News of Bangladesh

Roadside food 'popular' source of diseases

2008-05-10T01:34:00.003+06:00

Roadside food and beverages remain popular in the city as always in spite of the spread of food and waterborne diseases.

Consumers and sellers care very little about the hygiene and nutrition value of the foods. This has added to the worsening situation of diarrhoea and other waterborne diseases this summer, experts said.

Day labourers, rickshaw pullers and people from low-income groups tend to drink unclean water from street side sources.

"It becomes secondary whether the water is boiled when I drink from roadside sources because most of the time I remain very much tired after carrying passengers in this sweltering heat," said Barek Molla, a rickshaw- puller from Shyamoli.

"I know that water should be boiled but I don't drink boiled water at home because I don't have the time to boil water," he said.

Asked about boiling water, Pradeep, a day-labourer from Green Road, said, "I will think about it if I catch a disease."

Md Rahim, another rickshaw-puller from Goran, said, "Everybody is drinking supply water so I am also doing the same."

Roadside fruit vendors do not maintain cleanliness. Most of the time the knives used for slicing fruits are seldom washed.

In roadside tea stalls, one bucket of water is used for washing the cups and plates all day long.

"I know that boiled water should be used to wash the sliced fruits. But I use a bucket of supply water for this purpose. If I want to keep clean and boiled water I will have to carry gallons of water for which I will have to buy some buckets and a big cart to carry those. Besides, I will have to boil the water," said Wahidur Rahman, a vendor selling white flesh melon on the Dhaka University campus.

"To tell you the truth I don't have money to arrange these. I am already burdened with the soaring price of rice," he said.

Other fruit and tea vendors voiced the same opinion.

Sliced green mango, watermelon, cucumber, chanachur, jhalmuri, pickles, chotpoti, sugarcane juice, aloe vera juice and beef kebab top the list of street side food lovers.

Many have the habit of munching on food while walking and buying roadside food without thinking whether those food are fit for eating.

“I need something to munch on while walking. Who cares whether those are healthy or not," said Rizvi, a private university student.

"I never think about the hygiene of the roadside food. They are more tasty than those cooked at home. May be because they add an extra spice made of street side dust!" Morshed, a student of Jahangirnagar University, said humorously.

According to experts, people from lower income brackets are main victims of diarrhoea for lack of awareness and poor sanitation.

Dr Iqbal Hossain, an associate scientist at the ICDDR,B said that diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid, hepatitis A and jaundice can attack after intake of unhygienic food and water.

The practice of boiling water is almost absent among those who use firewood and other means of fuel other than natural gas, he said.

"Hot tea is comparatively less harmful if the teacups are washed with full boiled water. But if washed with normal or merely warm water then the risk remains," said Dr Iqbal.

In summer rivers and brooks, that are sources of drinking water, are dried up and contain high concentration of bacteria, he added.

Sources at ICDDR,B said that patients are pouring into the hospital as diarrhoea situation has worsened in the city. Most of those admitted to the hospital are rickshaw-pullers and day labourers.

The number of diarrhoea patients peak in May every year, they said.

Rabindra Sangeet in the port city

2008-05-09T16:06:00.001+06:00

Shila Momen and Sreyoshee Roy, two Tagore exponents in Chittagong belonging to different generations, believe that one needs much practice, devotion and greater understanding of Tagore's philosophy to master Rabindra Sangeet.

But both expressed their disappointment over the lack of practice of Rabindra Sangeet in the proper way.

Shila Momen, who has been working as a cultural activist in the port city since the Pakistan era, founded 'Raktakarabi' -- a training institute -- in 1999 with a view to ensure the proper practice of Rabindra Sangeet and other genres of Bengali music including their theoretical aspects.

“During the Pakistan era, the practice of Rabindra Sangeet to us was a fight against the hostile attitude of the then Pakistani government towards everything Bengali,” Shila said.

“We observed Rabindra Jayanti (Tagore birth anniversary) with much enthusiasm, commitment and passion at that time though the programmes lacked the grandeur that is prevalent now," she went on.

After the Liberation War the foremost task of the Tagore enthusiasts was to maintain the proper practice of Rabindra Sangeet in the country while several progressive cultural personalities like Wahidul Haque, Sanjida Khatun and others from Dhaka visited Chittagong in this regard.

Activists like Mihir Nandi, Nirmal Mitra, Shila Momen and many others worked tirelessly in teaching music and organising the cultural programmes while different institutions including Sangeet Parishad, Agrani Sangha and Alauddin Lalitkala Academy played a significant role.

Now with the passage of time Rabindra Sangeet is also affected by the ongoing trend of commercialisation, Shila observed.

She believes that Tagore songs are now attracting a large number of people and practice is on the upswing with increasing number of training schools.

But the problem is that very few care for the authenticity and strict maintenance of the original notations.

Referring to the changing mode of social environment, Shila said young singers are often after fast fame.

Shila, a member of the Muhtijuddho Sangrami Shilpi Sangstha during the Liberation War, also said that certain prominent singers of the country have become more commercial.

She said it is the duty of the senior artistes and teachers to practice what they preach and only then they can help the students to understand the depth of Tagore's philosophy.

Promising local artiste Sreyoshi Roy, who is the joint secretary of Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha Chittagong, maintains the same view.

Sreyoshi who completed her honours from Rabindra Bharati University, said, "Lots of training institutions are operating but there is a lack of quality teachers. She also said young singers are not interested enough in extensive training and preparation."

The Tagore enthusiast expressed her frustration over poorly planned programmes on Rabindra Sangeet and substandard production of Tagore plays in Chittagong.

“The organisations remain confined in just observing birth and death anniversaries of Tagore and stay inactive for the most part all year round,” she said.

Both artistes however have not lost their hopes and are determined to work towards ensuring proper practice of Rabindra Sangeet in Chittagong.

Stop hill cutting, settlement in foothills to avoid disaster

2008-05-08T02:13:00.003+06:00

Experts tell govt in their report

RECKLESS HILL CUTTING: The photo was taken from Lake City

Residential project in the Foy's Lake area on Sunday.

The technical and expert committee in its report has suggested introduction of a separate and complete rule for preservation and development of hills in Chittagong to avert casualties and damages of properties during landslides.

The committee sent the report to cabinet division on April 21 suggesting measures to stop hill cutting and not to allow housing in foothills, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Md Zafar Alam, also member secretary of the committee.

The 11-member committee headed by divisional commissioner of Chittagong also recommended formation of strong vigilance teams comprising experts and representatives from government, non-government organisations and civil society. It also underscored the need for creating mass awareness to check new settlements in the vulnerable foothill areas.

To discourage settlements in such areas it suggested to allow 30 percent of the land recovered through illegal levelling of hills for raising buildings having maximum three storeys and no structure on hills with slopes measuring 30 degree or more, said the sources in the committee.

The report also recommended that the people from vulnerable areas be evacuated in phases and rehabilitated keeping their employments in mind.

The cabinet division formed the expert and technical committee on August 26 last year seeking recommendations to avert landslides that cause huge casualties and damages to properties in the hilly areas every year.

The technical committee was formed after a 14-member probe committee submitted report on the rain-induced landslide that claimed 127 lives in the port city and its suburbs on June 11 last year.

Over 70 other people were also killed in landslides here since 1998.

Around 12 percent of the country's landscape is hilly while most of them are situated in Chittagong, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Sylhet, said the sources.

The report said seven of the 12 planning zones under CDA master plan have more or less hills. The hills are divided into four categories untouched hills of H0 category, slightly changed hills of H1 category, hills of H2 category that witnessed massive levelling and seriously damaged hills of H3 categories where brick kilns were set up.

In line with the Detailed Area Plan of CDA master plan the technical committee emphasised on preserving the hills of H0 and H1 categories, allowing low density residential area on the levelled portion of H2 category hills and closing down the brick kilns at the H3 category hills to bring the damaged areas under immediate plantation programme.

It suggested developing buffer zone of 100m wide plantation along the bottom of hills to separate the hilly areas.

To stop illegal growth of brick kilns the report suggested that no brick kilns should be allowed inside the city area, amid the hills or within 500 meters of the bottoms of hills. The ditches created by the existing brick kilns should be turned into water reservoirs or forestland in a planned way.

The committee suggested identifying areas for brick kilns activities outside the city and legal measures against those who have already caused massive destruction of landscape with brick kilns.

For proper and safe management of hills the committee recommended for coordinated land-use plan and watershed management through development, renovation and preservation of canals and springs.

It suggested development of drainage system as per the master plan, developing water reservoirs in the foothills and slip-traps at regular intervals at the bottom of hills.

It also suggested giving rights to every citizen to lodge case against hill cutting.

The report has given guidelines and suggestions for introducing short-term, mid-term and long-term plans to be implemented in the current year, two years and three years respectively.

Commuters suffer as CNG drivers ignore new fare structure

2008-05-08T01:53:00.002+06:00

Drivers of the autorickshaws are forcing the passengers to pay additional fares in the port city following the doubling of the price of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

They are not following the new fare structure fixed by the government on April 26.

The traffic department of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) succeeded to force the drivers use meters in their vehicles and charge the government-fixed fare since January 1.

Drivers of CNG-autorickshaws stop using meter following

price hike of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).

But the commuters could enjoy the benefit only for four months as the drivers stopped using the meters and increased the fare on the pretext of price hike of CNG.

The government raised the price of a cubic meter of CNG to Tk 16.75 from Tk 8.50 on April 24, asking the owners and drivers of the CNG-driven transports not to increase the fares until the new rates are settled. But, the drivers made no waste of time to stop using meters and hike the fares by 50 per cent blaming the price hike of CNG.

Although the government promptly raised fares for CNG-run autorickshaws and other transports to adjust with the new price of CNG, but the drivers continue to realise extra fare.

Under the new fare structure, initial charge has been fixed at Tk 18 for any distance up to two kilometres as against Tk 13.50 previously. Fare for each extra kilometre has been raised to Tk 6 from Tk 5.50.

But the drivers are charging higher than the government fixed fare, causing sufferings to the commuters in the port city.

Sharfuddin, a passenger, said according to the new fare structure it might take not more than Tk 36 to reach Anderkilla from Choumuhani, a distance of five kilometres, but the drivers charge Tk 50 and on some occasions more than that.

Passengers said the meters have neither been calibrated according to the new fare structure nor the drivers have hung any chart of fares in their vehicles.

No meter was found calibrated in the autorickshaws in the city on Sunday. Besides, the drivers did not hang any price chart in their vehicles.

The autorickshaw owners and drivers said they have yet to get new price chart from Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) to hang it in their vehicles.

Deputy Commissioner (DC) CMP (traffic) Mohammad Ali Mia said they still did not get new price chart from the BRTA. He, however, said they will take steps in this regard immediately after getting the price chart.

Additional Director (AD) of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Chittagong Sheikh Md Ataullah Chowdhury said they have taken steps to publish advertisement on the new fare list in the newspapers. He said they have sent letters to the leaders of CNG-auto-rickshaw owners association and the meter installation companies to start calibration of meters immediately according to the new chart.

Dhaka-Kolkata train

2008-05-08T01:49:00.000+06:00

We got much enthusiastic as we heard about the introduction of Dhaka-Kolkata Moitree train service. We thought that now it would be easy, cheaper, and comfortable to go on a holiday trip to India. But what I have learned from some passengers who have availed of the opportunity is rather disappointing. The train service has a lot of problems, one being the transfer of passengers through the immigration. A huge time is wasted in completing formalities while entering and leaving India.

Would the authorities in the two countries please take effective measures to make the Dhaka-Kolkata train service hassle-free, comfortable and enjoyable?

Potato campaign launched to

2008-05-08T01:43:00.002+06:00

A three-day ‘Bangladesh Potato Campaign 2008’ was launched on Wednesday to encourage farmers in growing the vegetable that promoters believe can reduce pressure on rice.

We are not asking the people to change their food habits, but if consumption of potato is increased, it will reduce pressure on rice’, said agriculture adviser CS Karim while kicking off the national campaign at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center.

The government launched the campaign in the wake of a bumper production of potato this season.

According to the statistics of the Department of Agriculture Extension, the production of potato this year was nearly 92.37 lakh metric tonnes from 5.2 lakh hectares compared to 44 lakh metric tonnes from 3.9 lakh hectares last season. The increase in production this year was about 40 per cent. Potato production in 2001-02 was only 35 lakh MT from 3.25 lakh hectares.

‘People look for alternatives during food crisis in every country and as we have a bumper potato harvest, a little change in food habit will help increase its consumption’, said the chief of army staff, General Moeen U Ahmed.

An increase in potato intake will provide a double benefit – it will help the farmers who have reaped a bumper harvest and there will be a decline in the demand for the high-priced rice, Moeen said.

FAO representative AD Spijkers and a representative from potato farmers addressed the inaugural function of the campaign organised jointly by FAO and the army’s CSD Bangladesh. Agriculture secretary M Abdul Aziz chaired it.

The bumper potato harvest has created storage problems as the 16 cold storages of the Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation have a maximum capacity of nearly 20 lakh MT while the nearly 300 cold storages in the private sector can store another 22 lakh MT.

The additional production of nearly 30 lakh MT cannot be exhausted quickly even if consumption increases considerably, the agriculture secretary noted in his speech and stressed the need for the farmers’ awareness about techniques to store potato in household conditions for at least three months.

There has been a surplus production of potato this year throughout the world and the United Nations has declared 2008 as the ‘World Potato Year’ urging the people to eat more of the starchy vegetable.

The per capita consumption of potato in the developed countries is about 100 kilogram compared to only 24 kg in Bangladesh.

The 3-day national campaign includes display and free sampling of potato products by top food processing companies, restaurants and hotels at the stalls set up at the BCFCC. Rally, talk shows, cooking competitions, and a number of cultural programmes, including concerts, are also part of the campaign to promote consumption of potato.

Free distribution of ice-cream and also spicy items made of potato by the army-run five-star Radisson hotel attracted a large number of visitors at their stall on the opening day of the campaign.

Armed Forces sends relief

2008-05-08T01:41:00.000+06:00

A five-member delegation of the Bangladesh Armed Forces left Dhaka on Wednesday to participate in the relief and salvage operations in cyclone-hit Myanmar.

Under the government decision, the Armed Forces team, led by Brig Gen Taslim Uddin Khan, flew to the cyclone-ravaged country by a BAF-130 transport aircraft, an ISPR release said.

The chief of air staff, Air Marshal SM Ziaur Rahman, saw the team off at Kurmitola Air Base. The Myanmar ambassador to Bangladesh, U Nyan Lynn, the Quarter Master General of the Bangladesh Army, Lt Gen Jahangir Alam Choudhury, and senior military officials were present on the occasion.

The delegation will hand over relief goods to the Myanmar authorities on behalf of the Bangladesh government as a gesture of friendship and deepest sympathy for the neighbouring country.

The relief items include potato, medicine, oral saline, water-purification tablets, Burmese thami, lungis, pant, napkins and other clothes and shelter items.

BTRC won’t extend mobile

2008-05-08T01:39:00.000+06:00

The Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission will not extend the May 31 deadline for re-registration of mobile phone subscribers, said its chairman, Manjurul Alam, on Wednesday.

