TeleTalk, BTCL shares to be offloaded

Shares of state-run mobile operator TeleTalk and Bangladesh Telecommuni-cations Company Ltd (BTCL) will be offloaded in the stock market to ensure people's ownership in the state-owned entities, the posts and telecommunications minister said yesterday.The telecommunications ministry is working to this effect, Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju told journalists after a meeting with the Dhaka Stock Exchange authorities at the Secretariat.A delegation of the DSE led by its President Rakibur Rahman met the minister on a courtesy call.The minister said people are the owners of the state-run enterprises. If the people's ownership in the government entities can be ensured, accountability and development of these organisations will increase, he said.Referring to reducing the per-minute call charge to Tk 0.25 for BTCL land phone customers from July 1 this year, Raju said the government has cut down the tariff to reach the telephone service to more people and help realise the dream of a digital Bangladesh.Welcoming the government decision of offloading shares of TeleTalk and BTCL, the DSE president said it will positively impact the stock market.There is no alternative to investing in the stock market to create employment and industrialise the country within a short span, he said.