garment factories in high

8/2/2019 Garment Factories in High

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FOR WRITTEN PART

Garment factories in high-rise buildings

The media is regularly flooded with news of fires in factories located in high-rise buildings. Why this is

allowed? It is not the norm in the industrialised countries. Besides, factories are set up in the residential

areas of municipalities, where factory buildings do not exist. There is no publicity on these aspects for

public awareness. The govt. should review the factory codes to save human lives.

The govt. decided to shift the factories from the crowded cities, but the shifting arrangements are going

on at a very slow pace. Top priority is being given to non-essential mega-projects, for political publicity.

There are no moves for decentralisation of power and administration, with the result Dhaka mega city is

dying, and the other districts have no attractive power, due to monopoly by the politicians sitting in Dhaka.There is huge wastage of time and energy in chasing the opponents (the Opposition); and enough

attention is not being paid to long-term national projects. This is a symptom of amateurish governance.

In four decades, the spirit of independence has evaporated; while we are so passionate to observe the

annual anniversaries! This is due to lack of dedicated top leadership, who depend on sycophancy. It is

because the vast majority of the voters have no holding power (economically backward, and rural based).

Corrupt politics encourages indifference within the bureaucracy (not in public interest). We have the

advantage of huge human resources and cheap labour, but the latter are being exploited, leading to a

sort of slave labour conditions.

Using Facebook

Facebook is a leading social networking website. We communicate with

friends inside and outside the country through this site. Majority of the users of Facebook in our country

are students.

But it is a matter of regret that many students spend less time on study and use Facebook all the day.

Many of them create groups or pages on Facebook where they post a wide range of satirical remarks

about politicians and other renowned personalities. Some children open Facebook accounts showing fake

age.

Students should use Facebook for a specific time a day so that it does not hamper their study.

Our Greatest Saviour

Bangladesh is famous for two of its gifts of nature. One is the longest sea-beach of Cox's

Bazar and another is the Sundarbans. But to be true, the impact of the Sundarbans on our

life is far more than that of the beach. The Sundarbans is at the same time the largestmangrove forest in the world, a serene tourist spot, natural habitat for a large number ofspecies -- some of which are facing threat of extinction -- source of living for millions of


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people of the south-western coastal region and finally, a saviour of the whole country intimes of natural calamities like Sidr and Aila. In the event of Sidr in 2007, the forest

suffered a severe blow. Its trees and animals were badly affected. But as the forest contains

the indomitable spirit of living in itself, like the phoenix of Greek mythology, it survived theblow and became green again.

The forest stretches over Bangladesh and India, but Bangladesh has the larger portion of it.The area of Sundarbans in our country is 6,017 sq km, approximately 4% of the total area.

Every country ought to have forests not less than 25% of its total area. We have only 16%

and the Sundarbans covers 40% of it. Carbon emission by the advanced nations is causingcatastrophic environmental damage such as climate change and the less developed andpoor countries are the worst affected. In this backdrop, every country has to have its own

protection against environmental odds and forestation is the ultimate solution. TheSundarbans is like a shield against the natural calamities that visit us routinely.

The impact of the Sundarbans on our life is manifold. It has its impact on the economy,environment and biodiversity. Most of the people of the southwestern region depend on the

Sundarbans directly or indirectly for their livelihoods. Some of them collect honey from

inside the forest and then sell them in the local market. They are called mouwali. A bigportion of honey supply of our country comes from this forest. Some deal in golpata, a kindof tree-leaf that rural people use to make the roofs of their houses. The golpata tree

abounds in the Sundarbans and those who collect them leaves are called bauwali. A largenumber of people also go fishing in the rivers to earn their bread.

Every year, some people who go inside the forest fall prey to the Royal Bengal Tiger,

another world famous species that is facing threat of extinction. Getting to see the Royal

Bengal Tiger in the Sundarbans is a rare opportunity, but pugmarks can be seen in almost

every part of the forest. Herds of spotted deer sipping water from a lake is the scene that

attracts tourists the most.

Politics, Yes ... Change, Not Yet

ASYED BADRUL AHSAN reflects on the government's promises and politics of change.