Manjurul told that the mobile SIM cards without re-registration would be blocked gradually after the 31 May deadline expires.

He also warned that if any of the SIM cards was blocked, it would not be allowed to open again.

The BTRC chairman said that as per the information provided by the mobile operators, 70 per cent of the subscribers had already been re-registered. He said that the re-registration of the rest of the subscribers could be completed by May 31.

The BTRC has so far extended the re-registration deadline for four times in response to the requests of the mobile operators.

The regulatory body in August, 2007 decided that the operators would complete re-registration by October 16, 2007. Then it extended by deadline till December 16 before setting the new deadline on February 16, 2008. Now it has fixed May 31 as the deadline.

A celebration of the soul

2008-05-08T01:32:00.003+06:00

Tagore’s 147th birth anniversary today

The 147th anniversary of birth of poet Rabindranath Tagore will be celebrated today.

Tagore was a poet, visual artist, playwright, novelist, and composer whose works reshaped the Bangla literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

He was born on May 7, 1861 in Kolkata, India. But the occasion came to be celebrated on Baishakh 25 of the Bangla calendar. He died in Kolkata on August 7, 1941.

He was Asia’s first Nobel laureate by winning Nobel prize in literature in 1913 for his collection of verses called Gitanjali.

There is the primordial which comes with any remembrance of Rabindranath Tagore. Go beyond the clichés, the ordinary, the stereotyped. Yes, Tagore remains the foremost figure in Bengali literature. That only opens up a whole range of discussion, in the academic sense of the meaning of course. His place in history, in the overall Bengali scheme of things, then take centre stage. But leap across all that and in your own individual way try feeling Tagore in the soul. As the day wanes in the steep decline of twilight, sing Amar jey deen bheshe gechhey chokher-o joley; and a slight thump in your heart will speak to you once more of the eternal loneliness of man in a forbidding universe.

And yet there is Gogoney gogoney aponar-o mon-e ki khela, a veritable celebration of Creation. In Tagore, therefore, subsisted a man for all seasons, a being in whom came encompassed an entirety of life and thoughts of what lay beyond it. Listen to Himadri Shekhor recreate that Tagorean ambience with Tumi robe nirobe, with Aami ki gaan gaabo jey bhebey na pai. You get the sense once more of why the Bard continues to exercise such a powerful hold on the Bengali imagination. And that imagination, you will have noticed by now, is but a seductively charming combination of the lyrical and the romantic, interspersed with the magical. Debabrata Biswas brought it all out in his renditions of Tagore's songs. Go looking for his Gaaye amar pulok laagey or Aaji joto tara tobo akashey. Hum, if you will, Gopone dekhechhi tomar byakul noyon-e bhaaber khela. Chances are the universe will come to be symbolised in you; or you will move away, even if momentarily, from the banalities that afflict the world you are part of.

In our times, here in Bangladesh, if you have not heard Mohiuzzaman Chowdhury sing Diner sheshey ghoomer deshey, you have missed a whole lot. His is a voice which brings deep pathos with its flow; and there is then Mita Haque, for this generation a symbol of everything Tagore should be for all generations. When she sings Tumi kon bhangoner pothey ele shupto raatey, it is the coruscating stillness of the night that begins pounding away in your soul. In an earlier time there was Papia Sarwar in our part of the world. And, to be sure, individuals of a high calling --- and you have Waheedul Haque, Sanjida Khatun and Kalim Sharafi in mind --- responsible for a preservation and enrichment of the Tagore heritage have always been there. On the other side of this large pasture there has been the overwhelming presence of Suchitra Mitra, of others. Chinmoy may not have appealed to the perfectionists, but his songs have generally been our initiation into the world of Tagore music. Think of Amar mon kemon kore. And Sagar Sen? All these years after his passage into nothingness, he remains our claim on Tagorean romanticism, at least part of it. His soul comes searing through in Prokhoro topono taape akash trishaye kaanpe.

But you do not really recall Tagore without letting the mind travel back to the world of Subinoy Roy. In Tumi daak diyechho kon shokale, in Hridoy amar prokash holo ononto akashe, you get a sense of the pristine world that once defined life around us, in us. It was again pristine, soulful romance that came alive when Hemonto sang Tomaye gaan shonabo tai to amaye jagiye rakho. It is all part of the Tagorean ethos, this ability to raise love to the heights of sublimity. You appreciate the beauty that defines womanhood, you sing paeans to the beloved and then you give it a push of Olympian proportions to make it come level with the heavens. It is the gods who stand transformed into objects of your love. Close your eyes and hum Chiro bondhu chiro nirbhor choro shanti tumi he probhu. You will get a fairly good idea of things. Or there is that pure buzz of romance, as in Amar praaner pore chole galo ke boshonter batash tukur moto. Remember how in all the callowness of our youth we made amends, somewhat, by lip-syncing that evergreen number Amar-o poran-o jaha chaye tumi tai go?

On 25th Baishakh, therefore, we do more than celebrate Tagore. We celebrate the cultural traditions we are heir to. As the evening descends and we make our way to the banks of the river to rue over the loss of another day, the strains of a song are heard along the waltzing waves. Aaji shaanjher Jamunaye-go toruno chander kirono tori bheshe jaaye-go rekindles the sensibilities in us.

Chittagong businesses for speedy gas exploration to face crisis

2008-05-08T01:13:00.001+06:00

Business leaders of Chittagong yesterday urged the government for expediting gas exploration to cope with the countrywide gas crisis.

The businesses of Chittagong that have a concentration on heavy industries are also apprehending that new investment in Chittagong may come to a standstill due to government's recent decision not to give any new gas connection in the region.

They said the decision would not only frustrate the entrepreneurs but also seriously hold back the flow of foreign direct investment in the country.

M Tamim, chief adviser's special assistant for power, energy, and mineral resources, on Monday said the government will follow a 'cautious' policy in giving new industrial gas connections in and around Dhaka and has decided not to provide any new gas connection in Chittagong region.

“We know that there is acute shortage of gas in the country. The situation has been aggravated due to a production dip at the offshore Sangu Gas Field in recent time. But that doesn't necessarily mean the government should deprive Chittagong of any new gas supply,” said Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), at a press conference.

He said, “The country's industrialisation is now under serious threat due to gas shortage. And Chittagong, the commercial hub of Bangladesh, is experiencing the brunt more than any other region. Therefore, we request the government to take immediate steps for offshore drilling to find new gas fields so that we can meet the ever-increasing demand for gas.”

Many newly built industrial units in Chittagong are now sitting idle, unable to go into production due to gas crisis, he said.

CCCI president said entrepreneurs of a large number of these units are now on the verge of bankruptcy due to unpaid bank loan.

He requested the government to arrange for gas supply to Chittagong from Baghabari and Begumganj gas fields as 'interim measures'.

Saifuzzaman also stressed the need for forming a cell, comprised of public and private sector representatives, for the greater development of the port city.

Terming the government's agreement with Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Ltd as 'inappropriate', he said the government should cancel it.

Women's Asia Cup

2008-05-04T09:41:00.002+06:00

Salma leads historic win

Captain Salma Khatun led Bangladesh from the front to a memorable victory over Pakistan by four wickets in the Women's Asia Cup at the Welegedara Stadium in Kurunegala yesterday.

Right-handed batswoman Salma struck six boundaries in her 92-ball unbeaten knock of 53 to carry her side to the victory in 45.3 overs after her brilliant 10-over spell helped skittle out Pakistan for a paltry 134 in 47.4 overs.

A PROMISE FULFILLED: Bangladesh women cricketers

converge to celebrate the fall of another Pakistan

wicket during their second Asia Cup match at the

Welegedara Stadium in Kurunegala yesterday.

Bangladesh defeated Pakistan by four wickets.

After their mediocre performance in the opening game against India on Friday, the women's cricket team styled a remarkable turnaround and registered their maiden win over an established side although the game was not considered an official one-day international. The victory was also just what the team had aimed for before they left Dhaka for the tournament. Interestingly, Pakistan were also the first reputable team that the men's team defeated in the 1999 World Cup.

Back to the match and Bangladesh lost three wickets by the twelfth over during their chase but that did not fluster captain Salma who immediately added 37 runs for the fourth wicket with all-rounder Panna Ghosh, who scored 14 off 51 balls with the help of two boundaries.

Salma then added 25 with Chamely Khatun for the fifth wicket, 24 with Rumana Ahmed for the sixth and a decisive 24 for the unbroken seventh wicket with wicketkeeper-batswoman Irin Sultan, who was unbeaten on 5 off 16 balls. It was a refreshing change after their batting debacle against India, when they were all out for only 68 runs. But yesterday, they batted steadily and can take a lot from this victory.

Earlier, Salma was the most economical bowler giving away only 18 runs in 10 overs and she also picked up two wickets, one of which was the opening wicket of Tasqeen Qadeer in the eighth over.

Off-spinner Tithy Sarkar took over from Salma and removed Bismah Maroof, opposing captain Urooj Mumtaz, Batool Fatima and lastly Sana Mir in her 9.4 overs, which yielded only 25 runs for her four-wicket haul.

Shathira Jakir took two wickets for 34 while Rumana Ahmed took 1-24 in 10 overs.

Bismah top-scored with 29 off 53 balls with the help of five boundaries and her opening partnership of 27 with Tasqeen was the highest for the innings. Sajida Shah and Sana scored 25 each and Asmavia Iqbal's 12 was all the Pakistanis could muster.

In the other match of the day in Dambulla, Mithali Raj followed up her unbeaten century on Friday with a half-century as India continued their winning ways at the Asia Cup with a 30-run victory over Sri Lanka.

The Bangladeshi women now move to Dambulla to play their third match against hosts Sri Lanka and then have a return fixture against India on May 6.

SCORES IN BRIEFPAKISTAN: 134 all out in 47.4 overs (Tasqeen 8, Bismah 29, Urooj 2, Sajida 25, Batool 6, Sana 25, Shumaila 6, Almas 2, Asmavia 12, Qanita 1, Sadia 0*; Panna 0-15, Shamima 0-12, Salma 2-18, Tithy 4-25, Rumana 1-24, Shathira 2-34).BANGLADESH: 136-6 in 45.3 overs (Shathira 12, Shuktara 2, Ayesha 4, Panna 14, Salma 53*, Chamely 15, Rumana 7, Irin 5*; Asmavia 0-11, Qanita 1-12, Almas 1-30, Sajida 2-19, Sadia 0-21, Sana 1-30, Urooj 1-10).Result: Bangladesh won by four wickets.

Good Morning

2008-05-03T22:45:00.003+06:00

An ex-Adviser's corruption - A justice face the justice

2008-05-03T22:36:00.001+06:00

It would be interesting to know whether the Ex-Adviser had a past track record of corruption while in the judiciary or whether he couldn't resist the temptation once he became an Adviser of the Caretaker government in late 2006.

Recently ACC has started investigation and sued Justice Fazlul Haque. See the following news item attached below.

One thing that is not clear from these news reports - whether all these alleged corruption charges are something that happened during in the government office only? Or does he have a past track record of corruption? If so, those will probably be much problematic, but lower amount of money might be involved.

As citizens of the country, we would hope that the ACC will go beyond the Caretaker government tenure of this adviser and probe into the past while the he was an active member of the higher Judiciary. In between active duty in judiciary and becoming an Adviser to the Caretaker government, he has also participated in many probe commissions of national importance.

We believe that when the ACC has gone so far as suing a person of the stature as high as Justice Fazlul Haque, it should not be left unfinished. Justice should be served - either way. We only wish and hope two things for the good of the nation:

1. ACC is not wrong in this case.
2. Justice Fazlul Haque was and still is a isolated case who is not a good representative of our higher judiciary.

If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columinsts in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.

A man joined a big Multi National Company as a trainee.....

2008-05-03T22:25:00.000+06:00

On his first day, he dialled the kitchen and shouted into the phone:

"Get me a cup of coffee, quickly!"

The voice from the other side responded:

"You fool; you've dialled the wrong extension! Do you know who you're talking to?"

"No" replied the trainee.

"It's the Managing Director of the company, you idiot!"

The trainee shouted back: "And do you know who YOU are talking to, you IDIOT?"

"No!" replied the Managing Director angrily.

"Thank God!" replied the trainee and put the phone down.....

BTRC yet to get a passing grade - Do 'your job' that is mandated for you

2008-05-03T21:49:00.002+06:00

Many of you might be surprised at the title, because you are feeling happy at the things BTRC is doing lately. But you are happy because you compare its current performance with its predecessors. The job of BTRC is to define and ensure the expectations of the general consumers.

The current BTRC is doing a superb job - most of you might have been thinking. If you are one of them, its probably a good time to do a reality check.

What qualitative change has BTRC ensured for the consumers of Bangladesh?

First of all, what is the citizen's charter of BTRC? In other words, what is the mandate of BTRC?

Stopping stealing and giving licenses (both of which should have been done decades ago) to entrepreneurs for various activities are certainly a good thing. This is something that get the organization ready on their feet so that can start fulfilling the declared mandate for which it was created.

So, what we are trying to say - you might ask. There are tons of things to say. Let me start with one very basic one. But count on us to come back with more things - with more basic ones (if in the meantime, they can't find those for themselves) and few forward looking ones.

We would keep giving BTRC a failing grade of 23 (if passing grade is 33) until and unless BTRC declares a time-bound roadmap for the license holder companies (BTTB, Grameen, RanksTel, etc) to offer the consumers a emergency help line service and other information services that requires different other government agencies (Police, Fire Service and Civil Defense Department, Social Service Ministry, Traffic Police, etc) to setup call center type facilities to respond to consumers in need and to supply information that consumers need. If you are not sure what we are talking about, for examples, see below the attached list of countries and their corresponding numbers for different services to consumers that is enforced by the regulatory bodies of respective countries.

Among us, there will be many who would say how come BTRC do those unless police, fire brigade or social service ministries do not ask for it? Some others will say, those services will not work in Bangladesh, the examples you give are from developed countries. Our answer to those will be - BTRC should arrange few public hearing on these services and call the respective agency chiefs and concerned ministry officials (as well as concerned advisers, if necessary!) to be present in those public hearings. Also, make arrangements so that the interested TV channels, Radio channels and Web sites want to carry those hearings live, if they want to. You will see how your thinking changes overnight or within few days. You have to set the public expectation - you have to give the people a platform to express their need and what they are ready for. Once you do that, you will find out the results for yourselves. We are sure that you will be surprised to discover what we, as a populace, are capable of.

Since the BTRC is yet get to the pass mark level, we would refrain from listing more of its mandated things which should follow naturally. Hope that they will hear us now.

If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columnists in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.

People come, people go

2008-05-03T12:53:00.001+06:00

“Take my hand”, she said.

With a flummoxed expression he said, “What?”

“I want to be with you, I love you.”

Keeping the nature a witness, Anila gave him the happiest moment of his life, yet she was forlorn. She knew she did not love him…the way he did.

THE sun graced the earth with its fresh beam of light. The beams danced gaily over the lush green trees as laughter flew upon the gentle breeze fluttering like a joyful spirit. She knew she was happy, yet his presence was not enough. She was jealous of him. She could make him happy just with a smile, but he could not make her happy with anything he did. She knew he tried; he tried hard and knew nobody could love her more than he did. Yet she could not love him the way he did.

