The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Bank yesterday suggested the private commercial banks (PCBs) to disburse new agricultural credits on easy terms in the cyclone-affected areas of the country keeping the welfare of farmers in mind, instead of thinking about making profits.

The suggestion came from Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed at a review meeting on agriculture credit disbursement with Managing Directors and senior officials of the PCBs in his office yesterday. Dr Salehuddin also expressed dissatisfaction over private commercial banks' poor disbursement of agriculture credits compared to their voluntary commitment to contribute to the sector, said a senior official of the central bank who attended the meeting.

The Governor had earlier offered incentives to the private banks for contributing to the agriculture sector.

In response the PCBs had voluntarily committed to provide agriculture loans of around Tk 1,300 crore during the current fiscal year, against Tk 7,000 crore committed by the state-controlled commercial banks. The review meeting found 15 of the private commercial banks did not disburse any agriculture loan till the end of November.

Statistics furnished at the meeting showed barely five PCBs have disbursed about half (Tk 635 crore) of their target for the year.

Eastern Bank Limited has already exceeded their annual target while Islami Bank achieved 67 per cent. Others disbursed the loans are Pubali Bank, NCC Bank and BASIC Bank. Dr Salehuddin said only several private commercial banks have come forward to disburse agricultural credits in the cyclone affected areas responding to the central bank's request, while the rest of the PCBs are yet to disburse loans among the affected farmers, fishermen and small traders on easy terms.

"I have told them to provide agricultural loans to the affected farmers and traders in the cyclone hit areas on special consideration," he said.

The Governor also asked the PCBs to submit immediately after the Eid vacation their agriculture credit disbursement statements up to December 15, the meeting source said.

Dr Salehuddin advised the bankers to utilise the NGO network in rural areas where PCBs have limitation in disbursing loans to the farmers. Some of them are already taking the advantage.

He asked the private banks to provide loans for storage and marketing of agriculture products as well as advised them to make up their low return out of agriculture credit from other sectors.

Not only the agricultural loans, the Governor also suggested the PCBs to disburse small loans among fishermen and small traders. "We want to bring about special dynamism in agriculture and rural economy," he told the bankers.

Yesterday's meeting was part of a series Bangladesh Bank has been holding since the two floods that hit the agriculture sector badly to encourage commercial banks to contribute to the agriculture sector.

The central bank's initiative intensified immediately after the devastating cyclone Sidr. Economists estimated losses in rice production due to floods and Sidr ranging between 21.39 lakh tons

and 23.63 lakh tons.

As part of the effort, Bangladesh Bank is also planning a meeting with foreign commercial banks operating to encourage them to contribute to agriculture sector, said a senior Bangladesh Bank official.

Staff Reporter

The rush to withdraw cash ahead of the holy Eid-ul-Azha from the scheduled banks led the inter-bank call money rate to rise as high as 17 per cent yesterday, sources said.

The call rate ranged between 14 per cent and 17 per cent while few transactions even settled at the higher level during the day's transactions.

"It's a tradition that demand for cash withdrawal increases ahead of festivals," one of the sources said.

This year, he said, the call rate got momentum on Monday to range between 14 per cent and 16 per cent. But the rate has been 6 to 7 per cent during the whole year.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank held repo auction yesterday to lend the money market Tk 408 crore at 8.5 per cent interest, mitigating the cash pressure to some extent.

Fund managers said Sonali Bank had to dispatch Tk 350 crore to its branches Tuesday to meet the increased demand for cash withdrawal while Janata Bank sent Tk 250 crore and Agrani Bank Tk 225 crore to their respective branches.

Major lender banks of the day were Sonali, Janata, Agrani, National, IFIC, UCBL and The City Bank Limited while major borrowers included Rupali Bank and other small banks, sources informed.

Staff Reporter

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed separate cases against detained Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil and former Home Minister and BNP leader Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury for concealing information and acquiring assets beyond their known sources of income.

The ACC also filed a case against BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain's eldest son Akhter Hamid Paban for concealment.

ACC Deputy Assistant Director Enamul Haque Chowdhury has lodged a case (first information report-FIR) with Ramna police station against AL General Secretary and former Commerce Minister Abdul Jalil for concealing information of wealth worth over Tk 63 lakh and acquiring wealth worth over Tk 65 lakh beyond known sources of income.

