Wednesday, July 25, 2012

No more graft in Padma project, assures Finance Minister AMA Muhith


BANGLADESH NEWS

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Wednesday assured that there would be no corruption in future in constructing the Padma bridge project.

The minister also revealed that the construction work of the bridge will begin by this year, Muhith said in a writer statement at his Secretariat office.

The minister was also hopeful that the World Bank (WB) will release the fund for Padma bridge as two conditions set by the WB have been fulfilled.

"I hope the World Bank will reconsider it's decision regarding the fund," the minister said.

The WB cancelled its $1.2 billion credit for the Padma bridge project on June 29, saying it had proof of a corruption conspiracy involving Bangladeshi officials, executives of a Canadian firm and private individuals.

As per the conditions of the WB, former communications minister Syed Abul Hossain resigned from the cabinet and the Anti-Corruption Commission has already formed an investigation committee to investigate into the matter of Padma bridge corruption.

The initial steps of Padma bridge construction have already been started, he said.

The copy of the statement was circulated among journalists.

No plan to review RMG wage structure: Labour and Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain,Bangladesh


BANGLADESH NEWS

The government has no plan to review the wage structure of the garment workers now as they can hardly enjoy the benefits of increased salary for higher house rent, said Labour and Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Wednesday.

Rather, the government is planning to introduce rationing system for the garment workers so that they can buy the food stuff at lower prices, the minister said.

“If the salary of the workers is increase now, the problem will be compounded further, because the house owners will increase the rent immediately. As a result, the garment workers will not be benefited from the wage hike,” he said.

“The owners increase the house rent even four times in a year, which is waning the income of the workers,” Khandker Mosharraf said at a press briefing after a meeting with international garment buyers and their representatives at his secretariat office in Dhaka.

The minister called the buyers at his office at a time when different quarters have been talking about the labour unrest in the garment sector and the country’s human rights and the future of ready-made garment (RMG) industry.

The minister said the situation of the country did worsen to a position for which the international buyers can cancel orders from Bangladesh to other destinations.


The food department and finance ministry are now in talk for starting rationing for the workers as their income is waning to the increasing inflation, the minister said.

Moreover, the government will review the rent control act soon and implement it strongly, so that the owners cannot increase the rent frequently, he said.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir blames govt for creating chaos in country,Bangladesh


BANGLADESH NEWS

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said that the government is throwing the country into chaos in a planned way.

“BNP does not want to see any chaos. We want peaceful handover of power. But it is the prime minister who is deliberately pushing the country into a dark tunnel,” he said while addressing a discussion meeting at the Jatiya Press Club.

Student leaders of 90’s organised the discussion demanding withdrawal of cases filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman.

The BNP leader alleged that cases were being filed against Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman only to keep them away from participating in the next general elections.

Alleging that the government has failed to run the country, Mirza Alamgir said resignation of Syed Abul Hossain proved that the minister was involved with Padma bridge corruption.

Arrestees four persons Killing of Saudi Embassy official Khalaf Al Ali,Bangladesh


BANGLADESH NEWS

Killing of Saudi Embassy official Khalaf Al Ali was a simple incident of mugging, detectives revealed on Wednesday quoting the four persons arrested in connection with the murder.

A bullet flied out of a .22 bore pistol of a mugger during a brawl with the embassy officer when the gang stopped him for mugging near his Gulshan house on March 6, said Mollah Nazrul Islam, deputy commissioner (DC) of Detective Branch of Police.

The DC was talking to reporters during a press briefing at the DB headquarters in the afternoon.

During the briefing, the DB did not produce the four arrestees before reporters.

Ali, 45, an official with the consular section of the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka, was shot dead near his house in the high security diplomatic enclave during the wee hours of March 6.

While briefing journalists, DC said detectives arrested Saiful Islam Mamun, 20, Rafiqul Islam Khokon, 22, Akbar Ali Lalu, 25, and Al Amin, 25, during separate drives conducted in different parts of the capital in the last week.

DB police first nabbed one of the arrestees along with a .22 bore pistol. As per his statement, the law enforcers later arrested the three others, he said.

The detectives sent the pistol to Forensic Department of CID following the recovery of .22 bore pistol as they suspected that the muggers may have a link with the killing of Saudi Embassy official.

The official was shot dead by a gun of same calibre.

On Sunday, Forensic Department of Criminal Investigation Department confirmed that the bullet that killed the Saudi official was fired from the same pistol, the DC said.

Being confirmed, police showed them arrested in the murder case and took them on an eight-day remand on Tuesday, he added.

During the first day's interrogation, the four criminals admitted their involvement with the killing of the Saudi official, he said.

As per their statement, police also seized a white car from Manikdi of Dhaka Cantonment area Tuesday night, the DC said. The car was used by the muggers during the killing.

On the fateful night, the snatchers waylaid Ali for mugging while he went out from his residence for jogging.

The Saudi official and the muggers engaged in a brawl while the official was trying to resist the criminals, the DC going on saying that at one stage, a bullet went off and hit the official.

Later, the muggers fled the scene hurriedly boarding the white car.