As days passed, she became more and more fond of him. She loved they way he talked, the way he did little silly things, and the way he told her that he loved her. At the same time she hated his insecurity and the fact how much he needed her. Anila knew one day she would love him as much as he did. She wanted to feel how good it felt when she was with someone she wanted badly to be with. She wanted her heartbeat to rise when he saw him; she wanted to get Goosebumps whenever she thought of him.

Yet it never happened.

She could not believe she was doing this to him. She felt as if he was committing the biggest sin of her life. She knew this would break him into pieces, yet she did this. She wanted her the way they were before. It was not possible anymore. With one last look at his damp eyes emanating the eternal agony, she said, 'I am sorry'…

Anila started spending her days with guilt and the feeling of a loss. She knew it would end, and she knew he would be okay. Her trust in him was the only thing that helped her live. Every morning she would wake up with no greeting from him. She missed him, but it was for their own good.

If life was a poem, it would go in its peaceful rhythm. If life was a movie, there would always be happy endings...but if life was reality it would have been something like this...

The day was rainy and cold and the smell of the soil brought back memories that were no longer a part of her life. The drizzling rain was clinging to her specs. Suddenly a familiar face came into her view. She could see the dark eyes had lost its glow, the smile had become lifeless and the heart was broken. She was sorry for everything, she truly was. She cared for him, and so she had to vanish from his life. As he crossed the lane and went away, she felt a trickle of tear going down her cheeks and hoped that one day, he would understand…

For better or for worse

2008-05-03T12:49:00.003+06:00

YOU know I really never got around to liking you. I'm sorry, but there are just some things that, no matter how much you try, you never end up liking. However, I do know that I need you. That's the sad part. I swear it has nothing to do with your dark colouring, or your stout, and almost thuggish appearance. No. I actually appreciate the fact that you are like that, and that out of all the others, you are probably the most reliable. I've dropped you, forgotten to take you with me sometimes, and even doused you with water! And yet, you are still intact. Okay, so maybe not completely intact, thanks to me. I'm sorry that I deliberately pulled out the soft cushioning flesh from your sides, just to see what lies inside And let's not forget about all those times I disembowelled you. Does it hurt? It must. You look nothing like how you used to, when I first got you.

I remember the first time I got a glimpse of you when I downloaded your picture from Google. I thought you looked wonderful. You looked solid, reliable, not showy or flashy, and basically just nice. My Dad chose you for me, did you know that? My parents said I needed you so that they could contact me when I was away. I was told you were mine even before I could hold you in my hands in the shop and chose you out of the others. I don't even know what the others around you looked like. You see, I wasn't taken when you were purchased. I was excited nevertheless. But when you were finally given to me, I realised you were nothing like how I thought you would be. I had hoped for all those hi-tech features that my friends had for theirs. You had almost none of those features. You just looked passably nice, and that's it. All I could do with you was call people and occasionally play those boring games you had.

I was so cross with my parents! They made me feel like that little girl who never got to choose anything for herself. Like the princess who had no freedom and whose life was scheduled by others. But then I had no choice, never did.

It's been three years since you were first given to me. Despite myself, I have to tell you that in some weird way I am proud of you. Of our long journey, of you never getting sick even once even though I've treated you almost like a nonentity. You stuck with me despite everything and it makes me realise how attached I am to you. I'm even almost a few millimeters away from liking you. Almost. Even though you never had those features I wanted, you worked hard with the ones that you had just to please me. I appreciate that. You are the only cell phone I ever had, and even though you might not be the best, you'll definitely always by my first. I'll treasure our memories forever.

The Dog's Daily Diary"

2008-05-03T10:17:00.001+06:00

8:00 am - Oh Boy! Dog food!

My favourite!

9:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride!

My favourite!

9:40 am - Oh Boy! A walk!

My favourite!

10:30 am - Oh Boy! A car ride!

My favourite!

11:30 am - Oh Boy! Dog food!

My favourite!

Noon - Oh Boy! The kids!

My favourite!

1:00 pm - Oh Boy! The yard!

My favourite!

4:00 pm - Oh Boy! The kids!

My favourite!

5:00 pm - Oh Boy! Dog food!

My favourite!

5:30 pm - Oh Boy! Mom!

My favorite!

6:00 pm - Oh Boy! Playing ball!

My favourite!

6:30 pm - Oh Boy! Sleeping in master's bed!

My favorite!

Labour Day and the Memories We Forgot

2008-05-03T09:59:00.000+06:00

Labour Day has come and gone, and since it is a national holiday, it has given us all the chance to rest and relax. For most of us, that is what Labour Day is all about, getting some leisure time and reading insightful articles in the morning paper about child labour and women's rights. And that is exactly what I was doing, when I came across the history of this day in one paper.

Labour Day is said to have been first celebrated in Canada because of a labour uprising to demand 8 hours of work instead of the long 12 hours that used to exist at that time. This movement reached the United States soon, where most people now consider Labour Day to be commemorated in memory of those who died in Chicago in 1886. Those were days of unrest, when a continuing conflict between the business class and the labour class over long working hours, low pay, unsafe workplaces etc. led to strikes and protests being organised in May, since the workers were promised better conditions at the beginning of that month, but did not receive any. On 3 May, Chicago police killed four striking workers and the day after, a bomb exploded in a peaceful rally, causing the police to open fire and kill at least four workers and injure many others. Instead of giving justice to the workers, seven of them were actually executed by order of the court, but were ironically given free pardons in 1893. But it was only in the 90s that these rebellious workers were nationally recognised, and since then they have been honoured on May Day in USA. They are remembered in our country as well, and members of some labour right parties held candlelight vigils in remembrance.

I don't know about you, but this incident reminds me of the protests that were organised by garment workers in 2006, who also demanded better wages, safer working conditions and less working hours; and where the police as usual resorted to violence, killing at least 3 workers and injuring many others. And though the workers were not hanged for protesting, the injustice done to them was ignored. The factory owners and most of the members of the 'upper class' of society instead focused on the damage done to their property by the rioting workers, forgetting about the damage their self-indulgence had done to human lives. Why shouldn't the workers resort to vandalism? They had nothing to lose; their lives were bad enough, what with the collapsing garment factories, fires breaking out now and then, general rise in prices of so many commodities which made even rice unaffordable and their demands falling on deaf ears for months, it was natural that they should reach breaking point.

And because of their fierce protests, the government ordered that wages be raised, but since many businessmen did not comply, the protests are breaking out again.

And that has been the repetitive case till now. But the deaths of workers in these protests were not the only ones that went ignored. On June 2005, the collapse of the Spectrum Sweaters factory in Savar killed at least 61 workers. The collapse of a building in Tejgaon also left more than 18 workers dead and many others disabled for life. Since 1990, 350 garment workers have died in factory fires, and around 1500 have been seriously injured. In April and in May last year, police fired on people agitating for electricity in Kansat and Shonir Akhra, killing five people including a 10 year old boy. These people may or may not have been workers, but they were fighting for their basic rights, like those people in Chicago in 1886 were, and that is why they had to die. And last but not least, we have had people dying because of a demolition procedure of the Rangs Bhaban in Dhaka this year being faulty.

But what happened to the families of these people? What happened to the cases against those who were responsible for their deaths? I guess we'll never know, because they have passed out of our memories in only one or two years, yet we still honour the memories of people who died in America 121 years ago. I'm not saying that we should not observe Labour Day.

True, we are too obsessed with Western culture and even though I think Valentines, Mothers Day etc are just overrated and pathetic excuses for selling mushy cards; I do consider the protests by the workers in Chicago to be a defining moment in the history of enforcing labour rights.

It is just high time we acknowledge the struggle of workers in our own country and give them the respect (and wages) they deserve. It took America over a century to pay tribute to those who died while fighting for their rights, why should we make the same mistake?

SME: Thrust sector deserves appropriate support

2008-05-03T09:53:00.000+06:00

SME has been considered as the thrust sector in the economic development of the country with growing importance from all walks of life. It is evident that, substantial increase in SME and Retail Credit portfolios along with commercial, corporate and institutional lending, would lead the banks to its higher trajectory of growth, minimizing the risk of lending through portfolio diversification. As such, most of the banks have taken up aggressive marketing policy to augment their exposure in SME and Retail Credit. Though SME concept is nothing new, as evident from the establishment of Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), but a fresh look into and endeavour to boosting the sector are still imperative. Bangladesh Bank re-finance scheme for SME is laudable. The role of IFC-SEDF for creating awareness among the entrepreneurs and banks/NBFIs to be more focused in SME deserve appreciation.

Prospects
Un-employment problem is a growing concern all over the world more particularly in developing countries, and the panacea to the setback mostly lies in massive development of labour incentive SME sector. SME in many cases can be set up at domestic and household level contributing to cost cutting. Family members may also participate in the process.

Bangladesh is highly resourceful with so many seasonal fruits and also lots of agricultural products. Pineapple and mango are best used to produce jam/jelly/juice etc under SME. Tomato sauce and potato chips are popularly used all over the world. SME is most suited for processing the items. If we can add more quality to the products and ensure proper marketing, tremendous demand will be created in domestic and export market.

Within the purview of WTO the world is growing to turn into a single entity/state where movement of goods and capital has been made free. Hence, the country having advantages of producing any particular item over others should have monopoly market for the product. Availing the opportunity of WTO our entrepreneurs and government should come up to produce quality goods at a competitive cost where we have comparative advantages.

In RMG industries (knit) circular machines are used for knitting of the items. The circular machines can also be set at household level to perform job works to feed RMG industries for ultimate export of T/Polo Shirts etc. This is a subcontracting system where RMG industries supply yarns to the entrepreneurs having circular machines. The system has already been introduced in Dhaka and Narayangonj areas with growing demand.

Shoe making by small industries as job works of big shoe companies like BATA is a glaring example of SME product. BATA supplies raw materials to lots of small factories at household level in Dhaka city and gets the product (shoes) completed through subcontract system. This is a real kind of integration of small and medium industries with big ones and once such integration takes place, the pace of industrial growth of the country will automatically set in.

Lending in SME sector helps the banks to derive higher spread over corporate ones. Profit margin in corporate business houses is relatively getting lower due to stiff competition in the market. They remain in the profit track increasing the sales volume only, having the advantage of big investment.

Bangladesh Bank has fixed SME loan limit at Tk 2.00 lac to 50.00 lac and thereby risk is distributed among millions of customers which entails lower rate of classification than big loans where all eggs are put in a few baskets. As such, most of the banks have undertaken aggressive marketing policy to increase exposure in SME and Retail Credit to minimize lending risk through portfolio diversification.

Problems
However, the growth of SME is not exempted from the setback as appended below:

SME loan is basically term financing and repaid on installment basis, but historically the business people in our country are accustomed to and prefer continuous loan (cash credit-hypo, overdraft etc) causing slow pace of disbursement of SME loans.

A lion's share of SME loans (80%) is availed of for trading purpose, instead of manufacturing/service industries. Eventually, the purpose of SME loans to support the economic development of the country may not be served properly.

As per Bangladesh Bank policy, provision on unclassified SME loans is maintained at a higher rate (2%) than the corporate and commercial lending (1%) which appears to be contradictory to the spirits of the programme.

SME loan is predominantly supervisory credit and requires more manpower to conduct supervision, monitoring and recovery works and as such, big chunk of profit is not possible over night. Besides, the private sector banks are more profit oriented and prefer financing to big and corporate customers towards achieving year on year increased profit target.

As per Bangladesh Bank guidelines, SME is broadly categorized in 3 sectors: a) manufacturing, b) trading and c) service. While manufacturing and service sectors are prioritized allowing almost 100% re-finance but trading sector hardly gets 20% refinance, though it constitutes more than 80% of total SME portfolio. Besides, refinance has to be claimed on quarterly basis and replenishment is made after one month and above. As such, refinance package may not be so attractive to the banks.

Boosting of manufacturing and service sector no doubt is imperative for economic development of the country. If we look at the performance of manufacturing and service sectors the following weaknesses may be observed:

a) Marketing is a big problem for SME products caused for lack of competitiveness with large industries endowed with the advantage of strong marketing network and price competitiveness due to the big volume of production capacity.

b) Our workers lack technical knowledge to produce quality items. For example, jam/jelly/juice produced in our country has no qualitative match with the imported ones, even with the mango juice and jam/jelly of Bhutan though mango is not abundantly grown in Bhutan. Fortunately, various kinds of fruits are grown abundantly in different parts of our country but unfortunately, we cannot avail the opportunity to produce quality jam/jelly/juice from those produce.

c) Protection of infant industries should be the important criteria for industrialization in any country including Bangladesh. But unfortunately our infant industries lack such protection entailing slowed down pace of industrial development.

Recommendations
Extension of credit facility, no doubt, is a necessary condition to boost SME and Bangladesh Bank refinance scheme is also the timely approach. But these are not the sufficient conditions; rather promotion, facilitation, marketing supports and protection of infant industry are imperative in a state of merger and acquisition all over the world. Marketing of SME products should be facilitated and given highest priority where both private sector and the government should take the lead.

The traditional attitude of the bankers to earn more profit shall have to be changed to contribute to economic development of the country promoting SME. Bangladesh Bank may implement a 'one third' policy of lending i.e. one third of total credit exposures of a bank should be in corporate, one third in retail and one third in consumer. Refinance may also be allowed on monthly basis extending up to 50% for trading. The government may also help motivate the bankers to change their attitude from corporate to SME customers allowing tax rebate for financing in SME sectors.

Though, Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has been established long back to promote small and cottage industries of the country, but could not be made so effective, rather the organization is now on the verge of closure. Since BSCIC has wide network all over the country with established set up, it may be well integrated with today's SME concept to start the journey of industrialization afresh and so to save both time and money in the process.

The government should also come up with pragmatic policies and take appropriate measures to support and patronize SME as a thrust sector with more incentive package like subsidy in water, gas, electricity, export benefits etc. Above all, the basic concept for industrialization which lies in the integration of SME with big industries shall have to be implemented with highest national priority.

Cheated workers forced to buy fake passports

2008-05-03T09:37:00.001+06:00

High commission in KL allegedly unwilling to help them

The Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia allegedly has been exhibiting unwillingness to stand by its compatriot migrant workers there, while a well organised racket of Bangladeshi passport forgers comprising nationals of both countries is raking in a large sum of money by selling fake passports to workers desperate to return home.

Migrant Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia, who were cheated and abused, are being forced to buy the fake passports because the high commission allegedly is not helping them in obtaining the travel documents required to return home, according to sources observing manpower trade between the two countries.

Involvement of some official of a few airlines and of Malaysian immigration at Kuala Lumpur Airport in the racket is also suspected, as they recently allowed a group of workers to travel with fake passports, the sources added.

The hapless workers are being put in the predicament by their Malaysian employers or employment agents who confiscate their passports on arrival there, but finally either leave them unemployed or employed in jobs with remunerations less than what they had been promised, or abuse them in many ways at work, forcing them to leave the jobs, the sources said.

The nightmarish details of the ill fate of Bangladeshi migrant workers in Malaysia, the gruesome greed of the passport forgers, and the stone cold alleged indifference of the Bangladesh High Commission towards its compatriots came to light after 45 Bangladeshis, who had returned home from that country on April 25 using fake passports, told the immigration police here that they had to pay 3,000 to 4,000 Malaysian Ringit equivalent to Tk 60,000 to Tk 80,000 to get each of the light blue forged passports, while the colour of a real Bangladeshi passport is deep green.

