Bangladesh: Businesses rate NBR officials lowest for honesty

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Formal business firms rated the National Board of Revenue officials lowest for honesty while informal businesses said that they were not interested in getting registered with the NBR to avoid taxes, according to a survey report. The survey titled ‘Tax Perception and Compliance Cost of the Formal Sector and Perception of Taxation by the Informal Sector’, conducted by International Finance Corporation with support from Org-Quest Research Limited, also showed that taxpayers’ perception on different attributes about the NBR officials was below average. For formal firms, it takes 304 hours for completing tax procedures to become tax compliance. Rating of the NBR by the formal sector was done with respect to 6 selected attributes such as competency and expertise, helpfulness, politeness, honesty, fairness in assessment and overall efficiency of NBR officials on 0-100 scale. According to the findings that the NBR released last week showed that the lowest score the NBR officials achieved on honesty is 39, the highest 57 on competency and expertise, 53 for overall efficiency, 50 for politeness, 49 for helpfulness and 46 for fairness in assessment. According to the survey, most of the informal businesses cited that no TIN means no tax and no compliance cost. The biggest advantage cited by informal businesses was that not obtaining a TIN means ‘no compliance cost associated with paying taxes, no harassment by tax officials and no hassle of tax return.’ Majority of informal businesses perceived that it cost more to be tax compliant than to avoid paying taxes. Nearly 45 per cent opined that cost of paying tax was more than the cost to avoid them. The survey was conducted between April 2012 and June 2012 covering 1,000 formal and 800 informal firms in Dhaka and Chittagong. The study defined formal firms as those that were registered with the NBR with taxpayer identification number (TIN) and filed tax returns at least once in the last three years while informal firms were those that were primarily not registered with the NBR. They may or may not have a trade license. In the study, tax compliance costs includes any cost related to tax accounting (such as preparing tax return, submission, settlement, dispute resolution covering both in-house, outsourcing and unofficial costs) as well as time costs for book-keeping. According to the survey report, the average cost of compliance in Bangladesh is higher for smaller firms considering their turnover. Smaller firms have to spend 0.24 per cent of their turnover as compliance cost while the percentage for large firms is 0.01 per cent. However, in absolute terms, larger businesses have higher compliance cost at Tk 2.91 lakh (excluding book-keeping costs) while smaller firms have to spend Tk 39,887 and medium firms to Tk 1,11,168. The average tax compliance cost is Tk 1,04,649. It takes overall 304 hours for a medium-sized firm to become tax compliant. Tax compliance takes 161 hours for paying corporate income tax and 103 hours for paying VAT. Companies have to wait on an average 339 days to resolve tax disputes with the tax officials and every dispute costs on an average Tk 2,85,083. Firms have also to spend unofficial payment or outsourcing fee to resolve the disputes. The survey showed that only around 6 per cent of informal firms were TIN registered though none had filed returns in the last 3 years. The survey recommended that the first and most important recommendation would be to improve communications with taxpayers. For informal businesses, the top priority for NBR should be to reach them and educate them on the issues taxation. The survey results can be used as a benchmark for conducting reforms in NBR and improve communication efforts with the taxpayer in the coming years, NBR officials said. They said that the findings provided crucial insights into the cost of tax compliance, reasons for non-compliance and perceptions about taxation and the NBR.

Bangladesh: Central bank buys 5.15b in FY14 to check taka appreciation

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Bangladesh Bank purchased a record amount of dollars — worth $5.15 billion — from the scheduled banks in the just concluded financial year 2013-14 with the aim of curbing depreciation of the greenback against the local currency taka, BB officials said. They said the central bank was compelled to buy huge amount of greenbacks from the local banks in the last two financial years due to sluggish business amid political uncertainty and it failed to sell any dollar in the period. The BB purchased dollars worth $9.68 billion between the FY13 and the FY14 as it had bought greenbacks worth $4.53 billion in the FY13. According to the central bank record, the BB bought the highest amount of dollars in the just concluded financial year since the FY 2004-2005. It is not possible to collect the data before the FY 2004-05 as the information is not available in the BB record book. The BB data showed that the central bank had purchased dollars worth $157 million in the FY 2011-12, worth $316.50 million in the FY 2010-11 and worth $2.16 billion in the FY 2009-10. A BB official told New Age that the central bank had purchased the greenbacks from the local banks continuously to protect the interests of exporters and expatriate Bangladeshis by keeping stable the exchange rate of the taka against the dollar. The dollar became stable at around Tk 77.75 to Tk 77.63 between May 2013 and June 2014 after the BB had bought huge amount of foreign exchange in the last few financial years. Due to the dollar purchasing spree by the BB, the country’s foreign exchange reserve increased significantly in the last two years. The reserves crossed $15-billion mark on May 7, 2013, $16-billion mark on August 13, $17-billion mark on October 22, $18-billion mark on December 19, $19-billion mark on February 19, 2014, $20-billion mark on April 10 and $21-billion mark in June this year. The BB official said higher export earnings against lower import payment and a stable trend in inward remittance had contributed to increase in supply of foreign exchange in the market during the last two financial years. The BB also took the measure to purchase dollar in a bid to curb the inflationary pressure by mopping up the dollars from the market and it is providing treasury bonds and treasury bills to the scheduled banks against the dollars’ worth instead of cash liquidity, said the BB official. Another BB official said that record in foreign currency reserves indicated the slower economic activities and lower GDP growth in the country. Entrepreneurs did not go for much import of goods and capital machinery due to slower economic activities and fall in domestic demand due to political uncertainty in the country that resulted in bigger reserves of foreign currency, he said. The reserves may increase further in the coming months, if the central bank continues to purchase dollars from the banks, he said. The government should take steps to improve the investment situation in the country so that the excess dollar could be invested in the productive sector, he added. 

Bangladesh: RMG retailers want 5 more units shut for structural faults

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Groups of European and North American retailers have recently provided the names of five more readymade garment factories to the government-set review committee with the suggestion of immediate evacuation from the factories as their inspection teams have detected structural faults in the units. Of the five factories, three are on the inspection list of Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a group of EU retailers, and two others are on the list of Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a group of North American apparel companies, retailers and brands, according to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments. Accord’s teams detected faults in a building of Fakir Apparels Limited at Narayanganj, Oishi Fashions at Gazipur and Ashulia Fashions at Mirpur in Dhaka. Alliance’s teams detected faults in Clifton Apparels in Chittagong and Thats’ It Fashions Ltd at Tejgaon in the capital. Meanwhile, the review committee comprised of representatives from the government, Accord, Alliance, BUET, BGMEA and BKMEA on Sunday decided that the production at the six factories which are housed in a faulty building at Mirpur in the capital would remain suspended. The owners of the factories except one kept suspended production at the units from late April after the inspection teams of Accord had found serious structural faults at Cherry Ltd and Florence Fashions Ltd and had suggested that review committee should suspend production at the factories housed in the building. Following the suggestion of the Accord’s experts the authorities of the Cherry Ltd and four other factories suspended production at their factories but Florence Fashions Ltd made arrangement to produce products in the building. ‘We have decided that the six factories including Florence Fashions will remain closed due to structural faults at the building,’ DIFE inspector general Syed Ahmed told New Age on Sunday. The names of the six factories are Cherry Ltd, Florence Fashions Ltd, Ultimate Fashions Ltd, Chandana Apparels, Joya Fashions and Maxtrim Industries Ltd. Syed said that the review committee had so far received the names of 20 factories from Accord and Alliance where their inspection teams detected critical structural faults. The committee completed its work on 15 faulty factories and the decisions on the latest five remain pending, he said. The DIFE chief said the review committee had prepared a schedule to finalise decisions on the latest five units and a review committee team would visit Clifton Apparels in Chittagong today. Syed, also the chairperson of the review committee, said that they would visit the three factories which are on the Accord’s list by July 14. After the last year’s Rana Plaza building collapse that killed more than 1,100 workers, mostly women garment workers, North American apparel companies, retailers and brands formed Alliance and European Union retailers formed Accord to improve safety in Bangladeshi RMG factories. Since February this year the inspection teams of Accord and Alliance inspected more than 1,400 garment factories and a total of 20 factories have so far become closed because they detected serious structural faults in the factory buildings.

