The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Naudero

Benazir Bhutto's 19-year-old son was chosen Sunday to succeed her as chairman of her opposition party, extending Pakistan's most famous political dynasty but leaving the real power to her husband, who will serve as co-chairman.

Both major opposition parties also decided to run in upcoming elections, apparently ending the threat of a wholesale boycott as Pakistan struggles to move to full democracy after years of military rule.

Earlier, a spokesman for the country's ruling party said the Jan. 8 vote may be delayed up to four months, saying the parliamentary elections would lose credibility if held as scheduled. He expected a formal announcement within 24 hours.

"How long the postponement will be for will up to the Election Commission," he told The Associated Press. "I think we are looking at a delay of a few weeks t of up to three or four months."

Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party central executive committee met privately to choose her successor three days after the two-time prime minister was assassinated in a suicide attack that thrust the volatile Islamic nation deeper into crisis.

Her son, Bilawal Zardari, a student with no experience in politics, said he would remain at Oxford University, leaving his father, Asif Ali Zardari, who was officially designated co-chairman, as the effective leader of the country's largest political party.

"The party's long struggle for democracy will continue with renewed vigor," Bilawal told a news conference. "My mother always said democracy is the best revenge."

Supporters chanted, "Benazir, princess of heaven" and "Bilawal, move ahead. We are with you."

Bilawal said that Zardari would "take care" of the party while he continued his studies. Zardari then told reporters to direct questions at him, saying his son was at a "tender age."

Zardari, who spent eight years under detention on corruption charges in Pakistan before his release in late 2004, is a party powerbroker who served as environment minister in Bhutto's second government. He has denied the charges of large-scale graft during his wife's rule.

He immediately announced the group's participation in the elections but said that another party leader, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, would likely be their candidate for prime minister if they won.

Zardari appealed to the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to drop plans to boycott the polls - planned for Jan. 8 but anticipated by many to be delayed following the assassination.

Sadiq ul-Farooq, a senior member of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party said it had now agreed to run. "Since the Pakistan People's Party has taken this decision, we will also contest," he said.

The government has blamed an al-Qaida-linked militant for the murder of Bhutto but her party disputes that and claims elements in the Pakistan Muslim League-Q - the ruling party that supports President Pervez Musharraf - could have been behind the slaying.

Zardari repeatedly called the ruling party the "killer league."

He also rejected as "lies" the government's account of how his wife died, amid a dispute over whether she was shot to death or killed by the force of the suicide blast that struck her vehicle as she left a campaign rally on Thursday.

Zardari appealed to the United Nations and British government to help investigate the crime. He said the party wanted a U.N. investigation like the one probing the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Zardari also urged supporters who have rioted across Pakistan since Bhutto was slain to show restraint. The violence has left more than 40 people dead.

"We will avenge the murder of Bhutto through the democratic process after winning the elections," he said.

"God willing, when it is the Peoples Party's reign, when the Peoples Party government is formed, then we would have taken revenge for Bibi's blood and that blood would not have gone waste," Zardari said, referring to his late wife by her nickname.

Sheikh Arif Bulbon

Today is the last day of the year 2007. Six hours after sunset people around the world will say goodbye to 2007 and welcome the new-year 2008.

Many startling events both national and international made the year memorable.

In January, a state of emergency was declared amid violence in the election run-up. President Prof Iajuddin Ahmed postponed the January 22 election. Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed took over as head of the Caretaker administration.

In February, top politicians of different political parties were arrested on corruption charges.

In March, six Islamic militants convicted of countrywide bomb attacks in 2005 were hanged. They included the leaders of Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen. Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's elder son Tareque Rahman was arrested on corruption charges.

In April, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina was charged with murder. BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia remained under virtual house arrest. Several other politicians were held in an anti-corruption drive.

In May, the interim government eased restrictions imposed on former Prime Ministers Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia.

Floods took place across South Asia including Bangladesh, Nepal and India caused by heavy monsoon rains.

In July, Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina was arrested.

In August, the Government imposed curfew in Dhaka and five other cities amid violent clashes between police and students demanding an end to the emergency rule.

In September, BNP Chairperson was arrested. Second phase of floods occurred in the country.

In November, as a result of global climate change more than 3,200 people died in the country in November 15 cyclone SIDR, with hundreds of thousands left homeless.

