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TO THE EDITOR
Bangladesh Betar and VOA
We are living in a global village where information technology plays a vital role in getting the latest news from all the corners of the world. Internet, television, satellite are the media, which are much appealing, but at the same time the usefulness of and entertainment from the radio is indeed undeniable. Though old, this particular media still has its popularity competing with the modern media. In this context our national broadcasting centre "Bangladesh Betar" is not an exception. Moreover, the recent initiatives of engineers' training
programme taken by the Voice of America (VoA) to boost the quality of Bangladesh Betar is greatly appreciable. This will not only improve the technological standard of broadcasting programme but strengthen the ties between the two countries also.
As a regular English news listener of Bangladesh Betar, I would like to thank VoA for its timely step. I would also like to request the concerned authority to arrange training programmers for broadcasting news so that we could listen to some free, passionate, pleasant and lively voices where news would be an entertainment rather than giving merely some information.
I hope, getting the proper training, some good news-broadcasters we have would one day maintain the international standard like that of VoA and BBC and make this media more popular than ever.
MD, Lecturer
BUBT
Traffic roundabouts
While going through Sultana Rahman's city column in your paper of 27th october on "Fountain on a faulty roundabout" made me remember parts of a write up in a US "Traffic Engineering" publication many years back.
In that article it was mentioned that roundabouts are suitable for managing traffic in intermittent low density traffic pattern where proper driver discipline can enable traffic to cross at right angles or take ninety degree turns without traffic lights or traffic policing. However it was stated that there must be clear all round visibility across the roundabout without any visual hindrance.
In contrast in Dhaka the roundabouts are profusely blocked with fountains, hoarding and dense bushes. There is no visibility across the roundabout. Regarding traffic stream, it is bumper to bumper usually and continuous. of driver discipline the
least said the better. Four policemen are needed for all the four roads that come in and out of the roundabout, and the policemen too cannot see across the roundabout. Too sum up; a real mess of a situation is created by our road builders, architects and advertising income hungry city corporation. Nobody cares or bothers about the needs of traffic management or road safety. The excuse is that there should be traffic lights to control the traffic. When we will have failure proof traffic lights is another mystery!
The minimum requirement for a satisfactory traffic control needs traffic lights with automatic change over timers, high quality bulbs, voltage
regulators and large capacity UPS to cater for the power shut outs that could extend any where from minutes to hours! All this needs a lot of money. I wonder if we have taken proper steps in this direction? Any stopgap or technically incomplete setup will cause the same problems again. However if there is a will there is a way. Do we have the will; or we prefer to live in confusion?
S A Mansoor
Dhaka
Confused!
A few days back, as I was reading the newspaper. My eyes caught the sight
of a news about Jainal Hazari. In the news, the word 'alleged' was used while mentioning about the crimes he had committed. I think that no sincere and sane person has any doubt in mind, about the true nature of this person. He was directly responsible for almost killing a journalist, and his men were also responsible for many misdeeds in Feni. His crimes had also been proved in court, and verdict had been given against him. So why is there so much confusion, in the mind of the correspondent of that report?
Zahedul Amin
Dhaka
Primary school text books by mid-December, 2003
For nearly two decades, we have not been able to give our primary school children their books in the first week of January. Though this year has been an exception, due to the alertness, sincerity and on the ground work of a noble state minister. In fact it is possible to do miraculous things in this country with sixty or more ministers. It is only our vision and purpose in life that makes the difference.
CS Mahtab
Dhaka