on the principle of non-
discrimination. Article 29 (1) of
Bangladesh Constitution guarantees
equal opportunity for all citizens
regarding employment or office
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
From catcalls on the street to
molestation in public—and private—
places, sexual harassment of women
has been widespread in physical
spaces. With the development of
communication technologies, the
internet and social media, this has
spilled over to virtual spaces as well.
A range of research on cyberbullying,
cyber-aggression and cyber-hate has
found that women are subject to
substantially more online hate than
men. The nature of harassment is
also different, with men experiencing
more name-calling and physical
threats, while women are more likely
to experience severe forms of sexual
harassment. Such research argues that
the gendered hate online is in fact
rooted in traditional misogynistic
discourses, which insist on the
inferiority of women, the “natural”
dominance of men, and on restoring
women and men to “their places.”
Gendered online harassment is
essentially offline misogyny moved
to a new medium. It tends to rely on
“hyperbolic and sexualised derision,
and it commonly includes charges of
unintelligence, hysteria, and ugliness
in combination with threats and/
or fantasies of violent sex acts which
are often framed as ‘correctives’,”
according to Dr Emma Jane of the
University of New South Wales in
Australia, whose work focuses on
the social implications of emerging
technologies. Online harassment
comes with additional challenges,
such as its rapid spread, long lifespan
and potentially anonymous nature.
The anonymity factor also causes
an “online disinhibition effect”
among harassers, enabling them to
disassociate their “real” identities
from their online actions and act in
more negative ways online than they
would in real life.
The truly insidious thing about
gender-based harassment is that
it conveys a message to women
as a group, reminding them of
their “rightful place” in the social
hierarchy. As a result, women may
feel that they don’t belong in the
public sphere, and become more
cautious about or even withdraw
from expressing their opinions and
participating in public debates.
According to Dr Barbara Perry,
in the service of the Republic. Any
action or inaction of the government
or any law that may exclude people
with disabilities from employment
opportunities is unconstitutional.
In addition, Bangladesh is party
to the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD). As a ratifying
state, Bangladesh is responsible
for taking appropriate measures
to eliminate discrimination
on the basis of disability by
government and non-government
organisations in accordance
with Article 4 of the CRPD. The
country is also responsible to
eliminate discrimination on the
basis of disability from the overall
recruitment process, per Article 27 of
the CRPD.
In compliance with the UN
convention, the Bangladesh
government has enacted the Rights
and Protection of Persons with
Disabilities Act, 2013 (RPPDA).
Pursuant to Section 16 (1) (i) of
With the right tools, people with visual disabilities can
make valuable contributions to our growth as a nation.
this act, every person with disability
shall have the right to employment
in public and private sectors. In
other words, the recruitment process
in all organisations should be
such that people with all types of
disabilities can participate in said
process. Recruiters cannot put any
condition in place that may exclude
applicants with disabilities from
the recruitment process at any stage.
Meanwhile, according to Section 16
(1) (m) of the RPPDA, individuals
with disabilities have the right to
reasonable accommodation at work.
Section 35 of the same act states that
a person with a disability shall not
be deprived or discriminated against
or barred from engaging in any
suitable work on ground of disability,
subject to eligibility. According to
OPINION
director of the Centre on Hate, Bias
and Extremism at Ontario Tech
University in Canada, group-based
harassment—for example, against
sexual and other minorities—has
wider consequences and is more
painful, because it affects not only
the direct victim, but also the wider
community sharing the victim’s
identity traits, even those who
have no personal experiences with
The abuse that women face online in Bangladesh is a form of gendered
violence, and is no less traumatising than abuse in real life.
harassment or hate speech.
“Technology violence” is a term
that has been coined by Dr Jenny
Ostini and Susan Hopkins of the
University of Southern Queensland
in Australia to highlight the ways in
which technology is used to assert
control and power where, essentially,
only the method is different from
traditional forms of violence.
Although this notion is yet to be
widely accepted in our society, online
sexual harassment or “technology-
facilitated sexual violence and
harassment” leaves women feeling no
less violated.
We have all experienced this
violence in some form or another.
Strange men send messages telling
the existing laws of Bangladesh,
any recruitment system should be
accessible to and inclusive of people
with all kinds of disabilities.
According to Section 2 (20) of
the RPDDA, discrimination means
treating people with disabilities
differently—and unfairly—compared
to people without disabilities. Unfair
treatment constitutes depriving a
person with a disability, acting in
a biased manner, or refusing to
provide any privileges or benefits
due to their disability, or providing
less privileges or any other benefits
prescribed by the government.
Section 36 (1) of the act expressly
prohibits discrimination based on
disabilities.
Sub-rule 4 under Rule 5 of
the Bangladesh Judicial Service
(Formation, Appointment in the
Service and Temporary Dismissal,
Dismissal and Removal) Rules,
2007, and Article 10 of the Entry
to the Bangladesh Judicial Service
Order, 2007, refer to the health
FILE PHOTO:
AFP
qualifications of a candidate and are
relevant only for those applicants
who pass preliminary, written
test and viva-voce stages. The
authority to certify after this health
examination is also in the hands of
the medical board constituted by the
director general of health services.
The BJSC does not have the authority
to disqualify a candidate due to
health reasons before the health
examination.
