Venkateshwar Reddy alias Telugu Deepak, who is Chairman of CPI (Maoist)'s State Military Commission, West Bengal Chapter, is a close aide of Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji. The attack on the security force camp in Silda killed 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel. Sources said Deepak was wanted in connection with a number of incidents of Maoist violence. Deepak would be questioned by a joint team of the state intelligence department and central security forces, they added.
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Taslima denies writing article, says it's attempt to malign her
PTI, New Delhi, 2 March : Exiled Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on Tuesday said the appearance of an article in a Karnataka newspaper purportedly written by her, which triggered violent protests in Shimoga and Hassan towns, is a "deliberate attempt to malign" her and "misuse" her writings to create disturbance in the society.
Nasreen said in a statement made available to PTI that she never penned any article for a newspaper in Karnataka. "The incident that occurred in Karnataka on Monday shocked me. I learned that it was provoked by an article written by me that appeared in a Karnataka newspaper. But I have never written any article for any Karnataka newspaper in my life," she said. Nasreen said, "The appearance of the article is atrocious. In any of my writings I have never mentioned that ProphetMuhammad was against burkha. Therefore, this is a distorted story." The author said, "I suspect that it is a deliberate attempt to malign me and to misuse my writings to create disturbance in the society. I wish peace will prevail."Nasreen, staying in an undisclosed destination due to security reasons since her return to India last month, had her visa extended recently by six months till August this year.
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BD Prime Minister Sheikh unveils ambitious digital scheme
UNB, Dhaka, 2 March : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday opened an ambitious digital scheme to bring all union parishads under fibre optic cable network.
Under the scheme styled “Digital Bangladesh: Plan of Connecting People”, 1000 union parishads will be connected with the network by next one year.
All hospital and schools of the country to get computers, and community e-centers will be set up at every upazila under the programme, the prime minister said while unveiling the project at a local city hotel. န Photo : PID
Under the scheme styled “Digital Bangladesh: Plan of Connecting People”, 1000 union parishads will be connected with the network by next one year.
All hospital and schools of the country to get computers, and community e-centers will be set up at every upazila under the programme, the prime minister said while unveiling the project at a local city hotel. န Photo : PID
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Uneasy calm in Tagore’s abode of peacae after dol violence
IANS, Bolpur, 2 March : An uneasy calm prevailed in the campus of Visva Bharati University at Shantiniketan two days after unprecedented violence between student groups took a toll on the Basanta Utsav, the popular spring festival.
All students have been asked to carry their identity cards while roaming around the premises especially during night hours. “We have issued a notice to all students instructing them to carry identity cards all the times, especially between 8 pm and 5 am (next morning). We have also restricted the movement of any outsiders within the campus in the evening.
“Police patrolling vans have been asked to intensify their vigilance as well during the night hours,” Amiatava Chowdhurythe spokesperson of Visva Bharati University, popularly known as Shantiniketan, told IANS.
IANS, Bolpur, 2 March : An uneasy calm prevailed in the campus of Visva Bharati University at Shantiniketan two days after unprecedented violence between student groups took a toll on the Basanta Utsav, the popular spring festival.
All students have been asked to carry their identity cards while roaming around the premises especially during night hours. “We have issued a notice to all students instructing them to carry identity cards all the times, especially between 8 pm and 5 am (next morning). We have also restricted the movement of any outsiders within the campus in the evening.
“Police patrolling vans have been asked to intensify their vigilance as well during the night hours,” Amiatava Chowdhurythe spokesperson of Visva Bharati University, popularly known as Shantiniketan, told IANS.
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Electricity price hiked by 7.62 % by Bangladesh ERC
Dhaka, 2 March : Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday announced a hike in electricity prices for Dhaka city household subscribers from 4 to 7.62 percent.
The new prices take effect from 1 March. This is the first time the AL-led government increased the price of electricity since it took power last year. The household subscribers were paying Tk 2.50 for first 100 units.
Dhaka, 2 March : Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday announced a hike in electricity prices for Dhaka city household subscribers from 4 to 7.62 percent.