Zia International Airport police on Saturday filed a case against the fake passport holding returnee Bangladeshis, their recruiting agencies, manpower exporters, and cabin crew and management of GMG Airlines that flew the workers back to Dhaka.

"The names were also fakes on the forged passports, which compelled us to mention two names of each person in the case -- one mentioned on the passport and the original name," an immigration police official told on Sunday.

He said police previously found cases when travellers forged passports by replacing pictures, but this is the first case of full passport forgery, when entirely fake passports have been printed. "We are not yet sure whether the passports were printed in Bangladesh or Malaysia."

There is no proof of any previous journey by the passport holders on the fake passports, which suggests the passports were probably printed in Malaysia, as the returnee workers came directly from there, the immigration police official said.

Quoting the returnees, he said once the workers arrived in Malaysia, their employers confiscated their passports. And as they were later either not provided with jobs with pays and perks promised earlier or cheated otherwise, the workers were forced to escape from the workplaces.

Finding no other suitable job, the cheated and ill treated workers were forced to buy fake passports to return home, he added.

Asked why the names of the victims were included in the case, the immigration police said they do have sympathies for the abused workers, but had no alternative because according to the immigration and passport acts the workers had broken the law by carrying fake passports.

On whether the police will try to stretch its probe to Kuala Lumpur, he said they already took the matter to the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment. A high level inquiry should be carried out on the matter, the immigration police official said.

A Bangladeshi expert working in Malaysia, for an NGO working with migrant workers there, told The Daily Star that there are thousands of cases when workers are hired by Malaysian companies often through employment agents, but finally the workers do not get the jobs promised or are horrendously exploited at workplaces.

Many instances are there where workers are inhumanely forced to work very long hours in exchange for measly wages and inadequate food, often prompting the workers to protest and leave the jobs. A several hundred workers recently returned from Malaysia due to such circumstances there.

Although, Bangladesh High Commission there opened 'safe shelters' so the abused and cheated workers may stay there until their job related troubles are settled, according to media reports the 'shelters' are so crammed that many ill fated workers had to stay on riverbanks under the open sky in Kuala Lumpur.

"There is a nexus of recruiting agencies, their agents in Malaysia, and some officials of Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, who not only discourage the troubled workers from returning home, but also sometimes compel them to join whatever job is available or just to continue to remain in the foreign land without any sign of hope.," said a cheated worker who had returned home from Malaysia in January.

The syndicate's new enthusiasm in continuing to keep the ill fated workers in Malaysia by any means necessary, was prompted by a movement in Bangladesh against the ill practices there, which had been launched by a number of recently returned workers who are now realising compensations from their recruiting agencies, the returned worker said.

He also said cases against the returnee workers holding fake passports should be dropped, instead the manpower exporters, recruiting agencies, and the employers who cheated them should be tried first.

When contacted, Bangladesh High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur M Khairuzzaman said it is not true that the high commission discourages workers from returning home.

"We are rather trying to rehabilitate workers with employment troubles. We blacklisted a few recruiting agencies for failure to maintain promises they made to workers," he said.

If the passports were fake, the immigration at Kuala Lumpur should have held the passport holders, Khairuzzaman said.

1/11 and lessons thereof

2008-05-03T09:37:00.000+06:00

It is not uncommon these days to see many concerned citizens and experts of different disciplines speaking intensely on the virtues of unfettered democracy and how its absence has been adversely affecting the orderly and civilized growth of our society. Curiously enough, a good number of such impassioned advocates of freedom and liberty were conspicuously quiet when the very durability of our democratic polity became doubtful in the not-too-distant past.

Under circumstances as above, would it be unfair to question the genuineness of our cravings for a truly democratic dispensation? Doubts arise because we have seen a political temper that has pressed a partisan advantage to a bitter end, which could not understand and respect the adversaries and hardly ever felt the unity between all citizens.

It was also our unfortunate experience to witness that our democracy did not depend upon habits of consent and compromise that are essential attributes of mature political societies. We did not see a lawful government by the majority under the rule of abiding law and with freedom of opposition and dissent. The spirit of moderation did not prevail and our society degenerated into divisions and hatred replaced goodwill.

In a scenario as above, it was only natural to expect changes as of 11th January 2007. The important question, however, is, what lessons have we learnt from 1/11 and how we can benefit from the reform and restoration efforts of the extended caretaker government. This is crucial because we can longer foolishly expect to be free while remaining ignorant.

It is perhaps time to realize that following the birth of our republic our leaders did not concentrate on creating and maintaining quality institutions. As a result, we have not seen the arrival of new generation of committed leaders who could possibly be the bright products of excellent institutions. One needs to know if we have downgraded and devalued the few institutions which existed when we became a republic.

Readers may perhaps agree that one significant lesson learnt from 1/11 and events thereafter is the admirable effort to punish the high and mighty who gave a damn to the law and propriety and considered themselves above the reach of state machinery. While it is for the courts to pronounce on their culpability, the fact remains that the regulatory outfit at last found its teeth to bite and may be setting a precedent whereby potential and actual predators of our public life may be restrained before venturing into large scale malfeasance and misfeasance.

In post 1/11 Bangladesh, the primacy of building and strengthening corrective and regulatory institutions has attracted our attention. The requirement now is to carry on the good work and consolidate them in a structured fashion with necessary support by means of legislation and regulation as deemed fit. The political executives have to learn to do things within the book and hold aloft the majesty and supremacy of the judiciary.

The pre-eminence of Election Commission and the urgency of setting that house in order had received highest attention. We need to be cognizant of the reality that if national level election is not conducted properly then all other elections lose its meaning and if elections are held in a faulty and surreptitious manner then no trust will be reposed in the victors, no matter how well-intentioned they may actually be.

The urgent necessity of ensuring the democratic functioning of the political parties has been impressed upon with a view to firmly establishing the roots of democracy. It is for the politicians to create the right environment by effectively de-feudalizing their mindset.

A lesson to be learnt from 1/11 is that we need to appreciate the varying degree of the staying power of democracy and that a near political breakdown did occur due to the weaknesses of our political institutions. We also need to take note of the reality that our institutions have become fragile and our constitution has been made so pliant that it could be bent to any whim or caprice of the ruling group. Our political institutions could not acquire the desired durability through time and tradition.

We have to agree that our economic malaise would have been less unbearable if our basic freedoms were not eroded, the strength of our political institutions not sapped and our public life not degraded. We must note that the dictatorial tone of the establishment have practically subordinated the individual to the government so completely that, with some exceptions, the nation is now made up of one-dimensional persons. This dwarfing process initiated by the political parties has created bunches of time servers only, to the detriment of a vibrant political culture.

Another lesson to be learnt is that to our peril we vigorously started the process of emasculating the judiciary. The sad spectacle was one of failure to defend judges against political pressures and threats and the compounding misfeasance of failing to insist upon integrity and impartiality in judicial appointments. The political class has connived in superseding of judges of caliber and courage while appointing persons who allegedly subscribed to the philosophy of ruling party.

We have to admit that the quality of our public life has reached an all-time low. The Anti-corruption measures since 1/11, 2007 shows that politics has become tattered and tainted with crime. Equally depressing has been the reality that ignorance, incompetence and dishonesty have not been disqualifications for high public office, either in ministerial ranks or elsewhere.

Curiously enough, as of now, an important feature of our national life is the powerlessness of the powerful. We have perhaps reached a stage where the authority can order things but can not get desired results. There is not much structure of real substance and credible delivery on ground. Institutions have been weakened and corrupted to a fearful and debilitating extent.

We must not be struck by the mood of despair and pessimism of the privileged who think we are a failed state. The deprived and the under-privileged have to fight for civil liberties and equal rights and in this the intelligentsia has to side with them. While our poor suffer, our middle class, intelligentsia and the professional groups must empathize with them.

We have to experiment with new concepts in social sector, devise new delivery systems, test them and approach authority to accept them. We have to lobby for change and persist in our efforts by organizing people at various levels. Surely all these are calls for a new breed of politicians.

We must be pragmatic to focus our attention on the level of people's participation in western democracies. In there, from local politics to voluntary groups, from being a watchdog to monitor government activities to providing help to the hapless and the needy, most citizens are ready to spare time, money and effort. Those who look in awe at the American technological advance should study the history of universities like Harvard and MIT, and the role played by land-grant colleges. They have to know how affluent American professionals and industrialists donate money and establish institutions.

Perhaps the most remarkable fact of our political life is the absence of public response to the ominous slide of order in the society. One has to bear in mind that the state and its institutions are indispensable to any genuine societal progress, howsoever mangled and manipulated they may have been due to machinations of successive ruling classes. The other reality is that the state as an apparatus has an extensive reach that can fix matters. We have to control the drift of yesteryears to prevent chaos and anarchy. Steering the state from rough waters is certainly the onerous job of politicians.

Nargis gathers strength, moves slowly

2008-04-30T19:05:00.000+06:00

Almost stationary in the Bay, cyclone Nargis has gathered more strength, intensifying into a "severe cyclonic storm", and is moving north very slowly. It may hit the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast.

A Met Office special bulletin said yesterday evening that Nargis was lying over west central Bay and adjoining southwest Bay 1,155km from Chittagong coast, 1090km away from Cox's Bazar and 1,030km from Mongla coast with minimum sustained wind speed between 90kmph and 120kmph within the 54km radius of its centre.

The first cyclonic storm since the deadly Sidr, Nargis is likely to intensify further.

This satellite image shows Nargis hovering near

southwest Bay of Bengal yesterday.

"It is too early to comment about when and where the storm will hit. At this stage, a cyclonic storm frequently changes its course," said Arzumand Habib, director of Dhaka Meteorological Office. "But probably it is going to hit the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast," she said.

The Met Office said they will confirm today the possible time and place of the hit.

It already declared Nargis as a severe cyclonic storm since its wind speed crossed 89kmph. If the wind speed crosses 120kmph, the storm will be categorised as "very severe" and if the wind speed crosses 150kmph, it will be labelled as "hurricane wind", the Met Office sources said.

Maritime ports in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla have been asked to keep hoisting distant signal No. 2.

The Met Office warned that the sea will be rough over the North Bay and advised all fishing boats and trawlers to stay close to the coast until further notice.

Over 3,000 people were killed in cyclone Sidr last November while over thousand have still remained missing. The cyclone with a wind speed of 210kmph also caused damage to huge assets and crops and millions of people lost their livelihood while many have not yet been able to rebuild their homes.

Meanwhile, panic gripped people as soon as they heard about forming of cyclone Nargis.

Chittagong reports: Local administration at all coastal areas of the district was put on alert yesterday.

"Although cyclone Nargis is still over 1,100km away from Bangladesh coast, we have started making preparations to face its dangers and save lives and properties," Abdul Halim, district relief and rehabilitation officer, said yesterday afternoon.

He said administration in the upazilas is alerting people at Mirersari, Sitakunda, Sandwip, Anwara, Banshkhali, Chandanaish and Satkania.

Sources meanwhile alleged that most of around 403 cyclone shelters in Chittagong have long been lying uncared for.

The number of cyclone shelters is also inadequate to provide shelter to over 7 lakh people living in the coastal belt of Chittagong, the sources said, adding that the district administration has, however, sent a proposal to the higher authorities for setting up around 70 more cyclone shelters.

Patuakhali reports: Hundreds of fishing trawlers started taking shelters at different points along the coast including Mohipur, Kuakata, Galachipa, Rangabali and Sonar Char as the sea has already become very rough.

The district administration said they are ready to face the impact of cyclone Nargis, if any.

The district administrators in Khulna and Bagerhat have also taken precautionary measures, reports our correspondent in Khulna. Field workers of all NGOs in the district have also been kept on alert to face any circumstance and carry out rescue operation.

Panic has gripped people of Sharankhola and Morelganj upazilas where the inhabitants are yet to recover from the devastation of cyclone Sidr.

International Dance Day celebration '08

2008-04-30T18:35:00.000+06:00

Highlighting dancers from all corners of the country

As part of this year's three-day long International Dance Day celebration, on the second day (April 28) the organisers -- Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and Bangladesh Nrityashilpi Sangstha (BNS) -- arranged several programmes at different venues in Dhaka.

(Clockwise from top) A creative composition by dancers from Sylhet, Lathi Khela by Kishoregonj Dance Troupe, artistes of Chittagong Nrityashilpi Sangstha perform at the programme.

In the evening, a dance performance -- featuring thirteen troupes from different parts of Bangladesh -- was held at the National Theatre Stage, BSA. It was a great opportunity for dance artistes from different parts of Bangladesh to showcase their traditional dance forms and celebrate International Dance Day in harmony.

A discussion was held prior to the dance performances. Noted dancer Golam Mustafa Khan gave the welcome speech. Speaking at the programme, Manipuri dance exponent Anil Kishan Singha said, “As a gesture of joy, not only human beings but other creatures too, dance.” Singha was a special guest at the programme. Theatre personality Nasiruddin Yousuff and Rafiqul Islam, chairman, Jibon Bima Corporation were other special guests.

Dr. Enamul Haque, former secretary, Ministry for Culture Affairs was the chief guest.

Veteran dancer Rahiza Khanam Jhunu presided over the discussion. She said, “Preserving and developing our dance forms will be a lot easier if we (dancers) get a chance to work together with other sectors of culture.”

The evening started with a Manipuri dance by artistes of Manipuri Academy of Fine Arts. The dance form is widely practiced in the Sylhet region in Bangladesh and Manipur in India. The artistes performed the Mridanga dance at the programme.

Performances by the members of Shilpakala Academy, Rajbari and Nrityashilpi Sangstha, Bogra followed.

The highlight of the programme was the indigenous dance forms. Several indigenous troupes showcased their traditional art forms at the programme. The Marma and Tripura artistes of Khagrachhari Cultural Institute performed "bottle dance" and "pori dance" respectively.

Artistes of Upajatiyo Cultural Institute, Rajshahi and Cox's Bazar Sangskritik Kendra performed a Santal dance on the theme of "welcoming the bride" and the "Rakhaing Rain Dance” respectively.

Members of Chittagong Nrityashilpi Sangstha and Rajshahi Nrityashilpi Sangstha performed classical dance at the programme.

Dancers from Sylhet, Manikganj, Khulna and Rangpur also performed at the programme.

"Lathi Khela" by Kishorgonj Dance Troupe was quite enjoyable and unique.

The evening ended with a Rakhaing dance.

Rationalizing Fuel Price: So far a half done act

2008-04-30T18:26:00.000+06:00

If you have hundred taka to give subsidy, whom do you give it to? A labourer to buy food or a private car owner worried about rising fuel price? Also, don't treat fuel and fertiliser similarly. Why, would you ask?

The way we are going to open this article may seem like dramatizing, but it is not. We will come to the point - in the later part.

All fuels should be brought into market price. All means all - petrol, diesel, cng, everytihng.

Also, do not tie this policy with the price of fertiliser, even though they are related. We hope to deal that issue separately at a later date.

