Embargo stays on Bar Council polls

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, May 7 The Supreme Court has upheld the High Court injunction on Bangladesh Bar Council elections and ordered disposal of the ruling in 15 days on a priority basis.

An Appellate Division bench led by Justice SK Sinha passed the order on Monday.

Additional attorney general MK Rahman and advocate Abdul Baset Majumder argued for the bar council at the hearing. Advocates MI Faruqi and Naznin Nahar represented the writ petitioners.

After the verdict, Rahman said, "The order has rendered the election uncertain."

The High Court bench of Justices Farid Ahammed and Sheikh Hasan Arif on Apr 26 stayed the polls to the bar council for four weeks following a petition filed by four Supreme Court lawyers.

The court also issued a rule asking the authorities to explain why the election schedule and processs based on the voter list that is 'flawed and inflated' should not be declared illegal.

The Bar Council Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary had been ordered to reply in four weeks.

The chamber judge, Syed Mahmud Hossain, stayed the High Court order on Apr 30 following a petition by the bar council and forwarded the matter to regular bench for hearing.

The judge also ordered amendment to the voter list 15 days prior to the election.

The Bar council election was supposed to take place on May 28. 

JRC sub-group to Assess Tipaimukh

BANGLADESH NEWS

New Delhi, May 7  Bangladesh and India on Monday agreed to constitute a sub-group within the Joint River Commission to look into all issues related to the controversial 1500 MW Tipaimukh Hydro-Electric (Multi-Purpose) Project, which is proposed to come up in northeastern Indian state of Manipur.

India's External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said that Delhi and Dhaka agreed to set up the sub-group within the JRC to look into all aspects of the issue, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's proposal for Bangladesh to join the project.

Krishna and Foreign Minister Dipu Moni were addressing a press-conference after co-chairing the first meeting of Bangladesh-India Joint Consultative Commission in New Delhi on Monday.

India and Bangladesh, however, could not make any significant progress in ending the deadlock over the proposed deal for sharing of water of Teesta, although Krishna told Moni that New Delhi was continuing consultations with all stakeholders to evolve a consensus.

"Since water is a sensitive issue, in accordance with the traditions of consensual decision-making in India's democratic polity, internal consultations are on amongst stakeholders," said Krishna, adding that India remained committed to an early solution on the issue of sharing of water of Teesta.

Dipu Moni told journalists that she requested Krishna to ensure early ratification of the 1974 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, including the additional protocol signed last year, by New Delhi.

She said that Bangladesh also stressed on early signing of the agreement on Teesta.

The Foreign Minister said Krishna assured her that India's proposed river-interlinking project would not include the rivers flowing from the Himalayas and hence would not pose any threat of downstream impact on Bangladesh.

Krishna and Moni reviewed the progress in utilisation of India's $ 1 billion line of credit to Bangladesh. "So far, projects worth more than US $ 810 million have been agreed upon and five contracts worth US $ 83 million have been signed.

"The first consignment of busses has arrived in Dhaka and deliveries of railway rolling stock will start by the end of the year," Krishna said.

India's Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday announced in Dhaka that US $ 200 million of the Line of Credit would be converted into grants-in-aid for projects of priority to Bangladesh.

"Our focus now is to ensure timely delivery on the contracts that have been signed by the Government of Bangladesh," said Krishna.

Moni, who is on a three-day visit to India, would also India's Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Tuesday to explore ways to resolve the impasse over the agreement for sharing of water of Teesta.

Krishna last week had a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in New Delhi. Banerjee's objection forced New Delhi to put off signing of the interim agreement with Bangladesh during Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September 2011.

A team of officials of the Indian Prime Minister's Office is also likely to visit Kolkata soon to discuss the issue with officials of the State Government of West Bengal.

"We are trying to develop a political consensus in India. It is important that views of all those who are dependent on the water are taken into account and burden is shared equitably. Meanwhile, there is no change in ground situation, the waters are flowing," the Indian External Affairs Minister told the news conference.

Foreign minister Moni will also have a meeting with Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday. They are likely to discuss the progress in negotiations on the bilateral extradition treaty.