The case has been filed against Jalil under sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004 and section 15(D)(5) of the Emergency Powers Rules (EPR).

The AL General Secretary was detained from Mercantile Bank on May 28 and was later directed by the Commission to submit his wealth statement. He was also the Chairman of the Mercantile Bank. Jalil was later served with a notice from the ACC to submit his asset statement.

ACC Deputy Director Moniruzzaman Khan lodged the case with Ramna police station against former Home Minister Altaf Chowdhury for concealing information of assets worth over Tk 59 lakh and acquiring wealth worth over Tk 2.56 crore beyond known sources of income.

The case has been filed against Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, who is a former Air Force Chief, under sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004 and section 15(D)(5) of the EPR.

Altaf Chowdhury, was also former Commerce Minister of the immediate past BNP-led four-party alliance Government was lately a Minister without portfolio, was detained by security forces on May 29. Later, the ACC issued a notice directing him to submit his wealth statement.

ACC Deputy Assistant Director Mahbubur Rahman filed the case with Ramna police station against Akhter Hamid Paban for concealing information of wealth worth over Tk 1 lakh in the wealth statement he submitted to the Commission.

UNB, Dhaka

A female passenger was killed and her two children were inured when a launch struck them while boarding into the launch at Sadar Ghat launch terminal Tuesday afternoon.

The victim was identified as Ojifa Begum, 40, wife of homeopath physician Samer Uddin of Narsingdi.

Ojifa Begum with her daughter Rashida, 20 and son Naisha, 16, were boarding Bhola bound launch 'MV Gouri of Srinagar' from a boat at about 4:00 pm. The launch was anchored at Ghat no-1 of Sadarghat launch terminal.

Mizan, son-in-law of the victim said suddenly a Barisal-bound launch MV Al Arafat hit the MV Gouri, leaving Ojifa dead on the spot.

Mizan's wife Rashida and brother-in-law Niasha were injured in the incident. They were going to Bhola to celebrate the Eid-ul-Azha.

Sub-Inspector Aslam of Sadarghat river police outpost confirmed the death.

Staff Reporter

The Supreme Court yesterday stayed High Court-granted bail to convicted Advocate Sigma Huda, wife of jailed former Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda, and Barrister Mir Helal Uddin, son of jailed former State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Nasir Uddin.

Vacation chamber Judge Justice M Joynul Abedin passed the stay orders upon separate leave to appeal petitions by the Government against the High Court orders.

Earlier on December 13, a High Court Division Bench upon separate writ petitions granted bail to the two convicts-Sigma Huda and Mir Helal-who were tried and punished by a Special Court under the Emergency Power Rules (EPR). This was the first instance of giving bail to any of the high-profile convicted persons being tried under the ongoing drive against serious crime and corruption.

On August 27, the Special Court, trying the corruption suspects, sentenced Sigma Huda to three years imprisonment for aiding and abetting her husband in a graft case, while her husband to seven years rigorous imprisonment in the case.

Earlier, on July 4, another Special Court convicted Mir Helal for three years for helping his father in protecting their 'illegally' amassed property, while his father was sentenced to 13 years in jail in the graft case.

AFP, Arafat

More than two million Muslims from across the globe gathered on Tuesday around Mount Arafat near the Mecca birthplace of Islam for the zenith of their annual pilgrimage.

At Arafat, in western Saudi Arabia, a massive crowd of the faithful was to spend the day praying and asking for God's forgiveness, in a symbolic wait, or "wuquf", for the final judgement.

Among this year's pilgrims is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, invited by Saudi King Abdullah to become the first president of the Islamic republic to take part.

Ahmadinejad was due to have joined Iranian pilgrims at Arafat but an announcement at the gathering said that "due to the heavy traffic, the president was not able to make it."

Men wearing two pieces of unstitched white cloth, called the Ehram that Muslim tradition says will serve as their shrouds, and women entirely covered apart from their face and hands tirelessly repeated the formal refrain. "I am here in response to your call, Lord, I am here," they cried, many of them in heavily-accented Arabic, gathered on a plain dotted with hills.

"This is the first time I am doing the hajj. I registered with the hajj organisation five years ago," said an elderly woman called Fatemeh, accompanied by her husband.