So, if all the prices of fuel is left to catch up the market price and more importantly, to fluctuate, then how it is going to affect the lives of people and how will that influence the macro-economic stability? Just to highlight the issue, let us give an illustraion here:

FBCCI President Anisul Huq spends probably less than one percent of his income on the fuel cost for his private car. However, the fuel that he buys for his car is also subsidized by the Bangladeshi taxpayers! And if the fuel price increases to reflect the international market price and the price fluctuates, it will not be a problem for Mr. Huq or people like him.

Now consider the situation of the worker who work in one of the garment factory that Mr. Huq owns or any other workers for that matter. What percent of their income they spend on transportation? Also, if you consider the situation of a government official who does not take bribe, how does the price increase of fuel affect (if the person has one or two school/college going children, the situation also worsens).

Also, consider the another two illustrations - from the perspective of input into production system. What happens if the price of electricity or fuel goes up? Do that create an existential problem for Mr. Huq's businesses? Probably not. It will cut into his margin probably, but he will be afloat doing business and at the same time will be self-respectful since he as a rich man do not take subsidy from the poor people of the country. I am sure, people like Mr. Huq has good intensions for the general people in the heart. However, we do not know for sure yet.

How about the other input - price of diesel and electricity affects the farmers, too. If these prices doubles, what happens to this farmer?

We have tried to illustrate constrasts in two different scenarios of fuel price increase - one as transportation cost and another as input to production system. These contrasts has to be taken into affect and address the concerns.

Listening to the IMF as they say it would not solve your problem. I do not know what they have in their mind (it can't be something good!). However, we can say this safely - they always suggest something that is easy for them.

Solving a problem is not an easy thing - specifically when you do policy making. The problem of our older generation is that when it comes to the choice between "doing it easy way" and "doing it right way", they have so far chosen the first option. But they need to learn doing it right way - even if that is imperfect, comlex and hard to implement. When something is hard to implement, that is good - because that will create more employement. Don't know what I am talking about? Think - you will know. Or send us a message, we can elaborate the details for you peoples.

Just to illustrate a problem, please allow us to describe one thing. Dr. Tamim is now the Energy Adviser, isn't it? But before that, what he used to do? He was a senior teacher in his faculty/department, or least he is not a junior teacher who doesn't have any say in policy making. Lets see what do they do in BUET as far as policy making. In other universities, there is always problem with elections when it comes to the choice of dean and chairman of different faculty and department. However, in BUET, there is usually no election. Thats should be a good thing you would think - since BUET could follow an international standard method of choosing a department chair or a faculty dean. But that is very complex method and it needs to practice judgement on the part of senior teachers. So, BUET teachers do not go that way - why? Because it is complex, to say the least. Off course, there are other issues beyond the scope of this discussion. So, how do they choose chairman or dean in BUET, you must be thinking. Its funny - they have a rule of rotation - every tenured professor in the department will become both chairman and/or dean - even though we know that many people do know a thing about managing a department or a faculty. But still, they have this rule. Why? Because, it is easy for them to implement. By doing that they have compromised a very basic thing about the development of a university - that is competence and use of merit. So, what do you expect from a guy like Dr. Tamim? Its much easier for him to go for the easiest choie - which is treat all of those above-mentioned scenario equally. That will make his job easier, isn't it? Who cares about competence, merit, good of the people, good of the institution? After all, most of our experts in our country becomes expert by memorizing text-books! May be its our problem that we expect too much from these professors, secretaries and other professionals.

If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columinsts in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.

Movie Reviw of the week

2008-04-25T01:53:00.000+06:00

We have Keanu Reeves back in a movie that's fun if not plausible. The basic premise has him playing a hard cop who spends a few crazy days hunting down the the men who framed him for his ex-police partner's murder.

Tom Ludlow (Reeves) is a widowed vice cop. His partner snitches to Internal Affairs mentioning some shady stories about Tom's past. Tom gets mad and later somebody shoots the partner dead. Tom is framed cause it all makes sense.

Tom's boss played by Forest Whitaker puts him on a desk job shuffling paperwork till the case blows over. But we can't have someone like the main character sit behind a desk. And what follows is a shooting spree to catch the killers in which many others get killed. It's bloodlust and it's popcorn fun.

The verdict:

We have actors who fit the roles for what they are intended to do. Reeves is a tough cop and he can do so without having to really act much. Whitaker on the other hand does his best and ends up providing enough acting to cover Reeves' lacking.

The movie is grim and obscenely violent at times. It shows that corruption is how the world works. While that I not a good message to impart, it does make for a more realistic setting. Of course, at the end of the movie the sort-of good guy wins so that's all good.

Pirated books flood city markets

2008-04-25T01:39:00.000+06:00

Students face problems, traders count loss and government deprives of revenue

Pirated copies of books of higher education are flooding the bookshops in the port city, causing loss to the importers and distributors alongside depriving the government of revenue.

The students are also facing problems due to supply of such pirated books by a section of unscrupulous traders.

The books, reprinted and marketed in violation of copyright act, are now available at different bookshops in the city.

Police seize pirated books of higher studies
in the port city recently.

Police unearthed an illegal printing press and godown, seized huge quantity of such pirated books and arrested two people in this connection on April 16. A case has also been filed with Kotwali Police Station in this connection the same day.

Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) led by Assistant Commissioner (AC) Ashiqul Hoque Bhuiyan unearthed the press and four-room godown (storehouse) during its drive at a market near Boro Masjid on Sirajdoullah Road at Chandanpura in the port city.

Some 20,000 pirated books of different courses of higher education like MBBS, MBA, engineering and basic sciences worth over Tk 1 crore were seized from the godown.

Two people identified as Tofajjal Hossain Sajib, 27, an MBA student of Chittagong University and Shamsuddin, 35, were arrested in this connection.

The books of MBBS courses include Human Anatomy by BD Chaurasia, Human Anatomy by AK Datta, Atlas of Human Anatony by Frank H Netler, Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Langman's Medical Embryology, Test Book of Medical Physiology, Essentials of Human Anatomy by AK Datta and others.

Huge copies of books used in MBA course like Principles of Marketing by Philip Kotlers and Gery Armstrong, Accounting Principles by Weygandt, Kieso and Kimmel, Marketing Management by Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller, Essential of Managerial Finance by Scott Besley and Eugene F Bridgham, Business Mathematics by DC Sancheti and VK Kapoor and Organization Behaviour were found stockpiled at the godown.

The recovered cache also included pirated books of basic sciences like Advanced Organic Chemistry (for BSC and MSC student) by Arun Baht and BS Baht, Modern Inorganic Chemistry by RD Madan, Theory and Problem's of Vector Analysis by Murray R Spiegel, Advanced Engineering Mathematics by HK Dass, Modern Microeconomics (Theory and Applications) by HL Ahuja and many other books.

Detectives also launched such a sudden drive and seized 108 copies of pirated academic books of MBBS courses from five bookstalls at Shahi Jame Mosque Shopping Complex at Anderkilla on January 22.

The bookstores were Panguine Library, Book Eden, Orient Book, Book Garden and Hossainia Library.

A case was filed under Section 82 of the Copyright Act with Kotwali Police Station in this connection. But, the bookshop owners were on the run until obtaining bails from the High Court in the capital to avoid the arrest.

“Since then we were in search of the press and the persons involved in publishing and marketing such books and at last we succeeded,” said Ashikul while talking to The Daily Star on Saturday.

Quoting confessional statements of arrestees, he said they (arrestees) have been marketing and supplying such books at different bookshops in the port city and the capital for the last two and a half years.

DB Inspector Mezba Uddin Ahmad, investigation officer (IO) of both the cases, will submit charge sheet in the first case soon.

Meanwhile students, teachers and traders demanded exemplary punishment to those involved in such illegal business.

Chittagong Medical College (CMC) Principal Prof Dr MA Wahab said students will face problems if they use pirated books with illegible prints and poor quality pictures of different human organs and diagram.

He said in medical study picture is very important and unclear picture might give a wrong message to the students.

Limon, a CMC student, said they prefer to buy the pirated copies of books due to their cheaper rates. He said sometime they get those at half the price or one third of reduced rates.

Golum Mostafa, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Parama Publisher and Distributor, said they have been incurring a huge loss every year.

He said the pirated copies are small in size compared to the original ones and are published in one colour with bellow quality pictures while the original copies are four coloured.

Moreover, below quality papers are used in publishing the pirated copies to keep the price cheaper, he added.

Parama Publisher and Distributor is reportedly the lone importer and distributor of foreign academic books of different higher courses.

Terrible hot

2008-04-25T01:22:00.000+06:00

The city is experiencing a terrible hot spell for the last few days. Load shedding and water crisis added to the situation. To find respite, this kid is splashing water all over his body to his heart's content from a shallow machine meant for watering a paddy field.

Make the National Board of Revenue (NBR) a color blind organization

2008-04-25T01:14:00.000+06:00

Tying criminal code with tax code is problematic. However well intentioned those rules are, they usually do not serve the purpose, those usually backfire.

To quote from the following Financial Express news item - "He (the finance adviser) said the government will allow disclosure of all legally earned untaxed income under the existing law provided owners of the same are not facing any criminal charge."

The question that we want to ask is this: If someone is facing criminal charge, can she or he still have legally earned untaxed income? Yes, it is possible that this person have some untaxed income that was legally earned, but not previously declared. If that is the case, then, why would the law that the finance adviser talks about would not be deemed against the basic premise fairness and equality in legal rights?

I know what some of you or even the finance adviser may opine. "Eto kisu kore tu para jabe na" or "Criminal der abar constitutional right ki?" But these type of opinion is not helpful if we are really interested about developing a system that works, rather than being an ideal system. May be we can punish people with that attitude, but in the long run those kinds of law wouldn't pass the test of time. They also do not serve the purpose of building a better future.

One thing that our policy makers and the government agencies do not understand is that being in the position of responsibility - being a part of the government is one of the most difficult thing. If you want to ban something (such as block certain citizens from certain rights under the law), you have to be able to prove those allegations beyond doubt. If you can not ascertain an income as illegal beyond doubt, you have to consider it as legal (even if it might be the case!). Off course, it is also the responsibility of the government to keep investigating so that any illegal things are found. Until and unless that can be done, you have to learn to "let things to go".

Bottomline: Law enforcement have to start with a presumption that a citizen is always innocent until it is proven otherwise in the court of law and his or her assets are all legal until it is proven in the court otherwise. Doing one thing wrong does not prove that the person has done other things wrong. Each of the cases has to be proven separately and the person himself or herself has to be dealt with fairness and respect.

In doing that the authorities will have to let many things go untouched. But if you can catch few percent beyond doubt, that should be your starting point. Build capacity within the system that increases the initial success rate (the small percent) over the years. That way success might be slow, but it will be sure and stable. More importantly, it will not effect the economy adversely or the adverse effect will be much less than positive impact of the activities which wasn't the case during last few months.

A first important step in achieving that economic stability and confidence, NBR has to be made a blind organization. Let other agencies deal with criminal matters, not the NBR. Essentially, NBR is selling a product which is government service. This is a promise of future government service that NBR sells to the citizens - a promise to treat the people with respect and give every possible protection that the citizens needs from the State. Selling of that promise can not be successful unless NBR itself becomes more respectful to the individual rights of the citizens, no matter what kind.

If you thought some of the ideas are worth of your reading time, please forward it to others. If you have an ear to the columinsts in regular traditional media, please forward it to them. If you have an ear to the journalists and news editors of the electronic media, discuss it with them. Hope they would look at the suggestions and give due diligence.

Our very own shuttle train

2008-04-22T23:14:00.000+06:00

Chittagong University, one of the oldest and most prominent universities in Bangladesh has often been known as a 'University with the shuttle train' because of its uniqueness of having shuttle trains for commuting to and from the campus everyday. From its very start, students are dependent on these trains and their running on time.

What really astonished me on my very first day in the university was the distance between the main town and the campus. It is approximately 22 kilometers from the port city on one hand; the road connecting our campus to the town is very narrow, dilapidated and congested on the other. That's why the shuttle trains having seven to nine compartments became a means of communication for almost twenty thousand students. The ageing trains not only render free service to the students but also save their valuable time.

It goes without saying that the evergreen campus is lifeless without the presence of these old but bold trains. The trains hold some special characteristics. Different compartments have different names such as Black Hole, Cockpit, CFC (Choose friends with care), Fata Fati, Ekakar and so on. After classes, we try to move to the station as fast as possible to grab the seats so that friends can sit in one corner and have some fun. It is hardly quiet inside the compartments as students sing different types of songs ranging from English to Bengali parody! The seats and sides are used as drums to add flavour to the music mood. So, who needs musical instruments! Amazingly enough, the harmony the singers create is praiseworthy although it sometimes may turn out to be tedious to some unwilling listeners. Others remain busy gossiping with friends about any topic under the sun.

Ah! Don't forget the bookworms! Although the train is always overcrowded, our bookworms do not miss the opportunity of reading books or magazines during the hour-long journey. They remain oblivious of the noise of the moving train or hollering that goes on in the name of singing! In fact, to some it opens up the horizon of the mind! And other bookworms say that they can best concentrate on a book when there is lots of noise around! So, it takes all kind to make this world, doesn’t it?

When students pass out every year and leave behind the well spent days, one memory they carry in their heart is the fantastic train rides to campus. Many of them still feel nostalgic thinking about their days of the shuttle trains.

Yes, our shuttle train is beset with many problems, and yet its selfless service to students has overcome all the inconveniences. Repair and reconstruction of the railway tracks have become a growing need of the time to speed up the trains. We want the number of trains and compartments to be increased to meet the demand of CU students. The authorities concerned and government should pay sensitive attention in this regard. They must appreciate that despite all the shortcomings and difficulties, the trains never forget to pick up students from many platforms. They are honest in performing their responsibilities.

Long live our shuttle trains!

IP Telephony ~~~~ Ushering in new hope for Bangladesh

2008-04-22T00:40:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the supervisory body of the country's telecoms industry, is going to launch IP telephony service by the middle of the year. The BTRC has decided to award the licence to local internet service providers (ISPs) to kick-start IP telephony service across the country.

IP telephony is Internet Protocol (IP)-based phone service that is very cost effective compared to traditional circuit-switched telephony services. In IP telephony voice is transformed into series of packets and then the packets are transmitted over a data communication network. Voice quality in IP phone service is quite impressive and it depends on the traffic condition of the network.

IP phone service has two distinct categories such as IP deskphone and softphone. IP deskphone resembles regular phone set but incorporates more interactive features and use session initiation protocol (SIP) to transmit packets. Cisco is one of the market leaders in providing IP deskphone solution. Softphone, on the other hand, is a web-based telephony service that requires multimedia equipment to initiate phone calls. Skype is an ideal example of the softphone that uses point-to-point protocol to transmit data.

In IP telephony you do not need to follow a phone number rather the phone number will follow you. Precisely speaking, you can enjoy IP phone service from any place where internet access is available. When you subscribe to the IP telephony service, the particular ISP will provide you with a unique number and you can use it to initiate voice call.