Bangladesh: BSEC warns ICB co for Tk 50cr swindling attempt

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has warned ICB Asset Management Company Limited for its attempt to embezzle Tk 50 crore from the Bangladesh Fund. ICB AMCL unlawfully charged the stock market stabilisation fund Tk 75 crore as its formation fee at the rate of 1.50 per cent on the targeted size of the fund — Tk 5,000 crore, the fund’s audited financial statement for the year ended on June 30, 2013 showed. As per mutual fund rules, the formation fee for a mutual fund will be 1.50 per cent on the amount collected not on the amount targeted. At that rate formation charge on the Bangladesh Fund stands at Tk 24.61 crore as the fund has so far collected Tk 1,641 crore, BSEC sources said. ICB AMCL, a subsidiary of the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh, and the asset manager of the Bangladesh Fund, charged the fund around Tk 88 crore or 5.38 per cent of the fund as its initial issue expenses including formation fee, violating rules. As per the rules, any asset manager can charge up to 5 per cent (including formation charge at 1.5 per cent) of the amount collected by a fund as initial issue expenses charge. ICB officials said that the formation charge was calculated as per the BSEC-approved trust deed of the fund. BSEC officials, however, said that a hurried approval to the fund to restore investors’ confidence over the market after the market crash might result in such mistake. But, securities law will always prevail if it contradicts with the trust deed approved by the commission, they said. They also alleged that as the trust deed and all the other documents were approved hurriedly, that’s why it was intentionally added by ICB AMCL that formation fee could be charged on the target size of the fund. ‘I am yet to be aware of such incident. ICB and its subsidiaries always comply with rules and regulations. That’s why there is no scope for such activities,’ ICB managing director Md Faykuzzaman told New Age on Thursday. On the other hand, as the ICB and its subsidiaries are state-owned, that’s why there is no reason for such move by ICB AMCL, said Faykuzzaman. The BSEC has also asked ICB AMCL to follow rules in preparing the Bangladesh Fund’s next fiscal year’s statement. The Bangladesh Fund, which was announced by the government in 2011 to rescue the small-scale investors, could manage only around Tk 1,650 crore after two years of its launching. The fund in May 2011 started its operation after getting approval from the BSEC. Market operators said the Bangladesh Fund failed to collect Tk 5,000 crore as it failed to boost the market and to offer any dividend to its investors. The market price of the Bangladesh Fund stood at Tk 1,735.62 crore against its cost price of Tk 1,776.29 crore on June 25.

Bangladesh: Dhaka stocks dip for 4th day as large investors remain inactive

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Dhaka stocks declined for the forth trading session on Sunday with the turnover hitting one-and-half month low as the institutional investors were waiting to buy shares at cheap after year closing shares sell-offs. The key index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,411.15 points, shedding 0.56 per cent or 25.05 points. Turnover of the DSE declined to Tk 215.19 crore compared with Tk 261.85 crore in the previous trading session. Sunday’s turnover was lowest after Tk 182.81 crore on May 25. Market operators said that despite investors’ optimism after the budget revision by the government, the market continued to decline due to institutional investors’ June closing share sell-offs. After the half yearly closing on June 30, the institutional investors are yet to restore their participation on the trading floor as they are waiting to avail shares at more cheap price, operators said. Following the institutional investors’ slow approach, the overall market was suffering from dullness which resulted in significant decline in turnover, they said. If the institutional investors increase their participation on the trading floor that might help to boost retail investors’ activity on the trading floor, operators said. ‘Sequentially absorbing the downhill of 69 points in last tri-session of new FY, prime index DSEX closed at 4,411 points, IDLC Investments said in its daily market commentary. ‘The continued losing streak dwindled market confidence, keeping investors in meticulous positioning,’ it said. ‘Meanwhile, expectations on half-yearly earnings and upcoming MPS for July-Dec started reviving amid investors.’ ‘Basing on these, investors prompted balancing their portfolio,’ said IDLC. DS30, the blue-chip index of the bourse, declined to 1,612.23 points, sleeping 0.59 per cent or 9.63 points. The Shariah index of the bourse, DSES, fell by 0.51 per cent, or 5.13 points, to finish at 997.77 points. Of the 286 shares and mutual funds traded on the day, 81 advanced, 159 declined and 46 remained unchanged. BEXIMCO led the turnover chart as its shares worth Tk 18.17 crore changed hands. Appollo Ispat Complex, Generation Next Fashions, Grameenphone, Peninsula Chittagong, Lafarge Surma Cement, Bangladesh Building Systems, Familytex BD, Aftab Automobiles and United Airways were among other turnover leaders. BD Thai Aluminium gained the most with 9.30 per cent increase in shares prices, while National Life Insurance was the worst loser of the day shedding 27.51 per cent.

Bangladesh: Cabinet body okays new provision for unsolicited offer on PPP projects

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The cabinet’s economic affair committee on Sunday gave its approval in principle to a new provision for entertaining unsolicited offer from the private sector to implement different projects under public-private partnership. A meeting of the committee, with finance minister AMA Muhith in the chair, gave its nod to the proposal placed by the Prime Minister’s Office for introducing the new provision on PPP projects. The PPP Office, under the PMO, prepared the proposal titled ‘The Procedure for Implementation of PPP Policy and Strategy for Unsolicited Proposals 2014’. The proposed new provision includes two systems — Bonus System and Swiss Challenge System — for entertaining private party’s unsolicited offer for PPP projects. In the Bonus System, the proponent of the unsolicited proposal is given bonus points in relation to its evaluation while the Swiss Challenge System enables the government to attract counter proposal on unsolicited proposal during a designated period. The original proponent then has the right to counter-match the most attractive counterproposal. The government has been struggling for long to implement various infrastructure projects under PPP. Every year, a significant amount of fund — Tk 3,000 crore — is allocated in the PPP for implementation of infrastructure projects. A number of rules and regulations were promulgated on different occasions to attract PPP proposals. But, so far success is very insignificant. In some cases, the officials said, they receive ‘unsolicited offer’ from different international companies to implement large-scale infrastructure projects. But they could not entertain the ‘unsolicited offers’ for lack of any specific method to deal with such project. Against this backdrop, the officials said the government made the move to introduce the new provision. They said that under the provision, the Bonus Point System will be applicable for the large and medium projects while both the Bonus and Swiss Challenge Systems could be applied for small projects. In the Bonus System, the sponsor of the unsolicited offer has to submit a detailed proposal for a project along with a feasibility study report. If the project is found viable and feasible in the evaluation of the PPP Office, the sponsor company will be asked to submit his detailed proposal for the project through an open tender and face a competition from other bidders. In this case, while all the bidders’ proposals are evaluated, the unsolicited bidder will get bonus point at 7 per cent as an initiator of the original project. In the Swiss Challenge System, when unsolicited bidder’s offer is not found to be the first lowest, it will be given a further chance to submit a revised proposal within 30 days to match the first lowest bidder’s proposal. Official sources said that under the new provision, the line ministry will receive unsolicited proposal from private sector and then put it forward to the PPP office.

