Para Kendra a ray of hope for hill children, women

The underprivileged children and women of tribal communities have started to reap the benefits of Para Kendra (centre) in the remote hilly areas of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban.Para Kendra is the local pre-school education and healthcare centres set up under the Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP) in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Set up under the joint initiative of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), the Para Kendras are playing significant role in improving education and healthcare services in remote hilly areas.Mothers reading book to their children or teaching them the basic skills before enrolling them in primary school is a rare scene where poor rate of literacy and malnutrition among children were prevalent and maternal health was neglected.The scenario, however, is changing there as the children aged between three to six are receiving pre-school education at Para Kendras under the supervision of a woman of their community.Mothers of these kids are also learning about healthcare, nutrition as well as water and sanitation issues at the centres.In addition to pre-school education and healthcare, the centres also motivate the children to attend classes distributing micronutrient biscuits provided by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The biscuits not only encourage the children to attend classes but also help improve their nutritional status and capacity to concentrate.While visiting a Para Kendra at Golachhara, around 14 kilometres from the Rangamati town, Para Karmi (worker) Swapna Debi Chakma was seen teaching the children. She was giving lessons to 17 pupils, including 12 girls. They sang songs in Bangla and Chakma. Earlier a delegation of Bhutan visited the area to have an idea and gather experience on the pre-school education. Swapna said she has faced difficulties to control and give lessons to the children at the preliminary stage but now they become accustomed gradually with the activities of the Kendra and aware of the benefits of attending the classes. The local Union Parishad Chairman Arun Kanti Chakma said there are four Para Kendras in his union.He said parents are happy to send their children to the Para Kendras as it makes easier for them to get enrolled in primary schools. The dropout rate is decreasing gradually at the primary schools following the programme. Sonam Tsherins, Chief Programme Officer of Non-formal and Continuing Education Division of Education Ministry of Bhutan, told The daily Star that the programme can be introduced in their country to reduce dropout at the primary school level.He said, “I think it is playing a significant role in the life of the tribal people of the remote hilly areas and we want to utilise the knowledge gathered from them.” Same scenario was also seen at Moshmara Para Kendra, around seven kilometres off the town, where children were playing display on hygiene as per instruction of Shefali Chakma, a Para Kendra worker.Of 2,520 Para Kendras, 962 are in Rangamati, 668 in Bandarban and 890 in Khagrachhari. Unicef and ICDP have plan to establish 3,500 Kendras to cover all paras in the hill districts, said Unicef Chittagong Hill Tracts Region Programme Officer Mong Yai.Para Kendras are becoming the focal point of all development activities offering preschool education, parenting education on early childhood development, demonstration on gardening, information about low cost hygienic latrines and safe drinking water, vitamin A capsules for lactating women and fortified biscuits for children attending preschools, Mong said.Construction of most of the Para Kendras are borne by the community providing land, labour and locally available materials. Ninety-five percent of the Para workers are women and get Tk 1,500 a month as remuneration, he added.A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between government and the Unicef on July 11, 1980 in order to improve socio-economic condition of tribal people especially the women and children.

Chittagong News

The Week That Was

Tagore's birth anniversary observed:

Speakers urged the young generation to go through the works of Rabindranath Tagore in order to realise the philosophy of the maestro.They were addressing a discussion marking the 148th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore on Thursday.Oikotan Paribar, a cultural organisation, arranged the discussion at its office at South Middle Halishahar in the city.Resident Editor of Bengali Daily Prothom Alo poet Abul Momen was the chief guest at the discussion with Liton Kanti Sarker in the chair.Prama Abrity Sangathan President Rashed Hasan was the special guest while organisation chief coordinators Tutul Kumar Das and Sabuj Dey Ratan spoke.Abul Momen in his speech said the great poet depicted the discrimination among different classes in the society in the then Bengal properly through his writings.The discussion was followed by a cultural function. Singers Sreyoshi Roy, Aniruddha Sen Gupta and Irin Saha performed at function.

Workshop for nurses held:

A daylong workshop for the working nurses was held at the Centre Point Hospital on Friday. The hospital organised the workshop in collaboration with Reneta Limited, a pharmaceutical company, at its conference room.A scientific seminar titled 'Management of Severe Bronchial Asthma and COAD' was also held with hospital Managing Director (MD) Nizam Uddin Mahmud in the chair.Dr Shahadat Hossain of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) moderated the workshop on how to provide at first hand the treatment properly and carefully to the patients.Hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) KM Tariq, DGM (Admin) Iqbal Faruque and on duty doctors were present at the seminar.Working nurses of the hospital participated in the workshop.Hospital authority thanked Reneta Limited for its cooperating in arranging the workshop and seminar.They also emphasised arranging such workshops regularly for the skill development of the nurses.

Monitoring of KG schools stressed:

Awami League lawmaker from Kotwali constituency Nurul Islam emphasised the monitoring of the state of education in the kindergarten schools to ensure quality education.He said this while he was addressing a view exchange meeting with the officials of Chittagong Educational Board on Sunday.He also visited the Chittagong Board office to see for himself its activities.Chittagong Board Chairman Prof Dr Md Yusuf, acting Controller Md Abu Taher, acting Secretary Formujul Hoque, School Inspector Prof Ali Hossain and acting College Inspector Suman Barua were present at the meeting. Nurul Islam urged the board officials and staffs to work with sincerity and to play role in spreading the light of education for materialising the dream of building a 'digital Bangladesh.' The officials urged the lawmaker to take steps to fill up the vacant posts in the board.

