The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Urging the local government representatives to help fight back rice hoarders to ease the market prices, Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed yesterday said unscrupulous traders have pocketed Tk 900 crore through manipulating price of rice after the Eid-ul Azha.

Terming containing the hoarders as the unprecedented challenge, he said the main challenge for the Caretaker Government is to control the soaring prices of essentials and keep the market stable till the next Boro harvest.

"I consider this price-hike as a disaster. The responsibility of our Government is to keep their prices under control till the next Boro harvest," he told the Conference of elected representatives of the local government institutions at the National Parade Square in the capital yesterday afternoon.

Gen Moeen said the hoarders of foodgrains and a phenomenal rise in the prices of essentials, including rice and wheat, in the international market have created an unprecedented situation at a time when the country has lost over two million tonnes of rice due to two floods and a cyclone last year. "Some millers are not milling rice aggravating the supply situation for making undue profit," he said asking the representatives to identify them and pass their information to the law-enforcing authorities.

"Every citizen must remain vigilant until the next boro harvest," the Army Chief said suggesting that every small piece of land should be used now to grow crops and spices to beef up the supply situation.

He said, "India is now exporting milk products while we can produce only 20 percent of our requirements." The Army has taken 'milking cow' and fisheries development programmes, he said adding similar other activities must grow all over.

He said the Government would give loans, fertiliser, diesel and seeds to farmers. The country needs a collective effort to overcome the situation and make sure that no impediment hinders the efforts.

The Army Chief emphasised the need for the proper distribution of fertiliser saying all efforts are on to make sure adequate supply of fertiliser to the farmers, if possible in the open market.

Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Commission Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, Chairman of the Regulatory Reforms Commission Dr Akbar Ali Khan, Governor of the Bangladesh Bank Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, and Chairman and General Secretary of the Bangladesh Union Council Chairman Association Enayet Hossain and Shamim Al Amin, among others, spoke on the occasion.

Gen Moeen decried the pervasive corruption and said the country's annual economic growth would have reached double digit if the resources were used properly without siphoning those at different levels.

In some cases only 40 to 50 per cent of the allocation was used, he said adding the government is now trying to wipe out corruption from society. He said he is dismayed seeing the condition of the Dhaka Bypass Road which has become dilapidated only after four months of its opening to traffic.

The Army Chief said, "Singapore achieves spectacular growth despite the fact it has not enough natural resources like ours." They did it only with able and honest leadership at the national level, he said asking the representatives to select good leaders in the next polls.

Terming the local representatives as the main driving wheel of the nation, he said the Armed Forces were working shoulder to shoulder with the local people in the cyclone-hit areas, which they had also done after the floods.

"With you in the side the nation can face any crisis," he told them emphasising cooperation in nation-building activities. He said the donation to the Army Chief of Staff fund for cyclone victims has so far stood at Taka 18 crore and Taka 10 crore has been used to rehabilitate the affected people and their economic recovery.

Referring to the law and order, Gen Moeen said he was grieved seeing the killing of men by men in city streets on October 28, 2006. "I have never seen in my life the killing of an animal like this," he said.

The country is now calm and this peaceful situation must be ensured, he said adding the future leadership must take lessons from the past anarchic situation.

General Moeen also urged the local government representatives to motivate

voters to judiciously use their votes to elect honest people through the next elections without selling their votes for money.

Appreciating the Anti-Corruption Commission's (ACC) anti-graft drive, he urged the ACC to remain alert against corrupts but make sure innocent people are not harassed.

He also urged the local government representatives to identify and eliminate corrupts from all tiers so the people could do business properly and live in peace.

The Army Chief said the Government is working for holding a free and fair election and the voter list with national identity cards is being prepared now to that end. About two crore voters and their identity cards have already been prepared, he said adding the scale of this operation has no match anywhere in the world.

Gen Moeen said it will be a bigger list over eight crore voters compared to a seven crore voter list prepared by France.

Dr Akbar Ali Khan said since the strengthening of the local government institution was the major promise of the country's two major political parties, the caretaker government can hold the election of the local government along with the national election.

They have no reason to oppose it, he observed.

Earlier, Chairman of the Bangladesh Union Council Parishad Enayet Hossain demanded Tk 5,000 for a union parishad chairman as salary and Tk 3,000 for a member saying they have to spend money from their own resources at many occasions.

He demanded more allocation to local government from budget and ownership over local resources to create local funds, besides freedom to function without intervention of the higher authorities.