Waste cell phone can cause serious environmental hazards : research

Waste cell phone can cause serious environmental hazards : research
Habibullah Mizan
Staff Reporter
The New Nation
Bangladesh is likely to face a serious environmental disaster due to the electronic wastes(E-waste) arising out of mishandling millions of non-functional cellular phones across the country .
About thirty two million mobile sets would be discarded or would be non-functional causing at least two thousand and five hundred sixty tones e-waste by the end of 2010, a research paper presented yesterday claimed.
It says, the country will have to see more than 4-kilometer long rally of 5 tones trucks of e-waste each year.
Ahmad Wasimul Haque Bari, former assistant professor, Asian University said this while presenting a research findings on ‘Nonfunctional mobile sets and its bad impacts on environment’ at the National Press Club yesterday.
Referring to the dangerous impact of the e-waste coming from the mobile set, he suggested for immediately setting up adequate recycle plants to ease the situation.
Ahmad Wasimul Haque Bari also chief researcher of the project urged to introduce and implement ‘Take Back and Exchange’ offer by the cell phone importers and network providers so that local subscribers are inspired to involve themselves in the recycle process.
He alleged that no mobile companies or local distributors did not cooperate in conducting the research fearing loss in their business.
While speaking as chief guest, former Dhaka University Pro-vice Chancellor Prof Shahid Uddin Ahmed suggested enacting and implement policies to reuse, recycle mobile phone sets and reduce cell phone related pollution.
He also recommended to ensure phone manual in Bengali language and printing environmental caution note in Bangla with logo on the packaging box.
Shamsun Nahar, Executive Director, Center for Research and Studies emphasised on the need for building massive awareness by airing advertisements and others effective publicities in the country to protect the environment.
She also suggested to extend media role in this regard.

Teachers should also learn from students

Stop degradation of education system now
Habibullah Mizan
Staff Reporter,
The New Nation
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Criticising the commercialisation of county’s education systems, former Adviser to the caretaker government Dr Akbar Ali Khan alleged that the ill –practice has been degrading the education sector day by day.

Comparing ‘sales of knowledge’ with selling one’s physical beauty for money, he urged the teachers to restrain themselves from doing this unethical act.

He said,‘‘ If we can ensure proper awards to the honest persons for their honesty and punish the dishonest persons for their dishonesty, good governance and rule of law in the country can be easily established.’’


He was speaking at a discussion meeting jointly organised by UNESCO and Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO in the city yesterday marking the International Teachers Day.

According to Dr Akbar Ali, without eradicating the increasing discriminations between the rural and urban education, quality education could not be ensured in the country.

Referring to the teacher’s financial condition, he added that some teachers are living under extreme poverty while some others are earning more than one lakh per month from private coaching or any other means.

He opined that bad people are driving the good people out, which is a major obstacle to the establishment of the rule of law in the society.

Stressing the need for quality education, he suggested introducing evaluation system for the teachers.

He said, in the present knowledge based society, teachers must admit that they would also learn from their students as knowledge is a continuous process.
Terming increasing centralisation of the education system the major problem for our education sector, he suggested for the rapid decentralisation for quality education.

Presided over by Ashraful Mokbul, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education, Malama Meleisea, Direcror UNSECO Dhaka Office, eminent educationalist Prof Abu Syed, Dr Md Mahmudul Hasan, Prof Md Nazim Uddin, AKM Abdul Awal Mujumder, Prof Hasan Wise and some students, also participated at the discussion.

Slum dwellers will double in 30 years in Bangladesh

Slum dwellers will double in 30 years in Bangladesh

Habibullah Mizan
Staff reporter
The New Nation,
Dhaka, Bangladesh

The slum dwellers of the country will double by the next thirty years if the objective of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) is not fulfilled, said speakers at a discussion meeting yesterday.

According to MDG, at least one crore slum dwellers are to be brought under viewable development by the end of 2015.

Expressing their concern over the existing deteriorating situation in the slum areas in different cities of the country, they urged the government to take initiatives for readdressing the situation.

They urged the government to formulate a national policy and take proper steps to ensure shelters of the slum dwellers in the major cities of the country.

They were speaking at a discussion meeting marking the International Habitat Day organised by the Coalition for the Urban Poor (CUP) in the city yesterday.

Dr Prof Nurul Islam Nazem, General Secretary, Center For Urban Studies (CRU) said, though the slum people are contributing a lot to the economy of the country, they are still living in inhuman condition.
‘‘Until and unless the discrimination between the poor and the rich are not removed, development is not possible,’’ Prof Islam observed.