Killing of tribal girl protested :

Tribal students studying at different educational institutions in Chittagong formed a human chain on Friday protesting the killing of a of a Marma girl after rape at Gazalia union in Bandarban on May 8. A number of leaders and activists of different progressive student organisations and political parties also joined the human chain in front of the central Shaheed Minar. Members of Bangladesh Marma Students Council (BMSC), Bom Students Association, Tripura Students Forum, Pahari Chhatra Parishad, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Gono Sanghati Andolan, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Workers Party of Bangladesh participated in the human chain.Speakers at a rally held during the human chain demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment to the rapists and killers of Machingkhoy Marma who was killed after rape at Remong Member Para of Gazalia Union under Bandarban. CPB city unit President Shah Alam, Chittagong University (CU) Communication and Journalism Department Chairman Mir Mosharraf Hossain Rajib, Workers Party leader Amrita Barua, Gono Sanghati Convenor Hasan Maruf Rumi, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation leader Helal Uddin, Anupam Barua, Rapru Chai Marma, Pritimoy Khisa, Lal Khan Bom and Avilash Chakma spoke at the rally. Later a procession was brought out.

100 years of Karankhain School celebrated :

The ceremony to celebrate 100 years of Karankhain Government Primary School at Dhalghat union under Patiya upazila was inaugurated on Friday amidst enthusiasm.Speakers at the ceremony urged the affluent section of the society to form student welfare funds in different primary schools in rural areas for helping the poor students in order to prevent dropout at primary level. Patiya Upazila Chairman Idris Mia was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony with President of School Governing Body Shankar Sengupta in the chair.Tony Che, founder of Dr Iek Memorial Trust, was the special guest at the ceremony while Unicef consultant Dr Nurul Amin Chowdhury was the chief discussant. Patiya Upazila Vice Chairman Dr Timir Chowdhury, Chittagong District Education Officer Debesh Chandra Sarkar, Upazila Education Officer Rabiul Hossain, Upazila Anti-Corruption Committee Secretary Sangha Priya Thero and Dhalghat UP Chairman Salamat Ullah Molla spoke at the function. A student welfare fund titled Dr Iek Memorial Trust was also launched at the programme.

Tobacco cultivation poses threat to environment in CHT

Tobacco cultivation is posing a threat to the public health and the environment in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Although tobacco cultivation is strictly prohibited, the tobacco companies are doing brisk business, violating the rules. Besides, they motivate the farmers openly by offering incentives in cash and kind to cultivate tobacco. At least 60 to 70 thousand metric tones of firewood are being burnt in 2,000 tobacco processing kilns every year, causing depletion of reserve and natural forests, threatening environment and ecology in the hills, environmentalists said. They said tobacco cultivation leaves bad impact on the soil fertility and once tobacco is cultivated its difficult to grow other crops on the same land. Some 7000 farmers are involved with the tobacco farming in the CHT, sources at Agriculture Extension Department (AED) said. Most of the farmers in Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari have been losing their interests in cultivating indigenous crops like paddy, banana, maize, sesame, cotton, potato, pumpkin etc as they became defaulters of loans provided by tobacco companies, they said.Farmers and labourers said staffs of tobacco companies offer lucrative amount of money as loans to trap them. Sometimes the companies provide them with bank loans for agriculture along with tobacco seeds, fertiliser, polythene bags and high-powered pesticides like Diaconal, fertilisers of BSP, BAP, FMC and SOB and DDT powder. British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) sources said farmers receive bank loans as per the rules of Bangladesh Bank and each farmer gets Tk 6000 for an acre of cultivable land.They said farmers get money by selling dried leaves and the company purchases leaves from them and adjust the loans that they provide. Bindu Bikash Chakma, a tobacco cultivator at Mynee under Dighinala in Khagrachhari, said he has been cultivating tobacco for the last ten years but hardly got any benefit.Farmers Abani Kumar Chakma, Aunglahpru Marma and Sarafat Ali in Khagrachhari also echoed the same. Zahirul Islam Jewel, manager of BATB in Bandarban, said tobacco is not a banned item and if it's banned then how the companies produce tobacco. It's a cash crop, he said, adding that the government is earning huge amount of revenues from it. He said tobacco cultivation does not create any negative impact on environment. He said they have been cultivating tobacco on 1200 acres of land in Bandarban without any impact on environment. Dhaka Tobacco, Abul Khair Tobacco, Nasir Tobacco, KB Group Tobacco, RB Group Tobacco and Rangunia Samity also cultivate tobacco in the hills, sources said.Chowdhury Harun, secretary of Rangamati Paribesh Sangrakhan Unnayan Sangstha, said tobacco cultivation should be banned as it seriously hampers the usual growing of other crops. Abu Daud, member of Bangladesh Paribesh Ainbid Samity, in Khagrachhari said Government should take legal action against the tobacco companies to save our invaluable agricultural lands from decay and infertility. Md Lise Uddin, deputy director of AED in Rangamati, said they discourage the farmers to grow tobacco since it requires large quantity of fertiliser than cultivation of other crops.AED sources said the root of tobacco tree usually penetrate nine inches deep into the soil whereas it's only four inches in case of other crops. As a result, the tobacco root badly affects fertility of soil. A group of journalists during a recent visit found massive tobacco farming in Kaptai, Barkal, Rajasthali, Baghaichhari, Jurachhari, Longudu and Bilaichhari areas in Rangamati. Tobacco is also largely produced at Ruma, Lama, Alikadam, Thanchi, Nikhyangchhari, Rowangchhari and Sadar upazilas in Bandarban and at Dighinala, Mainee valley, Panchhari and Ramgarh in Khagrachhari.Sources said about 5000 farmers have cultivated tobacco this year in Bandarban alone.Besides, 2626 hectares of lands were brought under tobacco cultivation in Bandarban (2312 hectares), Khagrachhari (209 hectares) and Rangamati (105 hectares) last year. Last year, the total production was 5758 metric tones (MT) worth about Tk 100 crore. Of this, 5440MT were produced in Bandarban, 209MT in Khagrachhari and 109MT in Rangamati.

7 Satkhira robbers arrested

Police yesterday arrested seven robbers and recovered a firearm bullets from their possession at village Keragachhi in Kalaroa upazila. The robbers are Alam Hawladar, Abdus Salam, Mani Sarkar, Shahidul Islam, Abdus Selim, Rafiqul Islam and Shariful Islam. Police raided the house of Alam at village Keragachhi in the early morning and rounded up the robbers while they were asleep. A pipegun, eight cartridges and some sharp weapons were recovered from the house. During interrogation the arrestees told police that they committed robberies in 11 houses at village Kanerdangi on May 16 and in a house of a Kuwait expatriate at village Aruakhali in Sadar upazila on May 17.