Sources said that a delegation of Bangladesh's home ministry would visit New Delhi shortly to continue discussion on the proposed extradition treaty.

The Bangladesh Foreign Minister will also call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday.

The Joint Consultative Commission that Krishna and Moni co-chaired on Monday was constituted in accordance with Bangladesh-India Framework Agreement on Cooperation for Development, which was signed during Singh's 2011visit to Dhaka.

The two foreign ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation in the power sector and noted that the work on power inter-grid connectivity was progressing. They expressed hope that 500 MW power would flow from India to Bangladesh during the summer of 2013.

"We are also moving ahead with the setting up of 1320 MW coal based joint venture power plant which is expected to be commissioned by 2016. We welcome the participation of Bangladesh in power projects in India, particularly in the North-Eastern states of India," said Krishna.

He added that India's decision in 2011 to grant zero duty access to all goods from Bangladesh opened new opportunities for expansion of bilateral trade. "I understand that there has been a significant increase of textile exports from Bangladesh to India."

Moni will also represent Dhaka in the concluding ceremony of Bangladesh-India joint celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore in New Delhi later on Monday.   

Spilt Orders Help 18-party Leaders Evade Arrest

DHAKA NEWS

Two split High Court orders have allowed top leaders of the BNP-led 18-party alliance to escape arrest for a certain period.

The presiding judge of a division bench, Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury, granted anticipatory bail to the accused till submission of the charge sheets of blast and arson cases.

While the other judge, Justice Nazrul Islam Talukder, directed the defendants to surrender before a lower court within next seven days.

Justice Moyeenul Islam also issued two separate rules upon the government to explain in four weeks why the petitioners should not be granted regular bail in the cases.

Meanwhile, Justice Nazrul Islam directed the law enforcers not to harass or arrest the accused during the seven day time.

Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, a defence counsel,  that the accused leaders will surrender before the lower court within seven days as per the junior judge's order.

86.37pc pass SSC

BANGLADESH NEWS

The results of this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations have broken all records with 86.37 percent success rate and a sharp leap in the number of GPA-5 scorers.

The combined pass rate of all the 10 education boards, including, Dakhil examinations under Madrasa Board and SSC vocational examinations under Technical Education Board, is 86.37 percent, 4.21 point higher than that of last year.

Some 82,212 students under 10 education boards have scored the highest GPA-5 (grade point average) this year while the number of top graders was 76, 749 last year.

The pass rate is 86.32 percent in eight general education boards, with 65,252 students achieving GPA-5.

Sylhet board has secured the top position among all the 10 education boards with a pass rate of 91.78 percent while Chittagong the lowest position with 78.96 percent success rate.

Total 85.95 percent candidates of Dhaka board passed this year’s SSC examinations.

The pass rate is 88.33 percent in Rajshahi, 87.16 percent in Jessore, 85.64 percent in Comilla, 87.16 percent in Dinajpur and 86.96 percent in Barisal board.

In Madrasa Board, 88.47 percent came out successful while 80.69 percent passed the SSC (Vocational) examination.

Earlier, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid handed over a copy of the results to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Prime Minister’s Office in the morning.

The minister formally announced the results through a press briefing at the secretariat in the afternoon.

The number of schools with cent percent pass has increased to 3,377 from last year’s 2,017, while the number of schools with zero pass came down 14 from last year's 28.

Around 14.12 lakh examinees from 26,658 educational institutions took part in this year's examinations under the 10 boards and of them, 12.19 lakh have passed.

In Dhaka board, Rajuk Uttara Model High School and College topped the list of 20 best institutions for the third consecutive time.

Shamsul Haq Khan High School and College, Ideal School and College, Motijheel, and Viqarunnisa Noon School ranked second, third and fourth respectively position wise based on five academic standards.

The five criteria are: the number of students registered with a school, percentage of regular students among those registered, percentage of successful students, the number of students who scored GPA-5, and the average GPA of an institution.

Students of science group have marked a progress with 94.48 percent pass rate under eight education boards while the rate is 81.26 percent for humanities group and 87.39 for commerce group.