The National Coordination
Committee constituted under the
RPPDA has the sole authority to
issue directives in case any question
arises as to which job would be best
suited for which type of disability.
Therefore, if a candidate with visual
disabilities passes all the assessment
stages and becomes eligible for the
women what they should wear, say,
write, do, think; they send lewd
pictures, make sexual propositions.
Classmates and friends comment
on pictures saying they’re “hot” or
send messages saying they’re feeling
“horny,” asking to have sex. One
woman interviewed for this article
said that receiving messages with
sexual innuendoes, propositions
and vulgar pictures from strangers
is disgusting, but getting them from
known people is traumatising.
Multiple research work on
online sexual harassment of female
academics and journalists indicate
that women who speak out are
under threat of being attacked,
and that harassment is a means to
silence them. Whether women are
politically vocal, socially active, or
just personally present on social
media, the nature of online abuse
against them is rooted in deep
misogyny. Their appearance, clothing
and character are attacked; they are
labelled as “sluts” and “prostitutes”;
body parts such as breasts and
hips are commented on; they are
threatened with rape, often by dogs
health examination, then it would
be appropriate to make a decision
based on the advice from the
National Coordination Committee.
Taking all these regulations and
the law into account, legally the BJSC
was obligated to make arrangements
so Sudip could take the recruitment
test, including a scribe. Whether or
not he would be appointed to the
service could have been decided after
his performance in the test and his
review by the Medical Board and the
National Coordination Committee.
Failing to do so, the BJSC violated
provisions of the constitution
and the RRPDA, and the CRPD
mandates. Such failure, coupled
and other animals. While women
in T-shirts or sleeveless blouses are
referred to as “naked,” women in
burqas are asked to wear loose-fitting
ones which do not reveal the shape
of their bodies. A woman I spoke to
for this piece, who maintains purdah
and niqab, said that her pictures were
circulated by men wanting to know if
she’s “sexy,” “hot or not,” asking her
friends to share “hot pictures” of her.
GRAPHIC:
ZARIF FAIAZ
Sometimes, former romantic
partners expose private moments
of relationships that have ended in
order to ruin women’s reputations.
Tania (not her real name) had made
several attempts to break up with her
boyfriend but in vain. When she was
finally able to do so, within minutes
of the break-up, her personal photos
were shared in social media groups,
leaving her and her family feeling
ashamed and helpless. When she
went back to university a week later,
things seemed normal enough, but
behind her back, people were pointing
at “that girl.” Her family would not
allow her to take legal action, but have
been consulting a psychiatrist to help
her deal with the trauma.
with excessive use of authority and
unlawful practices by an organisation
that is responsible for regulating the
recruitment of judges in the country,
is detrimental for the rule of law and
good governance in the state.
People with visual disabilities
have been regularly participating in
different recruitment processes in the
country, including the Bangladesh
Civil Service (BCS) exams, with the
help of scribes. Why would they
not be given the same opportunity
in our judicial service? Sudip Das
filed a writ petition with the High
Court, seeking justice; unfortunately,
the court recently dismissed his
application. We hope he will get
9
Shame, anger, fear, insecurity,
distrust of men, trauma—these are
some of the emotions felt by women
subjected to such violence. Some
women remove men from their friend
lists, and even start to avoid men in
the real world. Some stop posting
pictures and comments, or withdraw
from social media altogether. Some
women overcome their trauma,
but others continue to live with the
consequences, such as emotional
distress, self-censorship, withdrawal
from social media and other online
spaces, and even self-harm and
suicidal ideation.
Women who face online sexual
violence often don’t seek legal
redress, fearing social stigma
and further harassment by law
enforcement agencies. Those
who wish to take action are often
discouraged by their families, friends,
teachers and employers. One woman
interviewed for this article said
that she had screenshots and voice
messages as proof of harassment by
a university batch-mate, but when
she complained to her teachers,
they asked her to pray, wear purdah,
and forgive her harasser, because
“forgiveness is a virtue.”
How long can we allow this to
continue? Online sexual harassment
must be recognised as a form of
violence, against which action
must be taken, and where the
perpetrators and not the victims
are blamed and shamed. Education
programmes and digital literacy are
the key here, with young people
being provided knowledge not only
on ICT, but on online safety and
etiquette, cybercrimes and their
consequences, and technologies of
power as well. Legal mechanisms
need to be strengthened towards
creating awareness, prevention and
consequences of cybercrimes. The
legal process must be made more
accessible and secure for survivors.
Acknowledging online harassment
as violence is the first step towards
ensuring that justice is done for
crimes which leave no physical
bruises, but which can change
people’s lives forever.
Dr Kajalie Shehreen Islam is assistant professor
at the Department of Mass Communication and
Journalism in Dhaka University.
justice from the Appellate Division.
People with visual disabilities in
other countries—including Pakistan
and Kenya—have been successfully
serving as judges in the High Courts
and the subordinate courts. The
judiciary of Bangladesh is strong and
is becoming increasingly modern.
I expect that the existing barriers
to the recruitment of people with
visual disabilities into our judiciary
will be removed, keeping pace
with the modern world. In order to
achieve that, necessary legislative
reforms should be undertaken on an
immediate basis.
Md Rejaul Karim Siddiquee is an advocate at the
Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
 e-mail: sports@thedailystar.net
DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS

No easy path for

OPENING HOPEFULS SPORTS REPORTER

Bangladesh’s opening pair has

proven their most vulnerable
link in recent times across
formats and the curious case is
set to continue with the Tigers
set to field the fifth different
opening pair in seven Tests
this year when they meet Pakistan in the
second game of their two-match Test series
in Mirpur today.
The latest episode of the muddled modus
operandi was a maiden call-up for opener
Naim Sheikh for the second Test, which
follows a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat
in Chattogram for the hosts.
The left-hander attended his first nets
session for the Test team at the outer nets in
Mirpur yesterday but looked shaky from the
start and frustrated batting coach Ashwell
Prince. The left-hander was recalled by
Prince midway through the batting session
after trying to play an upper cut to a short
delivery from Rejaur Rahman Raja.
Chief selector Minhajul Abedin earlier
opined that Naim, who played his last first-
class cricket match three years back, was
picked for his ‘international experience’.
The decision also seems harsh on Naim,
who was called suddenly and with hardly
any preparation, and it seemed obvious
the left-hander would endure a tough time
adjusting to the demands of Test cricket.
All eyes will again be on the opening
slots, but the question that remains is who
will open the innings alongside Shadman
Islam after opener Saif Hasan -- who had a
terrible time with the bat in the first Test --
was diagnosed with typhoid.
Following the rather disappointing nets
session, a lack of confidence in Naim may
again put the think-tank in a dilemma.
Mahmudul Hasan Joy, another young
top-order batsman who also got a maiden
Test call-up, is among the contenders to
replace Saif, but it was learned that left-
handed Najmul Hossain Shanto may open
the innings alongside Shadman for the
second Test.
Najmul, who was dismissed for a duck in
the second innings of the first Test, showed
promise during a brief stay in the first innings
when he made 14. The 23-year-old has been
in good touch in the longest format, usually
coming in at number three, and has scored
two centuries in his last four Tests.
But it will be a mammoth challenge
against a top-quality Pakistan pace bowling
attack, which feature the likes of Shaheen
Afridi and Hasan Ali -- who both claimed
five-wicket hauls in Chattogram.
Shakib returns, but
not quite in earnest
SPORTS REPORTER
The way Shakib Al Hasan practiced at
the training facilities in Mirpur yesterday
gave the appearance that the premier all-
rounder was making up for all the time he
had to spend outside the field.
The southpaw was engaged in a day-long
training session after recovering from a
hamstring injury that he picked up midway
through the T20 World Cup, forcing him
to miss the three-match T20I series and the
first Test against Pakistan.
Although the Bangladesh team were
scheduled to start their training from
1:30pm, Shakib arrived around 11:00am
and while awaiting his Covid-19 test
results -- a pre-requisite to entering the bio-
bubble and practicing with the squad -- he
practiced batting against net bowlers at the
indoor facilities for more than two hours.
After receiving a negative test as expected,
the 34-year-old all-rounder entered the bio-
bubble and joined the squad. It seemed the
all-rounder was mainly focused on batting,
knocking around bowlers for a while in the
nets during the team practice as well.
Shakib then ran about three rounds of
the main ground before bowling a few
deliveries to teammate Mushfiqur Rahim,
who was practicing his patented sweeps.
His approach to training signaled that
the champion all-rounder was gearing
up for a return to the squad and it goes
without saying that his inclusion will help
the Tigers’ balance the squad after an eight-
wicket thumping in Chattogram.
With Shakib fit, Bangladesh are certain
to make changes to the squad that started
in the port city. A change in the opening
slot is another certainty after Saif Hassan
PHOTO: FIROZ AHMED
was ruled out after being diagnosed with
typhoid.
Bangladesh included Mohammad Naim
in the squad but it is unlikely that the left-
hander, who has always been considered
for T20s and has only played six first-
class matches, will get the nod. The other
candidate for the opening slot alongside
regular Shadman Islam is the uncapped
Mahmudul Hasan Joy, who was included
in the squad for the first Test as a back-up
opener.
It is more likely that the team
management will opt for to tinker with the
batting line-up, perhaps promoting Najmul
Hossain Shanto from number three to the
opening position in order to effectively
help accommodate Yasir Ali, who had a
promising debut in the Chattogram Test.
There might be another change in the
pace department which could see Abu
Jayed, who had an ordinary outing in the
first Test, make way for Taskin Ahmed, who
has returned after recovering from a finger
injury.
While there are set to be a few changes
for the second Test, starting tomorrow
in Mirpur, one thing that is certain is
that Bangladesh will have a much more
balanced side with Shakib’s inclusion
ensuring the ideal blend of five bowlers
and seven batters.
However, what might be a worry for the
team management is how long the side will
have such perfect balance. Although no
one from the BCB was willing to comment
officially, it was learned that Shakib has
still not confirmed his availability for the
upcoming New Zealand tour, for which the
Tigers are set to fly in just six days.