The year 2007 will be remembered most for the mass awareness raised against corruption by the Caretaker Government and the steps taken to curb it from society. Such unprecedented measure against corruption was highly acclaimed at home and abroad.

Pakistan was beset by violence in July after the military stormed a mosque in Islamabad taken over by militant Islamists. On October 18, with pressure rising for new elections, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returned from self-exile. A suicide bombing killed 139 people during her homecoming parade. On November 3, President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency, and then set elections for January. The United States, which has built its 'war on terror' on an alliance with Pakistan, expressed concern that the country's nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of a radical Islamic regime. On December 27, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was killed in bomb attack during her election campaign in Rawalpindi.

At least 15 people died and 3,000 were jailed in September when Myanmar's military and police broke up pro-democracy protests, which saw Buddhist monks lead 100,000 people in the streets of Yangon on successive days. UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari sought to launch dialogue between the military regime and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

On February 3, a suicide bomber in a truck packed with one ton of explosives killed at least 130 people and injured more than 300 in a popular Shiite neighbourhood of Baghdad in Iraq. More than 400 people were slaughtered in four suicide truck bomb attacks in northern Iraq on August 16. The number of US forces killed in the conflict approached 4,000 at fag end of 2007. The United States blamed Iran for much of the mayhem and also accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, although a US intelligence report at the year's end went against that accusation.

The world economy was rattled by a crisis in the US property market, with struggling borrowers defaulting en masse on mortgage payments, causing a credit crunch and wider concerns about the world's biggest economy. The dollar staggered from record low to record low and stock markets tumbled. World oil prices came in November close to the US$100 mark on global supply concerns. Prices eased after OPEC decided to keep its output levels unchanged.

Jamal Uddin Jami

Though the Dhaka University authorities and the DU teachers' association are active in getting the detained university teachers released, very little attention is being paid to free eight incarcerated students, some fellow students alleged.

Fellow students of the university are demanding the release of the detained students along with the teachers because both were arrested on the same charges.

However, the University authorities are reportedly not paying heed to the students demand saying that it would not take the liability of those involved in incidents outside the university campus, the students said.

They claimed that the University, as their guardian, could not avoid the responsibility for the students now in prison.

Some guardians of the detained students are so poor that they cannot afford the expense of litigation.

The guardian appealed to the government through the DU Vice-Chancellor to forgive their wards, said Abdur Rahman Sabuj, brother of detained student Biplab.

He said his brother had so far been brought under remand thrice for nine days including the Eid day.

Abul Hasnat, friend of detained Din Mohammad Angel, told The New Nation that the university authorities have to take responsibility for the students along with that of the detained teachers. He said it is not right to free some people and not others.

Father of Angel, another detained student, said DU VC told him they are now dealing with the teachers` issue and later they will think of the students.

A total of eight students and four teachers of Dhaka University have been in prison for the last four months in connection with students' unrest of August 20 to 22.

The detained students were identified as Din Islam Angel,

Manabendra Dev, Zahidul Islam Biplab, Asaduzzaman, Liton Mahmud, Rafiqul Islam Sujan, Maniruzzaman and Din Islam.

Of them, one student was arrested in connection with campus violence and seven other students for incidents outside the campus.

DU Vice Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz said they are trying their utmost to free both the teachers and students. But he could not do anything about those arrested in connection with incidents outside the campus.

AAMS Arefin Siddiqui, acting Dean of Social Science Faculty, said they have been demanding the release of both the teachers and students because the teachers supported the students` agitation from a moral standpoint.

Dhaka University Teachers` Association (DUTA) assembled for a crucial general meeting last night where decisions would be taken to free the teachers immediately, sources said.

Staff Reporter

Jatiya Party's former member of parliament Anwara Begum was taken to three days' police remand yesterday for her alleged involvement in stealing the two 1,500-year-old rare terracotta artifacts of Hindu god Vishnu from the cargo complex at Zia International Airport.

At the same time, arrested former deputy secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Mizanur Rahman was sent to jail custody.

In connection with a case filed with the Airport Police Station, they were produced before the court of additional chief metropolitan magistrate Ehsanul Huq in the morning. The Airport police pleaded to the court to place the accused on a 10-day remand. The court, however, granted police three-day remand.

The two statues were stolen from a crate when they were being sent to France for exhibition in a museum in Paris. Initially, police arrested 15 people in connection with the case and took them under a five-day remand.