Bus strike withdrawn

Pabna District Motor Sramik Union withdrew their strike yesterday hours after the union enforced it demanding release of its leader Shamsur Rahman Swapan who was arrested on Tuesday on charge of making fake driving licences. Bus services to and from Pabna came to a halt for several hours causing immense sufferings to the passengers.Earlier, Rab arrested Shamsur Rahman Shwapan, vice president of Pabna district unit motor shramik union, also a Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal leader from his residence. The arrest followed a case filed by assistant director of Pabna BRTA Md Wahiduzzaman with Pabna Police Station. Agitated transport workers brought out a procession in the district headquarters Tuesday night demanding release of their leader but Swapan was sent to jail yesterday, police said. The strike was withdrawn after the local lawmaker of Pabna-5 assured the union leaders of resolving the issue.

Khulna police make list of troublemakers

Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) has finalised a list of 32 students of three academic institutions, identifying them as troublemakers on the campuses.Of them, ten are from Khulna Medical College, 12 from Daulatpur Government BL University College, and the rest from Khulna Polytechnic institute.KMP Deputy Commissioner Mostafa Kamal said process is on to identify more students who are vitiating peaceful atmosphere at the educational institutions. The second phase of such list will be completed in a week, he added.He said no troublemaker will be spared and appropriate legal action will be taken against them.According to a source in the Special Branch of KMP, the troublemakers belonging to Chatra League, Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir are also on the list.The list has been prepared very carefully in consultation with general students, said Assistant Police Commissioner of City SB Md Moniruzzaman.Apart from these three educational institutions, a separate list of students, who recently created unrest on the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (Kuet) campus, will be made, KMP sources said. Similar list of teachers, who helped the troublemakers on the campuses under political influence and instigate violence, will also be made, said DC Shahadat Hossain.The lists will be sent to the police stations concerned for maintaining official record, he said.When contacted, principal of Khulna Medical College Hospital and registrar of Khulna University of Engineering and Technology said they are not aware of preparation of such list by the law enforcers.The law enforcers are doing their duties for maintaining peaceful atmosphere in cooperation with the authorities of these academic institutions where violence erupted recently, they said.The principal of Daulatpur Government BL University College and the Principal of Khulna Polytechnic Institute could not be reached over phone despite several attempts for their comment. Meanwhile, KMP will soon launch a drive against the criminals. The updated list of criminals has been made recently checking and rechecking their backgrounds, sources said.

Turag almost grabbed

River grabbers back after 2 years of hibernation; rampant encroachment narrows the river down to a canal

Encroachment, after pollution, stand as the biggest threat to the life of our rivers. The reach and scope of the encroachers have made them seemingly invincible. Powerful, rich and ruthless, these encroachers have come to pull strings in government, pocket law enforcers and lean on land administration to produce ownership papers out of the blue. The legal system has been left helpless in its wake and left our rivers in peril.Starting today, The Daily Star offers a series on the most visible encroachments on the Turag and three other Dhaka rivers, with a plea to authorities to go and check grabbers' claims. We invite our readers to join the cause -- save our rivers.The Turag flowing along northern vicinity the capital is virtually disappearing from the map thanks to indiscriminate encroachment on the river for years. If the trend continues further, the river would become history for the future generations.After a break of two years, the encroachers are back to business with the new Awami League government assuming power in January. It seems now there are no authorities to bar these people from encroaching the rivers around the capital.Although the AL pledged before the national elections to bring "changes in political culture and prevailing ill practices", no change is apparent in the culture of river grabbing.Different vested quarters including influential locals, political leaders, housing estates, government officials, refuelling stations, private universities, sand traders and religious groups have grabbed the banks of the Turag over the years.Once an affluent 100-metre-wide river has now turned into a narrow canal to only 30-40 feet in width in some places as grabbing still continues in full swing.Originating from the old Brahmaputra river, the Turag, main tributary of the Buriganga on the northern side of the capital, has a length of 78 kilometres and 23 kilometres of it flows along the city.The river is now being sacrificed to 'development' as both the banks have been grabbed for constructing buildings. Besides, its waters are contaminated by lethal effluent, making it one among many rivers in the country to face environmental devastation.With huge encroachment on both of its banks, the Turag in Tongi, Kamarpara, Ashulia and Amin Bazar points looks so pathetic that anyone might surely think the river would die any time, if not dead already.Not only the banks, the riverbed itself in the upstream near Ashulia and Birulia has also been grabbed by the encroachers, who have erected huge structures at various points.The Conservation of Playing Field, Open Space, Garden and Natural Water Body Act, 2000 enacted by the previous AL government clearly prohibits filling up of water bodies and terms it a punishable act.Unfortunately, the authorities seem reluctant to enforce the law.At least nine fresh patches on the bank of Turag are now being filled up between the Tongi Bridge and Ashulia just within a couple of kilometres.Bringing soil by sand-carrying large cargo boats, the encroachers are filling up the river thanks to the 'circular waterway project' of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA).The BIWTA authorities have spent Tk 36 crore to implement the first phase of the project to maintain navigability of the river which is in fact facilitating encroachment.During a recent visit to the river, many 'ownership' notices were seen that read "owned by purchase". The notices were erected in places where the waters reach during high tide, very much within the river periphery.In several notices the so-called owners have mentioned references of their land documents even from the surveys during the British and Pakistan rules, though all encroachments have occurred since independence in connivance with the land office.The grabbers briefly went on back foot when the military-backed caretaker government came to power and cracked down on them. But they resumed grabbing since the end of 2008.None of the government agencies including the BIWTA, Water Development Board and law-enforcement agencies now seems to be able to take any meaningful action against the encroachers.Talking to The Daily Star, BIWTA Secretary Syed Monowar Hossain said: "Encroachment and eviction both are a continuous process. We have not stopped our eviction drives. Soon we'll evict them all"."The good news is any concrete structures have not yet been erected in most of the places. We can remove all the soil from there if it fills any parts of the river," he added.The BIWTA is the regulatory body to maintain the 110-kilometre river routes around the capital involving the Buriganga, Shitalaksha, Balu, Turag and Dhaleshwari rivers. The end of encroachment of these rivers largely depends on this body.

