Mathews Chiran

In this era of connectivity, digital technology has a deep impact on book publishing and the way people read.

Dhaka is known for its festivities. Be it Eid, Puja, or Pahela Baishakh celebrations, there’s at least a few occasions that are celebrated en masse every month.

Among the innumerable stalls and pavilions at this year’s Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela, you might spot an unusual stall where individuals in uniform are giving instructions about what to do in case of burn injuries.

While literary fiction remains the heavyweight at Amar Ekushey Grantha Mela, a loyal fan base has kept poetry well and truly alive at the month-long book fair.

After an exhausting month of trade fair and city polls, the book fair got off to a slow start on February 2. But as the first weekend of the month rolled around, city dwellers thronged the fair, re-energised and ready to indulge in literature.

Amid concerns over the massive amount of laminated election posters causing serious environmental damage, a youth organisation has undertaken initiatives to recycle the material to help underprivileged children.

Awami League mayor candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Atiqul Islam spent a busy day yesterday, meeting party members and preparing for the election.

There will be monthly meetings between ward councillors and locals in each area every month if he is elected, so that residents can hold the councillor responsible for their work and also can talk about their problems, Awami League DNCC mayor candidate Atiqul Islam said yesterday.

Even after the High Court order to immediately stop production and use of laminated city polls campaign posters, they are still seen across the capital.

Supporters of Awami League mayor candidate Atiqul Islam went around the city yesterday, asking people to vote for Boat in the upcoming mayor election.

As the capital is abuzz with campaigns for the city corporation polls, candidates are found using loudspeakers during the hours when it is not permitted by electoral rules.

With election to the Dhaka city corporations around a week away, ward councillor candidates are campaigning in full swing. However, most of them do not have any specific vision to develop their wards, if elected.

Women candidates for elections to the reserved ward councillor posts of two Dhaka city corporations don’t just want to be “ornamental councillors”; they want to make the city safer for women and have demanded a balance of power between them and their male counterparts so that they can serve people properly.

Exercise your franchise! Come to the polling centres overcoming all obstacles and vote!

Speeding up mosquito control activities, proper waste management, repairing roads and solving waterlogging problems -- these are the main issues residents of newly-added wards expect to be solved by their mayor.

While the two Dhaka city corporations often get flak for delay in development and other works or lacking in implementation of plans, a lot of those criticisms would sound rather harsh when one considers that there have been no new recruitment to the city corporations in over eight years -- since Dhaka City Corporation was split in two in 2011 -- and a large number of posts remain vacant.

Every day at the break of dawn, Albert Mrong sets out from home on his bicycle with a bag full of medicines. He rides over the uneven terrain of Madhupur -- surrounded by banana orchards -- stopping at homes of worried villagers and giving them necessary vaccines and antidote for their cattle.

With an aim to help pedestrians cross an intersection safely and reduce risks of accidents, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) in October installed “push button time countdown” signal systems on a pilot basis in two of its areas.

On one side of a road that goes to Bawnia through Dolipara in Uttara, there’s a runway for planes to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. This restricted area is demarcated with a tall-wire fence, from which people often look through to see airplanes come and go.

Every month, councillors of Dhaka North City Corporation hold a meeting at Nagar Bhaban in Gulshan to discuss various issues of their wards. The meetings are headed by DNCC Mayor Md Atiqul Islam.