Non-government organisations Jano Udyog, People's Voice and Paribesh Chhatra Forum (Environment Students' Forum) form a human chain in front of Chittagong Press Club on October 30 protesting encroachment on ponds, dighis and other water bodies in the port city. Photo: STAR

BGMEA help desk opens at port
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Monday jointly inaugurated “BGMEA Help Desk” at Chittagong Port.
CPA and BGMEA organised a meeting in the CPA conference room on the occasion.
Port authority Chairman Commodore M Anwarul Islam and BGMEA President Safiul Islam Mahiuddin spoke at the meeting with BGMEA First Vice-President Nasiruddin Chowdhury in the chair.
Speakers said the service will make the export-import works speedier and help get all kinds of information easily from the desk, reducing harassment of the businessmen.
BGMEA officials thanked the authorities concerned for opening the help desk in a restricted area like port which will help the new as well as old investors to operate their works. They urged the CPA chairman to bring the full port area under the close circuit camera to check robbery in the port area.
Later CPA and BGMEA officials went to M shed and inaugurated the help desk.

Haque's contribution recalled
Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan at a meeting on Tuesday said historian and researcher Abdul Haque Chowdhury changed the traditional paradigm of practice and writing of history and showed a new trend of practising history related with masses and the rural people.
Abdul Haque Chowdhury Memorial Council organised the meeting, marking the 17th death anniversary of Haque at Abdul Khalek auditorium of Chittagong Press Club (CPC).
Shamsuzzaman was addressing the meeting as the chief guest with poet Arun Das Gupta in the chair.
Terming him an ideologist on Chittagong, he said though Haque has no institutional education but in his writings he focused on that trend in which people had active participation.
Haque rounded up from door to door of people to collect information about the history and the story baptising the places, villages, rivers, water bodies and gathered the tales inspired by Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad.
Principal Prakriti Chakraborty of Pathor Ghata Girls' College presented the key-note paper at the meeting.
Principal Prakriti in her key-note paper said, “If anyone wants to know history and culture he or she should read the writings of Abdul Haque”.
Prof Odaedul Karim Dulal, Prof Imran Hossain, social scientist Dr Manjurul Alam Chowdhury and Assistant Prof Dr Ilu Ilius spoke at the programme.

CU Debating Society executives
Lutfor Rahman and Md Matiur Rahman Bijoy were elected president and general secretary of Chittagong University Debating Society (CUDS) at its annual general meeting at a local restaurant in port city on Friday, says a press release.
Prof Gazi Saleh uddin, CUDS moderator Dr Mahabubul Haque and debaters from different debate organisations were present.
Speakers hoped that the society would play a vital role to make strong debate movement in Chittagong as well as in Bangladesh. It would work hard to establish a corruption-free society, they added. They said it would take initiatives to create awareness to stop suicide tendency among a section of students of the Chittagong University.

'War criminals to be tried'
Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad said the war criminals will be tried during the tenure of the present government.
He said this while he was speaking as the chief guest at a reunion of lawyers of Chittagong District Bar Association (CDBA) organised by Combined Lawyers Coordination Council in the association auditorium on Thursday.
Azad said Leader of the Opposition in Parliament is trying to save her corrupt sons as well as to foil the war crimes trial.
He said government has taken initiatives for constructing additional buildings in every courts as well as appointing new judges to dispose of the pending cases.
He said Chittagong has been playing vital role in every national movement since the British regime. He expressed hope that Chittagong will also play vital role in future in any national crisis.
Chittagong University Vice Chancellor Prof Anwarul Azim Arif in his speech as special guest said the anti-liberation forces are trying to create unrest in the country.
He urged every body including the lawyers to resist these anti-liberation forces.
CDBA President Advocate Salehuddin Haider Siddique, member of Bangladesh Bar Council Advocate Anwarul Kabir Chowdhury, Chittagong district public prosecutor Advocate Abul Hashem, Advocate Subhash Chandra Lala and Chittagong city Awami League General Secretary Kazi Enamul Hoque Danu also spoke with Chittagong metropolitan public prosecutor Advocate Kamal Uddin Ahmed in the chair.

Move to shift Tea Auction Centre protested
Leaders of Brihottor Chattagram Unnayan Sangram Committee on Thursday protested a move to shift the Tea Auction Centre in Chittagong.
They urged the government to stop any sort of process of shifting the auction centre from Chittagong to Sylhet. They also threatened to launch greater movement.
The committee staged a sit-in in front of Chittagong Press Club to press home their demand.
Local Begali daily Purbokone editor Taslim Uddin Chowdhury, advocate Rana Das Gupto, former parliament member Kofil Uddin Ahmed and Jatiya Party leader Tapan Chakrabarty spoke at the programme.
Speakers said different political parties as well as all the successive governments pledged to turn Chittagong into commercial capital, deceiving the port city people.
They said all the governments pledged to establish headquarters of banks in Chittagong without taking any initiative in this regard. They alleged a section in the government has been trying to shift the Tea Auction Centre from Chittagong.

Women's SME Expo from Nov 10
Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CWCCI) will organise a month long 5th International Women's SME Expo Bangladesh 2011 from November 10 at Railway Pologround .
The CWCCI leaders said this at a press conference at Chittagong Club on Tuesday. CWCCI President Monwara Hakim Ali, Senior Vice President Khaleda A Awal, Vice President Gulshana Ali and Director Jinat Ara Nipun were present at the press conference.