Bangladesh: Bank Asia gets new AMD

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Aminul Islam has recently been appointed as additional managing director of Bank Asia.
Prior to the assignment, he was deputy managing director of the bank, said a news release.
Aminul is also holding the responsibility of chief operations officer.
He started his career with development banking in 1975 and later on switched over to commercial banking, where he spent major part of his career in different capacities.
Aminul, who is an MBA from the IBA of Dhaka University, happens to be the first one to be appointed as additional managing director of Bank Asia, the release said.

Bangladesh: DCs want mobile court jurisdiction widened

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The three-day annual conference of the deputy commissioners begins in Dhaka on Tuesday with issues relating to law and order, price hike, land management and implementation of development programmes high on the agenda. In the forum, the DCs, who also function as district magistrates, would press for inclusion of more offences relating to public security and public health that also included theft and trespass, in the schedule of Mobile Court Act 2009, said officials. The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is scheduled to inaugurate the conference at her Tejgaon office. ‘The deputy commissioners, who represent the government in the field, will get scope to discuss various issues they face in discharging their responsibilities directly with the policymakers during the conference,’ cabinet secretary Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told a press briefing at the secretariat on Sunday ahead of the routine conference. The DCs, mainly responsible for implementation and supervision of the government policies and programmes, have already sent 307 recommendations to the Cabinet Division for placing in the business sessions to be held with ministers and secretaries concerned. The recommendations were already dispatched to the respective ministries so that they could get prepared for the sessions with the DCs, the cabinet secretary added. The DCs want powers to cancel declaration of newspapers that publish anti-state news reports or those hurting religious sentiments, a senior official told New Age, referring to the written proposal of the deputy commissioner of Dhaka. The DCs have also demanded that the divisional commissioners be empowered to remove elected union parishad chairmen and members found involved in illegal and anti-people activities. As the powers to remove UP chairmen and members are vested in the local government ministry, it usually ignores recommendations of DCs on the issue foiling all anti-corruption initiatives, said a deputy commissioner. They have demanded widening of the mobile court’s jurisdiction so that the executive magistrates could try more offences summarily to ensure public security and public health as well. ‘The DCs have demanded punishment of union-level elected representatives who fail to meet the target of tax collection,’ said a Cabinet Division official quoting the recommendations. The field administrators also called for appointing government officials to supervise tax collection by the union parishads. After inauguration at the Prime Minister’s Office, the conference to be attended by DCs from 64 districts and divisional commissioners from all seven divisions would shift to the secretariat where ministers and state ministers are due to speak at 20 business sessions. Rajshahi divisional commissioner called for empowering the divisional commissioners to appoint and transfer secretaries of municipalities to ensure transparency and accountability in the appointment and transfer process. The Lakshmipur DC has recommended that 29 more Articles of the Penal Code should be included in the schedule of the Mobile Court Act to ensure ‘public safety and public heath’ more effectively. The government last year ruled out a proposal of the deputy commissioners to restore summary trial powers of the executive magistrates, citing that ‘Article 22 of the constitution clearly says the state will ensure complete separation of judiciary from the executive branch’. The executive magistrates were stripped of judicial powers through the separation of the judiciary from the executive branch that came into effect from November 1, 2007. Several deputy commissioners from bordering districts, including Satkhira, Jessore, Meherpur, Bandarban, Thakurgaon and Cox’s Bazar have recommended intensifying surveillance over the borders with India and Myanmar. Deputy commissioners from Naogaon, Bogra, Comilla, Kushtia and Bandarban have proposed that non-government teachers should be recruited through central/regional/district level committees instead of the managing committees of non-government educational institutions to avoid irregularities.

Bangladesh: Indian Adani Group eyes Sonadia deep sea port

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Indian conglomerate Adani Group has shown interest to construct the Sonadia deep seaport in the Bay of Bengal, after Dhaka held back awarding the billion dollar deal to Beijing in the last minute. Shipping ministry officials said the Adani group, led by Gautam Adani, a man with strong ties to India’s new prime minister Nerandra Modi, is expected to visit Dhaka this month to start negotiations on the mega-infrastructure project. Shipping secretary Syed Monjurul Islam told New Age the group had already sought his appointment. ‘I have not yet given them any date but will give it soon,’ he said. Monjurul did not disclose the issue at stake, however, other officials of the ministry said the deep seaport will dominate the meeting as the group has already inquired about the project in the Bay. They said the meeting between Adani Group officials and the shipping secretary will take place this month. The interest shown by the Gujrat-based ports operator and energy producer comes just after Dhaka and Beijing failed to strike a deal on the development of the port during a visit of prime minister Sheikh Hasina to China last month. Shipping ministry officials said the interest of the Indian company – apparently furnished by the blessings of the Indian prime minister – will put the government in a difficult position, given the geopolitical sensitivity of the project. The Adani Group had won many deals including power and real estate in India during the last one decade when Narendra Modi was chief minister of Gujarat (2001–14). The company’s annual revenue stands at US$8.7 billion. During the last election campaign in India, Rahul Ghandi, vice-president of the Indian National Congress, alleged the money they (Modi govt) gave to Adani was being in turn used for his marketing (election campaign). C Raja Mohan, an influential Indian foreign expert, during a recent visit to Dhaka said Delhi should back the consortium approach to regional infrastructure development, after Beijing signalled its readiness to work with India on the Sonadia deep seaport. The Bay has already become a battlefield for establishing a sphere of influence between India and China because of its crucial geopolitical location. China invested US$ 500 million to open the Colombo International Container Terminal in Sri Lanka in August 2013 and helped build a new US$ 450 million deep seaport in the southern Lankan city of Hambantota in 2012. Also in the last year, China took control of Pakistan’s Gwadar Port. The Chinese progress on the world’s busiest international shipping lane has worried India. Former secretary Wahiduzzaman, who was chief of a government committee on the deep sea port, admitted that the government preferred a consortium work on the construction given its geopolitical importance and also to maximise our benefit from the port. The government wants to make the country a regional hub through the port by catering to the needs of neighbouring countries, he said. The country needs a deep seaport as the existing sea port in Chittagong is not capable of handling large vessels, against a backdrop of growing incoming and outgoing containers worth more than US$ 55 billion annually. The deep seaport has been identified as one of the six fast-track projects by the government. But resource constraint has held back the construction of the port despite the feasibility study being completed in 2009. Centre for policy dialogue executive director Mustafizur Rahman said China had long been trying to connect its upcoming provinces with the closest sea routes. Seaports in Chittagong could serve as a better option for them, he said, adding there is no problem building the proposed port with Chinese help, or help from others. He suggested the government not delay further in finding a suitable source of funding.

Bangladesh: Launch owner gets bail in design change case

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): A launch owner, who is accused of changing design of three capsized ships, got bail on Sunday in a case for building another launce MV Prince Awlad 4 extending the length beyond approved design. The Marine Court in Dhaka also asked the Department of Shipping chief inspector, Shafiqur Rahman, also the plaintiff of the case, to explain on July 6 why the surveyor of the launch, who gave fitness certificate for the launch, had been not been prosecuted. The Marine Court judge, Mohammad Kamal Hossain Shikder, also special metropolitan magistrate, granted bail to M Awlad Hossain in presence of other launch owners and their association leaders in the courtroom. Witnesses said that the cargo and launch owners and their rushed to the court as Awlad’s manager ABM Mahfuzul Haque over telephone informed them that the court ordered Awlad to remain standing in the dock during the hearing in the case. ‘The court was insulting a respected person on a minor charge and I requested the leaders to intervene in the situation,’ Mahfuzul told New Age. He said that association leaders M Kamal Hossain, Golam Kibria Tipu, Lakshman Das and Abdus Samad along with Awlad talked to the judge at his chamber during the break and threatened to go for a strike if Awlad was not granted bail or he was kept standing in the dock. ‘We went there being requested by some association members but we did not interfere in the court proceedings,’ said the Cargo Owners Association vice president, Golam Kibria Tipu, also Ship Owners Association executive committee member, said, ‘We talked to the judge so that no untoward situation could arise, but we did not interfere in the court proceedings.’ The judge denied any comment. Shafiqur Rahman filed the case against Awlad, the owner of the dockyard that built the launch and the panel supervisor. Earlier, two launches owned by Awlad — MV Mitali 3 and Maharaj — capsized in 2003 and 2005 respectively causing death of 296 people. A probe body, formed to investigate the recent capsize of Sureshwar-bound launch MV Miraj 4 near Munshiganj that left over 50 people dead, submitted its report to the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority chairman recommending that Awlad should be prosecuted for changing the approved design of the launch even though he sold the launch to Khandokar Anwar Hossain in January 2013. The probe body also recommended investigation into all the 10 launches owned by Awlad.