First, the truth. Something Barack Obama did during his campaign for the United Statespresidency in 2008 quickly caught on around the world. He promised change if he wereelected to the White House. And suddenly other politicians in other countries were picking

up the idea, to tell their own people that change was theirs for the asking, only if they voted

for those who promised it. That was what the Awami League did in the campaign leading upto the general elections of December 2008. Having gone through the bitter experience ofthe Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government, a period which saw Sheikh Hasina

undergo a spell of imprisonment and, before that, a bitter struggle to be let back into thecountry following a bad move by the authorities to prevent her return from a trip abroad,the Awami League appeared willing and ready to inaugurate a new phase in national

politics. Its pledge was one of change. It called the promise "dinbodol-er rajniti" -- thepolitics of change.

Briefly, Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League gave people to understand that certain reformmeasures the caretaker administration had undertaken during its tenure would bemaintained, indeed strengthened. And into that set of measures came, or so people

thought, more accountability and transparency in government through having such bodies


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as the Election Commission, the Public Service Commission and the Anti-CorruptionCommission operate independently and so underpin the overall idea of government as a

thriving, throbbing experience in modern times. There was the pledge of an

institutionalisation of local government through a clear devolution of authority away fromthe centre. The party promised an independent judiciary; it spoke of respecting a free press.Indeed, it informed the nation that the right to information was one it would protect as part

of its policy plank. The party promised other crucial steps as such, among which was a trialof the collaborators of the Pakistan occupation army in 1971. The Awami League also madeit clear that it would bring the assassins of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to justice,

13 years after they had been convicted and which conviction had run into inordinate delays

insofar as implementation was concerned owing to the indifference of the BangladeshNationalist Party-Jamaat-e-Islami government to the entire process in the five yearspreceding the declaration of a state of emergency in January 2007.

Two years after the Awami League assumed power, yet once again, in January 2009, it

makes sense to ask whether or not the party has kept its promises; indeed, whether it hastruly brought change as a central factor into Bangladesh's politics. The answer is not acomplex one, despite the complexities which politics has largely epitomised in all this period

since the December 2008 elections. And yet one cannot lose sight of the fact that the

government has found itself buffeted by unforeseen difficulties which, in the early stages,meant it spent a precious length of time finding its feet. The ground was made slipperyearly on through the mutiny which claimed the lives of 70 people, including 57 army

officers, at the Bangladesh Rifles in February 2009. Into office for a mere 50 days when the

murder and mayhem occurred, it was a rudely shaken government which needed to have itscredibility restored with the army in particular and with the country in general. In the end, it

did emerge, somewhat bruised but nevertheless secure, from the ramifications of themutiny.

And then, of course, came time for a fulfillment of the pre-election promises. The first signs

that the Awami League-led government was ready to go back on some of its pledges came

through its approach to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Retired General Hasan

Mashhud Chowdhury, having led the ACC during caretaker times with diligence and a clear

sense of purpose, ought to have carried on. Apparently, the new government thought

otherwise and there appeared to be a couple of reasons why the government wished to see

the back of the general. In the first place, contrary to its early promise of keeping the ACC

intact in terms of its authority, it mulled the idea of a less assertive structure. In the

second, it was plainly in the mood to downgrade the power of the chairman of the ACC

through putting an official of a lesser category in the job. In the event, it did both.

Chowdhury did the decent thing of walking away into the sunset. The ACC has not been the

same since.

The good bit in the story is one of the Election Commission and the Public Service

Commission retaining their authority and of the government not wading into any move tobring about any change in their authority or organisational structure. Add to that the party's

programme regarding a trial of the war criminals of 1971. Movement on this front has

clearly been slow and ponderous. With the constitution of a War Crimes Tribunal in Marchthis year, it was the general expectation that the detention of alleged war criminals and

their trial would swiftly follow. That has not happened. More to the point, a number of

questions regarding the specific, foolproof laws under which the trials will be conducted, theopportunities for defence provided to the accused, the collection and collation of evidence,et cetera have been raised over the past few weeks. Besides, individuals and organisations


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engaged in the job of seeing justice done to the killers of 1971 have underscored suchsignificant points as the need not only to bring individual war criminals to trial but also such

organisations as the Jamaat-e-Islami, which unreservedly cooperated with Pakistan duringBangladesh's War of Liberation in 1971.