It was on Mount Arafat-also called Jebel ar-Rahma, or Mount Mercy-that the Prophet Mohammed gave his final sermon more than 14 centuries ago.

A total of 1,707,814 pilgrims from 181 different countries have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the hajj, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said, joined by hundred of thousands of Saudis and other residents of the kingdom.

Ahmadinejad was to join other pilgrims in carrying out a series of other sacred rituals, such as walking counter-clockwise seven times around the Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

His pilgrimage has an added significance because of the sometimes rocky relations between Shiite Iran and Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia.

An Iranian demonstration during the hajj in July 1987 led to Tehran and Riyadh breaking diplomatic relations. Security forces tried to break up the protest and 402 people, including 275 Iranians, were killed.

Iranian pilgrims stayed away from the hajj until 1991.

They have since held peaceful anti-US demonstrations inside their hajj compound, during which a message from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is read out.

Khamenei this year urged Muslims to stand united against world "arrogance," Tehran's reference to the United States.

"All the Islamic nations and especially their scholars and intellectuals should create a united front against the world arrogance and solidify it day by day," Khamanei said.

At the Grand Mosque, the massive Kaaba monument was being draped in a new "kiswa", its silk cover adorned with Koranic verses embroidered in gold and silver-plated thread, costing more than five million dollars.

Muslims face the Kaaba when they pray five times a day.

At sunset on Tuesday, the faithful were to move toward Muzdalifah valley, several kilometres (miles) from Mount Arafat, to spend the night and collect pebbles to cast at columns in Mina symbolising the Devil.

On Wednesday morning, pilgrims flock Mina for the last part of the hajj-the ritual stoning of Satan.

Later the same day, the pilgrims will sacrifice a beast, generally a sheep, in remembrance of the sacrifice God asked Abraham to perform by giving up his son to prove his devotion.

This ritual marks the start of Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice.

Thousands of Saudi security forces have been deployed along the routes being used by the pilgrims to ensure the safety of the faithful during the often risky ceremonies, with dozens of field hospitals and clinics set up.

The hajj, which this year ends on Friday, is one of the five pillars of Islam that Muslims are expected to perform at least once in their lives if they have the means to do so.

Staff Reporter

Experts and civil society representatives at a press conference in the city said that in Bali Conference industrial countries ignored the future of the LDCs (least development countries) including Bangladesh by giving priority to commercialisation over climate.

Although Bangladesh was the most affected country due to global climate change, but representatives from Bangladesh government failed to represent the real scenario of the country in the Bali Conference. Therefore, they did not get any compensation from developing countries, they said.

The press conference on 'Commercialisation of Climate in UN Climate Conference in Bali and Ignoring the interest of LDCs' jointly organised by Coast Trust and Equity and Justice Working Group (EJWG) at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday.

Md Shamsuddoha, researcher, presented key-note paper, while Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Convener of EJWG, among others, spoke at the conference.

Speakers said climate change is a severe problem for the country so that all including political leaders should play their role in this regard. "We hope political parties will include the issue in the next election manifestoes," they said.

The government, which expected adaptation fund and compensation from the industrialist countries, could not get 100 per cent. For this reason, the government should take early step to reduce loss and overcome the situation by using effective technological development, they urged.

Bangladesh is going to be cheated in the name of 'Adaptation Fund' in case of climate change like as the country was being cheated in the name of 'Aid for Trade' in the international discussion of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). For this reason, the government should take initiative to reduce emission of carbon, they added

The government should coordinate with the relevant ministry officials and experts during different negotiations at international level and create scope for them to take part in analysis, evaluation and continuity of the issue in future, speakers said.

They urged the government to form a 'national public company' in coal and gas sectors, ensure local ownership and plan a long-term national energy policy.

Due to climate change migration has become necessary in the costal regions. Investment on vocational and women education should be increased so that migrated people could engage themselves while they come into metropolitan areas, they said.

Staff Reporter

Former President Bikalpadhara Chief Prof Dr AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday urged the Government to hold dialogue with political parties on pressing issues like the economy and trial of war criminals.

He said the problems are compounding and going out of reach. These should be resolved taking the political parties into confidence.

"Otherwise, the Government will have to bear the consequences," he warned while addressing a discussion meeting on the Victory Day at Diploma Engineering Institute in the capital.