JS body for tax holiday

Recommends expanding tax net at upazila-union level; Muhith still against continuing tax holiday

The parliamentary standing committee on finance ministry has recommended continuing the existing tax holiday facility with some conditions in the budget for next fiscal year.It also recommended expanding the tax net at upazila and union levels by involving local lawmakers and other public representatives in identifying prospective taxpayers including small grocers. And it suggested cutting the rate of taxes in the next budget. The standing committee made the recommendations after discussing all aspects, its Chairman AHM Mostafa Kamal told reporters following a committee meeting at the Jatiya Bhaban yesterday.The House body came up with these suggestions while Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday told journalists, “In my opinion, tax holiday facility should not be continued. Now, the cabinet is to decide on this."Mostafa Kamal said, "Tax holiday should continue in view of the global meltdown, and consequent pressure on the national economy." Replying to a question, he said the House committee suggested tax holiday for some priority sectors like agriculture, IT and service sector."We can also ask new entrepreneurs to invest in less developed areas by offering them tax holiday facility," he added. The committee chief said they also suggested continuing the opportunity of whitening black money subject to some conditions. The House body favoured raising the limit of tax-free income to Tk 2 lakh. "A small grocer at union level can pay Tk 2,000 in tax a year if he is properly motivated," he said in reply to a question. The committee asked the finance ministry to take measures to implement its suggestions, Mostafa Kamal said. Earlier on May 15, the finance minister the government was planning to cancel tax holiday scheme in the next fiscal year.

Suffering of city dwellers...

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) is setting up sewerage pipes near Panthakunja Park blocking one lane of CR Dutta Road to the suffering of city dwellers.

Safety net to get boost in budget

The government will give massive increases in budgetary allocation for safety net, employment and food security, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday while unveiling some salient features of the next national budget.He said the 100-day employment generation programme, designed for helping the jobless poor during lean period, would also be restructured with an increased allocation. "We will have to increase allocation massively in these three areas as we are committed as per our election manifesto," he told reporters after a meeting of the cabinet committee on social safety net programme at the finance ministry.Replying to a question, the finance minister said, "The preparation of budget is almost done but few areas still remained to be completed." "In few cases, it has been delayed intentionally," he said, adding that the budget document will be sent for printing by the end of this month.Replying to another question, he reaffirmed his stance on doing away with tax holiday, notwithstanding criticisms. "In my opinion, tax holiday facility should not be continued. Now the cabinet is to decide."The finance minister also said that he intentionally exposed some of the possible budgetary measures to get reaction from different quarters.State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Capt (retd) ABM Tajul Islam,Minister for Social Welfare Enamul Haq Mostafa Shaheed and secretaries of finance, social welfare and liberation war and women affairs were present at the meeting.

Swine flu cases cross 10,000

The number of worldwide swine flu infections surged past the 10,000 mark yesterday as the crisis escalated in the United States and Asia despite stringent government efforts to contain the virus.The number of confirmed swine flu cases now stands at 10,243 in 40 different countries, said a spokeswoman for the World Health Organisation. The number of dead stands at 80, spokeswoman Fadela Chaib added."There is an increase of 413 cases in the past 24 hours, with most in the United States with 346 new cases... and in Japan there are 51 new cases," Chaib told journalists.The increase in the United States raised the total there to 5,469 cases in 47 states plus Washington's District of Columbia.The number of confirmed A(H1N1) infections in Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak, rose by almost 100 in 24 hours to 3,660, health authorities said as they also announced four new deaths. Local officials say 76 people have died in Mexico, although not all of these deaths have been registered by the WHO.And as dozens more cases were reported in Japan, Taiwan became the latest Asian government to record a case of the virus on its soil -- in an Australian doctor who arrived by plane from Hong Kong earlier in the week.Australia itself reported four new cases, including three young brothers, raising the overall number of confirmed infections to five.Victoria state health authorities quarantined the family, along with some of the boys' classmates.The mounting crisis has overshadowed proceedings at the WHO's ongoing annual assembly where UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged people to remain vigilant as previous pandemics had shown flu outbreaks could start mild and worsen.The WHO has already raised its alert level to five out of a sliding scale of six, indicating that a full-fledged pandemic is imminent.The top level would indicate sustained community transmission in a second region outside the Americas and the escalating number of cases in Asia has increased the prospects of the red alert being sounded.Governments in Asia, where memories of the bird flu crisis remain raw, have been swift to quarantine both locals and foreigners in a bid to stop swine flu in its tracks.But a group of some 20 foreign tourists held in Tibet over fears an Italian woman with them had swine flu were released Wednesday after tests showed she was suffering from common influenza, Chinese officials said.Meanwhile Egyptian Health Minister Hatem al-Gabali warned of the dangers posed by swine flu to millions of Muslim pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia.Gabali told the independent daily Al-Masri Al-Yom that "there is a large possibility" the A(H1N1) virus may reach Egypt with returning pilgrims.While he could not bar Egypt's estimated 600,000 pilgrims from travelling as such a decision was up to clerics, Gabali said he could "open quarantines and say: no one will return from Saudi Arabia to his home."The senior Muslim cleric in the Gulf emirate of Dubai has already published a fatwa, or religious decree, calling on the faithful to delay any pligrimages to Mecca for the time being.

Kabirul held for 'killing' brother

A son of former Jatiya Party lawmaker Karimuddin Vorosha was arrested from a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in the city's Uttarkhan area yesterday on charge of killing his younger brother.Police arrested Kabirul Islam Vorosha from “Hope and Life” at around 12:00 noon. Kabirul gunned down his younger brother Khairul Islam Vorosha at later's office at Bijoynagar on April 27. Later, a murder case was filed. Kabirul told newsmen at Paltan Police Station that on the day he locked into a quarrel with his brother Khairul who was managing director of New Age Tobacco as he (Khairul) refused to pay him Tk 75 lakh for a cold storage of Rangpur.Kabirul said during the quarrel, he was addicted and shot three shots at Khairul that left him dead.Police said he went into hiding after the killing and later got admitted to the centre identifying himself as Helal.