The SSC and its equivalent Dakhil and SSC (vocational) results are available on the website www.educationboardresults.gov.bd.

Examinations of 21 papers were held in creative question method. Examinations of Bangla 2nd Paper, English 1st and 2nd Paper, and Mathematics were not held in creative question system.

The exams began on February 1 and ended on March 15.

Drive to evict Wonderland begins

DHAKA NEWS

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhha (Rajuk) started an eviction drive on Monday to demolish Wonderland Amusement Park built occupying around a 4-acre area of Gulshan Central Playground in the city.

Rajuk launched the drive following a May 3 order of the Appellate Division of Supreme Court, said Nurul Islam, executive engineer of Rajuk.

Though Rajuk is supposed to remove the entire commercial set up of Wonderland to make the playground open to public, the authorities decided to give the amusement park authorities a couple of days to remove the rides and machineries of the amusement park.

"We are giving them (Wonderland authorities) a two-day time, as they have expensive machineries inside the park," said Rokon Ud Doula, executive magistrate of Rajuk, when asked why they are showing such leniency.

During the day's action, Rajuk will attempt to knock down the heavily-built entry gates and boundary walls of the Wonderland with two bulldozers and 30 labourers backed up by around 100 riot police, Nurul Islam said.

Though the then Dhaka City Corporation mayor in 1990 was officially entrusted to take care of the playground, he leased out the said portion of the Gulshan Central Playground to M/s Via Media to develop the commercial amusement park.

The DCC action then sparked public protest.

The Wonderland authorities subsequently indulged in all kinds of commercial gains with restaurants, shops and by holding various commercial events like fair to churn out money from each and every inch of the playground, making residential life miserable in the neighbourhood.

They turned the adjoining footpath into car park ground sometimes occupying a portion of the Gulshan Avenue with the police playing silent spectators year after year.

A High Court bench on May 24, 2007 following public interest litigation ordered the authorities of Wonderland to remove all its establishments in six months.

A vacation chamber judge however stayed the order till July 26 the same year with the appeal petition pending at the appellate division.

Another HC bench later asked Rajuk to find an alternative site for Wonderland before eviction.

The appellate division finally cleared the HC order making way for eviction.

BNP leader Dolly remanded

DHAKA NEWS

BNP leader Rehana Akter Dolly was placed on a three-day remand on Monday in a case filed for bomb blast near Bangladesh Secretariat during April 29 hartal enforced by the opposition BNP.

Police filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station after a bomb went off on a road adjacent to the Secretariat when the opposition was observing the hartal protesting the disappearance of BNP leader M Ilias Ali.

Metropolitan Magistrate Shahriar Mahmud Adnan passed the order after Detective Branch (DB) of Police produced Dolly before it with a seven-day remand prayer.

Dolly’s lawyer submitted a petition seeking her bail and for cancellation of the remand prayer saying that his client is sick and there was no cogent ground to place her on remand.

Police arrested Dolly in the Secretariat area on April 29 and later showed her arrested in the case.

On the same day, DB police placed her before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court and sought a seven-day remand in the case.

But the court did not hear the remand prayer as Dolly was sick.

The court later fixed Monday (May 7) for hearing on the remand prayer and directed the jail authorities to provide her proper treatment.

Boro on 10,000 Hectares Goes Under Water in Kishoreganj

KISHOREGANJ NEWS

Boro paddy on around 10,000 hectares of land in the low-lying and haor (large marshy land) areas of Itna and Mithamoin upazilas has gone under water due to recent downpour and collapse of embankments.

A flood control embankment at Sankir beel (water body) collapsed seven days ago, inundating boro crop on around 4,000 hectares of land in Mithamoin and Itna upazilas.

Another embankment named Bijoy Bandh at Joisiddi union in Itna upazila collapsed five days ago due to heavy rain and onrush of water from hills across the border. Boro on around 2,000 hectares of land in the area has gone under water in the upazila.

An embankment of Bashira River in Mithamoin upazila collapsed 10 days ago, submerging around 4,000 hectares of boro cropland in the low-lying areas of the upazila.