Later, according to the confession of the arrested person, RAB arrested former Jatiya Party MP Anwara Begum from her Uttara residence. She was produced before the court yesterday.

Besides, 27 pieces of the invaluable statues-one black and the other white-were recovered by RAB from a garbage dumping ground at Aminbazar near the capital Dhaka.

Meanwhile, RAB has been conducting drives across the country to arrest one Abbas and Nasir for their alleged involvement in stealing the statues.

Col Gulzaruddin Ahmed, additional director general of RAB, told journalists in the morning that a number of teams of the RAB were carrying out raids in different parts of the country to arrest the two suspects.

On the other hand, different types of information were received from the arrested persons. RAB learnt that a 10-member syndicate was involved in stealing the Vishnu statues from the airport.

Intelligence agencies have also been watching the movements of some suspects receiving confessional statements of the arrested people. They are expecting that if the mastermind Abbas Ali behind the stealing of the statues at ZIA can be arrested, more information about different artefact smuggling groups in the country will be known.

Staff Reporter

The south-western part of Dhaka city would not be free of water-logging as housing companies have occupied one-third of Hazaribagh canal for their roads.

However, Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has restored one kilometre of the three kilometres long canal recently and is now widening it.

But without restoring, the occupied parts of the Hazaribagh canal, the areas between New Market and Nababganj would not get free of water-logging, said WASA officials.

Zahirul Alam, Chief of the Drainage Wing of WASA said, "One kilometre of the canal has been restored by recent drives but still one kilometre is left. A housing company occupied the portion and constructed a road for the housing estate."

WASA has removed about 150 temporary and permanent structures from the canal through the eviction drives. The recovered part is now being excavated for ensuring smooth water flow in the canal, he said.

The natural canal carries water of New Market, Hazaribagh, Pilkhana, Jigatola and a vast area of Nababganj to the River Buriganga. The road constructed by the developer is hampering the flow of water and making the WASA initiatives ineffective, he said.

Abdul Wahab, a resident of Hazaribagh, said, "WASA evicted about a hundred poor families from the canal but could not evict the rich developers. "It seems that WASA does not have the capability to evict the influential land developers from the canal," he added.

He said the eviction drive has done nothing but making a hundred poor people homeless. "It could not bring any interval from water-logging in the area."

Local residents claimed that two housing companies

constructed the road with the help of the unscrupulous officials of the National Housing Authority and local ward commissioner.

The grabbers are so powerful and influential that no one can defy against them during the construction of the road by filling the Hazaribagh canal, they added.

While visiting the area, this correspondent found that the restored part of the canal is 30-feet wide in some areas and 60-feet in other areas.

According to the WASA Master Plan, the main canals of the city are supposed to be 60-feet wide and the branch canals should be 30-feet. Hazaribagh canal is the only main canal of the south-western part of the city.

Aleya Begum, a slum dweller evicted from the bank of the Hazaribagh canal, said she was not informed of the eviction drive earlier. The sudden eviction made her homeless.

"I was out of home on the day of eviction and got the information from my son that our house was being demolished. I rushed there and could only save some household materials. We had to pass one night and one day under open sky," she said.

UNB, Dhaka

Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda Sunday said the EC might make a provision in its draft electoral reform proposals to debar any war criminals convicted by a court from contesting elections.

He reaffirmed that all the elections, starting from local to national polls, would be held as per the electoral roadmap drawn up by the Election Commission. And under the poll map, local elections are set to be held before holding the stalled general election.

"We've already stated in our roadmap that city corporation and municipal elections will be held before parliamentary elections. We're still sticking to this position," the Chief Election Commissioner told reporters in the afternoon.

In yet another major disclosure of election plans, the CEC said the Election Commission also targets to hold the long-overdue upazila elections before the parliamentary elections.

They, however, don't have any plan to hold union parishad elections before the national elections.

"Our roadmap won't be changed for any observation made by any expert from outside, unless we change it ourselves," CEC Huda categorically said when his attention was drawn to former adviser Dr Akbar Ali Khan' s remarks that local elections should be held after national elections.

He said the EC is committed to holding four city corporation elections and also, if things are ready, the municipal elections.

Asked about acceptance if local-body elections go before national elections, the CEC said they spoke about holding the elections since it is acceptable.