Bangladesh: Withdraw proposed law on NGOs, says HRW

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): New York-based rights organisation Human Rights Watch on Sunday urged Bangladesh government to withdraw a proposed law saying that it ‘would impose draconian restrictions on already beleaguered non-governmental organisations. In a release, the rights watchdog also urged international donors to publicly express concerns about restrictions that were ‘aimed at silencing government critics.’ The cabinet on June 2 approved the Foreign Contributions (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Bill seeking enactment of a law on regulation of the activities of non-governmental organisations receiving foreign contributions. ‘The law should be withdrawn. But if it moves through parliament, the standing committee needs to amend the most problematic provisions so groups would not be starved of funding and subjected to arbitrary restrictions,’ read a statement. The proposed law would regulate operations and funding of any organisation with foreign funding as well as Bangladesh offices of foreign and international organisations. As per the proposed law, the NGO Affairs Bureau under the prime minister’s office will have approval authority over foreign-funded projects. It will have the authority to ‘inspect, monitor and assess the activities’ of organisations and individuals and to close organisations and cancel their registration. ‘The draft law can easily be misused to limit perfectly legitimate activities of NGOs and to attack critics,’ said the HRW’s director for Asia, Phil Robertson. ‘Corruption is flourishing in the government and the private sector, so it is more than odd that the government is spending its time passing tough laws that target NGOs,’ Robertson added. The draft proposed empowerment of line ministries to require revision of non-governmental organisations’ projects or to order them cancelled. The bill proposed that anyone involved in voluntary activities would need approval before travelling out of the country for purposes connected with their work on the projects. Such a provision is a potential violation of Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which gives anyone the freedom to leave any country, including their own, the rights watchdog said. ‘The vague and overly broad language would effectively give the NGO Affairs Bureau control over the activities of nongovernmental organisations,’ the statement said. ‘These are the kind of restrictions one usually associates with a one-party or authoritarian state, not a democracy like Bangladesh,’ Robertson said. The NGO Affairs Bureau has previously blocked funds of different organisations and opened investigations on political grounds. It has frequently blocked funds of rights organisation Odhikar, apparently in retaliation for criticising the government. Odhikar secretary Adilur Rahman Khan and director ASM Nasiruddin Elan were arrested and harassed. They are now facing ‘politically motivated’ criminal charges under the Information Communication and Technology Act, the statement said. Another rights organisation Ain-o-Salish Kendra has also reported increasing surveillance.

Bangladesh: Senior doctors skip evening duty at govt hospitals

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Senior doctors at government hospitals usually avoid attending indoor patients in the afternoon as they remain busy with their private practice. They often skip their evening rounds of the wards and cabins, said hospital authorities as well as Health Service officials. With the senior and specialist doctors skipping duty patients do not get proper treatment, said patients. Each senior doctor is duty bound to visit  patients in his or her ward or the cabins  twice a day, in the morning and evening. ‘We often hear that senior doctors leave hospitals between 1 PM and 2 PM, to skip their evening rounds,’ said a senior Health Service official. Specialist doctors are unwilling to attend their evening duty as they remain busy with their private practice, said Dhaka Medical College Hospital deputy director Mushfiqur Rahman. The written rules of hospitals require each consultant, senior consultant, professor, associate professor and assistant registrar  to pay round of their wards and cabins in the evenings, he said. Noakhali Medical College Hospital patient Shamima Akhter told New Age over phone Friday that no doctor visited her after 2 PM since she took admission with muscle pain four days back. On Thursday night, the on duty nurse told her no senior doctor would visit the ward before Saturday morning when she looked for a senior doctor after feeling excruciating pain, said Shamima. There are several instances of cured patients waiting for senior doctors to secure release, said attendants. The delay in discharging cured patients increases undue pressure on hospitals, said Mushfiqur. The DMCH authorities are planning to enforce the age old rule that requires senior doctors not to skip duties. DMCH interns often wait in vain for instructions from senior doctors to provide advice or treatment to indoor patients, said an intern. Terming the trend as unacceptable the Bangladesh Health Rights Movement chairman and former Bangladesh Medical Association president Rashid E Mahbub said the admitted patients at medical college hospitals were its worst sufferers. Senior doctors usually spend the evenings on private practice leaving their responsibilities to junior doctors, mostly interns, who are not authorized to prescribe, he said. Senior doctors said that they have been skipping evening duty since the government stopped the evening duty allowance. Every senior doctor has to stay at the hospital until 2 PM after which it becomes impossible for them to go home and return to duty, said a Shaheed Suhrawardy Hospital consultant.

Bangladesh: AL becomes politically bankrupt, says Fakhrul

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has refuted the Awami League leaders’ remarks that BNP has no strength to wage movement against the government, saying that Awami League had been politically bankrupt and abandoned. Addressing a meeting at National Press Club on Sunday, he also said a conspiracy was hatched against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia to harm her. ‘The Awami League has become politically bankrupt and abandoned. The government has no ground under its feet; it become alienated from people… the ministers are talking nonsense as they have failed to counter BNP politically’, Fakhrul said. ‘I would like to ask the ministers, who are saying that the BNP has no strength to wage movement, to come up without police and RAB’, he said. ‘I would like to tell the government to resign and hand over power to a non-party government. Or else, you will be responsible for any dire consequences that may arise’, he said. Swadhinata Forum organised the meeting marking the ‘third anniversary of attempt to kill Zainul Abdin Faruque’. Faruque, the then opposition chief whip, was injured in police attack on July 6, 2011 at the parliament compound. Fakhrul criticized the information minister’s reported remarks that ‘Khaleda Zia is synonym to militants and terrorists and she should be eliminated from the earth. In response, Fakhrul said: ‘His (Inu) speech was fearful… a conspiracy was hatched against BNP chairperson. All the responsibility would go to the government if she had any harm’. Fakhrul said the government was afraid of Ziaur Rahman’s family. He said the ministers’ remarks revealed that they were afraid of the Zia’s family and they were carrying on propaganda against the party’s senior vice chairman Tarique Rahman after they failed to prove any charges against him. BNP leaders Zainul Abdin Faruque, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Mir Sharafat Ali Sapu, among others, spoke.