Be it noted, though, that the trial of war criminals is not and has never been in any doubt.

But what does raise questions is whether the government will have enough preparations tobegin and conclude the trials before its term in office comes to an end in 2013. With

Bangladesh's electoral politics conventionally marked by an unpredictability of outcome,

such fears are only to be treated as natural. There is, after all, the memory of the past. Inearly 1972, the government of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman pledged to putPakistan army officers and their local Bengali collaborators on trial for war crimes committed

in 1971. In the event, no trials took place. Under a tripartite deal among Bangladesh, Indiaand Pakistan, all Pakistani military personnel detained as prisoners of war in India wereallowed to go home. Following Bangabandhu's death in August 1975, the Collaborators Act

of 1972 was repealed in December 1975 by the regime of General Ziaur Rahman. The fearlurks among a sizeable section of political observers that, in the end, all this high gearactivity regarding the trial of war criminals might come to nought.

That said, the government has surely moved to right some manifest wrongs that had creptinto the Constitution per courtesy of military regimes in the past. The Fifth Amendment to

the Constitution has been done away with, through clear action on the part of the higherjudiciary, thus enabling the government to move ahead with the business of restoring thesecular nature of the Constitution as spelt out in 1972. And yet the authorities have beenmoving with caution. There is as yet no clear conception on its part on whether religion-

based parties, banned under the original Constitution, will be permitted to operate inpolitics. Besides, the government has made it clear on a number of occasions that it doesnot mean to do away with the Bismillah principle, inserted into the Constitution by the Zia

regime.

Any assessment of the Awami League-led government must of course take into

consideration its performance in everyday governance. Law and order remains a pivotalissue, particularly in light of the extra-judicial killings which have gone on despite the hugeoutcry against such action on the part of the Rapid Action Battalion and other security

forces. The government has certainly not done itself or the country any favour by defendingthe killings as a necessity on the part of the law enforcers. In areas of quotidian concern,the incessant rise in prices of essential commodities has led to public frustration with the

government. In broad measure, the economy has remained stable, despite the unrest in the

garments sector and the agitational politics that seems to have become a pattern with theopposition BNP. To be sure, the government's handling of such matters as Begum Zia'scantonment residence have made things rather messy for it. Then again, the prime

minister's denunciation of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus over reports emanating inSweden have left the government red in the face. On another front, though, it has been a

mixed bag. And we speak of foreign policy here. But when you consider the plainlawlessness which young supporters and members of the ruling party have indulged in (read

Chhatra League and Jubo League here), there is little of the appreciative about thegovernment. It has not been able to rein in these young people.

With three years to go before the next spate of general elections, the Awami League, as theparty of government, patently needs to re-invigorate itself. It has not governed badly, but

along the way it appears to be losing its sense of purpose. Ministers have spoken in

discordant voices; lawmakers have acted in less than democratic fashion. The change the


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party promised before the 2008 elections has not come to pass. It has been politics asusual. The feeling, a worrying one, grows that what ought to have been parliamentary

government is fast dwindling into prime ministerial administration.

Change, ladies and gentlemen, is yet a long way off.

Syed Badrul Ahsan is Editor, Current Affairs, The Daily Star.

The Climate Change Challenge

DR. ABDUL MATIN examines the causes and effects of global warming and how to counterit.

Global warming has become one of the most serious environmental problems now

threatening the livelihood of millions of people and the economies of many developingcountries including Bangladesh. It is believed that increases in concentrations of greenhouse

gases, including carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere are responsible for global warming.Other major environmental problems affecting Bangladesh include reduced flow of water in

the rivers, pollution of water, air and soil with adverse effects on agriculture, health, floraand fauna.

Since about 1750, the concentrations of carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases

have been increasing steadily. The present atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide isabout 391 ppm by volume. The increase of carbon dioxide concentration from 1958 to

20061 is shown in Fig. 1. Different scenarios project carbon dioxide concentration to

increase to a range of 541-970 ppmby the year 2100.