Major decisions on coal likely within this year

Govt working on approval of coal policy, open-pit mining at Barapukuria, resettlement of affected people

Within this year, the government will take several major and thorny decisions on developing the coal sector, including approval of the coal policy, an open-pit mine in Barapukuria, resettlement of people affected by the existing mine and development of a mine city.The government is already working on the mine city in Barapukuria by identifying areas to be acquired. This mine city will initially aim at providing livelihood and living facilities to 10,000 families and ultimately give room to one lakh families, says Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, adviser to the prime minister on energy.Towfiq-e-Elahi pointed out that the government has signed a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) with villagers who are affected by land subsidence around the Barapukuria coalmine area. "Their resettlement will be implemented in phases," he noted."Our bigger concern is to ensure these affected people their livelihood. We aim at giving jobs to the second generation of these affected people," he added.A government committee has already recommended quick framing of a human resettlement action plan for the villagers affected by the Barapukuria coalmine in line with the one for the Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge project. Such a plan should be chalked out within a few months.Till this plan of "international standard" is approved for action, the people should be immediately given a standard compensation package and alternative shelter, said a source quoting the committee's report submitted to the energy ministry late last month. Deep grievances are brewing among several villages around the mine for the last two years. The mining project was implemented without recognising that the mine would cause land subsidence leading to loss of agricultural land, water supply and cause environmental damage. For now, the government is addressing the water issue in the area by installing 600 deep tube wells (Tara Tubewells). The subsoil water level in around 15 villages in Barapukuria rapidly dropped as the mine is pumping out huge quantity of water for coal production. Towfiq said the work order for these pumps would be issued this month. Identifying coal as one of the vital natural resources that needs to be developed for future energy security of the country, Towfiq said in the past the government had undertaken mining project without informing the people its consequences on the environment and agricultural land. The government had not even kept any allocation to address the environmental issues. "But in future all such projects should be done in a transparent manner by informing and involving the people," he said. The draft coal policy that the government did not approve in the last four years will soon see the light of day. "We are working on it. We hope to approve it within a few months. The main focus would be to ensure the best usage of coal," Towfiq said.He noted the future of power would be dependent on coal as well as nuclear technology. "Seventy-five percent of power in France comes from nuclear power stations and one third of power in the USA also comes from nuclear power stations," he quipped.Meanwhile, the eight-member committee headed by a joint secretary of the energy ministry recommended that a mining city be developed as per the Resettlement Action Plan. This city would provide amenities, shelter and livelihood as an alternative to the affected people.As part of this action plan, the government should appoint a third party organisation--possibly a non-government organisation--to conduct a baseline survey in the affected area to assess the size of the population, their assets, cropland and livestock, schools and other educational institutions etc. If there is a slum in the area, it should also be assessed.Till the plan is implemented, the villagers living in vulnerable structures should be relocated to the East Camp of the Barapukuria mine. The East Camp is a structure built during the project construction period, said the committee that was formed in January to look into the land subsidence of Barapukuria. All future mine projects should be implemented after conducting a feasibility study, undertaking a resettlement plan and by acquiring the land necessary for the projects, it said.The committee pointed out that land outside the mine area, which has subsided and will subside in future, should be acquired by paying premium to the owners. The base line survey should identify the lands that could be acquired by paying the premium.It recommended jobs for the locals as per their merit in the Barapukuria coalmine. A social awareness committee should be formed with these people to disseminate information about the long-term impact of the mine.The 2,500-acre underground mine area includes 650 acres of agricultural land on the surface. The mine is directly affecting the lives of about 2,500 people in seven to eight villages. "Rehabilitation of these people should not be very costly for the government," said a source. Other members of the committee include director general of the Hydrocarbon Cell of the ministry, Dhaka University geology department Professor Badrul Imam, chiefs of the Bureau of Mineral Development, Barapukuria Coal Mine Company, Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company and Geological Survey of Bangladesh.

Haji Selim, Saifur's son sent to jail

Former Awami League lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim and former finance minister M Saifur Rahman's younger son Shafiur Rahman Babu were sent to jail after they surrendered before two Dhaka courts yesterday in connection with graft cases.The two were earlier convicted for 13 years' imprisonment each in absentia in the cases filed against them for amassing wealth illegally and concealing wealth statements submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).Judge Sirajul Islam of the Special Judge's Court-7 passed the order rejecting Selim's bail petition after he appeared before it and sought bail in the case. The court also directed the jail authorities to provide him with first class division in jail.Moving the petition, lawyers told the court that their client was earlier sentenced in absentia and later he (Selim) had appeared before the High Court (HC) seeking bail. The HC asked their client to surrender to the trial court. So, their client appeared before it and sought bail. On April 27 last year, Selim was sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment for amassing wealth worth Tk 14.65 crore illegally and concealing wealth information of Tk 8.70 crore submitted to the ACC.Selim was also fined Tk 10 lakh, in default, to suffer one year more in jail. His wife Gulshan Ara Begum was also sentenced to three years' imprisonment for abetting his husband in acquiring illegal wealth. The judge also ordered confiscation of all his ill-gotten assets worth Tk 27 crore.ACC Assistant Director Mahabubul Alam filed the case with Lalbagh Police Station against Selim and his wife on September 24, 2007.Meanwhile, a large number of Selim's supporters gathered outside the courthouse and chanted slogans demanding withdrawal of the case filed against Haji Selim.CASE AGAINST BABU Judge Jesmin of the Special Judge's Court-4 ordered to send Saifur Rahman's son Babu to jail when he appeared before it and sought bail in the case in which he was sentenced to 13 years' imprisonment.He was convicted for amassing Tk 13.85 crore through illegally and concealing information of wealth worth Tk 1.2 crore to ACC. Babu was also fined Tk 15 lakh, in default, to suffer two and a half years' more in jail. The court also ordered confiscation of all his ill-gotten assets. ACC Deputy Director Sharmin Ferdousy filed the case against Babu with Ramna Police Station on April 29 last year.