"We may include a provision in our draft electoral reform proposals to bar the war criminals convicted by court from contesting polls," CEC Huda said when asked about any EC stand on the war-criminal issue, as most political parties went on clamoring for banning 'war criminals' from standing in polls as well as proscribing their parties.

The Chief Election Commissioner hinted that being convicted of war crime might be a standard of disqualification from election.

"We won't do anything as to who is war criminal and who not, but we' ll consider the matter (barring the war criminals from contesting elections) if anyone got convicted by court," he told the journalists.

"Now people are accusing persons on grounds of personal opinion, but they are not convicted by court," the CEC observed, adding that the EC could not work based on personal opinion.

About LGRD adviser Anwarul Iqbal's remark that there is precedence of holding national and upazila elections on same day and that it has advantages, CEC Huda said the EC did not get any concrete proposal in this regard.

"The incumbent caretaker government wants to complete the upazila elections. Because, the previous elected governments didn't hold it despite getting opportunity. I don't think that the elections will take place in future, if we don't do it," Iqbal on Sunday told reporters at his ministry.

About holding upazila elections concurrently with parliamentary elections, he said there is no obstacle to holding upazila elections along with parliamentary elections. "The people of Bangladesh are habituated to casting vote in two ballot papers at a time," he said.

About the adviser's remarks, CEC Huda said the EC could hold such elections if any request came from government side. "We'll sit to discuss the matter if we get any such request from the government," he said.

Based on the request, the EC would examine all the pros and cons of holding both the national and upazila elections on a same day and then there would be a decision taken in this regard, he added.

"Everyone is speaking it (holding both the elections on one day) verbally, but we're not getting any document," he said, adding that they didn't yet take any decision on it and would be tossing the idea up in the air.

UNB, Benapole

India in a surprised move has raised export price of rice to Bangladesh to US$ 500 per ton, equivalent to Tk 35kg, rendering the import from the neighbouring country uncertain.

Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) of Indian Commerce Ministry in a notification that came into force on Sunday said no rice can be exported to Bangladesh at price less than US$ 500 per ton.

Customs officials at the Benapole land port told UNB that India jacked up the rice export price for the third time during this year - first in February to 315 dollars, the second in October to 425 dollars and now to 500 dollars per ton.

No consignment of rice purchased under L/Cs at previous price was allowed to pass through the Petrapole land port. Barely 1,000 tons for which L/C was opened before October and the Indian authorities agreed to release arrived at Benapole port today.

Importers declined to open fresh L/C for import of rice at the abnormal high price. They estimated that the landing cost of Indian rice at the enhanced price would come to around Tk 38 or 39 per kilogram.

Mohammad Nasiruddin of Kazi Enterprise at Jessore, a rice importer, viewed the Indian action as "an indirect pressure upon Bangladesh". He said exporters in Burdwan, West Bengal, informed him that they could easily sell quality rice to Bangladesh at 450 dollars per ton.

A senior customs official said no consignment of five lakh tons of rice Indian pledged to sell has arrived till today. Indian External Affairs Minister Pranob Mukherjee visiting Bangladesh in the wake of November 15 devastating cyclone had committed that his government would sell 5 lakh tons of rice to Bangladesh as a gesture of goodwill.

UNB, Dhaka

The Council of Advisers of the caretaker government Sunday discussed elaborately the draft of a new law styled Anti-terrorism Ordinance 2007, meant for effectively dealing with acts of terrorism.

After the scrutiny, the council asked the Ministry concerned to come up with the draft incorporating "more specific and clearer definition of terrorism".

The council, examining the draft ordinance in a regular meeting with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair, directed the Law Ministry to further review and research the draft through studying the definition of terrorism given by other countries and place the new ordinance again before the council.

Earlier, the previous government had prepared a draft bill on 'The Anti-terrorism Act 2006' and formed a committee for its vetting. But the past government's tenure was over during the working of the committee.

The council approved a proposal extending Open Sky system for one month more for the three international airports in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet in view of "positive response" following the introduction of the system.

Earlier, the government had given permission for introducing open sky on condition for three months from October 1 to December 31.

The meeting also discussed in detail a draft amending number 55 law in the Bangladesh Television Authority Act 2001.

It asked the Ministry concerned to further review and discuss with the related stakeholders for making BTV more autonomous and again place it before the council.