The emissions of carbon dioxide byselected countries, based on recentlyavailable data2, are shown in Table-1.

The table shows that while China topsthe list in total emissions, USA has

the highest per capita emission. Asexpected, the emission by

Bangladesh is very low both in termsof total and per capita emissions due

to low consumption of energy. The

irony is that, with one of the lowest

emission rates of greenhouse gases,Bangladesh has become one of themost vulnerable countries to globalwarming.

Global temperatures on both land andsea have increased by 0.75 0C

relative to the period 1860-1900 dueto global warming. Increasing global

temperatures are believed to be


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causing climatic changes and variations. The report of the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) published in 20073 confirms that the average temperature of the

global ocean has increased. This rise of temperature causes sea water to expand,

contributing to sea level rise. The glaciers are also melting in both the hemispheres, thuscausing further increases in sea level. Global average sea level rose at an average rate of1.8 mm per year from 1961 to 2003. The rate was faster during 1993 to 2003, about 3.1

mm per year. Droughts have been more intense over wider areas since 1970s. The patternof rainfall has changed. Heavy rainfalls during off seasons and at unusual places causingsevere floods have been observed. Changes in extreme temperatures have been noticed

over the last 50 years. There are now more hot days and hot nights and less cold days andcold nights than before.

The IPCC predicts that by the end of the 21st century, climate change will result in aprobable temperature rise between 1.8C and 4C, with a possible temperature risebetween 1.1C and 6.4C. The sea level rise is most likely to be 18-79 cm. As a result of

the sea level rise, vast low lying coastal areas, including those in Bangladesh, may go underwater with disastrous effects on agriculture, ecology and economy. It is further postulatedthat climate change will have significant impacts, including increased stress on water

supplies and a widening threat of species extinction. Agriculture and forestry will be badly

affected. Natural disasters may be more frequent and severe. New kinds of diseases mayaffect both human and animal health.

To reduce the emission of greenhousegases, the Kyoto Protocol4 was signedon December 11, 1997 and it entered

into force on February 16, 2005.According to this protocol, theindustrialised countries are due to

reduce their collective emissions ofgreenhouse gases by 5.2% compared tothe year 1990.

The United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change5 agreed

that the developed countries weremainly responsible for the largest shareof historical and current global emissions of greenhouse gases. It was also agreed that the

share of global emissions originating in developing countries would grow to meet their socialand economic development.

At the United Nations Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change6 in December 2009, theUnited States of America, India, Brazil, South Africa and China came to an agrement tocombat global warming without any specific agenda on emissions. The agreement, however,

committed the countries to keep global warming at or below 2 degrees Celsius. It alsopromised US$ 30 billion in funding to battle climate change by 2012.

In December 2010, more than 190 countries agreed at the UN-led conference on globalwarming and climate change at Cancun in Mexico7 to take 'urgent action' to limittemperature rises to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial

levels and asked for studies on 'strengthening the commitment to 1.5 degrees Celsius'. The

agreement requires wealthy countries to cut emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020


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compared with 1990 levels. The United States of America, not being a signatory to theKyoto Protocol, is not bound by this section of the resolution.

The Cancun Conference also agreed to set up a "Green Climate Fund" to administerassistance to poor nations, which are already experiencing more floods, droughts and other

climatic variations. The fund is designed to distribute 100 billion dollars per year by 2020,

while European Union, Japan and the United States of America pledged 30 billion dollars asimmediate assistance.

Various mechanisms are available for the reduction of carbon dioxide emission8

The Climate Change Challenge

DR. ABDUL MATIN examines the causes and effects of global warming and how to counter it.

AMIRUL RAJIV

Global warming has become one of the most serious environmental problems now threateningthe livelihood of millions of people and the economies of many developing countries including

Bangladesh. It is believed that increases in concentrations of greenhouse gases, includingcarbon dioxide, in the atmosphere are responsible for global warming. Other major

environmental problems affecting Bangladesh include reduced flow of water in the rivers,pollution of water, air and soil with adverse effects on agriculture, health, flora and fauna.