The new prices take effect from 1 March. This is the first time the AL-led government increased the price of electricity since it took power last year. The household subscribers were paying Tk 2.50 for first 100 units.
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Vehicular strike against fuel price hikes hits life in Tripura
Agartala, 2 March : Normal life in Tripura was badly affected on Tuesday with the frontal organisations of the ruling CPI(M) enforcing a one-day vehicular strike to protest the hikes in prices of petrol and diesel.Trade unions, including the Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) affiliated to the CPI(M), called the shutdown demanding rollback of the hikes. "Rejecting the Left parties' demand to remove duty from the petroleum products, the union budget had raised central excise duty on the fuels from Friday midnight," CITU Tripura unit general secretary Pijush Nag told reporters. He said: "Total success of the transport strike shows denouncement of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's decision to raise the fuel prices."
"When the common people are already facing the severe heat of price rise of essential commodities, the UPA government put a fresh burden on 'aam admi' (common man) by increasing duty on petroleum products," Nag stated. န Photo : Parthajit Dutta
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CITU's Tripura strike halts trade through Akhaura Land Port
Akhaura, 2 March : The export and import through Akhaura Land Port in Brahmanbaria remained suspended on Tuesday following a strike enforced by CITU in Tripura.
Port sources said 250 truckloads of Bangladeshis goods are exported to India on average everyday through the Akhaura port, an export-based land port. Today, 200 trucks got stranded at Akhaura Land Port. While contacted, Indro Mohan Das, Landport Custom Officer (LCO) of Akhaura Land Port, told Bengal Newz, due to the strike, Bangladesh-India trade through the land port remained suspended.
Akhaura, 2 March : The export and import through Akhaura Land Port in Brahmanbaria remained suspended on Tuesday following a strike enforced by CITU in Tripura.
Port sources said 250 truckloads of Bangladeshis goods are exported to India on average everyday through the Akhaura port, an export-based land port. Today, 200 trucks got stranded at Akhaura Land Port. While contacted, Indro Mohan Das, Landport Custom Officer (LCO) of Akhaura Land Port, told Bengal Newz, due to the strike, Bangladesh-India trade through the land port remained suspended.
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Carcass of 18 dead monkeys found in Army swimming pool
Siliguri, 2 March : At least 15 monkeys were found dead in a swimming pool in Darjeeling district Tuesday under mysterious circumstances, a senior forest official said.The incident took place in Bangdubi area of Siliguri sub-division. The bodies were recovered from a swimming pool that belonged to the Indian Army. 'We have received the information this morning (Tuesday) from the army personnel and we have sent our teams to the spot. Our officials are investigating the matter,' the state's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Atanu Raha said. He said the forest department officials would determine whether the monkeys were deliberately poisoned or if they died of some disease.
'It's really very alarming. Such an incident never happened in any part of this state earlier. We'll send the bodies for post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death,' Raha said, adding the army personnel were cooperating with the state forest department officials to probe the case. န Photo : Reuters
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Climate initiatives not enough, says minister H Mahmud
UNB, Dhaka, 2 March : Bangladesh State Minister for Environment and Forest Hasan Mahmud on Tuesday said initiatives to face challenges of climate change are not enough considering its devastating impact in Bangladesh.“Climate change is not merely a threat, it’s now a reality in Bangladesh… that’s why initiatives are not enough,” he said at the `Environment Strategy Consultation’, organised by the World Bank, at Sonargaon Hotel in the city. Speaking as chief guest, Hasan Mahmud said: “We’re affected by all the negative factors caused by global climate changes… Bangladesh is prepared to face the adverse impact of climate change.”
He said in the changed situation caused by climate change, the people of the coastal belt in the country already set an example by showing their adaptation power. Director General of Department of Environment (DoE) Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan was the special guest at the programme, chaired by World Bank country director Ellen A Goldstein. World Bank’s lead environment specialist Ernesto Sanchez-Triana presented the keynote paper at the session.
World Bank is currently organising `Environment Strategy-2010 Consultation’ in its client countries, as it is going to finalise the `World Bank Group Environmental Strategy’ by December 2010 in order to better plan and manage the bank’s development assistance.
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