Badruddoza Chowdhury, founder Secretary General of the BNP sought public apology for failing to hold the trial of the 1971 war criminals while in power.

"I had been in the party in power but I could not hold the trial of the war criminals," he said and pledged Bikalpadhara will try corrupts, terrorists and war criminals if voted to power.

There is no legal bar for the Government to hold trial of the war criminals, he opined.

The Bikalpadhara Chief regretted that the objectives of the independence could not be achieved.

He said, "People were deprived of voting freely, state property was plundered, killings took place in broad daylight, and still today poverty afflicts the people and youths are addicted to drugs."

He called for unity of freedom fighters to work for establishing a democratic Bangladesh free from poverty, terrorism, corruption and drug abuse.

The former President regretted that they could not show proper honour to the national leaders like Bangabir General MAG Osmany, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman.

Party leaders Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan, Arshaduzzaman, Mahi B Chowdhury and Saima Jalil took part in the discussion. The meeting was presided over by its Vice-President Prof Dr Nurul Amin Bepari.

Staff Reporter

Decomposed body of another construction worker trapped under the debris of the partly demolished multistoried Rangs Bhaban in the city was recovered yesterday, raising the death toll to 11 in the tragic incident.

With the recovery, rescue operation of the Fire Brigade declared ended at 11:00am.

Deputy Director of Fire Brigade Selim Newaz Bhuiyan told reporters that another decomposed body of a worker was retrieved from the debris at about 10:30am.

The body was sent to DMCH for autopsy.

The victim was identified as Abdur Rahim Sheikh, 22, of Madhukhali upazila in Faridpur district.

A number of floors of the 22-storied building collapsed on the construction workers at about 10:30pm on December 8 when they were preparing to retire for the night.

Earlier on Monday night recovery workers pulled out five decomposed bodies of dead demolition workers from under the rubble of the collapsed section of Rangs Bhaban in the capital.

Relatives of the victims identified the barely recognizable bodies in Dhaka Medical College morgue by their clothing.

The bodies were recovered from the third floor of the collapsed building.

The recovery workers took out another worker's body on Saturday, and four other bodies had been recovered earlier on Thursday when the operation had began five days into the collapse.

DU Correspondent

The family members of detained Dhaka University teachers demanded their release before Eid-ul-Azha.

They said if the Government wants to release the detained teachers it can do it easily and unconditionally. But the teacher's family will not appeal to the government for clemency should the need arise, sources said.

Hearing of a case was continuing while hearing of another case against the detained teachers will be held today.

The detained teachers are president of Dhaka University Teachers Association Prof Sadrul Amin, general secretary Prof Anwar Hossain, Dean of Social Science Faculty Prof Harun-or-Rashid and Prof Neem Chandra Bhoumik of Applied Chemistry Department.

Aysha Akhter, wife of detained teacher Prof Anwar Hossain, said they would not request the Government to release the teachers as she thinks the teachers did not commit any offence.

The release of the teachers is in the hands of the government because it can free them anytime unconditionally, said Nargis Rashid, wife of Prof Harun-or-Rashid.

Nafisa Zaman, wife of Prof Sadrul Amin, said she is relying on Allah for her husband's release.

Staff Reporter

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination 2008 and its equivalent examinations under all the educational boards have been deferred by one month to March 27 since the super Cyclone Sidr caused a setback in an advanced schedule for the exams from the next year, an official handout said yesterday.

The official announcement said the examinations were deferred "in view of miseries of students in the country's cyclone-hit areas".

The important public examinations were scheduled to begin from February 28 next year as per the Caretaker Government's plan of advancing the date and publication of results of the examinations in phases.

"However, SSC and its equivalent examinations of 2009 will begin from February 15, while that of 2010 from February 1 according to the previous decision of the Government," said the announcement.

The SSC and its equivalent examinations will commence on a fixed date annually from 2010, and the set date is the first of February every year.

The November 15 cyclone caused colossal damage to life and property in the country's coastal areas. The violent storm battered educational institutions and washed away books and other educational instruments of the students in the affected areas.

Earlier, the Caretaker Government has decided to advance the examinations schedules and publication of results to minimise the loss of valuable time from academic life of students. But the initiative faced a major setback in the very year of start owing to the cruelty of nature.