The chief advantage of IP phone is that it offers low-cost phone service. In traditional phone system when you dial a number a dedicated circuit is established between you and your counterpart. This circuit remains occupied throughout the conversation. Technically speaking, it is wastage of resource because nobody else can share the link. As a result, you pay high when you make long distance calls. But IP telephony eliminates this problem as it uses shared link to route packets to the destination. As soon as your voice is converted into a chunk of data called packet it is deliberately scattered over the network. All packets are given an identifier for accumulation and packets are sent over the available link.

An IP telephony system consists of three elements such as soft-switch, billing software and IP phone. ISPs install soft-switch and billing software at their end whereas client needs to install the IP phone at their end. The IP phone connects with the soft-switch through the internet and this device is responsible for handling all incoming and outgoing calls. Billing software keeps the call log and generates bill against each call.

For IP telephony service, ISPs will be connected to international gateway (IGW) maintained by other operators. All cell-phone operators are also connected with IGW. IGW operators will be responsible for routing calls between different networks.

In Bangladesh IP telephony ushers in a new scope for economic progress. The BTRC is planning to give licence for call centre operation. But it is not possible to make call centres viable without IP telephony service. Widespread implementation of call centres paves the way for bringing more Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services in the country. At this moment most of the ISPs do not have wide network coverage in rural areas. In this regard, WiMAX can play an important role in making IP telephony service available in rural areas. Vietnam is a good example of this where WiMAX technology has been employed to enable rural people to access IP phone service from their own places.

Dr Zafar Iqbal, professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), told StarTech that IP telephony is a "promising technology and the government should come forward to make this technology available to the people. Our existing submarine cable has a huge bandwidth and we'll be able to utilise it properly if IP telephony service becomes a reality. IP telephony will also open the door of other IP-based services to the country".

Sumon Sabir, managing director of BDCOM, a leading ISP in the country, said, "We're ready to provide IP telephony service. But in some places outside Dhaka, we need more time to develop the infrastructure. Generally, IP phone is an expensive device but we're trying to explore cost effective products for the subscribers. Our projection is that if IP phone service starts in a few months, it will draw near about 10,000 users by the end of 2008 and by the end of 2010 it will be two-three lakh."

"We welcome the BTRC's move to materialise the long-cherished IP telephony dream but personally I believe that the revenue-sharing strategy is not a good decision. The BTRC can reconsider it. We also deserve more friendly approach from the government in importing equipment. From technical point of view, we'll face problem to route the traffic because all IGWs are based on TDM (time division multiplexing) technology but ISPs use IP-based network. So when we send data to IGW we must do TDM conversion. If all IGWs are IP compatible then it will leverage our operation. At this moment it is hard to provide cheap IP phone service in rural areas. But if the government opens the door to the WiMAX players, it would be more helpful to us," Sumon explained.

Compared to other countries, Bangladesh is a late entrant to the world of IP telephony. Worldwide traditional phone technologies are being replaced with IP-based operations. In the developing world, many companies have converted their antiquated PBX system to IP PBX.

During the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, IP-based system was used for communications. According to FIFA estimates, IP telephony saved the organisation more than US$200,000 in telephone bills and networking costs over the month long event.

Dell'Oro Group, a research firm, projected that IP phone revenues are expected to double over the next five years, reaching just over US$6 billion by 2012. Major players in the IP telephony market are Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, Siemens and Alcatel-Lucent. Cisco has showed its outstanding performance in enterprise telephony equipment, securing second position in 2007.

Business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan said the IP Centrex market is expected to grow from 13,000 lines in 2001 to 10 million lines by 2008. Traditional Centrex market, which represented 16.5 million lines in 2001, is likely to drop to approximately 10.9 million lines by 2008. Most IP Centrex deployments at present are with small business that have less than 100 lines. The study also says that IP Centrex might increase the penetration of network-based business voice services from 15.4 percent in 2001 to 17.4 percent in 2008.

IP telephony has a bright future in Bangladesh. The government should make this technology available for common people.

Lifeline of City.

2008-04-22T00:36:00.000+06:00

A worker removing solid waste from a drain of a tannery at Hazaribagh. Most of the factories in the area do not have any effluent treatment plant (ETP) and toxic water from these units flow down to the Buriganga, polluting the city's lifeline.

Rampant corruption at Viqarunnisa

2008-04-22T00:33:00.000+06:00

Ministry requests ACC to take punitive action

The education ministry on Sunday requested the Anti-Corruption Commission to take action against the teachers and employees of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College who allegedly embezzled around Tk 50 crore of the school’s and government’s fund.

The ministry’s probe, conducted last year, also found that as many as 45 teachers including two principals of Viqarunnisa, one of the country’s most reputed educational institutions, were appointed illegally.

‘The probe report has been sent to the ACC for the taking of necessary action. The criminals have been identified in our probe report and the amount which has been embezzled by the school authorities is of a large volume, so they should face the action of the Anti-Corruption Commission,’ said a ministry official involved with the probe.

‘To my mind, the actual amount of money embezzled and other financial irregularities may involve a much higher amount than the ministry’s probe detected,’ he said. ‘The education adviser on April 10 signed the file sent to the ACC.’

The probe report said that more than Tk 23 crore had been extorted from students’ parents and guardians in the last four years, but the school’s authorities failed to produce any record of depositing the money in any bank. The authorities also paid Tk 3.75 crore to the teachers and employees in excess of their wages and salaries. They also did not deposit Tk 30 lakh exacted as VAT from the teachers and employees to the exchequer, said the report.

The school authorities also gave more than Tk 6 crore interest-free loan to the proposed Viqarunnisa Noon University five years ago, but the loan is yet to be returned, said the report. ‘Gross financial irregularities have also been detected in the construction of a school building.’ According to the probe report, the school incurred a loss of more than Tk 1.50 crore and Tk 1.9 crore due to irregularities in the construction of its Azimpur and Bashundhara branches respectively.

It also found that an excess amount of Tk 2 crore was spent in the construction of a building for English medium students on its main campus.

The report said the recruitment of the two immediate-past principals — Royena Hossain and Tahmina Khanam — was also illegal.

The school started its journey as a kindergarten in 1952. It was upgraded to a secondary school in 1958 and opened higher secondary courses in 1979. The school and college sections have a total of 400 teachers and 15,131 students. Besides its main campus on Bailey Road, it has three branches at Dhanmondi, Basundhara and Azimpur.

New textbooks for all pry students from next year

2008-04-22T00:28:00.000+06:00

Primary and Mass Education Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury yesterday said primary students of all government and private schools will get new textbooks from next year.

“Now primary students get 50 percent new books and 50 percent old books. Many students are not encouraged due to lack of new textbooks. We hope all primary students will get new textbooks instead of old books from 2009,” she said while addressing as chief guest at the launching ceremony of Asia South Pacific Education Watch Report in the capital.

She also laid emphasis on quality education and said, “We have taken some initiatives not only for increasing the number of students at primary level but also for improving the quality of education.”

The launching ceremony was organised by Campaign for Popular Education (Campe) in cooperation with Asian South Pacific Bureau of Adult Education (ASPBAE) at LGED auditorium in the capital where Asia-South Pacific Education Watch reports on Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Cambodia were presented.

According to Bangladesh Watch Report, public expenditure for each student in a year in government primary schools was Tk 1728 in 2005 followed by Tk 1656 in ebtedayee madrasas and only Tk 664 in registered non-government schools.

“At the secondary level, Tk 2461 was spent per students in government-assisted schools and Tk 3810 for secondary level (dakhil) madrasas,” the report pointed out.

The report also revealed that 43 percent of government primary school students and 85 percent of government-assisted secondary school students had private tutors.

“Private tuition is the largest single private expenditure. The annual cost of private tuition for each student in government schools was Tk 4700 which is 42 percent of the total cost of their education, Tk 2210 in non-government schools which is 29 percent of the total cost, and Tk 1202 in madrasas which is 21 percent of the total cost,” the report added.

The report also pointed out that 10 types of institutions offer primary education, and in 80397institutions, a total of 16225158 students were enrolled with a total number of 344789 teachers.

At the secondary level, there are 18500 institutions, 238158 teachers and 7398552 students.

“The education sector has been receiving the highest public budgetary allocation in recent years. During the last five years, the allocation has been around 14 percent of the total national budget comprising about nine percent in revenue budget and about five percent in development budget,” said Azizul Haq, director-in-charge of Campe, while speaking at the launching ceremony.

Campe Deputy Director Tasneem Athar, ASPBAE Analyst Rene Reya, Asia Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator Raquel D Castillo and Education Watch Advisory Board Chairperson Kazi Fazlur Rahman were present on the occasion.

The journey begins

2008-04-21T01:29:00.000+06:00

As Bengalis in Bangladesh and West Bengal celebrated Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla year 1415, the passenger train service, Maitree Express, commenced on its historic journey carrying a total of 498 passengers for its inaugural trip to Kolkata from Dhaka on the same day, amidst an overwhelming response from the people. The track on which the Maitree Express is rolling is new but the hope it carries is vintage. The cantonment station was given a facelift to face the occasion.

To a few passengers traveling the train it was a journey of reminiscence, not just a train carrying passengers to a country which is divided by an international border. Sheikh Raisul Haque, a passenger from Dhaka who had visited Kolkata by train before the service snapped after the Indo-Pak war in 1965, said, ‘I went to Kolkata in 1962. At that time I was a student of Class III. My father showed me a lot of things on the way, and now I took this train to give my son the same flavour I experienced 46 years ago.’

Traveling via cross-border trains is something totally new for the people of Bangladesh as the Maitree Express is the only cross-country rail communication service in the country.

‘I have gone to Kolkata before by air and bus, but traveling in a cross-country train is a completely new experience and I am extremely excited,’ said Sharmin Rashid, a passenger on the train, before the departure.

The mood at the cantonment station on the morning of April 14 was festive. Many of the passengers were carrying the national flag. Everyone had a spark in their eyes.

India and Bangladesh share a common border of 4096 km running through five points. The two countries also share history and socio-cultural heritage.

After 43 years

Passenger train communications were snapped between Bangladesh and India in 1965 following a war between India and Pakistan when Bangladesh, the then East Pakistan, was part of Pakistan.

There were three trains from Selaidah running into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) - The East Bengal Express, the East Bengal Mail and the Barisal Express, in the past. Unfortunately the service stopped and the integration of the people in either side of the border was hampered.

With the vision of connecting the people of the two countries, after 43 years, the railway communications have resumed finally, after constant efforts from the past and current governments of both the countries. The Dhaka- Kolkata passenger train service supplementary deal was signed on April 10, 2008 which cleared the way for the cross-border journey of trains on the Dhaka- Kolkata route.

Earlier in 2001, the Bangladesh and India governments signed the agreement to resume the railway service. The commissioning of the cross-border train which was scheduled for an August 2007 start was delayed as Bangladesh and India failed to narrow down their differences over ‘security cage’ near the no man’s land on the border of the two countries.

India insisted on erecting 150m fencing on each side of the border to prevent illegal immigrants taking advantage of the train service, but Bangladesh strongly opposed it, arguing that such fencing in the borders is against the norms of friendly relationship between Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh in view of India’s concern about passenger security rather suggested a joint security agreement along the border, which included things such as strong monitoring and improved security inside the train.

Before this historic moment, freight trains had travelled between India and Bangladesh, after an agreement in 1972 that was later suspended. Petrapole-Benapole freight train service resumed in January 2001, which has facilitated the movement of cargo through the border through which more than 70 per cent of India- Bangladesh trade takes place.

The bus service between Dhaka – Kolkata was inaugurated in July 1999, since then both government and private bus service providers operate buses regularly on the Dhaka-Kolkata route. The Dhaka- Agartala bus service was inaugurated in September 2003 and buses also run regularly in this route.

Along with the bus and train service, in accordance with the India-Bangladesh air service agreement the two countries operate 30 flights each week. Quiet a few private airlines are also operating flights between the two countries. Since 1972, through eight specific routes, river transport between the two countries is also being operated regularly.

Restoring the bond

The differences between the two countries was preventing the historic resumption, however, fortunately, the Bangladesh council of advisers in a meeting on February 24, 2008, decided to approve the Indian proposal of a construction of a box-type temporary fence on no man’s land.

The resumption of this train service will hopefully be able to restore the bond which the people living in both the countries shared in the past. ‘The Maitree Express would be reconnecting the two countries, and will surely open up new windows of opportunity in various sectors and it will also help develop co-operation among the two countries,’ opined Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka.

The Maitree Express will substantially contribute to consolidating the ties between India and Bangladesh. ‘This is a historic moment as the train service will reconnect the two countries and will reunite the people of Bengal who have been together for thousands of years. The train will increase the rate of people-to-people contact on both sides of the border,’ said the communications adviser, Ghulam Quader, at the inauguration ceremony of the Maitree Express.

The Maitree Express will link two countries which have similar culture. Many people on the other side of the border also speak the Bangla language. The people in both the countries have always demanded such a service.

‘The Maitree Express is an absolutely wonderful concept. It will link the two countries and a new chapter in the relations between these two neighboring countries will open up,’ said the British High Commissioner in Dhaka, Anwar Choudhury.

Every one is hoping that, this time, the train service will not be hampered by any sort of political crisis. ‘The people of both the countries want this service to continue forever, and the government of both the countries should keep this train service free of politics,’ says Imdaul Haq Milon, a leading writer of the country, traveling on the Maitree Express on its first trip.

The Indian high commissioner also stated that everything will fall into place once the service starts and he also hoped that the future governments will also not create any sorts of obstacles which may hamper the train service.

‘I am optimistic about the future of this cross-country train service,’ says Pinak.

Security concerns

While operations have started, some key issues of the service such as the security have to be addressed in order to run the service smoothly.

Just a day before the inaugural trip of the Maitree Express, some crude bombs were found near the tacks in a place near Bankimnagar station on the Ranagaht-Gede line in West Bengal.

On the other hand a quiet a few right- wing organisations in Kolkata protested the relaunch of the train link. On top of that, Nikhil Banga Sangha (All Bengal Citizens’ Group), comprising Hindu refugees from Bangladesh before and after 1971 recently told the BBC, ‘Why should democratic and secular India seek to develop such links with Islamic Bangladesh?’

On its inaugural trip, the train from Bangladesh was stopped for about five minutes, at the Kushpur level crossing at Nadia, a place in India by villagers who feared an increased influx of people from Bangladesh; the journey resumed after the officials assured the villagers of no such thing likely to be taking place.

Such instances make it clear that the government from both the countries would have to establish security procedures of the highest level in order to prevent any unwanted events.

The Indian government has already set up a metal structure of 150 yards on the no man’s land near Joynagar as a preparation for the train service resumption. Bangladesh has not yet set up the fences on this side of the border; it, however, hopes to complete the fencing in the border area in six months, say officials at the communications and foreign ministries.

‘We hope to maintain a high level of security, as the safety of the passengers is of immense importance. We will take all the necessary steps in order to maintain security,’ says Mohammed Sarwar Mahmood, director of the South Asia wing at the foreign ministry. Metal detectors, luggage scanners and security archways have already been set up at Darshana station (the immigration point in Bangladesh), along with a 10-member team of the railway police who have been deployed on the train for security purposes, said official sources.

Immigration and service

The immigration formalities for the passengers of the Maitree Express will be conducted at two places. It will take at least five hours to complete the immigration process at Darshana in Bangladesh and Gede in India, and the total 538km journey would take eight hours.