Black Caps eye elusive Protocols

series win in India
AGENCIES
India captain Virat
Kohli’s return after
a well-earned break
couldn’t have come
in a more unenvious setting as he needs
to tread the fine line between tough and
prudent in his selection calls when India
take on New Zealand in the second and
final Test at the rain-soaked ‘Maximum
City’ from today.
After an anti-climactic end to the first
Test where New Zealand escaped with
a creditable draw defying the Indian
spinners on a slow turner, the home team
under its regular captain would certainly
go for a slight rejig in the combination.
Also, at the Wankhede, the hosts may
only get four days to enforce a positive
result due to heavy rains that could be a
dampener on day one and the underlying
moisture which will also bring an extra
Black Caps pacer Neil Wagner into the
equation.
In Kohli’s absence, Mumbai batter
Shreyas Iyer made a dream test debut with
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (L) speaks with teammates Tom Latham and
Ross Taylor ahead of the second Test against India.
a first-innings 105 followed by a crucial
65 in the second in Kanpur.
Calls have grown to drop either Ajinkya
Rahane, who led India in Kanpur, or
Cheteshwar Pujara - both of whom have
been short of runs - to vacate a spot for
Kohli and allow Iyer to retain his place.
Unseasonable rain in Mumbai has also
meant that both teams have not been able
to practise outdoors since Wednesday and
the weather conditions could have an
impact on the team selection, according
to Kohli.
New Zealand have never won a Test
series in India, let alone a test match since
the 1988-89 tour.
The top-ranked Black Caps, who beat
India in a June contest in Southampton
to win the inaugural World Test
Championship, have a chance to make
history with a win in Mumbai.
“We gained a lot out of our efforts in
Kanpur,” New Zealand’s pace spearhead
Tim Southee said. “We’re just looking
forward to a new challenge here in
Mumbai.”
PHOTO: AFP
relaxed
for New
Zealand
tour
SPORTS REPORTER
The quarantine protocols
for Bangladesh for their
upcoming two-Test tour of
New Zealand, part of the
World Test Championship
(WTC), will be more
relaxed compared to the
measures the Tigers had to
endure on their previous
tour of the nation in
March-April this year.
“We will have more
relaxed quarantine
protocols than we had
on our last tour of New SRI LANKA IN FIRM CONTROL
Zealand. We will need to
stay quarantined in our
An outstanding hundred by Dhananjaya de Silva (153 not out) put Sri Lanka back in control of the second Test
room for three to four days. against the West Indies as they finished day four at Galle on 328-8 yesterday. De Silva and Lasith Embuldeniya’s
After that, players need to ninth-wicket partnership yielded a record 107 runs as they batted through the final session of the day. The West
stay in their quarantine Indies trail by 279, 11 more than the highest ever successful run chase at Galle. PHOTO: AFP
centre for a further three
to four days,” Bangladesh
Cricket Board (BCB) CEO
Nizamuddin Chowdhury
‘Yasir, you must work hard’
told media yesterday. After a prolonged time spent with the national
The Tigers had to squad, Yasir Ali finally earned his much-awaited
undergo a very strict 14- Test debut for Bangladesh in the first of the two-
day quarantine period the match Test series against Pakistan. And as the
last time they toured New match was staged in Chattogram, Yasir had the
Zealand. The Tigers could opportunity to make a dream start in Test cricket at
also not take part in any his hometown. “It was challenging,” Yasir stated.
practice games on that tour. “I’ve been with the team for so long but couldn’t
However, the Tigers will play matches. But I always motivated myself by
be able to participate in saying: Yasir, you must work hard, so that you can
two warm-up fixtures on utilise the opportunity when you get it,” he added.
their upcoming tour.
“We are getting a few
added opportunities on
SCAN THE
this tour. Our team will get
the opportunity to play two
QR CODE
two-day practice games, TO READ
one between themselves
and the other against a THE FULL
New Zealand XI. After that
we will play the Test series,” STORY
added Nizamuddin.
 T SPORTS Live from 06:00 pm Granada vs Alaves
Sri Lanka vs West Indies Eliminator Live from 02:00 am (Saturday)
2nd Test, Day 5 Live from 08:00 pm STAR SPORTS 1
Live from 10:30 am Qualifier 2 India vs New Zealand
Abu Dhabi T10 Live from 10:00 pm 2nd Test, Day 1
Qualifier 1 La Liga Live from 10:00 am