During the period, Meghna, Kalni, Kushiyara, Dhanu, Daira, Haturia, and Gorautra rivers overflowed their banks and flooded Joisiddi, Wara, Kamalpur, Charigram, Kolakani, Katkhal, Boirati, Madirgaon, Hashimpur, Phulpur, Gabindapur, Dhaki, Keuta, Karanshi, Haatboigga, Bhaittarchar, Chatal, Kakua, Atpasa, Mamudpur, Jadabpur and Dalargaon haors in the two upazilas

Boro paddy is getting damaged as water entered the haors and the low-lying areas, overflowing the river banks and through the breaches of the embankments has remained stagnant for 10 days.

While visiting the haor areas in Mitamoin upazila on Friday, this correspondent saw the farmers cutting unripe boro on the submerged land and loading them onto boats.

They urged the authorities concerned, especially the Water Development Board (WDB), to repair the damaged embankment as soon as possible.

Khushi Mohan, executive engineer of Water Development Board (WDB) in Kishoreganj, said the water level in the rivers marked a sharp rise following downpour in the upstream and the dykes collapsed under heavy pressure of water.

“We are taking necessary steps to remove the stagnant water and repair the embankments,” the engineer said.

Bangladesh to work for prosperous South Asia, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

DHAKA NEWS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Bangladesh would work for the economic welfare of the people of the South Asian countries to turn the region into a prosperous and developed one.

“We want South Asia to prosper and develop and this is our aspiration,” she said.

Hasina was addressing the closing ceremony of the yearlong Bangladesh-India Joint Celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.

She joined the programme as chief guest while Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee attended as the guest of honour.

Bangladesh wants friendly relations with its neighbours, including India. There might be problems between the neighbouring countries but those could be resolved through dialogues, said Hasina.

She termed Rabindranath “the poet of Bangla, Bangalee, liberal humanism and world peace.”

Rabindranath established a bridge between the people of Bangladesh and India through his creations. National anthems of both Bangladesh and India are the creations of the great poet, she added.

Hasina said Rabindranath was the “source of inspiration in all our movements”.

She recalled the contributions of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the people of India in extending their generous cooperation during the 1971 Liberation War.

Hasina mentioned that the political outlook of Rabindranath was very clear and bold.

In 1892, he proposed to make Bangla as the medium of education and emphasised on increasing the country's capabilities by reducing the dependence on foreign rulers, she said.

She said Tagore proved his sense of patriotism in 1919 by rejecting the knighthood, awarded by the colonial British government, in protest of the massacre of innocent people in Jallianwala Bagh.

Despite being a Zamindar, Rabindranath was very kind to his subjects and stood beside them in times of their need as he proved in at Patisar, Shahjadpur and Shelaidaha, she said.

She mentioned that Rabindranath introduced micro-credit programmes for the welfare of the poor and marginal people by utilising the fund that he received after winning the Noble Prize.

“Kabiguru showed the path to transform sorrow into strength,” Hasina said, adding that she tries to ease her pains by reading various literary works of Rabindranath.

In his speech, Pranab Mukherjee termed the joint celebration a historic event in the relation between the people of the two countries.

He said Rabindranath is not only the asset of Bangladesh and India alone, but also a priceless asset for the entire world.

Pranab Mukherjee said Rabindranath is the bridge between the people of the two countries.

The joint celebration is a milestone of cultural communication between the two countries, he said, hoping that it will help to further strengthen the existing friendly relations.

He said the relations between the two countries are rooted in love, faith and trust of the two people and it will certainly reach a new height in the future.

Some of Rabindranath's paintings have been exhibited in London, Chicago, New York, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur, 80 years past their creation, said Pranab Mukherjee.

Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Abul Kalam Azad chaired the function where State Minister for Cultural Affairs Promode Mankin and its Secretary Suraya Begum also spoke.

Later, the prime minister witnessed a cultural programme jointly presented by the artistes of Bangladesh and India. Indian film actress and descendent of the Tagore family, Sharmila Tagore, recited one of Rabindranath's poems.