CHT accord implementation body recast

Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury has been made chairperson of the National Committee for Implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord.State Minister for CHT Affairs Dipankar Talukder disclosed it at a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on CHT affairs in Bandarban yesterday.It was the first time parliamentary standing committee meeting was held outside the parliament house.He said that the CHT Land Commission will be reformed soon. “We want to appoint an energetic person for the post of chairman as the land commission is the most important institution in CHT aspect,” he said.The state minister said it is very difficult for an old person to maintain the huge responsibility as land commission chairman. A justice retires from service at the age of over 67 years and the land commission will perform better if its chairman has been appointed from other services, he added.“In the mean time we talked to two persons for the post of chairman of the commission and they agreed to join," Dipankar said.A proposal has been submitted by the state minister for CHT affairs before the standing committee meeting to take decision to appoint any retired government official from any other service as the chairman of land commission.ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury MP, Jyotindra Lal Tripura MP, Abdur Rahman Bodi MP and secretary and officials of the ministry concerned and other departments attended the meeting presided over by Promod Mankin MP, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on CHT Affairs Ministry.Prof Thanjama Lusai, chairman of Bandarban Hill District Council, was present at the meeting as a guest.

District units see rat race for posts

District-level leaders of BNP are now busy with last-minute lobbying to get included in the district convening committees to be announced in a day or two. Party leaders said the district-level leaders have become desperate to secure posts in the convening committees. Even a number of senior leaders are vying for the posts of convener and joint conveners of the new committees to have control over district leadership. Many grassroots-level leaders are now in the capital to persuade the policy makers to include them in the convening committees.The National Standing Committee (NSC) of BNP has already finalised the names of conveners and a few joint conveners for district convening committees that will be assigned to reorganise the party from union to district levels by holding council. However, the party's policy makers said they would not make any decision on its Dhaka city unit right now. "The standing committee approved the convening committees for all districts and city units except for Dhaka as we are yet to decide on it," BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain told The Daily Star last evening. He said the new convening committees with a convener and a few joint conveners would be announced by this week.Asked whether intra-party conflicts might escalate after announcement of new committees, Mosharraf said, "It's not unusual that some leaders might be aggrieved since BNP is a big political party. But we shall request all to work together in the greater interest of the party." The party would nominate a convener and a few joint conveners for a 51-member district committee. The rest of the members will be co-opted into it later, said party leaders. A senior BNP leader said the process of reorganising the party was delayed because of lobbying by some top-level leaders for including their followers in the new committees.Earlier, a four-member high-powered committee led by party Chairperson Khaleda Zia reviewed the reports of grassroots-level leaders for about two months to constitute the district and city convening committees as part of the move to reorganise the party.

Paltan killing case against AL leaders to be dropped

The metropolitan public prosecutor (MPP) yesterday recommended scrapping of the Paltan killing case against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Home Minister Sahara Khatun, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, and 37 others. The other accused in the case include Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal President Hasanul Haque Inu, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok, former home minister Mohammad Nasim, and former AL lawmakers Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya, HBM Iqbal, and Haji Mohammad Selim. In defence of his recommendations, MPP Abdullah Abu said the case filed by Jamaat-e-Islami on October 28, 2006 was based on a false and imaginary incident, a source said quoting from the MPP's opinion. "The persons who were made accused in the case had no reason to go to the place of occurrence that day. The case was filed at a time when the people of the country were demonstrating against the misrule and corruption of BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government," the MPP said in his opinion. He sent the opinion to the Dhaka district magistrate, who will forward it to the home ministry for taking necessary steps. Just before the immediate past four-party alliance government handed over power to the successive caretaker government, seven people were killed in a fierce clash between activists of AL-led 14 party coalition and Jamaat-e-Islami. On October 28, 2006, Jamaat and Workers Party filed two separate cases with Paltan police station in connection with killings of their activists. Workers Party in its case accused Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, Assistant Secretary General Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, and seven others. The case against AL-led alliance leaders is now under further investigation while the case against Jamaat is on trial.The Jamaat leaders also filed petitions with the Dhaka district magistrate for scrapping of the case against them. On receiving the petition from the district magistrate, the MPP will scrutinise it to give his opinion. The MPP earlier recommended scrapping of 11 other cases against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. On receiving the recommendations from the MPP, the district magistrate will forward those to the home ministry, and the ministry will submit those to a high-powered committee led by the law minister for review. After the review, the MPP will file petitions with the courts concerned seeking permission to throw away the cases.

Dhaka metro govt proposed

JS body members for combining Gazipur, N'ganj with capital giving them city corporation status

Members of the parliamentary standing committee on the local government ministry at a meeting yesterday discussed forming Dhaka metropolitan government combining Gazipur and Narayanganj to improve city life. Members of the parliamentary body suggested that Dhaka City Corporation should be divided into two parts each having a mayor to better city life. The committee members also suggested upgrading Gazipur and Narayanganj to City Corporation.The committee at the meeting held at the parliament building decided to scrutinise Pourasava Bill keeping the provision of lawmakers' advice mandatory for pourasava mayors.The body recommended creating posts of two deputy mayors including one for woman. "Most of the committee members at the meeting called upon the government to form Dhaka metropolitan city as well as the metropolitan government combining Gazipur and Narayanganj after upgrading them to city corporation," Advocate M Rahmat Ali, chairman of the committee told reporters after the meeting. "The committee, however, did not make any decision or recommendation in this regard," he added. "We need to talk with the government, experts, mayors and councillors of all city corporations about the issue before taking any decision," Rahmat said. "We need to discuss how the utility services will be integrated and how they will function once the metropolitan government is formed," he said. "We will fix a date to talk on this issue with all mayors and councillors after getting the nod from the government," he added.The committee members also suggested splitting Dhaka City Corporation into two separate entities having two mayors," Rahmat Ali said. "As the chairman of the committee I did not make any recommendation over their opinion as I need to talk more on that," he said. Rahmat cited names of some cities including Kolkata, New York, London, and New Delhi where the city is divided into two.Replying to a question he said all members of the committee gave their opinions in favour of Dhaka Metropolitan government.The committee also asked all deputy commissioners to investigate the alleged misappropriation of money worth Tk 135 crore during the BNP-led four-party alliance government in giving government allocation under Gram Sarkar. The committee asked them to place the report before the committee within next 45 days.