Bangladesh: BASIC Bank board dissolved

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The government on Sunday dissolved the board of directors of the state-owned Bangladesh Small Industries and Commerce Bank Limited where several thousand crore takas had been misappropriated through the approval of ‘shady’ loans. Meanwhile, current Bangladesh Krishi Bank chairman Alauddin A Majid was appointed new chairman of the bank after controversial chairman Sheikh Abdul Hai Bachchu resigned from the post a couple of days ago, following widespread criticism. Majid, also a former managing director of BASIC Bank, was relieved of his position in the Krishi Bank at the same time. The banks and financial institutions division under the finance ministry issued two notifications in this regard on Sunday. The division also issued another notification accepting Abdul Hai Bachchu’s resignation. Officials said the division had selected six people as new directors of the BASIC Bank. They are former deputy managing director of Commerce Bank Mohammad Asaduzzaman, Hasan Mahmood FCA, former managing director of Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation Raihana Anisa Yusuf, Dhaka University Professor Mujib Ahmed, Industries ministry additional secretary Begum Parag and banks and financial institutions division joint secretary Mamun Al Rashid. They will be appointed after the Bangladesh Bank gives clearance to their credit record. Banks and financial institutions division secretary M Aslam Alam said they will introduce performance criteria for board of directors in state-owned banks to avert loan scams in the future. The proposed system will be introduced with the new board of directors of the BASIC Bank. BB had detected anomalies worth more than Tk 4,500 crore and urged the finance ministry to dissolve the BASIC Bank board of directors a couple of months ago. The finance ministry had been dillydallying on taking a firm decision on the loan scam in the BASIC Bank – a specialised bank once touted as one of the best-run public sector banks – first detected in November 2012. Abdul Hai, who was appointed chairman in 2009, was rewarded reappointment in 2012. Muhith said on Saturday Abdul Hai would be brought to book if found guilty. Earlier on May 25, the Bangladesh Bank had fired BASIC Bank managing director Kazi Faqurul Islam for his involvement in the loan scam. The default loans of BASIC Bank soared to Tk 2,557 crore last March from Tk 1,417 crore in February. The central bank signed a memorandum of understanding with the bank last July in a desperate bid to bring discipline.  BASIC Bank, however, failed to comply with the MoU.

Bangladesh: Isolux, Samsung win 400 MW Bibiwana power plant

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Isolux Ingenieria SA and Samsung C&T Corporation on Sunday won the contract for Bibiana 400 megawatt gas-fired power plant. Isolux of Spain and Samsung from Korea won the deal jointly quoting the lowest Tk 2,239.14 crore. The cabinet committee on national purchase, chaired by AMA Muhith, in a meeting on Sunday approved the proposal by the energy division. Isolux Ingenieria SA and Samsung C&T Corporation had won the 450MW combined-cycle power plant at Siddhirganj despite they were disqualified in the bid evaluation. Many alleged that they were receiving special attention from the government. The purchase committee also approved another proposal by the same division and awarded the overhauling works of the fifth unit of the Ghorasal Power Plant to a joint venture of Russia and Ukraine. The joint-venture from Russia and Ukraine quoted the lowest Tk 234.79 crore. Additional secretary of the cabinet division Mostafizur Rahman told reporters that the committee gave approval to three other proposals in the same meeting that included an automation project of the national revenue board. A Vietnamese company won the deal at Tk51.31 crore, he said.

Bangladesh: 2 bodies recovered in city

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): A body was recovered from a lake while a youth died falling from the top of a building in the capital on Sunday. Police recovered the body of a youth from Pallabi in the capital this morning. The deceased Sohel, 18, was a resident of Mirpur-11. Locals claimed one of his friends pushed him down from the rooftop of a building. Police detained the friend in question, with whom he was apparently arguing on the rooftop of a five-storey under-construction building the night before, informed Syed Ziauzzaman, officer-in-charge of Pallabi Police Station. Police covered Sohel’s body near a nearby one-storey building around 6:00am, the OC said. Police are yet to ascertain whether Sohel was murdered or fell down, he added. In Banani, the dead body of a transgender person, 30, who was dressed as a woman, was recovered from Banani Lake in the capital Sunday morning. Banani police said the dead body was floating on the west part of Banani Lake. The dead body was partially decomposed. The reason behind the death could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.

Bangladesh: Acid attack on 3 in Kushtia

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Three members of a family were injured in an acid attack by miscreants at Gopalpur village on the outskirts of Kushtia town on Saturday night. A group of miscreants threw acid on Saleha, 60, her daughter Sonia, 18, and her son Titumir, 13, while they were in their house around 10:30pm. The injured were rushed to Kushtia General Hospital where doctors referred Sonia to Dhaka.

Bangladesh: DUTA demands separate pay scale for public univ teachers

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The leaders of Dhaka University Teacher’s Association on Sunday demanded separate pay scale for teachers of public universities. They also demanded extension of the retirement age from 65 to 67 years. They were addressing a human chain on the foot of Aparejeyo Bangla at Dhaka University. DUTA president Fariduddin Ahmed presided over the function while vice-president of the association Akhter Hossain, joint-secretary Ziaul Haque Mamun and member AKM Golam Rabbani were also present among others. Fariduddin Ahmed in his speech said the teachers of public university were leading a strained existence as their salary is very poor. He urged the government to approve an individual pay scale and increase the age of retirement from 65 to 67.

Bangladesh: KMP seals off showrooms of battery-run easy bike

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The detective branch of the Khulna Metropolitan Police, in cooperation with executive magistrates of the district administration, sealed off all showrooms of battery-run easy bike and shops selling its spare parts in Khulna city on Sunday. Detective branch police officer-in-charge Taimur Islam said the job was done following the High Court ruling issued recently. Movement of unlicensed battery-run easy bike in the city would also be stopped to address serious problem of traffic jam, he said. 

Bangladesh: 137 teachers in job with fake certificates

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The Directorate of Inspection and Audit has found that 137 teachers have managed to get appointment at non-government schools, colleges and madrassahs showing fake certificates. All the teachers have been in job for last few years, and of them 105 were drawing monthly pay orders (salary from the exchequer) while 32 others were getting remuneration from the fund of respective job stations. Of the 137 teachers, 83 are in schools, 21 in colleges and 33 in madrassahs. The DIA, under the education ministry, carried out the investigation in April and May and sent the list to the education ministry and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education last month with a request to take action, DIA and ministry officials told New Age last week. ‘We had received allegations from different quarters against nearly 200 teachers of different educational institutions in different districts. Our officials investigated it and identified 137 in job with fake certificates,’ DIA deputy director Kamruzzaman said. The DIA officials cross-checked all the bachelor’s, master’s and diploma certificates and also the certificates offered by the non-government teachers registration and certification authority. Teachers’ registration certificate is mandatory to get jobs at the MPO-enlisted non-government secondary schools, colleges and madrassahs. Professor Ataur Rahman, director (administration and college) of the DSHE said they had received the list from the DIA and now they would take action case by case with approval from the education ministry. The director said that all the 105 MPO-enlisted teachers would be asked to refund the money to the exchequer before legal actions were taken against them. `We are looking into how these teachers managed to get the jobs and MPO facilities with fake certificates. All the offenders will be found out and punished,’ he said. The ministry officials said that they had received the list and would take a decision at a meeting with DSHE officials soon. Zabirul Islam, a lecturer of Arabic at Mahanagar College at Shahmakhdum in Rajshahi had managed his job with a fake teacher’s registration certificate. Shahin Sultana, a physical education teacher at Shahapur High School, got a job with fake certificate from National University, according to the list, a copy of which has been obtained by New Age. Zabirul and Shahin refused to talk to New Age.