Fans salute ‘Ballon A ‘boyhood

dream’ for
d’Or Benzema’ Carey
REUTERS, Melbourne

AFP, Madrid
Karim Benzema applauded
Real Madrid’s fans after they
chanted “Karim, Ballon d’Or”
as his goal against Athletic
Bilbao on Wednesday sent
Madrid seven points clear at the top
of La Liga. Benzema’s 20th goal in 24
games this season proved the difference
in a 1-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu
that puts Madrid firmly in charge of the
Spanish title race, even after only 15
games played.
“We’re on a good run and I like the
atmosphere right now in the team,” said
Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.
A run of seven consecutive wins in all
finishing fourth in the final vote. Alex Carey will be
But there was more than a hint of Australia’s wicketkeeper for
at least the first two Ashes
rebellion in the air when the Madrid
Tests, replacing former
fans toasted his goal by chanting “Karim,
captain Tim Paine who
Ballon d’Or” and the 33-year-old
responded by applauding them back. has taken a mental health
Ancelotti predicted Benzema would break after a ‘sexting’
be even more motivated to win the scandal.
award next season and perhaps his best The 30-year-old from
hope would be to play a decisive role the Riverland town of
in Madrid winning either La Liga or the Loxton in South Australia
Champions League. will make his Test debut
With Barcelona rebuilding under against England in the
Xavi Hernandez and Atletico Madrid Ashes opener at the Gabba
struggling to balance their usually on December 8, having
dependable defence with a wealth represented Australia in 45
of options in attack, Real Madrid are