Banglalink, AKTEL may merge

Mobile operators Banglalink and AKTEL are in talks for a possible merger in an aggressive bid to grab a substantial market share of Bangladesh's 46 million market, giving a hint that the number of operators will come down in the already saturated six-operator market.The merger issue was disclosed by Orascom Telecom Holdings Chairman Naguib Sawiris recently, when he talked with journalists on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Jordan, according to media reports.Sawiris said mobile operators would benefit from merger because "in long term the smaller companies won't be able to compete"."But right now our feeling is that more consolidation has to happen in the market on the subsidiary level, like we're doing in Bangladesh. We're in discussions now with Telekom Malaysia to combine our operations," he said.Orascom Telecom Holdings is the owning company of local Banglalink, which is yet to break even after holding the market's second largest position with 10.90 million customers as of April 2009.Banglalink's probable consolidation partner AKTEL has the third position in the market with 8.83 million subscribers as of April. Telekom Malaysia International has 70 percent stake and Japanese NTT DoCoMo the rest in AKTEL.If the expected merger happens, the new operator's market share will be around 45 percent in terms of accumulated customers of 19.73 million. At present, the top three operators -- Grameenphone, Banglalink and AKTEL -- hold more than 90 percent market share. Norwegian Telenor's majority shareholding company Grameenphone is in the number one position with 46 percent market share and 21.02 million customers as of April 2009. Sawiris' recent disclosure about merger matches the hint he had given to the journalists during his visit to Dhaka last year. In a press meet in Dhaka he was asked about the possibility of acquisition and merger in Bangladesh's cellphone market. He said: "Frankly speaking you have six operators, but we see only three."He however said: "Most competitors don't want to sell unless they have built some value. And that's why we don't see someone wants to sell its stake right now. But I believe six is a crowd." Talking to The Daily Star, a Banglalink official said it could happen as Sawiris told the press. "There is something going on. But we are not fully aware of the development."AKTEL officials echoed the same, saying they also heard about the issue but Telekom Malaysia International is yet to give any hint to the AKTEL office. Talks of merger, acquisition or a new partnership in the telecom industry surfaced over the last few years, as most operators have failed to gain profitability.Only Grameenphone now enjoys break-even. AKTEL remained profitable until the end of 2007. But then the company became a losing concern even after having a new partnership with Japanese NTT DoCoMo at the end of 2008.Top officials of the leading mobile phone operators are already anticipating that a merger or acquisition will take place. However such talks were centring around the bottom three operators earlier. So any merger among the leading operators will change the market's characteristics and fuel competition, experts said. "We had mentioned earlier that for the six operators in this market it would be difficult to sustain. So it comes as no surprise that the two companies now are in discussions. Whether there will be a merger or not remains to be seen," Oddvar Hesjedal, chief executive officer of Grameenphone, told The Daily Star yesterday.He said: "If it becomes a reality, Grameenphone will do its best to be a worthy competitor. We are confident that we will remain as the number one operator in Bangladesh in the years to come.”Warid Telecom, the fourth largest operator, said recently it was on the lookout for a partner to raise fresh capital for investment in the next phase of its operations.

Ctg laptop fair tomorrow

A three-day laptop fair is scheduled to begin in the port city on Friday.Maker Communication, an event management firm, is organising the fair titled “Laptop Fair Chittagong 2009”, providing loan facilities to purchase laptops for first time, at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) Chittagong Centre.A number of renowned laptop brands, including Asus, Benq, Posh.Book, Compaq, Apple, Dell, HP, Gigabyte, Toshiba, Acer, Great Wall and Deluxe, are participating in the fair. The organisers informed there will be eight pavilions and 10 stalls, in a press conference at a hotel in Chittagong yesterday afternoon.Maker Communication Strategic Planner Muhammad Khan, Asus Country Manager Mohiuddin K Khasru, Benq Laptop Marketing Company - Com Valley Limited Chairman Lutful Haider Babu, Bank Asia First Assistant Vice President HM Mustafizur Rahman and Executive Vice President Swapan Das Gupta spoke the conference.Muhammad Khan said the fair was organised to offer buyers a chance to buy their desired laptop from a huge variety of options, all under one roof.“The participating companies will offer discounts on their products to make laptops affordable for the middle and lower-middle class people in society,” Khan said.Companies that supply Asus, Benq and Posh.Book are sponsoring the fair, while Radio Foorti, Bdnews24.com, Bdjobs.com, Daily Azadi, Nescafe, wheelsbd.com and Hotel Tower Inn are the partners, he added.Bank Asia will offer loans to the customers for buying laptops at the venue. A game show, fashion show and quiz competition will also be held.A car show will also be held in the port city today, showcasing eight modified racing cars. Chittagong City Corporation Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury is scheduled to inaugurate the fair as the chief guest, where Chittagong University Vice Chancellor Professor Abu Yusuf and Bangladesh Computer Association President Mostafa Jabbar will be present as special guest and guest, respectively.The fair will remain open for all from 10.00am to 8.00pm everyday and the entry fee is fixed at Tk 10. School students will be allowed to enter the venue, free of cost by presenting their identity cards, informed the organisers.