CA's press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim briefed newsmen about the outcome of the meeting.

The meeting approved in principle the draft of another new law titled 'The Plant Variety and Farmer Rights Protection Act 2007' providing for protection of patent rights on newly innovated plant varieties.

"In the context of globalization of trade, it is imperative to formulate an act covering innovation of new varieties of plant and protection against extinction of local popular varieties," it is observed in the objective of the plant-patent law.

The proposed law has a provision for encouraging and recognizing the contribution of any person, community, or organization to evolving any plant variety. And any breeder of certified new plant variety can have exclusive right to enjoy commercial use of the preserved variety.

Remedies also have been proposed if any variety used traditionally by farmers is pirated by any government or private breeder.

Provision of developing Gene Fund also has been laid down in the proposed new law.

The law proposes minimum three months and maximum 2 years' imprisonment, and one lakh to five-lakh-taka fines for "false naming or providing false information" regarding plant variety and country of breeder and innovation of variety.

The meeting also discussed a proposal for turning the existing training institute of Textile Industries Development Centre (TIDC) under BTMC into National Institute of Textile Training, Research and Design (NITTRAD) to strengthen the institute and make it an autonomous body.

Its objective is to elevate the textile and garment sector to international standards in conformity with globalization of trade, through rearing skilled and high-standard human resources.

Members of the council of Advisers attended the meeting at the CA's office. The Cabinet Secretary and Secretaries concerned were also present.

Pulack Ghatack

The country tolerated sever economic pressure through-out the calendar year 2007 while the crises exacerbated in the last part, for the hurricane Sidr preceded by twin floods damaged crops in millions of acres of farmland in the country.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, however, was optimistic to predict that the economy is set to pick up at a 'supersonic speed' for the rest of the current financial year ending June 30, 2008.

'The economic situation is now largely stable and more or less consistent with the midterm economic framework during the first quarter of 2007-08 despite internal and external adversities,' the Governor told journalists last week.

The governor termed the first quarter of 2007-08 (July-September) as 'new moon' and the second quarter (October-December) a period of 'stabilisation' setting ground for the economy taking a 'supersonic' speed to boost the economy

to achieve 6.2 to 6.5 per cent growth during the rest of the year.

Economists on the other hand say, inflation that hit a record-high of 10.1 per cent in July, spurred by massive summer floods and higher global food prices, is likely to go up further. Budget deficit may widen, as the Government will have to shift its budgetary allocations for extra food import.

The country has to import more food items and other commodities to ensure sufficient supply in the market. The extra-import put pressure on current account balance.

Besides, the poor supply situation, global commodity price pressure as well as other factors pushed the inflation rate in Bangladesh to 10.10 percent in July this year for the first time in the last two decades. The rate went further up at 10.11 per cent in August.

Sidr has damaged bazars and shopping centres. Primary economic structures have been demolished in many areas of the country. Hundred per cent mud houses have collapsed in some of the areas.

Families have lost crops and livestock, houses and roads have been destroyed and livelihoods and schooling have been disrupted. The worst of it is the wide-ranging damage of ripe crops on the eve of harvesting.

About 40 per cent of the country's lands was inundated in the annual flooding few months back. Crops on 1.6 million acres of farmlands were completely or partially damaged and the country was striving to absorb the shock.

"It will take years to recover from the loss," said Prof Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

Shamunnay, a local socio-economic research organisation, estimated the GDP growth rate to be around 5.70 to 5.82 per cent, downsized from the seven per cent official projection, due to two successive floods and devastation by cyclone Sidr this year.

In late November, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) lowered its forecast of Bangladesh's GDP growth for the fiscal 2008 (July 2007-June 2008) to below 6.0 per cent due to the cyclone, while it made a prediction of 7.0 percent early this year.

However, the International Monetary Fund put it as 5.5 per cent following the cyclone.

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) on December 2 reviewed its earlier projections for GDP growth for FY08 and forecast the rate would be in the range of 6.2 per cent to 6.5 per cent.

It also made a prediction of 12-month average general CPI inflation in FY 08 to be in the range of 8.10 per cent and 8.50 per cent. The CPI inflation rate at the end of FY07 was 7.20 per cent.

It said the economy's growth momentum would generally be sustained during FY 08 although there is likely to be some moderation in growth in agriculture, industry and service sectors.