Local booters steal the show

competitions has helped pull Ancelotti’s
team away from the chasing pack and
Benzema, along with the explosive
Vinicius Junior, has been instrumental.
Ancelotti insisted on Tuesday
Benzema had not been “crying” about
losing out to Lionel Messi in the Ballon
d’Or on Monday, with the Frenchman
certainly emerging as clear favourites
now in Spain.
They defeated Sevilla 2-1 last weekend
and now face third-placed Real Sociedad
and second-placed Atletico in their
next two games, fixtures that could give
them a formidable lead if the victories
keep coming. Athletic, meanwhile, stay
eighth, without a win now in six.
one-day internationals and
38 T20 matches.
He will become the
country’s first wicketkeeper
to soak up a first Test on
home soil since Adam
Gilchrist debuted against
Pakistan at the same venue
in 1999.
“Debuting for Australia
no matter where it is, it’s
going to be super exciting
and, yeah, for me to do
that at the Gabba and in
an Ashes series is again,
boyhood dreams,” Carey
told reporters in Brisbane
on Thursday. “That’s what
sort of comes to mind.”
Carey once flirted with
an Australian Rules football
career but went back to
cricket after missing out
on a contract with AFL
expansion side Greater
Western Sydney Giants
when they joined the
professional league in
2012.
In claiming the Test spot
he has beaten out fellow
uncapped wicketkeeper
Josh Inglis, who returned to
his home Western Australia
state this week and will
play for Australia ‘A’ against
the England Lions team.
SPORTS REPORTER
Local footballers
outshone the foreign
recruits to give title
contenders Saif SC a thrilling 3-2 win
over Muktijoddha Sangsad in their
Riviera Independence Cup encounter
at the Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa
Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur
yesterday.
Following back-to-back victories,
the past edition’s runners-up now
need a draw in their last match
against Mohammedan SC, who were
stunned 2-1 by Bangladesh Army,
to confirm their quarterfinal berths
from Group C.
Ranju Sikdar gave Army an
18-minute lead before Shahriar
Emon wrapped up the remarkable
win in the 69th minute over the Black
and Whites, who pulled one back in
stoppage time through Minhajur
Abedin Rakib. Now Mohammedan
and Army both find themselves at
three points in the table.
Back to the first match, Saif were
in a safe position until 80 minutes,
with three strikes from as many local
players, after which the charges of
Argentinian coach Andres Cruciani
suddenly conceded two goals within
the last six minutes.
However, Saif kept their backline
unbroken until the final whistle to
leave the field on a high, courtesy
of brilliant performances from the
local players, especially national
forward Faisal Ahmed Fahim, who
had troubled Maldives in Mahinda
Rajapaksa trophy in Colombo during
his international debut.
The left-winger, who represented
Bangladesh U-15, U-19 and U-23
teams, broke the deadlock with a
nice placing shot after Uzbekistani
Asror Gafurov and the Nigerian duo
-- Sunday Udoh and Emeka Ogbugh
-- failed to cash in on the early
opportunities.
The 19-year-old forward, availing
a through-pass from Sunday darted
into the left box, dribbled past one
defender before driving a right-
footed angular shot into the far net
in the 18th minute to give Saif a well
deserved lead.
While Sunday and Emeka
continued to miss more
opportunities, former national player
Nasirul Islam doubled the lead in the
41st minute with an overhead shot
from close range.
After resumption, Muktijoddha
were reduced to 10 men in the 66th
minute and Saif looked in a relaxed
mood. Cruciani then brought some
changes to raise up the tempo again
and substitute Sajjad Hossain made
it 3-0 with a placing shot in the 81st
minute after.
In the dying minute, Muktijoddha
brought some excitement back in the
game to pull back two goals within
six minutes when Japanese Tetsuaki
Misawa reimbursed a goal in the 87th
minute with a ground shot and then
made it 3-2 by converting a penalty
in the penultimate minute of the
four-minute added time.
The strike from Fahim indicates
that the national forwards, who
usually struggle to find the target
in international matches, have
been in good form in the ongoing
tournament, with national forward
Mehedi Hasan Royal and promising
forward Mannaf Rabbi also finding
the net in their respective matches.

Liverpool win derby as top

trio break clear in title race
REUTERS
Liverpool won
the Merseyside
derby with a 4-1
victory at Everton
on Wednesday while Premier League
leaders Chelsea fought for a 2-1 win
at Watford and Manchester City
enjoyed a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa.
With fourth-placed West Ham
held to a 1-1 draw at Brighton they
are now seven points behind third-
placed Liverpool who, along with
Chelsea and Manchester City, look
set for a three-horse race for the title.
After 14 games, Chelsea lead on
33 points with City a point behind

and Liverpool on 31.
Juergen Klopp’s side got four goals
at the home of their neighbours
for the first time since 1982, with
Mohamed Salah scoring twice to
maintain his electric form.
Jordan Henderson put Liverpool
in front with a magnificent curling
shot in the ninth minute before
setting up Salah for the second.
It was one-way traffic and Everton,
led by former Liverpool manager
Rafael Benitez, looked at real risk of
an embarrassing scoreline.
Demarai Gray pulled back a goal
before the interval to give a restless
home crowd some hope before a
mistake by Seamus Coleman allowed
Salah in on goal to make it 3-1 and
then Diogo Jota produced a brilliant
turn before blasting past Jordan
Pickford to complete the rout.
“I liked what I saw and it was by
far the best performance we’ve done
at Goodison,” said Klopp.
“We made a big step in our
development that we can take these
kinds of games, even though they are
really important for the opponent.
We can put emotions to the side.
It was for sure a nine-out-of-10
performance from each of the boys,”
added the German.
After recent draws against Burnley
and Manchester United, Chelsea
could ill afford to drop points at
Watford but manager Thomas Tuchel
conceded they were fortunate to
collect all three from Vicarage Road.
“We need a lot of points if we want
to stay in the title race. We felt like
we lost two points against Burnley
and Manchester United. We stole
minimum two, maybe three back
today,” said Tuchel.
“Overall we can do much better.
There are some reasons -- we have
injured players and some key players
due to overload were not on the
pitch. I don’t want to be too critical.
Watford deserved more,” he added.
Outstanding first-half goals from
Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva set
Manchester City on their way to
victory at Steven Gerrard’s Aston
Villa.
Portugal centre-half Dias blasted
home from more than 20 metres
after Raheem Sterling’s cutback
flashed across the penalty area.
Silva doubled their advantage with
a breathtaking effort in the 43rd,
volleying superbly past Martinez
from 15 metres after City broke away
from their own penalty area with
Riyad Mahrez releasing Gabriel Jesus
on the right flank.
Ollie Watkins got Villa back into
the game but City collected their
fourth league win in a row.
“We came here against an
incredible team with quality and top
players and the way we played in the
first half and even the second was
magnificent,” said City manager Pep
Guardiola.
“We conceded in the first minute
of the second and it’s so difficult but
we played with huge personality, a
really good game,” he said.
An 89th-minute overhead kick
from Neal Maupay frustrated West
Ham at Brighton after the Londoners
had taken an early lead through Czech
midfielder Tomas Soucek’s header.
12
City