Many people believe that the duration of the journey is too long. The duration, especially the time needed for immigration and customs, must be reduced. ‘If the duration of the journey is not reduced, then not many passengers will travel by Maitree Express,’ says KS Zaman, a passenger from Dhaka.

Apart from reduction in the time needed for immigration formalities, many passengers who were on the inaugural trip feel that other services within the train, including the quality of food, need to be improved if one wants to attract passengers.

Initially, in accordance with the agreement signed by the two governments which runs till 2010, the Maitree Express will run twice a week. The total journey from Dhaka-Kolkata is 538 km, 418km on the Bangladesh territory and 120 km on the Indian side.

The Indian train has the capacity to carry 366 passengers and the Bangladesh train 418 passengers. The Bangladesh government would get 75 per cent of the total earnings from ticket sales on the other hand the Indian government would 25 per cent as the larger chunk of the rail tracks fall on Bangladesh territory, inform officials of the Bangladesh Railways.

The governments of both the countries have plans of extending the contract if all things go smoothly, informs official sources. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens, businessman, and many families who have been disconnected during the partition in 1947 keep their fingers crossed hoping that the Maitree Express would help establish their long lost relations.

Travel by Maitree Express

The Maitree Express travels every Saturday and Sunday at 8:30am (Bangladesh standard time) in the morning from the cantonment station, Dhaka and from Chitpur Station, Kolkata, India at 7:10am (Indian standard time). In order to travel in Moitree express an individual has to obtain a visa of India which permits that individual to go to India through the Darshana- Gede border.

One has to buy the tickets from the special booths situated at the Kamlapur Rail Station in Dhaka after obtaining the visa. The tickets are sold at the Kamlapur Station every day. Maitree Express has a total capacity of 418 passengers. There are 36 air-conditioned cabins, 80 air-conditioned chairs and 302 non air-conditioned chairs in the seven compartments.

The fare has been fixed at $20 US for berth seat, $12 for a seat in the air-conditioned compartments, and $8 for a seat in the non- air-conditioned chair coach.

Immigration formalities will be conducted at Darshana in Bangladesh and at Gede in India.

In Kolkata the tickets for this train can be obtained from the international ticket counter at Fairily Place, Kolkata.

Have you registered to vote?

2008-04-21T01:16:00.000+06:00

'What is your ward number?’ asks the enumerator at Motijheel TNT High School.

Sabina, a domestic worker, replies ‘108.’

‘That’s your house number. What is your ward number? Where do you live?’

‘It’s under Ramna thana.’

‘That isn’t here. Ramna is 53 or 54. I think your centre is in Moghbazar, but I’m not sure, so call this phone number —’ he hands her a form and underlines a set of digits, ‘and ask where you should go.’

This dialogue repeated itself at the various voting centres around Dhaka last week. Most people did not know what their ward number was and hence did not know where to go. Also, the notice published in the newspapers, which was compiled by the Bangladesh Youth Forum, had some errors in listing the relevant centres for each area. The officials present at each centre as well as the armed forces could only vouch for their individual areas and ward numbers and knew little of other parts.

It was just past 4pm last Saturday at Rajdhani High School where a long line of people waited to have their forms completed and photos taken. Enumerators were calling it a day and finishing off with the registration forms they had left — they had close to run out, not having expected as large a crowd. Though notices said the centres would be open from 9am to 5pm, the officials patiently repeated that it was actually 4pm, not 5pm.

Last weekend, voter registration centres in Dhaka Division were open for three extra days — April 11, 12, and 13 — for those who had missed out in the first rounds. People were asked to bring some form of identification such as a passport or a driving licence if they had these documents. Although initially it had been reported that those who turned up would have to explain why they had not shown up earlier, the hundreds that did crowd to each centre did not face much trouble except for waiting in long queues in the heat. The armed forces present at each centre made a point of approaching every individual who looked a little lost and helping out by telling them where they needed to go.

Each person who came for late registration had a different story. Some had filled out the registration forms when enumerators had gone door-to-door but had lost the corresponding slip needed when going to take the photographs. Abul Rashid, a 34-year-old private service holder, was one such. ‘You have to fill out the form again,’ he was told at the Rajdhani High School. ‘We can’t search out the matching form for you now.’ Apart from that, however, he was able to complete the process reasonably quickly. Once Rashid’s details had been filled in and he had signed the form, he went straight up to have his photograph and fingerprints taken. And that was that, for another two months at least, which is when the officials estimate that the voter identity cards will be available. They will have to be picked up by the holder who needs to bring the attached slip along.

As of April 11, 2008, according to the Election Commission website, a total of 5,61,77,041 citizens are now registered voters, with 1,01,16,343 completed voter identity cards and 57,99,402 already handed over to the owners. ‘Every day, the numbers are increasing,’ says Reaz Ahmed, communications manager for the Preparation of Electoral Roll with Photograph (PERP). ‘Three, four, five lakh people are being added daily to the list being prepared.’

The electoral roll preparation process has six phases to it, most of which have been completed by now. The first phase was collecting data and making preparations in terms of equipment, recruitment and training of the people involved in the registration process and setting up operational registration centres. The second stage was to obtain and scrutinise forms at the centres, serialising forms in laptops and making entries of the forms in logbooks. The third stage required maximum participation from the people as they came to be photographed, have their fingerprints taken and their data scrutinised. This is the stage at which people are slipping out of the final list; some forget the dates, some lose their slips and some just don’t bother. ‘We’re talking about a population of 180 million people,’ Ahmed says. ‘At some point you have to ask whether the system is at fault or whether it is the individual. If someone is still left out, after all the arrangements we have made, they will have to come forward after the draft is published. They will also have to give an explanation of why they hadn’t registered earlier.’

‘It’s a never ending process,’ Ahmed continues. ‘Take one district such as Noakhali — the work in each upazila has been completed and afterwards the centres were open for some extra days for those who had been left out.’ At some point, they have to stop waiting for people to show up and go ahead so the draft will be ready on schedule.

‘After the draft is published, there will be a time period of fifteen days when those names or other details have been wrongly taken down and those who are left out can come forward and still be integrated in the process,’ says Biswas Lutfur Rahman, deputy election commissioner for the Dhaka Division. The list is now undergoing revision and multiple checks at the army headquarters which allows them to eliminate duplicate voters and also catch on to false voters. Just this week in Gazipur, three such fakes were identified and arrested, and now have cases filed against them. However, fakes are uncommon and this instance is probably a case of a few people testing the waters to see if they could get away with it.

‘Duplicate registration, on the other hand, is something we have seen with more frequency,’ says Rahman. ‘There have been cases of people living in one district but owning land in a different one, so they register themselves in both places in order not to lose any legal right to that land.’ These double entries have so far been easily eliminated by checking fingerprints against the existing database. Rahman reports that they are keeping count of how many forms had been filled out during door-to-door visits and how many had actually been photographed and altogether completed the registration process.

Rahman says that with the aid of the army and a precise plan, they have managed to be perfectly on schedule in the preparation of the voter list and their problems have been minimised. He is not certain how long it will take to process the draft but informs that after the draft publication the only body that can facilitate the registration process is the Election Commission.

‘As for absentee voters, if they have family in the country, their family can notify the voting centre. Otherwise, they will always have the option of registering when they do come to the country, such as when migrant labourers return to Bangladesh. Voter registration is a process that will be carried out yearly from January 2 to January 31, so the list can be updated regularly as necessary,’ Rahman says. Additionally, Reaz Ahmed says that there have been many instances of people making a point of returning to the country and registering as a voter.

Furthermore, Rahman believes that they have done their utmost to promote awareness of the enormous significance of the process. ‘We have gone to localities and convinced people to participate as this voter identity card will serve the purpose of a national identity card. So it is not about whether you want to vote or not next election.’

Mobile subscribers reach 38.93m in March

2008-04-21T01:04:00.000+06:00

The total number of mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh rose to 38.93 million at the end of March from 37.55 million in February last.

Telecompaper, a Netherlands-based telecom website, reported the figure on the basis of the latest update from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

On April 17, the website reported that GrameenPhone was the market leader with 17.81 million subscribers, up from 17.20 million subscribers in February, while Orascom Telecom Bangladesh (Banglalink) was in the second place with 8.31 million subscribers.

TMIB (Aktel) and Warid Telecom International bagged third and fourth positions with 7.45 million and 2.79 million subscribers respectively.

Other operators-PBTL (Citycell) and Teletalk Bangladesh-remained steady compared to February and reported 1.56 million and 1.01 illion subscribers each respectively.

BD trade fair in Malaysia, S’pore from June

2008-04-21T00:55:00.000+06:00

Mission Far-east, a Bangladesh single country trade fair will be held in Singapore from June 13 to 15 while in Malaysia from June 19 to 22 targeting to tape huge market of different Bangladeshi products and services.

The venue for the fair in Singapore is Ground of Mostafa Plaza (beside mosque) and Putra World Convention Centre in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.

More than 100 stalls and pavilions of Bangladeshi banks, life insurance companies, jute and jute goods, handicrafts, readymade garments, vegetables, frozen foods, spices, housing and real-estate, soft drink and beverage, food stuff, toiletries and cosmetics, medicine, industrial products, computer software, tea, melamine and ceramic products, plastic and kitchenware and agricultural products will be accommodated in the fair.

Interested business houses are requested to contact with Dhaka International Exhibition Company (DIEC)'s Purana Paltan office or to call on 7163850, 01710852522 for stalls.

Remittances to come through post offices from June

2008-04-21T00:51:00.000+06:00

Remittances being sent by expatriate Bangladeshis will be disbursed through 514 district and upazila post offices from June next following an agreement signed between Bangladesh Postal Department and Western Union Money Transfer.

The agreement will enable the expatriate Bangladeshis to send money quickly at a lesser cost and the recipients will get the money at home within 10 to 15 minutes.Internet and fax systems are being installed in the post offices for the purpose, and this facility will also be introduced in other sub-post offices gradually.

This was disclosed by Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for Post and Telecommunications Brig Gen (retd) MA Malik at a function today in the city, said an official handout.

Malik was addressing as the chief guest a training programme for officials of postal department jointly organised by Bangladesh Postal Department and Western Union Money Transfer at Dakbhaban.

He urged the officials of the postal department to work with sincerity and devotion to ensure improved service to revive the reputation of the postal department. Director General of Postal Department Mobashsheur Rahman and Western Union Money Transfer Country Director Syed Kamal also addressed the function.In his speech, Syed Kamal outlined in detail the system of disbursing the remittances being sent by expatriates through the postal department. He said Western Union Money Transfer has already trained 900 officials of the postal department for the purpose.

Western Union Money Transfer is working in 38 countries, including Bangladesh, on sending remittances, he added.

Loss-making jute mills to be privatised

2008-04-21T00:19:00.000+06:00

Bangladesh will privatise all loss-making state-run jute mills in phases, said a draft jute policy-2008 discussed at a workshop.

Jute and Textile Adviser Anwarul Iqbal opened the workshop at the International Jute Study Group office recently that saw participation from jute experts, private mill owners and farmers.“Efforts are underway to revive the past glory of jute,” assured the adviser. Jute is environment-friendly and has a huge demand across the world.

The draft policy envisages incentives to jute growers in the form of easy loan, improved seeds and necessary inputs for intensive cultivation. This is intended to reduce the cost of jute production. Besides, interests of workers of the offloaded mills will be protected.

The adviser assured that an investigation committee would be formed soon to probe into alleged corruption and mismanagement and closer of state-run jute mills. The world’s largest jute mill, Adamjee Jute Mills, that had earned fame and huge foreign exchange was closed down under the pressure of donors when it incurred heavy loss.

The draft policy also envisages promotion of extensive research in jute for multipurpose use of the golden fire.

Iqbal informed the workshop that cultivation of jute and production in Bangladesh had declined. He estimated the last year’s production at around 5.5mn bales as against 7mn bales in 1960s. Laying significance of jute a recent UNCTAD report said $1 earned from jute sector is equivalent to $4 earned from readymade garments.

PSC member A Dhaka court has sentenced a former member of the Public Service Commission (PSC) to 13 years imprisonment for illegally amassing wealth and concealing wealth information from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The court also fined Prof Md Mahfuzur Rahman 5mn taka. Judge AKM Arifur Rahman of the Special Court-10, located in the parliament secretariat complex, handed down the sentence.

Authorities have so far been unable to track down Mahfuzur and his punishment will come into effect from the day he surrenders or is arrested.

The sentence comprises two terms of three and ten years for concealing information a wealth statement to the ACC and amassing illegal wealth respectively. The jail terms are to run consecutively.

Hasina hospitalised for blood pressure

2008-04-21T00:08:00.000+06:00

Detained former Bangladesh premier Sheikh Hasina was hospitalised yesterday for “unstable” blood pressure, an official said. Sheikh Hasina, 60, was taken to hospital for a routine check-up, but doctors found her blood pressure was unstable, said John Gomes, general manager of the Square Hospital where she was admitted.

“They checked her several times and each time her pressure was found to be low and unstable. She has been given medicines but she will be observed at the hospital for a while,” Gomes said. Sheikh Hasina has been detained on corruption charges since last July by the country’s military-backed government and was hospitalised for several days last month complaining of ear trouble, high blood pressure and other ailments.

Her hearing in her left ear was severely damaged in a 2004 grenade assassination attempt and she also has failing eye sight. In February, Sheikh Hasina, who was premier from 1996 to 2001, went on trial for allegedly extorting 435,000 dollars from a power company owner. The trial was adjourned after her lawyers challenged the legality of the case.

Bangladesh’s caretaker government took power in January 2007 after months of turmoil and violence sparked by Awami League allegations of vote-rigging against the outgoing Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The interim government has vowed to clean up Bangladesh’s notoriously corrupt politics before restoring democracy later this year.

BNP leader and the country’s most recent prime minister, Khaleda Zia, and some 150 other high-profile politicians have also been held in the government’s corruption crackdown.

Meanwhile, the Awami League has linked the success of any dialogue with Bangladesh’s caretaker government to the release of its detained chief. A senior leader of the party was yesterday quoted as saying that a dialogue with the government would be meaningless if Hasina was not sent to the US for treatment.

The party has launched a campaign, beginning with a signature drive, to press the demand that Hasina, a former prime minister, be released on parole.

But Home Adviser Major General (retired) M A Matin said the government was not thinking of releasing Hasina immediately.

Would you mind giving me a break?

2008-04-20T23:50:00.000+06:00

Ever wondered how life would have been if there were not any relationships to handle? You could have been the lord of your existence, the lone traveler on this intricate journey. But alas, life never gave us that fortunate a chance and has therefore bestowed us with relatives which range from parents to siblings to significant others. Don't get me mistaken for a sadist or something. Of course, I am not against living a solitary life but sometimes the pressures and expectations that come from different quarters can get hard to cope with.

From the study quarter

Right from your toddler years, parents in Bangladesh, expect their children to get admitted in a popular school. Hence begins the pressure of having a picture perfect image in front of the admissions committee and answering all questions in the interview with zero mistakes. If the child fails, then he or she gets the blame of being too 'naughty'. In other words, the child just blew his or her so-called golden prospect of being in a top-notch school. It is a much worse scenario in Bengali medium schools where kids have to start coaching as early as 8 years of age (which is basically their time to play!). It is almost a 'study or die' situation in which the ultimate loser is the child, even if he or she gets admitted. Admission means more studying which consequently leads to the fact of losing the precious moments of childhood.