The Governor himself painted a gloomy picture of the economy in the first quarter of the current fiscal. He said the period witnessed galloping inflation, decline in imports related to production as well as exports, rise in default loans and less than expected industrial credit.

But he claimed that measures to contain inflation and stabilisation of supply position, ensured through imports of fuel oil, food and essential items from the international market would turn the economy around in the next half of the fiscal year.

The anti-corruption drive launched by the present interim government since February has netted scores of high profile politicians and businessmen. This had 'a surprising impact on the private sector to slow down the economy' Dr Salehuddin said.

The government has since decided to separately treat the economic defaulters among the business community and has also constituted a high-powered government-business body headed by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed.

Despite these measures, investment growth was sluggish that gives a bad signal in the job market of the impoverished country.

Meanwhile, the economy has been enjoying a surplus position in overall balance of payments with a huge foreign exchange reserve in the exchequer, due mainly to a robust growth of remittances from overseas workers.

Foreign exchange reserve touched $5.24 billion in December. The current account balance recorded a surplus of US$952 million during the fiscal 2006-07 against the surplus of 824 million during the previous fiscal, despite US$3.458 billion trade deficits.

The overall balance showed a surplus of $1.493 billion during the last fiscal against the surplus of 338 million in the previous fiscal, due mainly to surplus in current account balance of $ 952 million and surplus of $ 721 million in the financial account (including foreign direct investment).

The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) yesterday asked the bars in the capital to keep their shutters closed by 5:00pm today (Monday) to check unruly incidents during the New Year celebration in the city.

The DNC authorities requested the bars to keep their shutters down sending letters yesterday.

On the other hand, a huge contingent of law enforcement members will remain deployed on the streets in the city and thoroughly search vehicles that are to enter the posh areas of the capital. Some 6,000 members of police and RAB will remain deployed in different strategic parts of the city to avert any untoward incident in the capital.

Director General of RAB Hasan Mahmud Khondker told journalists that there was no restriction on celebration of the 31st Night peacefully. But, any kind of unruly behaviours would be controlled in a stringent manner.

Transport movement on some city areas, including Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Dhaka University will be restricted after this evening to tackle unruly New Year revellers and ward off any subversive act, according to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Except for two crossings at Kakoli and Phoenix Road (Gulshan Shooting Club), all the roads and intersections leading to the Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara areas will remain closed for 10 hours from 8:00pm today.

The home ministry earlier decided not to allow any unrestrained celebration and that anyone found drunk on the street will be arrested.

Besides, traffic ban will come into effect on streets around the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Nilkhet, Palashi, Bakshibazar, Chankharpool, Nimtoli, Government Employees Hospital, and High Court.

Meanwhile, apart from RAB and police, the DNC officials have been conducting special drives in different parts of the city. They have also been maintaining strict vigilance on licensed and unlicensed bars in the city. Even the leave of the officials and employees of DNC has been cancelled so that they can work on the 31st Night in the city.

Md Abu Taleb, Deputy Director of DNC, said revelers generally tend to show over-enthusiasm on the 31st night. In many cases, they get indulged in alien cultures, vulgarism and turn drunk. That is why the bar owners of the capital have been ordered to close down their shutters by 5:00pm today on the occasion of 31st Night.

Despite restrictions have been imposed by the police administration on different clubs in the capital, two clubs at Gulshan and a restaurant have been given special permission to celebrate the 31st night. These clubs are Gulshan Club at Road No. 50 and Cadet College Club at Road No. 44 at Gulshan Avenue. Besides, Mentor Restaurant at Road No. 130 at Gulshan-1 has been accorded special permission to celebrate the 31st Night. Police will be given to ensure the security of these clubs also.

Meanwhile, like previous years different hotels in the city have offered special discounts to their guests on the occasion of the 31st Night.

Five-star Westin Hotel at Gulshan offers rooms at special discounts. The rent of the rooms which is US$ 196 is now being offered at US$ 99.

Radisson Hotel at Airport Road offers rooms of Tk 17,500 at Tk 8,000 on the occasion of the New Year celebration. Some 200 rooms of the hotel have already been booked, hotel authorities told The New Nation yesterday.

Hotel Sweet Dream at Kemal Ataturk Avenue offers rooms of US$ 186 at US$ 100 on the occasion of 31st Night.