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     Volume 7 Issue 35 | August 29, 2008 |


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Letters

Waste Management
The disposal of domestic rubbish at certain places selected by the concerned authority is a vital task to get rid of an unhygienic environment. It is a the basic civilised thing to dump these materials into dustbins in a safe manner. What is the most appalling thing in our country regarding the waste management system is the lack of our spontaneity in handling garbage material properly. In most of the cases, people throw away the waste materials anywhere they like or around the dustbins as they are too filthy for anybody to dare go near. Horribly enough, I have seen people throwing domestic garbage from high-rise buildings on top of passer-by's heads. However, the dustbins are hardly cleaned, let alone any cover to help protect the air from being polluted. The poor management of waste gives rise to various new problems and hazards ranging from blockage of drains to obnoxious air and water pollution. Much of the water logging in the city is caused by the blockage of drains. While crossing the dustbins people are often seen trying to hold their breath due to the unpleasant odour produced from the dustbins. But it is a matter of great grief that the authorities concerned for handling this problem are not performing their tasks properly and the general people are not aware of their duties to keep the environment clean. The concerned authorities cannot be solely held responsible for keeping our environment clean. It is a problem that we all face and it should be dealt with in cooperation and consciousness from everyone concerned.
Sarwar Hussain
Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering
University of Chittagong

Cover Story on Fazle H Abed
I thoroughly enjoyed the cover story on Fazle H. Abed and BRAC published on the Aug 8, 2008 issue of The Star Magazine. I learned a lot about Mr. Abed as a man and his vision of a poverty free Bangladesh. I am very proud of his achievements and more so because I have been out of Bangladesh for almost twenty three years now. It is a man like Mr. Abed and his institution that make us proud in this distant land.
I thank you again for taking the initiative to inform us about this outstanding man and his institution.
Iftekhar Rasul
Richmond, Virginia
USA

Heartfelt Thanks to Chintito
I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Chintito for his outstanding article 'Children of a Lesser Country' (August 8, 2008). I find his columns really fascinating. He has rightfully protested against the inhuman torture of our respectable migrants by the Kuwaiti police. It is a matter of great sorrow that our embassy in Kuwait could not do anything to ensure the workers' rights.
Md. Shahadat Hosen
Dept. of Marketing
DU

*******

I am very glad that Chintito made some effort to protest against the treatment that our workers received in Kuwait. It is true that our brothers in different countries are living a miserable life. Though they are earning foreign currency for us they are suffering from many difficulties such as poor wages, unhealthy working environment etc. And as different times in the newspapers we have seen how they have pleaded for a fair working environment from their employers. And our embassies in those countries have done little to help them, completely avoiding their responsibility. Moreover they always try to avoid the matter. Aren't they the representatives of our country? Aren't they responsible for our people? They should be held accountable for the present condition and should take steps to solve the problem so that our brothers, not only in Kuwait, but in different countries can work peacefully.
M.M. Iqbal Hossain
Senior Quality Assurance Officer
BEXIMCO Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Tongi, Gazipur

A Wake-up Call

It is astonishing that the price of rice has doubled from before. There is still no sign of the price going down. The condition of the country's middle and lower income groups is critical. It's not only rice but a lot of other very essential items that need to have their prices brought down so that these groups can maintain a certain standard of living. I think the government needs to take immediate steps to bring the prices down. The government should form an investigative team to find out what is causing the prices to spiral out of control.
Mridul Samadder
B.Sc in computer Science
Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Fortune Maker
After reading the report “Harris-the fortune maker” (August 15, 2008), I felt really astonished about how this man accumulated his wealth worth TK 85 crore. Is it possible for a political secretary of the PM, being a citizen of such a poor country, to make such wealth without using any unfair means? It is hard to think of us as a poor country by the amount of wealth our political leaders own. When there is a crisis they just leave the country. Mr. Harris misused his power as he had the access to both 'Hawa Bhaban' and the PMO. Won't these political leaders ever think about the betterment of the country and those people who are living below the poverty line?
They should be given exemplary punishment for feeding off the poor people's share. Otherwise, they will continue to multiply their wealth and the poor will just keep getting poorer.
Sunny Rahman
Student of BBA Department
East West University

Sexual Harassment
I am shocked, dazed, and confused after reading the cover story 'Violating a Sacred Relationship' (August 1, 2008). It's hard to imagine such harassment being initiated by a teacher towards a student. How long must we put up with such harassment? Why is the government still silent? We, the students of universities, colleges, and schools want no more violence and harassment on campus anymore. We do not need the services of such unscrupulous teachers. We want an end to gender discrimination. The government should immediately take steps to pass the policy against sexual harassment so that these culprits can be apprehended.
Md. Nasir Uddin Morol
University of South Asia
Banani, Dhaka

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