Bangladesh: WB cancelled Padma Bridge funding at US behest: PM

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Sunday alleged that the World Bank cancelled its funding in the Padma Bridge project being provoked by the United States and a vested quarter in the country. ‘The World Bank cancelled the fund being provoked by a vested quarter from the country and America,’ she said. The prime minister said this while addressing the high officials of the communications ministry at Bangladesh Secretariat. Sheikh Hasina said the government had asked the World Bank to provide proof in support of their allegation that there was corruption in the Padma Bridge project. ‘They (WB) could not provide any solid proof… They just provided some pages of a diary where it was stated who will get what commission. This is not enough to prove there was corruption in the project,’ she said. The prime minister also mentioned that the government later decided to construct the bridge with its own resources and that is going on now. Hasina has expressed her determination to complete the construction work of the Padma Bridge, the country’s largest bridge, in time saying the government has already started the construction work with its own funds. She directed the authorities concerned for rapid completion of the construction so that no one could obstruct the process further. Hasina said the Padma Bridge was not a dream now. The two-storey Padma Bridge and tunnel under the Karnaphuli River would be unique infrastructures of the country as her government wants to do something new for people. She hoped that the people of the country could commute through metro rail by 2019 as budgetary allocation for the project has been made in the current fiscal. Hasina directed the authorities concerned to take initiatives, including a feasibility study, to construct underground railway line in the capital to ensure smooth journey of the commuters. She also announced that Dhaka-Sylhet highway would be upgraded to a four-lane one, and a multipurpose tunnel with road and railway lines would be built under the Jamuna river to link Gaibandha and Jamalpur districts. Terming durable communication system as a criterion of the country’s development, prime minister Hasina said her government has been working ceaselessly for the development of the communication network. In this context, she mentioned that the government has allocated Tk 6,864.08 crore for the road division and Tk 8,735.25 crore for the bridge division in the current budget. The prime minister asked the officials of the communications ministry to put emphasis on the proper maintenance of roads along with the construction of new ones. She also asked them to minimise the sufferings of people. Hasina hoped the officials and employees of the communications ministry would take the country’s communication system to an envious height by building a sustainable, safe and quality road infrastructures and a comprehensive modern transportation system through optimum utilisation of knowledge and expertise. She said the country’s road communication sector witnessed rapid development in the past five years. The present government formulated ‘The National Coordinated Multimode-based Transportation Policy-2013’, ‘The 20-Year Road Master Plan’ and The National Road Safety Strategic Action Plan 2011-2013’ for development of the sector. She said her government had undertaken 146 projects in the last five years for building a sustainable, safe and quality road infrastructure and modern public transportation system. Of the projects, she said, 100 were completed and the works on the rest were going on. Hasina said the government is implementing 121 projects, including metro rail, construction of the second Kachpur, second Meghna and second Gumti bridges, upgardation of Dhaka-Chittagong National Highway, Joydevpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga National Highway and Joydevpur-Mymensingh National Highway to four lanes and Eastern Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project. She also mentioned that the government has constructed 1,266 kilometers of new roads across the country in the last five years only under the road division. Besides, about 3,000 km roads have been widened and strengthened and 43,000 metres of concrete bridges were constructed during the period. The prime minister said her government has taken necessary measures for implementing the Mass Rapid Transit Line-6 from Uttara to Motijheel under the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority. She also hoped that the construction work on the Elevated Expressway from Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali of Dhaka-Chittagong Highway would begin by September this year. She said a feasibility study on constructing a tunnel under the Karnaphuli river in Chittagong has been completed. About Tk 5,600 crore would be spent on construction. Communications minister Obaidul Quader delivered the welcome address. Road division secretary MAN Siddique, bridge division secretary Khondakar Anwarul Islam and PM’s press secretary AKM Shamim Chowdhury were, among others, present. 

Bangladesh: Tareque to be interrogated at jail gate today

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): A high-powered committee inquiring into the killing of seven people in Narayanganj in April will record the statement of former Rapid Action Battalion commanding officer Tareque Sayeed Mohammad at Dhaka Central Jail today, officials said. ‘Since we have completed recording the statements of two other RAB officials, on Monday we will record the statement of Tareque Sayeed,’ said committee member Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin Sunday evening. The seven-member team led by public administration ministry additional secretary Shahjahan Ali Mollah will start recording the statement at 10:00am in the office room of the central jail’s senior jail superintendent Farman Ali, the officials said. The committee recorded the statements of two of Tareque colleagues–Masud Rana, who was retired from the navy as a lieutenant commander, and Arif Hossain, retired from army as a major—on July 1 and July 2. On April 27, seven people, including Narayanganj city panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker, were allegedly abducted by RAB personnel from the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road. Their bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya river a couple of days later. Two cases are currently under investigation regarding the murder. Following an order from the High Court, the police arrested Tareque, Masud Rana and Arif on May 17 and May 18. The then RAB-11 chief Tareque Sayeed, also the son-in-law of cabinet member Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, was sent into retirement from the army as a lieutenant colonel along with the then crime prevention company commander Masud and the then special company commander Arif on May 5. Before landing in jail in June, the three former RAB officials made confessional statements before the judicial magistrate in Narayanganj. Meanwhile, the Indian authorities will produce prime accused, Noor Hossain, who is now in Indian jail in a trespassing case, before a judicial magistrate court in North 24 Parganas, officials said. The families of the victims accused Noor and five others of the killings, with the assistance of RAB-11. The police on May 22 sought Interpol’s help to arrest Noor after he escaped the country following the murders. On June 14, the Indian National Investigation Unit and the Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Noor along with two other Bangladeshis at Indraprastha apartment complex at Koikhali. A Judicial Magistrate on June 23 sent Noor and two of his associates — Wahiduzzaman Salim and Khan Sumon of Narayanganj —to jail, in connection with the case, on completion of their interrogation in police custody for eight days. The court is likely to allow a further hearing in the case as the authorities produced an Interpol red notification issued against Noor. On July 2, the foreign minister, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, told parliament that India had agreed to extradite Noor.

Bangladesh: Abduction of DRU president attempted

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Miscreants allegedly attempted to abduct the Dhaka Reporters Unity president, Shahed Chowdhury, in the capital’s Bijoy Swarani intersection on Sunday evening. Being failed, the miscreants also threatened the senior journalist with death. Shahed Chowdhury, also the daily Samakal city editor, sustained slight injuries during the scuffle with at least two miscreants on the busy road. The attempt took place at about 6:00pm when Shahed in a microbus was heading for an iftar party hosted by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, at Westin Hotel in Gulshan. Shahed said that he, along with his driver, was inside the microbus when the miscreants tried to abduct him. Shahed told New Age that he had no enmity with anybody. The unity protested at the attempt and announced that they would hold rally in front of the national Press Club 11:00am today. The Tejgaon division assistant commissioner Afruzul Haque Tutul said they were investigating the matter.

Bangladesh: ICT-1 decision on Jabbar trial in absentia on Tuesday

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Sunday set Tuesday to decide on whether it would hold the trial of absconding Pirojpur war crimes suspect engineer Abdul Jabbar, a former Jatiya Party MP in absentia. The tribunal on June 12 asked it’s registrar to publish notices in two well circulated national dailies asking 82-year old Jabbar to surrender before it. Prosecutor Zahid Imam submitted that the notices were published by two national dailies and Jabbar was yet to surrender. He submitted that since the accused was  absconding he could be tried in absentia as the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 stipulates. The prosecutor pleaded to begin his trial ate in-absentia. According to the prosecution, Jabbar from  Khetachhira, Mathbaria in Pirojpur, has been absconding since 2009. The War Crimes Investigation Agency submitted its probe report against the accused on April 29, he said. He said that the investigation agency found incriminating evidences of his complicity in killings, genocide, arson, looting and forcible conversion of many Hindus in then Mathbaria thana of Pirojpur subdivision in 1971. On May 12, the tribunal took cognizance of his five 1971 war crimes offences and issued the warrant to arrest him. In 1971,  Jabbar was chairman of thana Peace Committee and he organised Razakar Bahini in Mathbaria, according to the prosecution.