DHAKA FRIDAY DECEMBER 3, 2021, AGRAHAYAN 18, 1428 BS

Conspiracy SAJEK FIRE

Accident or
on to ruin sabotage?
SANJOY KUMAR BARUA

CHT Accord While police suspect the

fire that gutted four resorts
and a restaurant in Sajek
valley early yesterday was
Says PCJSS chief Santu Larma caused by a short circuit,
STAFF CORRESPONDENT owners of the resorts
believe it was an act of
A government-led quarter is involved in a conspiracy to sabotage.
ruin the Chattogram Hill Tracts Peace Accord, said Santu “How is it possible for a
Larma yesterday. fire to break out on its own
The president of regional political party Parbatya in a washroom?” asked
Chattogram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) was addressing Maruati Lushai, owner of
a discussion marking the 24th anniversary of the signing three of the four resorts
of the accord. and a restaurant that were
On December 2, 1997, the PCJSS and the then ruling destroyed in the fire.
Awami League signed the accord, also known as CHT Peace “We are suspecting
Accord, to end armed conflicts in Rangamati, Khagrachhari that someone threw in
and Bandarban. something that was already
Of the clauses in the treaty, 25 have been implemented on fire through the open
fully, 18 partially and 29 remain unimplemented, window of the bathroom
according to the PCJSS. in room 202, where the
At yesterday’s discussion at the capital’s Liberation War fire originated. There was
Museum, organised by the PCJSS and Bangladesh Adivasi no guest in that room
Forum (BAF), Santu Larma said the government often yesterday. I am certain this
claims there are divisions among communities in the hills was an act of sabotage,”
and that they are involved in killing each other. said Maruati, owner of
“Do we want to kill each other and create chaos or Obokash Eco Resort.
division? Of course not,” he said, adding that such claims Apart from Obokash,
of division are conspiracies of the government. the blaze destroyed
He urged the young people of the indigenous Sajek Eco Valley Resort,
communities to stand up for their rights. Megh Chhut Resort,
Noted rights activist Sultana Kamal said the accord’s Immanuel Resort, Maruati
implementation process had stalled and decisions Smoke spews from four cottages and a restaurant burnt in Sajek Valley, a popular tourist spot in Restaurant, and two other
PHOTO:
regarding its implementation were taken unilaterally. Rangamati, early yesterday. Affected people alleged that it was an act of sabotage, but firefighters COLLECTED
establishments.
SEE PAGE 5 COL 6 said the fire might have originated from an electric short circuit the night before. SEE PAGE 5 COL 4