CUP Executive Director Mostafa Kaium Khan said the fundamental rights of the slum dwellers for getting shelters are not yet met.
If their shelters are not ensured, a safe city will not be possible.

Presided over by CUP Executive Director Mostafa Kaium Khan, Rafiqul Islam, Fatema Akter, Momtaz Akter, Abdur Rashid, Abdul Mannan, and Kazi Baby, among others, participated in the discussion.

Fatema Akter in her speech said, though each year we celebrate the International Habitat Day, no outcome actually come and we do not get benefits.
Abdur Rashid alleged that all give us promises but nobody keep that promises.
Rafiqul Islam said with the prevailing discrimination in the society, we cannot expect development.The progamme followed by children arts competition.

mizandeshi@yahoo.com

Gandhi Peace Award-2008

Gandhi Peace Award-2008

Mahatma Gandhi Research Council yesterday distributed Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award-2007 among the nineteen persons and one charity organisation.
Sirujul Islam, Secretary, President Office, Maulona Obaidul Haque, Khatib, Baitul Mokarram National Mosque, Shdhananda Mohathero, President, Buddhist Culture Publicity Association, His Excellence Arch Bishop Pulinus Kosta, Ramakrishna Mat and Ramakrishna Mission, Air Vice-marshal(Retd) AK Khondhaker, Justice Golam Rabbani, Dr Shamsher Ali, eminent scientist, Dr Mahfuzur Rahman , ATN Bangla Chairman, Abdur Rab Hawlader , Director General, Passport Department , Syed Tosharaf Ali, Editor ,Weekly Robbar, Maj Gen (Retd) CR Datta, veteran freedom fighter and sector commander, Monoara Hakim Ali, President , Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Maulona Abul Kalam Azad, Islamic scholar Maj Gen Amin Ahmad Chowdhury, eminent freedom fighter, Prof Dr M Ashaduzzaman, former Chairman , University Grant Commission , Shyamal Chandra Shaha ,Textile engineer, Prof Dr.Nazmul Ahshan Kalimullah, Poet Mostafa Allama and Dr Alamgir Mati, noted Herbal physician got Gandhi Peace Award this year.
Former Justice Habibur Rahman Khan distributed the awards as chief guest and urged all the faiths to follow the non-violence spirit of Mahatma Gandhi.
Gulam Kader, president, Mahatma Gandhi Research Council presided over the programme while NA Karim Biddhut Chowdhury conducted the programme.
People of different faiths attended the programme held at Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.
Habibullah Mizan
Staff Reporter
The New Nation,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
mizandeshi@yahoo.com

Please be peaceful and don’t violate law

On this World Peace Day, I am submissively requesting all not make our dearest Bangladesh a place of violence, a den of terrorists in any excuse.
This country is ours, we all love our motherland very much .So in the wake of the publication of a cartoon in Bangla daily Prothom Alo and the Eid issue of Bangla magazine ‘Saptahik 2000” for an objectionable article hurting the religious sentiments of the Muslims, no one should try to make it a issue .
Since the authorities of the publications have apologized to all concerned , even they are ready to beg pardon appearing in the court , no one should trigger the tense situation further .
Islam is a religion of absolute peace . We should restrain ourselves from doing any activities which show Islam as non-tolerance tour non-Muslims friend across the world.
As a peaceful Muslim , I am again requesting my all Muslims not to violate the law of the country.
Besides I urge to all the media to be more careful in publishing such reports or any other publication so that it does not hurt sentiment of any religious people .
Muslim , Hindu, Christian ,Buddhist , we all are brother and a creation of Almighty Allah.

Habibullah Mizan
Department of International Relations,
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Staff Reporter
The New Nation
mizandeshi@yahoo.com

Serious conspiracy going on against me

Serious conspiracy going on against my
stands against the illegal admissions in Dhaka University, against my anti-corruption movement.

Today I am writing with deepen sadness in my heart. I was totally unprepared for such kind of fully baseless, ill-motivated blame of being involved in the recent cowardly attempt of circulating false leaflets against my highly respected and father-like teachers of my own department.

On Monday, Mrs Bushra Hasina Chowdhury, one of my best-respected Madame of my department at the classroom charged me directly for the nastiest propaganda against her and other senior teachers. To oppose the fully baseless allegation against me, I had to aggressively clarify my position in this regard.

Really I cannot even imagine such kind of hatred misdeed against my respected teachers who have done a lot during my readmission into the first year in 2002-2003 academic session.

To my knowledge, I have no enemies in my department. I have not conflicts with others since I never involved myself into any kinds so called grouping- lobbing inside the department.