Bangladesh: Yaba seized at Teknaf

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The Border Guard Bangladesh seized 1.7 lakh pieces of Yaba from a fishing boat from the River Naff at Shahparirdip Island of Teknaf upazila Sunday morning. The market price of the seized drugs would be more than Tk 5 crore, BGB officials said. BGB-42 commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel AbuJar Al Jahid said the fishing boat was coming through the river Naff from Myanmar water body at about 11:00am. A BGB team challenged the boat at Sahaporirdip point, but the boat was trying to crossing Bangladesh water body quickly. The BGB then opened fire on the boat and seized it. However, crews of the boat managed to flee by jumping into the river and swam ashore to Myanmar territory.

Bangladesh: Attack of ICHT Commission members condemned

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): A number of organisations on Sunday condemned the attack on the motorcade of International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission and demanded immediate arrest of the attackers. The motorcade of the commission members came under attack on Saturday on their way to the hill tracts. Iftekharuzzaman, also Transparency International Bangladesh executive director, was injured in the attack in Rangamati when settlers were demonstrating against the commission’s visit accusing it of being biased towards the hill people. Several organisations, including Ganatantrik Juba Forum, Pahari Chhatra Parishad and Hill Women’s Federation, brought out a procession condemning the attack. They alleged the some ‘extreme-communal’ organisations lunched the attack under the patronisation of lawmen. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad, Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti, lawmaker Usatan Talukder, councillor of CHT Regional Council in separate statements condemned the attack. They said such attack disclosed how much vulnerable the ethnic minorities were in the hill districts. They blamed the administration and law enforcement agencies for failing to ensure the security of the commission. In the statements, they demanded immediate implementation of the peace treaty.

Bangladesh: 2 held with 7.6kg gold bars at Dhaka airport

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The customs authorities in separate operations on Sunday arrested two incoming passengers along with 7.6 kilograms of gold bars at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the capital. In one drive, the Dhaka customs arrested Shahinur Alam, 40, with six gold bars on his arrival from Malaysia at about 7:30am by a flight of Bangladesh Biman Airlines. The arrested had gold bars attached to his body parts with anklets during the regular checking, said customs joint commissioner Kazi Mumahmmad Zia Uddin. Meanwhile, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate arrested Monjurul Haque Sumon, 26, after he had landed at the airport at about 9:00am by an Emirates Airways flight from a Middle East country. On information, the intelligence officials challenged Sumon when he was passing through the green channel — which is used by travellers carrying nothing illegal — of the airport in the morning. After searching him, the intelligence officials found 1.6kg gold attached to his waist belt. Sumon is from Chittagong. Both the accused were handed over to the Airport police. CIID director general Moinul Khan said the miscreants were now using Bangladeshi airports as transit route to smuggle out the gold to the neighbouring country, India.

Bangladesh: BR starts selling advance train tickets for Eid on July 20

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Bangladesh Railway will sell 18,000 advance train tickets each day from July 20 to July 24 to facilitate travel by Eid time home goers, railways minister Mohammad Mazibul Hoque. BR will start selling advance return tickets from July 27 to July 31, the minister told a news conference at Rail Bhaban. The tickets for home bound passengers would be sold at the Kamalapur Railway Station. The tickets for the return journeys to the capital would be sold at outlying railway stations. All the advance tickets would be sold from 9 AM to 5 PM, said the minister. The minister said that 25 per cent of the advance tickets would be sold online and five per cent would be reserved for the VIPS and BR employees. On July 20 advance train tickets will be sold for the train journeys on July 24, said the minister. On July 21, advance tickets would be sold for July 25, on July 22 for July 26, on July 23 for July 27 and on July 24 for July 28. On July 27 the advance tickets would be sold for the return journeys on July 31, on July 28 for August 1, on July 29 for August 2, on July 30 for August 3 and on July 31 for August 4, said the minister. The minister said that a maximum of four advance tickets would be sold to each passenger to prevent black marketing. BR would press 166 additional coaches and 15 additional locomotives into service to carry Eid time passengers, said the minister. BR director general Mohammad Tafazzal Hossain said that the additional coaches would be added to 10 trains that would start running three days before Eid and the service would continue seven days after the Eid. He said that the trains would run on Dhaka-Mohonganj, Dhaka-Parbatipur, Dhaka-Khulna and Chittagong-Chandpur routes to carry the extra rush of passengers during the festival. Besides the police force and the Rapid Action Battalion, Government Railway Police and Railway Nirapatta Bahini would be deployed to check black marketing of the advance train tickets and ticketless travel. The Eid vacations of all BR officers and employees have been cancelled, said the railways minister. Railways ministry secretary Abul Kalam Azad and senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials were present.

Demolition of brothel in Tangail demanded

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): A procession was brought out in Tangail town on Sunday, demanding demolition of the brothel in the town. The imam of the district central mosque led the procession under the banner of Asamajik Karjakalap Pratirodh Committee. After the procession, the agitators submitted a memorandum to the municipality mayor. In the memorandum they demanded eviction of Kandapara brothel immediately, or they will go for tougher movement. The mayor, Sahidur rahman Khan Mukti, assured them of taking initiative in cooperation with the district administration. Tangail district central Jame mosque imam Samsuzzaman Khan, president of Pratirodh Committee Maulana Abdul Aziz, secretary Maulana Abdul Jalil were present while submitting the memorandum. Meanwhile, president of Nari Mukti Sanga of Tangail brothel Akhlima Begum Akhi told New Age that in Ramadan they were trying to keep all the sex workers inside the brothel. ‘Without rehabilitation, how could they evict us? Most clients are buying drugs from outside the brothel,’ she said. Civil society leaders in Tangail said the process of eviction would scatter the sex workers across the district, which would have a negative impact on society and family values.

Bangladesh: Cabinet body okays Malaysian offer for building Rajuk’s 8,400 flats

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The cabinet economic affairs committee on Sunday in principle approved an offer of the Malaysian government to construct 8,400 flats for Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha. The committee at a meeting with finance minister AMA Muhith in the chair approved the proposal with some recommendations, said cabinet division’s joint secretary Mustafizur Rahman while briefing newsmen about the proceedings of the meeting. He, however, did not give any details of the recommendations. The Malaysian government has offered to construct the flats under a government-to-government agreement on design-build-transfer basis. To this effect, RAJUK and the Malaysian authority have already signed a memorandum of understanding in April this year. After the cabinet purchase body’s approval, RAJUK would sign the final agreement with the Malaysian authority for implementing the project. As per the proposal, the Malaysian government would construct a total of 100 multistoried buildings at B and C blocks in Uttara. Each of the buildings would be 16-storey having 84 flats. RAJUK officials said the Malaysian authority would be responsible for designing and building the apartments within 30 months from the date of signing the final agreement. RAJUK would finance the project from its own sources. According to the RAJUK officials, they have a plan to build a total of 12,000 apartments in ‘B’ and ‘C’ blocks in Uttara project. After 8,400 flats, the remaining 3,600 flats would be built later under another contract with the Malaysian authority in the second phase. They said Malaysia would use modern technology to build the high-rises which would cover everything, including keeping the buildings risk-free from earthquake and other natural calamities. Bangladesh signed an MoU with Malaysia on April 28 to build a 13-km flyover and 12,000 apartments in Uttara. The flyover will be constructed from Shantinagar to Jhilmil Project in Keraniganj while the 12,000 apartments would be constructed at Uttara 3rd phase.