PERSPECTIVE PLAN LPG price ROAD TO FREEDOM WORLD MIGRATION REPORT

Work as Astronomers find drops, at last
THIS DAY IN BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR HISTORY
Bangladesh 6th
frontline Earth’s closest STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Today the war in Bangladesh has biggest sender
soldiers A 12-kg cylinder of
liquefied petroleum gas
become a war on India: Indira
PM urges members
of armed forces
black holes (LPG) will now cost Tk
85 less at Tk 1,228 from
DECEMBER 3, 1971
in 2020
private operators after STAFF CORRESPONDENT
UNB, Dhaka the Bangladesh Energy SHAMSUDDOZA SAJEN
Regulatory Commission With 7.40 million migrants living abroad,
Prime yesterday adjusted the FULL-SCALE WAR BEGINS Bangladesh was the sixth largest migrant-
Minister price in line with the Pakistan today launched an sending country globally in 2020, says the
Sheikh international market. undeclared full-scale war on latest report of International Organisation
Hasina Saudi Arabia, the India. Pakistan made air strikes for Migration.
yesterday main source for the key on a number of airfields in the Also, Bangladesh ranked eighth largest
asked the LPG ingredients propane western region of India and remittance-receiving country globally last
members and butane, has lowered began shelling several places. Immediately, the Indian armed forces year with receiving $21.75 billion, says the
of the the contract prices for were ordered to hit back at the Pakistan army. The joint command World Migration Report-2022.
Bangladesh Armed Forces December. of the Mukti Bahini continued advancing inside Bangladesh. The IOM launched the flagship
to work as “frontline The CP for propane has The Indian Defence Minister Jagjivan Ram said today that orders report globally on Wednesday, while the
soldiers” to implement been set at $795 per metric had been issued to Indian troops to take “all necessary action to Bangladesh chapter of the UN migration
the Perspective Plan 2041 tonne (MT), and for butane meet the Pakistani challenge”. agency shared it with media yesterday.
to make Bangladesh a INDEPENDENT.CO.UK at $750 per MT, down from Emerging from a meeting of the cabinet, which discussed the “…international migration has been
developed country. $870 and $830 respectively blatant Pakistani attack, the Indian defence minister declared: “The a critical part of the development story
“I expect it from the Astronomers have found a pair of supermassive in November. challenge has come. It will be met.” of Bangladesh, with migrants moving
members of our armed black holes that are closer to the Earth than any The slash in price, which A Pakistani spokesman said today that the bombings were to pursue opportunities for economic
forces,” she said while previously discovered. is the highest since April retaliatory actions, charging that Indian troops had attacked at least and social, and then helping raise the
addressing the graduation The duo are 89 million light-years from our when BERC started fixing four points along the West Pakistan border. He claimed that the living standards in the home,” said IOM
ceremony of the National planet in the constellation of Aquarius, more than the retail price of the fuel, first fighting in West Pakistan began about noon today with firing Bangladesh’s Officer-in-Charge Fathima
Defence Course (NDC) and 380 light-years closer than our next closest black comes after a series of along the border, especially on the cease’fire line in Kashmir. Nusrath Ghazzali in a statement sent
Armed Forces War Course hole pair. hikes. In the past eight INDIRA VOWS TO REPEL FOE along with the report.
(AFWC)-2021 from the The two black holes are also closer to each other months, the retail price of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared today, “Soon after The report says the number of
Gono Bhaban. than any other discovered, only 1600 light-years LPG has been raised five 5:30 PM on Dec 3, Pakistan launched a full-scale war against us.” Bangladeshi migrants between January
The graduation apart. Eventually, these two will merge into “one times. She made the announcement in a radio speech at midnight. and May 2020 dropped to 181,200 amid
ceremony was held at monster black hole, probably within the next 250 The 12 kg cylinder is She pledged: “The wanton and unprovoked aggression of Pakistan the pandemic compared with 302,400 for
Sheikh Hasina Complex SEE PAGE 5 COL 1 the most common form SEE PAGE 5 COL 2 the same period in 2019.
SEE PAGE 5 COL 1 SEE PAGE 5 COL 1 SEE PAGE 5 COL 5

Fifth-grader
raped in
Noakhali What is cirrhosis?
Mother files complaint
against two men
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Noakhali
WHAT DOES
A fifth-grader was raped
by a 45-year-old man in
IT DO?
a village of Noakhali’s STAR HEALTH DESK
Senbag yesterday
afternoon, police said, Cirrhosis is a
quoting her mother. prevalent disease
The woman filed worldwide. It is
a written complaint also known as liver
against the prime accused cirrhosis or hepatic
Mohammad Jahir and cirrhosis, and end-
another man over the stage liver disease.
matter with Senbag Police It is a late stage
Station last night, said of scarring of the
Imdadul Haque, inspector liver tissues caused
of the police station. by many forms of
In the complaint, the liver diseases and
woman said the incident conditions.
happened when the girl The scar tissues
was returning home from are called fibrosis.
school. As she was walking Too much fibrosis
SEE PAGE 5 COL 5 causes impaired
liver function and
eventually liver
failure.
It means, each
A black-capped kingfisher sitting on a tree branch in the Sundarbans’ Kokilmoni area. This time your liver is
species, mainly found in coastal and mangrove habitats, perches conspicuously and dives to injured, it tries
catch fish, and also feeds on large insects. PRAYER TIMING DECEMBER 3 to repair itself by
Fazr Juma Asr Maghrib Esha forming scar tissue
5-15 12-30 3-45 5-19 7-00 SEE PAGE 5 COL 2
PHOTO: COURTESY OF KHORSHED ALAM SAGOR 5-50 1-15 4-00 5-22 7-30
SOURCE: ISLAMIC FOUNDATION

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