So as we grow up, parents expect us to excel in studies. “You have to be the top student this year or else how can I show my face to Ibrahim's mom?” Out of nowhere, the juncture for Board examinations arrive in which we literally don't get the time to breathe. “You must have all A's/G.P.A 5!” And then the big run for admission in college be it local or abroad. “Do you want all your extraordinary results to go down the drain? Put them into use in an Ivy or IBA!” Ah, the demands never end!

Sibling trouble

Siblings are and will remain the annoying pests of your life. When it comes to talking about relationship pressures, then siblings should come just after parents. Suppose you have an older sister who is much brighter and intelligent than you are. Without a doubt, pressure falls on you to be even better than her. Not only in the case of studies, it can also be of appearance which ultimately plays a big role during the time of dating or marriage. If your sister is prettier or fairer than you, then it is your fault that you are ugly and is not getting enough heads turned. Also if you are the older sibling then it is upon you to set a good example on the little ones. “Be careful of the steps you tread; your younger brother/sister is going to follow the same footsteps.”

The 'significant other' thing

Most of my 'not-single' friends come up to me and complain about the huge amount of strain put onto them by their boyfriends/girlfriends. Sometimes a bf can be so not understanding that if the girl has problems like a test or other plans that he gets all fired up and accuses her of ignoring him. Same goes for some girls too, who keep on checking their bfs every hour to know what they are up to. Eventually, there is nothing called space in the relationship and one ends up being stressed up most of the time.

Finally…

Pressures never really end and go on until you continue to live. When you enter adulthood, looking for a job becomes a must. There are pressures on you to get married and settled. After marriage, the obligation to keep your partner and children happy during all times.

We can probably never get rid of this but can surely ease it up a bit. Of course, parents have the right to scold us or expect the best from us. But just to remove the extra burden we could make them understand where to draw the line instead of going overboard. The best thing is not to compare yourself with others and prevent your relatives too from doing that. Trust me the whole situation becomes lot easier if we simply stopped comparing. I strongly believe in the adage “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” You should know where your strengths and weaknesses lie and make it clear to the people around you. So what if your brother is ahead of you in studies? Maybe you are a better guitarist than he is! And if your bf/gf is too nosy just mention it to him/her that the bugging is getting too difficult to handle.

It can be a hard-hitting task to maintain all these, but hey a mere worth's trying should not hurt. Just imagine how uncomplicated life would then be!

Nogordola in a year

2008-04-20T23:36:00.000+06:00

In just a year, Nogordola has probably achieved what no other boutique could accomplish- a signature mark. The house can easily be recognised through their well researched, theme based motifs on the clothes they design. Rather than allowing the occasions to dictate style, they design to dictate style. From paintings of Qamrul Hasan, ancient kalamkari, and aborigine drawings to the pastoral patterns on shondesh, their reflection on the attires of Nogordola has been exceptional and unique.

Nogordola is a handicraft and handloom project of Dhaka Ahsania Mission and have recently, opened their second outlet at House # 3-G, Road # 11, Banani, reiterating their unique commitment for exploration of culture and to raise true and aesthetic beauty through the attires they design.

"Nogordola will uplift the local tradition and heritage. It will come forward to find out the country's roots. I hope it will continue its contribution for the welfare of the country," said Masayuki Inoue, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh on the ceremony arranged in celebration of Nogordola's first anniversary.

Dhaka Ahsania Mission President Kazi Rafiqul Alam said, "We need to assimilate our culture with the changing world. We are working for marketing the products of the members of Gonokendra. To facilitate, explore and creating opportunity for the handicraft items producers, DAM has taken this initiative.”

A daylong programme was organised to celebrate the day. A musical troupe rendered popular folks songs, while snake charmers mesmerised the audience with their bin and dancing serpents. A fashion show was also arranged to highlight their new designs for the coming Boishakh.

Rising rice prices outpacing controls

2008-04-20T23:29:00.000+06:00

THE increase in rice prices began in January, lagging nearly two years behind the surge in prices of wheat, corn and other agricultural commodities. Still, the rise in rice prices began well before prices jumped 30% to an all-time high after various governments enacted controls to rein in prices.

Egypt, for example, announced a ban on selling export of rice in order to keep local prices affordable. The Philippines, meanwhile, announced plans for a major rice purchase in the international market in order to boost domestic supplies.

Rice prices have doubled since January, when it traded at about $380 a ton, boosted by strong Asian, Middle Eastern and African demand, to recent quotes of as much as $760 a tonne.

"I have no idea how importing countries will get rice,” Thai Rice Exporters Association president Chookiat Ophaswongse told the Financial Times. He expects prices will rise further.

Global rice stocks are at their lowest since 1976, adding to fears of fresh outbreaks of social unrest across Asia, where rice is a staple food for more than 2.5 billion people.

The Egyptian ban follows similar restrictions imposed by Vietnam and India, the world's second and third largest rice exporters. Cambodia has also announced an export ban.

The Indian government is trying to rein in local inflation by imposing restrictions on export of rice, a move Indian traders fear will halt all non-basmati Indian rice sales.

India's control measures include a 53% hike in the minimum price for selling non-basmati rice abroad, to $1,000 a tonne.

Analysts say that exports of premium basmati rice will likely continue, although the volume will probably drop because of minimum export price increases and reduced export tax incentives.

The Philippines -- the world's largest rice buyer -- wants to purchase 500,000 tonnes in a struggle to cover a production shortfall. Combined, foreign sales restrictions have removed about a third of the rice traded in the international market.

Rice is also a staple in Africa, particularly for small countries such as Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Senegal that have already suffered social unrest because of high food prices.

Indonesian officials have expressed concerns that surging food prices might lead to social unrest similar to that which brought down Suharto 10 years ago.

"In 1965 we faced a very, very depressing situation of social unrest,” a senior Indonesian government official says. "In 1998 we had a similar situation, and we hope in 2008 it's not another situation like that because the cost to the economy is too high."

China plans to increase prices paid to farmers for rice and wheat by up to 10% to encourage increased output and cool surging inflation that fueled retail price jumps of 23.3% last month.

Rail line to link Dhaka with London by this year

2008-04-20T23:24:00.000+06:00

Rail enthusiasts with a sense of adventure and 23 days to spare will be able to travel by train from London to Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, when a new link opens later this year, reports The Sunday Times today.

The 7,000-mile Trans-Asian railway will follow one of the old Silk Roads through Istanbul, Tehran, Lahore and Delhi.

It is already being described by train buffs as “the world’s greatest railway journey” and will be longer than the Trans-Siberian railway, which spans 5,772 miles.

Under a United Nations-sponsored scheme, Pakistan and Iran will link up their lines in the coming months to join the sub-continent’s track to that of Europe for the first time.

The UN said the link would open up new trade routes within Asia and give the former Soviet republics of central Asia rail access to Iran’s strategic seaport at Bandar Abbas on the Gulf.

The route was extended when the Calcutta [Kolkata] to Dhaka line reopened earlier this month, more than 40 years after it was blocked during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965.

Last week, senior Indian officials met their Iranian counterparts in Tehran to discuss progress. India has already earmarked £90m to extend its vast rail network towards its border with Burma. From there just 218 miles of missing track stands in the way of an overland rail journey from London to Singapore.

An intrepid traveller will soon be able to leave London for Brussels, Cologne, Vienna, Bucharest, Istanbul, Tehran, Quetta, Lahore, Amritsar, Delhi and Calcutta before reaching the end of the line in Dhaka.

The prospect has caused excitement among Britain’s rail enthusiasts. Mark Smith, whose website Seat61.com promotes rail adventures around the world, was planning his first London to Dhaka itinerary.

His trip incorporates the Eurostar to Brussels, breakfast in Vienna and onward trains to Istanbul, where travellers must take the ferry across the Bosporus linking Europe with Asia. The ferry will eventually be replaced by an underground tunnel, but for now passengers will be able to enjoy views of the Aya Sofya and Topkapi Palace.

Smith’s journey continues with a Turkish express train to Lake Van, close to the Iraqi and Iranian borders, where passengers switch to another ferry to get to the Tehran-bound express, which is described as surprisingly modern.

Iranian engineers have extended their network through Kerman to the Pakistan border, where travellers will switch to a Pakistani train before continuing their journey to Quetta.

China, a big supporter of the project, is spending billions on extending rail lines to its Burmese border.

Trans-Asia railway sources said the only barrier to eventually connecting London to Yunnan province and Singapore was Burma’s military regime, whose poor human rights record means that no foreign funding is available to rebuild its railways.

Smith, who always books seat 61, said the journey offered a return to romantic overland adventure, despite some security concerns on the Iran-Pakistan border.

“If you have the time, a taste for adventure and can arrange the necessary tickets and visas, this promises to be a truly epic overland journey,” he said.

Muggers reign in port city again

2008-04-20T01:25:00.000+06:00

Local artistes perform dance at a cultural function marking the Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year, at DC Hill on Monday.

Muggers in Chittagong have made a fearsome comeback in the last few days after letup between October 2007 and February 2008, much to the anguish and anger of the city dwellers.

The muggers robbed businessmen, a college student and a journalist in a span of only seven days until Monday. Of the incidents, one was gruesome that shook the entire city and its people in complete horror during the period – the murder of a young madrasa student on April 5 night.

What was most appalling for Chittagong people was the fact that the killing took place in Jamal Khan area under Kotwali Police Station where a patrol team of police is always seen and on that night the on-duty cops did virtually nothing to prevent the mugging leading to the murder or chase the killers.

“I have lost my beloved brother. I know I won't get him back. But what is most shocking for us to bear with is the total indifference and lack of aptness of the on-duty policemen on that night,” said Enamul Hoque, elder brother of slain madrasa student Ziaul Hoque Jewel.

“Should the patrol team act sensibly, the murder of my brother might not be happened,” he said.

Witnesses said Jewel was returning his home at Shaheed Saifuddin Khaled Road adjacent to Jamal Khan with a friend named Saadi from Anderkilla after buying some notes. They both were classmates at Darul Ulum Alliya Madrasa at Chandanpura.

They got separated at the Jamal Khan Intersection at around 10:30pm. As Jewel approached only few metres, a gang of three muggers on board a CNG auto-rickshaw intercepted him. They snatched his Nokia N73 mobile set. The muggers stabbed Jewel indiscriminately and shot when he tried to resist them.

Hearing a hue and cry, Saadi rushed to the scene only to see his friend lying unconscious. Jewel succumbed to his injuries on the way to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

“I just cann't believe that Jewel would no more be alive in a stroke of few seconds,” Saadi burst into tears while reacting to the murder of his close friend.

Police could not arrest any of the killers until filing of this story on Monday afternoon.

Ataul Hakim, former president of Chittagong Press Club (CPC), was fortunate enough to be unharmed, albeit he was robbed of cash and kind at broad day light on April 3.

A gang of four muggers intercepted his rickshaw while he was returning to his home at Nasirabad from the CPC, in front of a refuelling station near District SP Office at Nasirabad Road at around 1:30pm.

“One of the muggers identified himself as top-notch Islami Chhatra Shibir cadre Sajjad Khan and ordered me to give everything I have. Fearing physical attack I instantly gave them my mobile set and Tk 1,000 but they became angry and asked for more. Then I gave them Tk 4,000 more I had in my another pocket,” Hakim said.

Hakim said the office of the district police super is just 15 metres off the mugging spot. He said this incident in fact proves how hapless the innocent city dwellers are.

Lipi Nath, a student of Chittagong College, was another victim of muggers in the busy college road area on April 5 morning. Two muggers in a motorcycle snatched a Nokia N Series mobile set from her, who was on a rickshaw, and ran away. Many pedestrians and commuters saw the incident but none of them came forward.

A gang of four miscreants on March 30 mugged Jewel Rana, a soldier of 24 Infantry Division, at around 8:30pm at Olonkar Intersection under Pahartali Ppolice Station. They took away his mobile set, ID card and Tk 16,000 in cash. The joy of the muggers, however, was short-lived this time as on-duty police reacted promptly and arrested all the four miscreants in less than two hours with the booty.

On March 29, businessman Jafar Sadeq came under attack of the muggers at Momin Road in the afternoon. The gang stabbed him before fleeing the scene.

The Cittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) in September last year detected 14 ringleaders, including four CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers, and arrested 12 of them. The actions had brought some relief and sense of security among the city dwellers.

But the criminals began to reign in again to rob of the sleep of the city dwellers due to the laxity of the law enforcement agencies these days.

Autistic Children's Welfare Foundation

2008-04-20T00:48:00.000+06:00

Coming to aid of Autistic Children

Autistic children are being taken care of at the Autistic children's Welfare Foundation School in the port city.

Autistic Children's Welfare Foundation that started its journey at a three-storey building in the port city in October last year has expanded its activities in the capital on April 11 in an effort to provide support to the autistic children.

Its activities started temporarily at a building of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) at Mirzarpole in the port city to help the autistic children lead a normal life amid manifold problems.

The Foundation, a non-profit organisation, is now taking care of 28 autistic children under the supervision of 22 teachers, three parent teachers and two helping hands, sources said.

Success in the endeavour has inspired the organisation to launch its branch at Mirpur-12 in the capital on April 11, said Foundation Director (Admn) Lt Col Tofael.

While visiting the foundation office at Mirzarpole on Thursday, all the teachers and staffs were seen busy in guiding the autistic children on all the floors of the building with patience and tenderness.

Foundation Principal Tahmina Zarin said the autistic children come here with multiple problems like belated development of speaking ability, stereotyped or repetitive use of language, little or no eye contact, lack of interests in relationships, persistent preoccupation with parts of objects and inflexible adherence to specific and non-functional routines or habits.

Besides, they usually are habituated to avoiding crowd or interaction that force us to engage one teacher for one child and use separate and rare training equipments and therapy, which are expensive, she said.

“The teachers here are to show patience and serve with motherly love as these children need special care,” she said.

Child Specialist Dr Basana Muhuri, a life member of the foundation and mother of an autistic child, said the building is small and conjested.

“In fact, more space and further improved atmosphere are required to provide proper support to the autistic children and bring change in their behaviour,” she said.

She said number of patients are increasing everyday, but the foundation is not able to provide them treatment properly while some so-called autistic centres are just cashing on the situation and making money in the name of training and rehabilitation.

She said she visits the foundation every Saturday and train the teachers and mothers with her experiences. She said children develop autism genetically while abnormal formation of brain and some other abnormal chemical activities in brain are responsible for this.

She waved aside link of love or care with the development of autism while emphasising specialised training, education and rehabilitation to help such children lead a life like other normal children.

Referring to the service at the foundation, General Secretary Mahbubul Haque Khan said they receive only Tk 56,000 from 28 students as fees a month against the expenditure of around Tk 1.58 lakh.

He said they are unable to accommodate more autistic children here since the foundation runs in a building that we are bound to vacate at any time if CCC wants. “But, we are under pressure to increase number of children and their facilities” he added.

Mahbubul said the Foundation runs on donation on different organisations and individuals. He said it needs its own land, modern equipment, specialised training for the teachers and government patronisation for its smooth functioning.