Hilsa fishes may go for good Study with India laments poor river ecosystem,Bangladesh


BANGLADESH NEWS

Hilsa fishes might stop coming to the river systems of Bangladesh and India and shift their spawning grounds to Myanmar rivers permanently, if the river ecosystem is not conserved in the two countries.
To safeguard the ecosystem, Bangladesh and India must increase waterflow, maintain navigation, control pollution and stop catching jatkas in their rivers, researchers said here yesterday while releasing a joint study on conservation of hilsa fish.
Hilsa breeding and migration grounds have been shrinking in both Bangladesh and India over the years, noted the experts.
They, howerver, did not elaborate on why the situation is better in Myanmar as the study did not cover that country. They made the assumption as river health is better there and the disturbance to hilsa is also less.
“We don't get any hilsa in the Padma, though Poba, Godagari, Charghat and even Chapainawabganj were famous for it. In fact, hilsa doesn't migrate to the upper waters in Shariatpur,” said Prof Dewan Ali Ahsan, chairman of the Department of Fisheries at Dhaka University.
If the salinity increases in the river water due to low flow of water from the upper stream and a rise in sea level, hilsa will not spawn in the Padma. Hilsa eggs and small fries cannot survive in salty water because their chloride cell does not develop during that time, mentioned Ahsan, a member of the Bangladesh-India joint study committee on “Migratory and Spawning Patterns for the Conservation of Hilsa in Bangladesh and India.”
Hilsa at present contributes one percent to Bangladesh's GDP and meets 10 percent of its total fish demands, said the study. It stressed “the importance of migratory and spawning patterns for the conservation of hilsa in Bangladesh and India.”
The hilsa spawn at Kalirchar of Sandwip, Dhalerchar and Moulavichar of Hatia, Monpura and Charfashion in Bhola of Bangladesh. Besides, there are five nursery grounds where jatka grows before going back to the sea, it was noted in the research.
The study was released at a policy dialogue jointly organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, India (CIFRI) at a local hotel. The dialogue is a part of IUCN's project, “Ecosystems for Life: A Bangladesh-India Initiative.”
The meeting emphasized the need to maintain the flow of fresh water in estuaries and associated mangrove ecosystems for sustainable hilsa fisheries.
Presenting the Indian part of the joint study, Dr Utpal Bhowmik, head of riverine ecology at CIFRI, said hilsa used to migrate upto Allahabad around 2,000 kilometres from the sea estuary.
But the Hoogly-Bhagiroti migratory route of the hilsa has been completely interrupted, mentioned the expert, due to construciton of the Farakka barrage.
Besides, less rainfall and temperature variations have also been preventing the hilsa species from migrating to Indian rivers for the last few years, he added.
Addressing the event as a guest of honour, Subrata Saha, minister of state, department of fisheries, warned that if no changes were made to current fishing practices, the hilsa stocks would be on the brink of collapse.
He explained that increased protection was now urgently needed to conserve Hilsa.
The study also revealed that most of the hilsa caught in Bangaldesh weigh around 750 grams to one kilogram, while the Indian variety weighs around 300 grams as the jatkas are not conserved here.
The dialogue made a set of recommendations to conserve hilsa fishes.
In Bangladesh, there is a restriction (during March-May) on the use of scoop nets for catching hilsa below 230mm. The experts suggested the Indian government adopt a similar policy to allow migration of jatkas to the sea.
They also recommended dredging the rivers at appropriate points along the Padma-Meghna and Hooghly-Bhagirathi river systems to maintain a proper flow of water to ensure hilsa migration.
Mokbul Hossain and Zafar Iqbal Siddique, members of the parliamentary standing committee on the fisheries and livestock ministry of Bangladesh, spoke as guests of honour.
Representatives from fishing communities and private sectors in Bangladesh and India also joined the dialogue.