Bangladesh: SUST, SAU teachers rally for separate pay scale

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Teachers of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Sylhet Agricultural University on Sunday formed separate human chains, demanding a separate pay-scale and extending service age to 67 years for the public university teachers. SUST Teachers’ Association arranged the human chain at around 11:00am in front of the university central library, extending support to the Bangladesh University Teacher Association Federation, which is pressing for a separate pay scale and extended service age for public university teachers. At the human chain, representatives of teachers expressed concern that no step was taken to meet their demands despite repeated call made by the teachers’ associations over the last 10 years. They said they would observe sit-in in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to press for the demands, if necessary. SUST immediate-past treasurer Elias Uddin Biswas, proctor Himadri Sekhar Roy, teachers’ association general secretary Faruk Uddin, Anwarul Islam, Niloy Chandra Sarker, Md Shah Noor and Himadri Chakrabarti, among others, addressed the programme. Teachers of the Sylhet Agricultural University also formed a human chain on the campus at the same time on the same demand, the campus sources said. SAU Teachers’ Association president Abdul Basit spoke at the programme. 

Bangladesh: Khulna doctors and KU students at loggerheads over assault on intern

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): The leaders of Bangladesh Medical Association Sunday threatened to extend their strike to an indefinite period if police failed to arrest the Khulna University students behind the assault on intern doctor Tanvir Ahmed Bappa on July 2. Meanwhile, Khulna University students on the other demanded the case filed against their fellow students be withdrawn and compensation be given to the family of the deceased student, who had allegedly died because of ‘negligence’ of the intern. The central vice president of Bangladesh Medical Association Sheikh Baharul Alam, while addressing a press conference at Khulna Press Club, demanded immediate arrest of students of Khulna University who assaulted the doctor and also vandalised Gazi Medical College Hospital. Alam said that physicians of private-owned hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers and laboratories of Khulna will continue their strike for an indefinite period if the government does not ensure security of doctors and health workers. Gazi Medical College Hospital superintendent, Banga Kamol Basu, lodged a FIR on Friday evening with Sonadanga police station accusing 15 students and 200 unnamed others for kidnapping and assaulting Tanvir and vandalising the emergency ward of the hospital. Earlier, a student of Khulna University, Amit Roy, who was injured in a road accident Wednesday morning, was allegedly refused treatment by the intern in question Tanvir Ahmed Bappa. Roy succumbed to his injuries while on way to Dhaka for better treatment. The angry KU students later beat up Tanvir on campus after abducting him from the emergency ward of privately-owned Gazi Medical College Hospital Thursday midnight. Tanvir was rescued by police from a room of the university early morning Friday. Khulna units of BMA and Diagnostic Owners’ Association announced the two–day strike starting Saturday, keeping all private hospitals, clinics and diagnostic centers shut. Meanwhile, students of the Fine Arts Institute of Khulna University demanded withdrawal of the case filed by the superintendent of hospital. They also demanded arrest of the driver of Town Service bus who allegedly injured and killed Roy, as well as compensation for Roy’s family to be given by Gazi Medical College Hospital authorities, as ‘he died due to their negligence.’ Sujon Ahmed, a student of first year of the Fine Arts Institute of Khulna University, made the demands while addressing a press conference at the university auditorium Sunday.

Bangladesh: Khaleda hosts iftar for journalists

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia hosted editors and senior journalists for an iftar in the city’s Westin hotel on Sunday. Khaleda, also a former prime minister, exchanged pleasantries with the guests before iftar. Later, a prayer was held for the welfare of the country and people. The BNP chief took iftar flanked by News Today editor Reazuddin Ahmed, Mouchakay Dheel’s Shafik Rehman, Sangram’s Abul Asad, Samakal’s Golam Sarwar, Boishaki Tv’s Manzurul Ahsan Bulbul, bdnews24.com’s Amanullah Kabir, Channel i’s Shykh Seraj, Bangladesh Pratidin’s Noim Nizam, Arthoniti Pratidin’s Atiqul Alam and New Age editor Nurul Kabir. Besides, senior journalists Sadeq Khan, Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Holiday editor Syed Kamaluddin, Alokito Bangladesh’s Shahjahan Sarder, Amader Arthoniti’s Nayeemul Islam Khan, Jugantor’s Saiful Islam, Amader Shomoy’s Abu Hasan Shahriar, Dhaka Tribune’s Zafar Sobhan, Independent’s Shamsur Rahman, weekly Saptahik editor Golam Murtaza, Shokaler Khabor editor Mozammel Hossain, Dinkal’s Rejwan Siddiqi and representatives from NTV, Bangla Vision, Channel 24, Ekattor, ATN news, Asian TV, ATN Bangla, SA TV, Ekushey TV, Samoy TV, Diganta TV, Desh TV and Radio Roday attended the iftar. AFP’s Shafiq Alam, Voice of America’s Amir Khasru, Al Jazeera’s Tanvir A Chowdhury and Xinhua’s Li Chuntao were present at the iftar. Journalist leaders Shawkat Mahmud, Abdul Hye Sikder, Kamal Uddin Sabuj, Syed Abdal Ahmed and Shahed Chowdhury, among others, attended the iftar.

Bangladesh: JS panel content though commodity prices soar

Dhaka, July 7, 2014 (New Age): A parliamentary panel on Sunday expressed satisfaction with the kitchen market price situation although prices of many essential commodities have increased up to 100 per cent since the beginning of Ramadan.
The parliamentary standing committee on ministry of commerce at a meeting at the parliament complex said that unlike in previous years, commodity prices had not gone up abnormally during Ramadan this year.
The meeting, with the committee president Ali Ashraf in the chair, discussed the price trends in kitchen markets.
‘Unlike in the past, prices of essential commodities have not recorded unusual rise during Ramadan this year, as several agencies are monitoring the market from the very beginning,’ Ali Ashraf told newsmen after the meeting.
He said the committee, however, stressed the need for strengthening further the market monitoring system.
The prices of most of the vegetables increased by 50 per cent to100 per cent on the retail market in the city on the eve of Ramadan.
When his attention was drawn to unusual hike of commodity prices, particularly vegetables like onion, brinjal and potato, Ali Ashraf replied,
‘The hike has not caused any stir on the market and that is why the committee members have expressed satisfaction.’
Committee members Waresat Hossain Belal, AKM Bahauddin, Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Md Sanwar Hossain and Manjurul Islam, among others, attended the meeting.
The committee has also asked the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh to ensure the quality of the commodities the TCB was marketing in the month of fasting for Muslims.
‘The quality of the commodities provided by the TCB does not match that of the products available on the market and that is why we have asked the TCB to supply quality products,’ said Ashraf.
Traders said that supply shortage caused by rains over the past week pushed up the prices of vegetables while consumers complained that traders were charging high for goods due to lack of government monitoring.
Despite a ban on export of green chilli, aubergine, cucumber, lemon and coriander leaves, the prices of the items almost doubled since the beginning of Ramadan.
Although the price of green chilli came down a little in last three days, aubergine was selling at Tk 90- Tk 100 a kg, cucumber at Tk 50 a kg, four pieces of lemon at Tk 25 and coriander leaves at Tk 250 a kg.
The prices of tomato and carrot shot up by 50 per cent and the items were selling at Tk 80 a kg and Tk 70 a kg on the city’s kitchen markets.
The prices of different kinds of fish increased by Tk 20-Tk 30 a kg in the city since the beginning of Ramadan.
The prices of onion and garlic went up by Tk 15-Tk 20 a kg and the items were retailing at Tk 45 a kg and Tk 100 a kg respectively.
Before Ramadan, onion was sold at Tk 25-Tk 30 a kg and garlic at Tk 80 a kg.
Traders said that the export price hike of onion to $500 a tonne from $300 a tonne by India had caused price rise of the item on the local market.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh and Socialist Party of Bangladesh at a rally in the city on Saturday urged the government to take steps to check price hike of essentials during Ramadan.