The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Works for taking pictures for voter enumeration and preparing national identity card with photo has been started on Saturday morning after completing data collection forms in six wards of Barisal City Corporation.

Md. Harun Chowdhury, divisional commissioner of Barisal inaugurated the work at Syeada Majedunnesa School center under ward no. 1 of BCC on Saturday morning in presence of the high officials of district and divisional administrations, law enforcing agencies, joint forces and public representatives.

Manirul Islam, district election officer, said the works of data entries of group'Ka' in ward no. 1-5 and 7 had been done on October 4-10 and 39,0074 voters including 18,180 male and 20,894 female voters filled up data forms.

Now work for taking pictures of them will continue till October 25 by using 150 laptop computers and 240 operators in 20 centers of those six wards.

Simultaneously works of filling up the data collection forms of group 'Kha' in ward no. 6,8,9,10,16 and 17 has also been started since Wednesday under 6 assistant registration officers, 38 supervisors and 148 data collectors.

Muhammad Harun Chowdhury, divisional commissioner, Aminul Islam, deputy inspector general and Manjure Elahi, deputy commissioner of Barisal, registered their data inaugurating the works on that day which would be continued till October 25.

In last three days more than four thousand voters of 'Kha' group filled up the data collection forms and works of taking pictures of the registered voters would be started from October 26 will continue till November 4.

Mentionable 30 wards of BCC have been divided into five groups for preparing voter list and national identity card with photo and the work started for that would be continued till January 2008.

Our Chittagong Correspondent

President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCC&I) Saifuzzaman Chowdhury on Saturday sought intervention of chief of caretaker government for amending tax frame and its overall policy regarding business industry so that progress of industrialization can be made smoother.

The CCC&I President today sent an emergency fax with a set of proposals to Fakruddin Ahmed, chief of the caretaker government and urged him to take immediate steps with the intention that reduction of cost in doing business, minimizing production cost and employment generation.

The CCC&I President said that small and middle sector industries had greatly been hampered simply for the existing tax policy on importation of capital equipments and finished goods.

He urged the caretaker government chief to take effective steps for more employment generation, rapid development of industry, which will strengthen country's economic backbone.

He said that they had a high expectation from the budget 2007-2008 but they became upset and the budget put negative impact on the development of industry.

Our Correspondent, Barisal

After completing emergency dredging at Barisal port area in last week, immediate dredging at channels connecting major river routes and ports of the country have become obvious.

Since last four days water transports carrying thousands of Eid passengers stranded in Char Shibli channel for hours due to narrowness and less navigability of the channel at the time of low tides.

This channel is connecting 21 districts of south and western region including Barisal, Khulna , and Mongla river ports with mid and eastern part of the country including administrative capital Dhaka and business capital Chittagong and other major river ports.

Bangladesh Water Transport Authority and Bangladesh Water Transport Corporation sources said BIWTA arranged emergency dredging in last week to remove silts of more four to six feet deep in 120 feet wide areas of Barisal river port basin.

It was done after reporting in media and by the water transport crews in recent days about the rapidly losing navigability of Barisal port and surrounding areas, sources added.

However water transport crews, passengers, BIWTA and BIWTC sources further said more than hundred water transports plying on major river routes connecting east and northern parts with south and western parts of the country became stranded for hours at Char Shibli diversion channel every day during the time of low tide.

This channel was opened only two months ago after closure of Bamnir Khal channel due to siltations.

This problem was a regular phenomenon from September of every year and this year it was intensified and also reported since mid-September.

But delay in starting dredging in the channels, made movement of over loaded water transports during the Eid rush more risky and time losing.

Rafikul Islam, Barisal port officer of BIWTC acknowledged that after hydrographical survey in August 2007, it was better if the dredging of these two channels were completed before September.

A team led by Akramullah, executive engineer of BIWTA, has been sent to visit Char Shibli channel at the staring of this month and Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman BIWTA visited there in last week.

BIWTA ordered to make Bamnir Khal channel reopen after excavation and a dredger also placed there after that visits. But dredging yet to be started as pressure and speed of down stream current still very high, he added.

However dredging of Char Shibli channel yet not arranged and without a sustainable master plan it would not be effective and possible to maintain major river routes safely navigable further in upcoming winter or dry season, he further said.

Khalid Newaz, station manager of Barisal BIWTC, alleged that since last twenty years on the eve of starting dry season same problem suffering the passengers and water transports.

After spending about twenty core taka in last 15 years in the names of such kinds of emergency dredging, it failed to give any long term sustainable result.

BIWTA authority never monitor the situation regularly even after reported by them and do not arrange timely dredging showing causes of budget and dredger crisis, he said.

Without research, model study, making and implementing any master plan of the river experts, these kinds of emergency dredging only gave some temporary relief and proving those attempts as the wastages of cores of taka making river routes be silted again, water transport crews and river route pilots opined.