Even never I did participated in any programme like study tour, picnic and orientation programme because I am a busy in my journalism profession.

But why and who are trying to misguide my respected teachers against me, I do not know at all.

I suspect the fake students of my own department whose studentship have already been cancelled, the suspected students who were given show cause notice , another fake students who were not come under investigation still now , their syndicates or their close friends may cowardly misguide my respected teacher to restrain me from my ongoing movement against the illegal admissions.

Certainly they will do another wrong if they think that I will stop my present social movement against the much-talked illegal admissions and the corruption in all the public universities of the country.

I am not afraid of this but I became fully surprise being accused in such kind misdeeds against my honorable teachers to whom I shall be remaining grateful forever.

To be informed about my plans, desire and my mentality, one can just type my name ‘Habibullah Mizan’ in the different search engines like Google, Yahoo or MSN. He or she will get huge current information about me in the Internet.

I know I am fully honest to my own conscious and I believe that the truth will publish soon by the grace of Almighty Allah.

If any one can prove my direct or even indirect involvement in this bastard -type act, I will take any kind of punishment the university authority decides.
But if no one can prove that, those cowards who are continuously trying to damage my relations with my respected teachers, I will find out them and give good lessons, Enshallah.

If necessary, I will definitely bound to openly demand the investigation headed by the Anti-Corruption Commission or any other government intelligence agencies like Special Branch (SB), Criminal Investigation Department (CID), National Security Intelligence (NSI), the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) or an independent committee headed by the highly respected retired judge of the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

I am urging to all my well-wishers to pray so that if I was really involved in this nastiest act, I can not avoid the exemplary punishment given by the university authority, the law enforcing agencies and finally by Almighty Allah.

Kindly pray to Almighty Allah so that if am innocent, I can over come and conquer such kind of hatred conspiracy against me and can be strong, un-compromised and determined in my present stand against illegal admission and all kinds of corruption in the holy educational institutions.

I will write again for you, Enshallah.

Habibullah Mizan
Fourth Year, BSS (Hons)
Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka

Staff Reporter
The New Nation
mizandeshi@yahoo.com
www.mizandesh.blogspot.com
www.mizandeshi.blog.com
www.mizandeshi.takingitglobal.org




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100 corrupts to be hanged publicly to stop corruption

100 corrupts to be hanged publicly to stop corruption

The present caretaker government should be given enough time for completing their ongoing tasks of eradicating corruption and irregularities from the various sectors of the country.

If needed they must act like a bulldozer and demolish everything around them. People will rebuild and reconstruct every thing on the debris.

Speakers at a roundtable on ‘ The Role of Intellectuals on Ongoing Reforms’ made these observations.

Sammilita Samajik Andolon, a platform of various professionals yesterday organised the roundtable at Mukijodda Jadugaor in the city yesterday.

Sammilita Samajik Andolon President Dr Hayat Mahmud moderated the discussion while Ziauddin Tareq, Vice-President of Sammilita Samajik Andolon presented the key-note paper.

Harshly criticizing the ‘so called’ intellectuals Major General (Retd) Amin Ahmad Birikram accused them of confusing the government.

‘‘In the past we saw the intellectuals having link with the corrupt persons in various ways,’’ the prominent freedom fighter said.

He demanded the punishment of all corrupt professionals including the corrupt and opportunist intellectuals.

According to the retired army officer, at least 100 corrupt persons must be hanged publicly.

He opined that there should not be any question of human rights of the thieves.

Journalist AFM Istiaq suggested to work with specific reform agenda while Advocate Parimal Chandra Gohha stressed the need for accountability of the political high-ups.

Referring the claim of having legitimacy of the government, Prof Shawkwat Ara Hossain said, ‘‘Such kind of legitimacy would be invalid if the price hikes are not effectively controlled and people’s expectations are not fulfilled.

She demanded the mandatory system disclosing of the wealth statement of the politicians each years .

According to Advocate ASM Sabur, the present caretaker government has accomplished various commendable tasks except some silly mistakes.

Former Director General of Bangla Academy Prof Syed Anwar Hossain said, ‘‘ In the past we have several leaders but did not have any statesman-like attitude.’’

Pankaj Bhttachariya, Gon Forum presidium member alleged that most of the intellectuals of the country failed to detect the real causes of non-functioning of democracy.
Ziauddin Tareq in his paper proposed for holding referendum after two and half year of every government to assess the failures and success of the regime.
He also suggested the need of communicating between the government and the citizens so that government can assess the people’s aspiration on different issues.
mizandeshi@yahoo.com