Humayun Ahmed's laid to rest in rain,Bangladesh


BANGLADESH NEWS

One cannot but recall Humayun Ahmed's feature film Srabon Megher Din (Monsoon Days) as the illustrious storyteller was laid to rest in the serenity of his favourite retreat Nuhash Palli yesterday.
Rains that had always enthralled the fiction writer poured in Gazipur during his burial in a litchi garden as if the sky too was shedding tears.
Relatives, fans, well-wishers and villagers joined the rally of mourners in Pirujali village and wished a goodbye to the novelist and filmmaker.
Around noon, a convoy led by a freezer car carrying the body of Humayun reached the Palli where thousands of people had been waiting to receive the most celebrated writer of their time.
On the way, thousands lined up on roadsides to bid him farewell.
Before the namaz-e-janaza started at 1:35pm, people had paid tributes to Humayun Ahmed under a shade at the Palli that the writer built on 40-bigha land.
Kulsum, an octogenarian lady, said she had heard of a lot about the man, watched his TV plays, but never saw him in person. “I am here to see the famous man for the last time.”
After the janaza, Humayun Ahmed went on his last journey on shoulders of relatives and his son Nuhash.
Around 2:00pm, the coffin of the charismatic writer, who influenced millions for decades through more than 300 books, dozens of dramas and films, was lowered into the grave.
Humayun's second wife Meher Afroz Shaon broke down in tears as she took part in the burial throwing a handful of earth into the grave.
Nuhash along with daughters Nova and Sheela, brothers Ahsan Habib and Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, Zafar's wife Yasmeen Haque, sisters Sufia Haider and Mamtaz Shaheed held each other tight and wept.
Wet in tears and rains, fans and well-wishers joined filling up the gave with earth.
“Nuhash Palli had always been a place of happiness. Events like shooting dramas or cinemas were usual here. But the place is totally different today; today it's a mourning ground,” Khaleque Mia, a villager of Pirujali, told
Ejazul Islam, a staff of the Palli, said, “Sir [Humayun] was so good a man that he never misbehaved with us. We can never forget our memories with him.”
Ahsan Habib, himself a famous cartoonist and editor of satire magazine Unmad, said, “My brother has achieved fame far more than I had imagined.”
Earlier, the convoy of about 25 vehicles started its journey from the mortuary of city's Birdem Hospital around 9:10am. Many passers-by stopped and waved goodbye. The motorcade got longer as nearly a hundred other cars joined it on the way.
The decision that Humayun Ahmed would be buried at Nuhash Palli came at the wee hours of yesterday as the writer's Shaon refused to budge on that his husband's grave has to be at the Palli, saying it was his last wish.
However, Humayun's three children from his first wife -- Nova, Sheela and Nuhash -- wanted their father to be buried somewhere in Dhaka so that everyone can visit his grave easily.
On the prime minister's instruction, LGRD State Minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak got involved in the process of mediation. Finally, Sheela, Nova and Nuhash compromised on the dispute.
On Monday, thousands of people irrespective of caste and creed, religion and political parties paid their homage to the playwright at Central Shaheed Minar in the capital.
Later, his second namaz-e-janaza was held at the National Eidgah on the High Court premises. The first one was at Jamaica Muslim Centre in New York on Friday (Bangladesh time).
Humayun Ahmed, 64, who was a chemistry professor of Dhaka University before fully getting involved in writing, died at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital due to infection in lungs following two surgeries for colon cancer.
His brother Zafar Iqbal, who accompanied Humayun in New York, told these correspondents, “My brother was out of danger of cancer, but it was the infection that obstructed his recovery. It was very unfortunate for the family.”
HUMAYUN'S WISHES
After the burial, Shaon said Humayun had dreams to build a cancer hospital and an institution like Shanti Niketan. He also wanted the Nuhash Palli to be run by a board of trustees.
“Please pray for us so that we all can make his dreams come true as we fulfilled his last wish after reaching consensus in the family.”
Talking to reporters, Zafar Iqbal said, "We will surely extend all necessary cooperation to fulfil his [Humayun's] dreams."

Bangladesh Over 6,000 passports go to wrong hands Investigation discloses pilferage at Agargaon passport office


BANGLADESH NEWS

More than 6,000 Machine Readable Passports (MRP), not 2,280 pieces as figured out on July 11, have been stolen from the Agargaon passport office, a probe body suspects.
The six-member probe committee headed by a Lieutenant Colonel was formed on June 21, after the immigration at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport had detected several forged MRPs early that month.
On July 11, the passport department discarded the serial numbers of 2,280 stolen MRPs. The authorities on July 22 discarded a total of 89,425 MRPs, which had been reissued due to errors in printing or some other faults but still bore mistakes.
High officials of home ministry and the passport department in a meeting on Monday expressed concern that the stolen passports might be used by those who were not legally eligible for a passport, such as Rohingya refugees, convicts and people with criminal track record.
With Home Minister Shahara Khatun in chair, the meeting was attended by State Minister for Home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Director General of Passport Department Abdul Mabud, Inspector General of Police and high immigration officials.
Tuku yesterday told that the Agargaon passport office had earlier discarded some MRPs but the enquiry committee apprehended that the number of stolen passports could be higher.
A source in the meeting said they had stressed the need for tracing the serial numbers of the stolen MRPs to discard those immediately, as in case of delay criminals might use those.
Asked who could be involved in the stealing, DG Abdul Mabud told, “The enquiry committee is working to find out the weak link in the system. The passports might have been stolen from the storehouse or from the desk of any personnel involved with issuing MRPs.”
Once the committee detected the personnel, the outsiders would be tracked down easily, he said, adding, “Each of our MRP book has 38 security features. So, it would be tough to use forged MRP.”
A high official of the home ministry said the total process in the passport office was overseen by army personnel and no other officers had access to certain jobs unless the army personnel deployed allowed them to.
Another official of the ministry said as the government had prioritised police verification before issuing passports to Rohingya refugees, criminals were trying to sell MRPs to the refugees in exchange for handsome amount of money.
State Minister Tuku said they had decided to file a case in connection with the stealing accusing unidentified criminals. Meanwhile, since the committee could not complete its task by July 20, the earlier deadline, the time had been extended until August 10, 2012, he added.