Shahidul Islam Chowdhury, former chairman of BIWTA, took a step for model study by the River Research Institute in 2003. But that work was not advanced, he added

Abul Bashar, director pilot and conservancy of BIWTA, denying making any comment about adopting long term sustainable river management policy, said it is ecologically sensitive, expensive and depends on long term policy and financial capabilities of the government

Our Chittagong Correspondent

Motel Saikat Complex, an eight-storied project taken by Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation, is still unimplemented and none could tell about the ultimate fate of the project.

The project has been shelved more than three years and official concerned kept mum about the progress of the project.

Though the project was scheduled to be implemented within 2006. Sources said that the authorities concerned are reportedly reviewing the project even project may be abandoned.

The BPC had taken the project of Taka 82.55 crore to provide world-class services to the tourists and promote tourism in the port city in 2004. Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia also laid the foundation stone of the project on April 19 the same year. The proposed eight-storied complex had been planned having a huge car parking lot, shops and departmental stores on the first three floors, bank and insurance offices on third floor, tourist information center, a 300-seat hall room and 200-seat restaurant including a swimming pool and a bar on the fourth floor and residential hotel of three star standard for the tourists on fifth, sixth and seventh floors.

The authorities demolished the old complex in the busy Station Road area in 2004 without any fund required for the proposed eight-storied Motel Saikat Complex, a modern shopping mall-cum three star hotel. The authorities at that time also floated a tender to sell possessions to raise fund for the proposed complex. Only 22 forms responded to the tender that offered 260 possessions, said the sources.

Later in July last year, the authorities decided to hand over the project to private sector for implementation on BOT (build, operate and transfer) basis and floated tender in this regard, which was published as advertisements in different newspapers.

Road mishap

Bogra, Oct 19: Eleven people were killed and 30 others injured in a head-on collision between a passenger bus and a truck on Dhaka-Bogra highway at Dhankundi in Sherpur upazila today (Friday). Witnesses said the Dhaka-bound passenger bus from Dinajpur collided with the Bogra-bound truck at about 1:15pm, leaving nine passengers dead on the spot. Later, two others died at Sherpur Upazila health complex, reports UNB.

Terrorist arrested

Natore, Oct 19: RAB in a drive arrested a terrorist and recovered nine cocktails from North Chowkirpar area in the town on early Friday. Police said RAB-5 men arrested Bipul at dead of night. On his confessional statement, they recovered nine cocktails, kept in a bucket, from the area. Bipul was later handed over to police, reports UNB.

Goalanda unit JCD president held

Goalanda (Rajbari), Oct 19: Police arrested Goalanda upazila Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) president from a local market Thursday night. Acting on secret information plainclothes police arrested the JCD leader Faruk Dewan. Goalanda Ghat thana OC Syed Nazrul Islam told local newsmen that Faruk was wanted in two criminal cases, reports UNB.

Road crash kills one in Madaripur

Madaripur, Oct 19: A young man was killed in a road accident at Pachchar bus stand in Shibchar upazila Thursday evening. The dead was identified as Babul Madbar, 40, son of Joynal Madbar. Police and witnesses said the accident occurred on Dhaka-Khulna highway as a speeding bus ran over him while he was crossing the highway. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue for autopsy. A case was filed. Another report from Nilphamari adds: A woman was killed in a road mishap at Musha Pakarmor on Kishoreganj-Rangpur road in Kishoreganj upazila on Wednesday night, reports UNB.

Housewife violated

in Manikganj

Manikganj, Oct 19: A housewife was violated by a gang of miscreants at Charipara village in Shibalaya upazila on Wednesday night.

Local people said the gang led by Nazmul of the area stormed into the house of the housewife, mother of three children, at dead of night in the absence of her husband and violated her by turns. Later, they fled the scene leaving her in critical condition. Hearing her screams local people rushed her to Sadar hospital where her condition was stated to be critical.

Another report from Moulvibazar adds: A female day labourer was violated by miscreants at Alapur village in Juri upazila on Wednesday.

Sources said local terrorist Dhiren, 28, along with his accomplice entered into house of the victim, mother of three children, in the morning. They took her to a nearby tea garden and violated her. Police arrested Dhiren from the area. A case was filed, reports UNB.

Prisoner dies

Comilla, Oct 19: A prisoner who was awarded life imprisonment for murder died of cardiac arrest at Comilla Medical College Hospital Thursday morning. The dead was identified as Bulu Mia, son of Ayat Ali, of Kamalla villabe in Muradnagar upazila. Jail sources said Bulu Mia was sentenced to life term imprisonment by a court here in a murder case in July 2006. He was admitted to the hospital on October 13 following heart attack where he died at about 5am on Thursday. His body was handed over to his relatives after postmortem., reports UNB.