& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Dhaka to set up inti science centre

By Staff Correspondent
The International Centre of Science, Technology and Environment for Densely Populated Region (ICSTED) will be set up In the capital next year.
This was disclosed yesterday by Prof Naseem Rahman, coordinator of the International Centre of Science and Technology (UNIDO), Trieste. Italy, at a press briefing at the Sheraton Hotel.
"Bangladesh has been selected as one of the site for setting up 20 such centres around the world," he said "and the preparatory work is ahead of schedule."
The government has agreed to provide land and building to house the centre in Dhaka and the foundation stone will be laid sometime in February, he said.
Two possible sites have been offered to house the centre, one in Sher-c-Bangla Nagar while the other in Uttara, by Works Minister Rafiqul Islam Mian, he added.
"The Prime Minister will likely lay the foundation stone and Professor Salam has promised that he would be present," he added.
Terming his current visit to finalise the formalities to act up the centre as a "very successful experience", he lauded the government support provided for it.
Prime Minister Begum
Khaleda Zia expressed Bangladesh's interest In hosting the centre in letters to Prof Abdus Salam, director of the centre in Trieste, he said.
"The Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Dr Mosharraf Hossain personally attended the last meeting of the centre In Kuwait, chaired a session and strongly presented Bangladesh's case."
The proposed centre's primary objective would bq to deal with problems of densely populated countries through applied research, he said.
"The main concern will be specially geared towards the problems of the densely populated countries and it Is only natural that such a centre is set up In Bangladesh, one of the most densely populated countries in the world."
No fundamental research would be done at the centre, he said, which 1s too expensive and would be Impossible to sustain.
"However, results of advanced research done in developed countries would be applied here and we hope that not only Bangladesh will benefit from it but also other densely populated regions of the world."
Prof Rahman pointed out that Initially five broad areas have been selected for research by the centre in
rroni i vol /
Bangladesh. These Include environment and natural’disaster protection, population control and bio-technological research. computer software development. human resources development and research In material science, which would include development of the. natural products like Jute and' also semi-conductors and other solid-state technologies.
At least 15 senior scientists. both local and foreign, would be working tn each of these five areas, with a number of junior scientists working under them, he said. The total workforce at the centre would be around 150.
All the scientists would be under five-year contracts and the centre would have five directors. one of whom would become the director general on a rotating basis.
With the government agreeing to provide land, building and local staff for the centre, he said. "We expect 80 per cent of the expenditure to come as donations from friendly countries and that all research would be done through International con-
tract." He added that the United Nations International Development organisation (UNIDO) and the World Bank arc likely to finance the centre’s projects.
Prof Rahman noted that the Italian Ambassador in Dhaka during a recent meeting assured us of strong support to make the centre a success.
A coritract research worth 50.000 US dollars would be Initiated shortly with the local universities, he said.
The 20 countries selected to be sponsored as networks of centres include Pakistan. Shri Lanka. Malaysia and Egypt.
A Bangladeshi, Prof Rahman is currently teaching at the University of Trieste and has worked with Prof Salam for the last three years In the centre at Trieste.
Dr A M Choudhury, director of the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation. Amir Hussath Khan, chief scientific officer of the Atomic Energy Commission, and Khalilur Rahman, Professor of Bio-Chemistry, Dhaka University, who is currently working at the Trieste centre, were also present at the press briefing.