Since about 1750, the concentrations of carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases

have been increasing steadily. The present atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is

about 391 ppm by volume. The increase of carbon dioxide concentration from 1958 to 20061is shown in Fig. 1. Different scenarios project carbon dioxide concentration to increase to arange of 541-970 ppm by the year 2100.


8/12

The emissions of carbon dioxide byselected countries, based on recently

available data2, are shown in Table-1.

The table shows that while China topsthe list in total emissions, USA has thehighest per capita emission. As

expected, the emission by Bangladeshis very low both in terms of total andper capita emissions due to low

consumption of energy. The irony is

that, with one of the lowest emissionrates of greenhouse gases, Bangladeshhas become one of the most vulnerable

countries to global warming.

Global temperatures on both land andsea have increased by 0.75 0C relativeto the period 1860-1900 due to global

warming. Increasing global

temperatures are believed to be causingclimatic changes and variations. Thereport of the Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change (IPCC) published in 20073 confirms that the average temperature of the

global ocean has increased. This rise of temperature causes sea water to expand, contributingto sea level rise. The glaciers are also melting in both the hemispheres, thus causing further

increases in sea level. Global average sea level rose at an average rate of 1.8 mm per year

from 1961 to 2003. The rate was faster during 1993 to 2003, about 3.1 mm per year.Droughts have been more intense over wider areas since 1970s. The pattern of rainfall has

changed. Heavy rainfalls during off seasons and at unusual places causing severe floods havebeen observed. Changes in extreme temperatures have been noticed over the last 50 years.There are now more hot days and hot nights and less cold days and cold nights than before.

The IPCC predicts that by the end of the 21st century, climate change will result in a probabletemperature rise between 1.8C and 4C, with a possible temperature rise between 1.1C and6.4C. The sea level rise is most likely to be 18-79 cm. As a result of the sea level rise, vast

low lying coastal areas, including those in Bangladesh, may go under water with disastrous

effects on agriculture, ecology and economy. It is further postulated that climate change willhave significant impacts, including increased stress on water supplies and a widening threat of

species extinction. Agriculture and forestry will be badly affected. Natural disasters may be

more frequent and severe. New kinds ofdiseases may affect both human andanimal health.

To reduce the emission of greenhousegases, the Kyoto Protocol4 was signed on

December 11, 1997 and it entered intoforce on February 16, 2005. According to

this protocol, the industrialised countriesare due to reduce their collective

emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2%compared to the year 1990.


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The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change5 agreed that the developedcountries were mainly responsible for the largest share of historical and current global

emissions of greenhouse gases. It was also agreed that the share of global emissions

originating in developing countries would grow to meet their social and economicdevelopment.

At the United Nations Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change6 in December 2009, theUnited States of America, India, Brazil, South Africa and China came to an agrement to

combat global warming without any specific agenda on emissions. The agreement, however,

committed the countries to keep global warming at or below 2 degrees Celsius. It alsopromised US$ 30 billion in funding to battle climate change by 2012.

In December 2010, more than 190 countries agreed at the UN-led conference on globalwarming and climate change at Cancun in Mexico7 to take 'urgent action' to limit temperature

rises to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels and askedfor studies on 'strengthening the commitment to 1.5 degrees Celsius'. The agreement requireswealthy countries to cut emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020 compared with 1990 levels.

The United States of America, not being a signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, is not bound by this

section of the resolution.

The Cancun Conference also agreed to set up a "Green Climate Fund" to administer assistance

to poor nations, which are already experiencing more floods, droughts and other climaticvariations. The fund is designed to distribute 100 billion dollars per year by 2020, while

European Union, Japan and the United States of America pledged 30 billion dollars asimmediate assistance.