Fare war on Dhaka-Kolkata air route

A fare war has now surfaced on the Dhaka-Kolkata route, as Indian carriers recently slashed fares drastically to secure a slice of the market, airline officials said yesterday. In the last couple of days, three Indian carriers operating from Bangladesh reduced their fares for flights between Dhaka-Kolkata. Air India Express was the first to cut fare, followed by Jet Airways and the newest entrant Kingfisher Airlines.Local carriers--Biman Bangladesh Airlines, GMG and United Airways -- are yet to respond to the price cuts by the Indian carriers and some said they are first observing the situation.“We cut our fares to allure more travellers to our flights on the route. Our Dhaka-Delhi route has a 90 percent rate of occupancy, but it is quite low for our Dhaka-Kolkata route. I hope we will be able to attract more travellers after the reduction in fares,” said Sudhakar Rao, general manager of Jet Airways in Bangladesh.The Jet Airways official termed the latest fare promotional and said it would continue from May 18 to June 30.The fare war began as Liquor baron Vijay Mallya led private airline Kingfisher Airlines to debut on the Dhaka-Kolkata route on May 15. It is the sixth airline to secure a slice of the air-travel market, which is blessed mainly by Bangladeshi medical treatment seekers, tourists and business people.Industry insiders said air-travel on the Dhaka-Kolkata route is limited, with about 200 air-travellers commuting a day.Jet Airways now offers Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka flights at a total of Tk 5,700, down from Tk 11,900 from last week.Indian budget carrier Air India Express also brought down fares from Tk 9,635 for return flights to about Tk 6,149. Officials of the carrier in Dhaka however said the airline slashed fares to attract travellers during the recession, which cast a shadow on air travel.On May 20, Kingfisher Airlines, operating a 66-seater ATR aircraft on the route, started charging Tk 5,730 for the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka route, as a promotional step. Launching operations on May 15 from Dhaka, the carrier offered Tk 10,518 on return flights on the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka route, a reservations official said. Dhaka is the third global destinations for the airline. However, none of the three local carriers-Biman, GMG and United-are yet to cut fares. Rather, local carriers have kept their fares as low as Tk 10,000 for return flights between Dhaka and Kolkata. “We don't want to engage in the price war. Let them do what they prefer,” said Sadad Rahman, vice president in charge of marketing for private carrier GMG Airlines.

Run Up To Budget

Expat bank won't be viable
Experts term the move unnecessary

The government move to set up an expatriate welfare bank would not be viable with experts terming the initiative 'unnecessary'.“It won't be viable. It will be a superfluous move,” said Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, a former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank (BB), now the chairman of Bangladesh Krishi Bank.Dr Tasneem Siddiqui, an expert on migrant workers, hailed the government for giving importance to the problems faced by migrants, but said a separate bank for them will not be able to provide required services.“The existing banks that have loan products for overseas job seekers have failed to attract clients,” she said. “It's impossible to provide the services with one, two or five branches.”The government announced that it would set up an expatriate bank to support job seekers willing to go abroad with easy loan. The proposed bank will also help around 60 lakh expatriate Bangladeshis with different services including faster delivery of their money.The government high-ups including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have already agreed on the move, officials at the employment ministry said. The minister for expatriate welfare is also moving fast and held meetings with the finance ministry and the BB on setting up the bank.Currently, some banks -- Agrani, Pubali and Mercantile -- have loan products for overseas job seekers.Pubali Bank with its countrywide network of 371 branches lent to around 100 job seekers in 2008.“We have targeted to serve 500 job seekers this year,” said Helal Ahmed Chowdhury, managing director of the bank.Agrani Bank that has over 1,000 branches across the country also has the loan product, but has so far failed to get expected response.“Perhaps, we didn't publicise much,” said Syed Abu Naser Bukhtear Ahmed, managing director of the bank.Meanwhile, the BB has suggested the government set up the proposed expatriate bank as a specialised one instead of a scheduled bank, a senior official concerned said.The BB made the observation following the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment move to establish the bank as a scheduled one.“Setting up the bank as a scheduled one won't be feasible,” said the official.He said a scheduled bank needs a capital of Tk 400 crore.“We have recently informed the ministry of the BB's stance in this regard,” the official said. “The bank can be a specialised one like Karmasangsthan (employment) Bank,” he suggested.Employment ministry officials however said they have the fund required for setting up the bank.“We have around Tk 300 crore fund under the ministry. Many investors at home and abroad have also shown interest to assist us in setting up the bank,” said a ministry official.Tasneem Siddiqui criticised the ministry move to use the workers' fund worth around Tk 350 crore. She said every worker who has gone abroad deposited Tk 1,300 each to the fund.“The government has no right to set up the bank with the workers' fund,” she said. “The fund must come from the revenue budget.”Ibrahim Khaled suggested the government should provide the services like it is doing with the low-cost housing, SME and women entrepreneurs' loans. “Separate divisions and wings can be opened at different offices to support the overseas job seekers,” he added. In Bangladesh 48 scheduled banks are in operations. Of those, four are state-owned commercial banks, 30 private commercial banks, nine foreign commercial banks and five are state-owned specialised banks.

UCBL made official sponsor of Tigers

United Commercial Bank Ltd (UCBL) signed a deal with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to become the official sponsors of the national team for the ICC World Twenty20s to be held in England next month. This was officially declared at a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday where the match and practice jerseys were also unveiled.Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak and pacer Syed Rasel wore the national team's new practice and match jersey at the function.The tenure of this sponsorship will be from May 23 to June 21 and UCBL will pay the BCB an equivalent amount of 30,000 dollars for the sponsorship rights. To encourage the Tigers, the private bank has also decided to pay a further US$ 5,000 per match if Mohammad Ashraful's men qualify for the Super Eights and go further.Bangladesh has been pitted in Group A and play the first match against defending champions India on June 6 and Ireland on June 8 at Trent Bridge.The Tigers will leave for England on May 23 and will play additional warm-up games at Wormsley on May 26 (against New Zealand) and May 29 (against Scotland) and then travel to Kent to face Netherlands on May 28. Bangladesh's official practice games are against Australia (on 01 June) and Sri Lanka (on 04 June) at Nottingham. UCBL will use the tag line 'United Commercial Bank Official Sponsor of the Bangladesh National Cricket Team for ICC World Twenty 20 England 2009' in all their promotional activities during the tenure of this agreement.BCB senior vice-president Mahbubul Anam, UCBL managing director M Shahjahan Bhuiyan and BCB marketing & commercial committee vice-chairman Syed Farhad Ahmed were present at the ceremony.