Rana Plaza built on land grabbed from Rabindranath Sarkar

Rabindranath Sarkar

“Journalist brother. You are a Hindu, I am a Hindu. Please don’t do any more harm to me. You know, how Hindus have to live in this country. Rana Plaza collapsed on top of my house and office. Four of my staff and three of my house help died. After the accident, goods were looted from my house. I can’t even go into my own house.” Continue reading

Savar: Total eclipse of the state

Alal O Dulal collects  different views on rescue operations.

£45-a-month hero amputated girl's hand to save her from factory carnage

Didar Hossain visits Aanna Akhtar in hospital Photo: David Bergman

Blogger Nazrul: “Savar is being rescued by the common people of this country– from [religious] huzur to heavy metal listening punk kid; from scarf wearing girl to super mod girl, from lungi and torn genji wearing  low-income labor to shirt-pant wearing bhadralok. Everyone is here to help others. Human is for human, they proved it again today. Continue reading

10 Monster Traffic Jams

Dhaka makes it to BBC’s “10 monster traffic jams from around the world” list.

Dhaka jam

“Dhaka is arguably the most densely populated city in the world. It lacks a mass transit system or a major freeway to support the 15 million people who live and work here. A 15km ride in an auto-rickshaw can take two to three hours in heavy traffic, during which one often has to contend with dust, exhaust fumes, extreme heat and noise pollution. Traffic laws aren’t usually enforced and vehicles move in an terrifying dance routine. –Joshua Martin, Dhaka”
Full list here