Various mechanisms are available for the reduction of carbon dioxide emission8. These include

increasing the efficiencies of fossil fuel fired power plants, switching power generation fromfossil fuels to renewable energy sources and to nuclear energy, energy conservation and

storing of carbon dioxide at major source points, development of new carbon sinks, etc.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a system to mitigate climate change by capturing carbondioxide from major sources such as power plants and subsequently storing it away safely

instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Carbon sequestration is a process to removecarbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Various methods of artificially capturing and storing

carbon, as well as enhancing natural sequestration processes, are being explored. The main

natural process is photosynthesis by plants and single-celled organism, like algae. Probableoptions for natural sinks are reforestration and cultivation of algae.

Being one of the most vulnerable countries, Bangladesh has been playing a vital role in allinternational conferences on climate change, demanding cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide

and compensation for mitigation of the effects of climate change. Bangladesh Climate Change

Strategy and Action Plan 20099 stipulates construction of embankments and cyclone shelters,

raising the levels of roads and rail lines, development of new varieties of crops that areresistant to drought, flood and salinity, better management of irrigation water, reforestationand provision of drinking water and healthcare facilities in the affected areas.

Bangladesh is likely to get substantial compensation from the proposed Green Climate Fund.

We must make realistic and effective plans and build up our managerial capability for properand transparent utilisation of all climate funds. Without such measures, all efforts formitigation of the effects of climate change will go in vain.


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Bangladesh is situated at the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers,forming the largest delta in the world. Alluvial soil deposited by 57 trans-boundary rivers has

created one of the most fertile plains in the world with an estimated population of over 160

million. Most parts of Bangladesh are less than 12 m (39.4 ft) above seal level. Because of thisunique geophysical location, Bangladesh is bestowed with a rich biological diversity. TheSundarbans, the world's largest mangrove and home to the famous royal Bengal tigers and

spotted deer, is situated in the southern coastal region of Bangladesh.

Due to a high population density

(~1,100 per sq. km), thepressure on both water and landhas been multiplying. The flow

of water in the rivers is alreadyreduced substantially because ofdiversion of water for irrigation

and other uses upstream inIndia. Most of the water bodiesget dried up during the winter

mainly due to irrigation. This is

causing irreversible damages toboth flora and fauna besidesaffecting navigability. Many

varieties of fish and other

aquatic species have alreadydisappeared. The remaining

water bodies are getting

polluted due to excessive use ofpesticides and chemical

fertilisers in rural areas anddischarge of untreated industrial

and municipal wastes in urban

areas. The World ConservationUnion in 2000 classified 40% of

Bangladesh's freshwater fishspecies, the major source ofanimal protein to the local

population, as threatened withextinction.

Because of shortage of surfacewater, both irrigation and supplyof potable water have become heavily dependent on underground aquifers. Consequently, the

underground water levels have gone down substantially without being recharged regularly. In

many places, the underground water has been contaminated with arsenic. This has become aserious health hazard in many areas in Bangladesh. It is reported that arsenic has also enteredinto the human food chain, mainly the staple food rice, in some places.

The water problem is likely to be more acute as more water is likely to be diverted upstreamof the rivers, both in India and China. We must reduce our dependence on underground

aquifers to avoid possible soil subsidence. To solve the water crisis, there is an urgent need ofa mega-plan for storage and management of surface water.

AMIRUL RAJIV


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The pressure on land and the demand for firewood are causing large-scale deforestation inBangladesh, particularly in the preserved areas of Sundarbans, Modhupur, Bhawal, Chittagong

and other places. According to a USAID report10, "Bangladesh now has among the smallest

areas of protected and intact forest in the world, consisting of 1.4% of its landmass." Stepshave, however, been taken by the government to plant more trees and to reverse the processof deforestation.

The unplanned disposal of solid wastes, particularly polyethylene bags, caused serious threats

to the soil and the drainage systems in urban areas. There has been some improvement to

this problem due to restrictions imposed by the government on the manufacture and sale ofpolyethylene bags. Local air pollution is observed in some urban areas and other places due toexhausts coming from automobiles, brick kilns, power plants and small diesel generators.

The government enacted the Bangladesh Ecological Conservation Act 1995 "for conservation,

improvement of environmental standards and control and mitigation of environmentalpollution". Other major preservation laws include Bangladesh Wild Life (Preservation) Order of1973, the Marine Fisheries Ordinance 1983, the Brick Burning (Control) Act of 1983, etc.

Unfortunately, these laws are not being applied rigidly even though the government recently

set up environmental courts to take legal action against pollution.

Strict legal action is necessary against major industrial and municipal polluters and violators of

the preservation laws. Legal action alone is not, however, enough for conservation of theenvironment and preservation of wild life, flora and fauna. What is more important is thecreation of public awareness.

For conservation of the environment, there should be more dissemination of information

through the news and electronic media. Mass awareness is essential to reduce degradation of

the environment. Environmental science should be taught at all schools and colleges as acompulsory subject. Efforts must continue more vigorously to control the population growth

which is the root cause of environmental degradation. We must remember that we have only

one country and one planet. We must conserve the environment to save our country and theplanet. The survival of humanity will depend on how we treat the environment.

Of Youth and Optimism

SHAYERA MOULA ponders over the give-and-take relationship between the nation and itsyouth.

"No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve

over a lifetime. Young people must be included from birth. A society that cuts off from its youth severs its lifeline."

AMIRUL RAJIV

Every generation is sworn to believe that they are ambitiously unsound compared to their

preceding ones. Bangladeshi youth, more often than not, do a good job handling optimism in a

nation that provides fewer great jobs for a massive pool of talent, enthrals everyone withhours of traffic jam, and refuses to withdraw from the vicious cycle of political instability. One

should celebrate the patience, which is often tested to its limits, as the youth struggle to keepup with global competition, the latest technology market and attempts to fulfil the highest of


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expectations demanded from careers, families and the society at large.

The complexities of control over mind and body in the era of corporate competition and theaggressive economy have set in motion certain ideologies. This generation has come to termswith the fact that they can never afford to buy their own land, a house or apartment or even a

car without the default structure of long-lasting loans which in itself, as we are aware, have

caused worldwide damage to a global economic meltdown.

The relationship between the nation and its youth, however, is never a pessimistic one.

Considering the strong current of waves that are thrown hard at the youth, nobody has

actually given up. There is no massive genocide, there is no large anti-nationalist partiescharging the streets every day and, most importantly, there is no lack of hope.

A history of anticipation

Some of the biggest movements towards the Independence of Bangladesh have a rich history

of the nation's young blood and dedication engraved within it. In February 21 of 1952,students had begun gathering on the premises of Dhaka University in defiance of Section 144.

In the early hours they gathered at the university gate in an attempt to break the police line,where some students ran in to the Dhaka Medical College and others rallied towards the

university premises. Numerous arrests of these students were made to which more violencebroke out and after a group of students had sought to storm into the East Bengal Legislative

Assembly to block the legislators' way, the police opened fire and killed a number of studentsincluding Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar.

A gathering of more than 30,000 people congregated at Curzon Hall, consisting of students

initially, prompted people from all sectors and sections of the society including colleges, banksand the radio station, to boycott offices and join the procession. On February 23, Dhaka

Medical College students constructed a Shaheed Smritistombho, (Monument of Martyrs) that

had the words "Shaheed Smritistombho" handwritten on it, which was destroyed on February26 by the police. More killings following more movements led to Bangla not only being the

official language of Bangladesh but to February 21 being the International Language Daycelebrated across the globe.

That was but just the beginning of the step towards anti-segregation and nationalism.

The formation of the Mukti Bahini consisted mostly of regulars and civilians after theproclamation of Bangladesh's independence on March 26, 1971 but had a large population of

18-22-year-olds assisting the larger armed forces during the war. After the war "Mukti Bahini"

became a term referred to all forces (military and civilian) of former East Pakistani originfighting against the Pakistani armed forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Jahanara

Imam in her "Of Blood and Fire" acknowledges the difficulty of keeping her son, Rumi, withinthe safety of her home only because the rage within him became too difficult to control. The

spirit of his fight for the nation, be it at the cost of his life in the process, was too strong wherea mother is forced to give in, she wrote in her diary: "I sacrifice you [Rumi] to the cause of thenation. You may join the war." This chemistry between the land and its youth is a worldwidephenomenon of course.

garment factories in high

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