The New Nation - Internet Edition

Social movement against corruption stressed

Our Correspondent, Chittagong

Chairman of Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Lieutenant General (Retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury on Tuesday emphasised the need for involving youth forces in war against corruption.

"Youths can play vital roles in building awareness against corruption and social resistance is the most efficient tool against the unholy accumulation of wealth than imposing legal bindings," the ACC chief said.

He was addressing a meeting at the auditorium of Institute Engineers Bangladesh [IEB] Chittagong. Secretary to the ACC Mokhlesur Rahman, Director General Abu Taleb Miah and regional chief of the ACC Major Julfikar Ali Majumdar among others addressed it.

"Corruption has to be uprooted from all spheres of the society," he told the fore runners of the district and Upazila Units of the committee formed for preventing corruption.

He said that the goal would not be achieved only by government initiatives but by waging social movement. "People older than 60 were linked to plundering any way."

Putting much emphasis on opinion building the ACC chief said that the drive had to be started from home and should be spread out at all sphere of the society in phases.

Remarking on the ultimate destiny of the anticorruption drive during the time of political regime he said, "The ongoing pace should not be stopped just worrying over its destiny."

The corruption prevention committees in Chittagong Division were comprised of 699 members chosen from 11 districts and 99 Upazila. A total of 693 members joined the meeting.

General Mashhud directed the graft blockers to hate and boycott the corrupt people irrespective of their sociopolitical status reminding submission of the committee member's wealth statement.

Tk 15 cr lying as arrear holding taxes in Barisal

Our Correspondent, Barisal

More than fifteen core taka lying as arrear holding taxes in Barisal City Corporation and Power Development Board topped the list of arrears with seven core taka dues.

BCC sources said regular revenue expenditures of BCC seriously hampering due to arrear taxes.

Sources said there 35 thousand holding tax payer in BCC and while the general private tax holders paying taxes regularly, then the public offices becoming defaulter.

According to the lists holding taxes Tk.44.46 lakhs dues against Upazila Primary Education Office, Tk.36.2 lakhs against Barisal Sadar Hospital, a unit of SBMCH, Tk. 24. 65 against Teachers Training Institute, Tk. 19.67 lakhs against district judge courtship, Tk.14.8 lakhs against Deputy Director Secondary Teachers Training Institute, Tk.9.1 lakhs against office of the assistant commissioner land topped in public sector. In private sector holding taxes Tk.1.27 lakhs dues against Haider Ali Khan of Khan Tobaco, Tk. 49 thousand against Azizuddin of Girzamaholla,Tk.48 thousand against Shasul Huq and Tk.44 thousand against Babar Ali Matubbar of Hatkhola, Tk.43 thousand against Mohiul Islam of Ayesha Weaving Factory, Tk.43 thousand against Lucky Weaving Factory,Tk. 32 thousand against Huq Weaving topped the list.

Awlad Hossain Dilu, Mayor in charge, Mehdi Hasan, chief executive officer of BCC, said some of the taxpayers did pay any holding tax even in last 22 years. Notices have been served to private taxpayers and letters have been sent to defaulter public offices to clear their dues as early as possible.

As regular payments in revenue sector like the salaries of the staffs and employees of BCC hampering seriously due to cores of taka arrear taxes, so we have to make immediate hard drive according to the law to collect arrear dues, they further said.

Coordinated efforts for port city dev stressed

BSS, Chittagong

Speakers at a discussion on Sunday called for coordinated efforts by the utility services to ensure the port city's development as the people expect.

They identified the lack of coordination among different government and autonomous organisations as the bottleneck in formulating long-term uplift schemes for the city, which seriously impeded implementation of development plans.

A multi-dimensional long term development plan was needed, they told the discussion hosted by the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), to develop the port city of Chittagong, with all its potentials, preserving its hills and other special geographical and natural characteristics. The CCC, they said, was yet to receive the allocations for the current fiscal for implementing the development plans for the city under the government's Annual Development Programme (ADP).

Alleged criminal held, phensidyl recovered in Rajshahi

BSS, Rajshahi

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-5, in anti-crime drives, rounded up an alleged criminal and seized firearm, phensidyl and scrap materials from different areas in three northern districts on Tuesday.

On a tip-off, a team of the elite force seized a country- made pipe-gun during a sudden raid at Mohendra Sarkerpara under Puthiya Police Station of the district. However, none could be arrested in this connection.

In another raid in Shapla crossing area in Rangpur town, another RAB team picked up Ashraful Haque, 24, son of Mukhlesar Rahman, a resident of Khatkhatia village under the same district, red-handed while he was stealing two mobile phone sets.

They also seized 120 kilograms of copper and brass scrap materials, which were being smuggled out to India, during a raid at Haripur area under Paba Upazila of the district in an abandoned condition.

Training on English begins in Gaibandha

BSS, Gaibandha

A 5-day training course on English organised by Department of Primary and Mass Education has began at Upazila Resource Centre (URC) under Palashbari Upazila in the district on Monday.

The objective of the training is to develop professional skills of the teachers and their communicative approach in English, sources said.

The inaugural function of the course was held on the occasion. UNO of Palashabari Upazila M. Akhteruzzaman inaugurated the training programme as the chief guest.

Presided over by M. Mizanur Rahman, instructor of URC of Palashbari Upazila, the function was addressed, among others, by assistant Upazila Education Officer Abul Kalam Azad, assistant trainer Samina Akhter, president of Model Government Primary School managing committee Suruj Haque Liton and head teacher Kartik Chandra Saha.

A total of 25 teachers of the Upazila are taking part in the training programme in first batch.

Talking to BSS, UNO of Palashbari upazila M. Akkteruzzaman said 13 more batches would be imparted with training on the subject in phases.

Bumper vegetables production achieved in northern regions

BSS, Rangpur

Farmers have been continuing bumper harvests of all varieties of winter vegetable everywhere in the country's northern region, market sources and Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials said.

Following huge-scale early farming of vegetables under the post-flood agri-rehabilitation programmes of the government, all varieties of winter vegetable have now flooded in the local markets with reasonable rates, the sources said.

The DAE, Armed Forces, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation and many NGOs timely supplied adequate quality seeds, other agro- inputs and necessary technical assistance to the farmers as per direction of the government.

Different commercial banks, including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and many NGOs had disbursed agriculture loans, easy- term and interest-free loans among the farmers that made the cultivation of winter vegetables successful during this Rabi season.

The DAE had fixed a target of bringing 7,920 hectares land under vegetables farming in Rangpur, 5,885 hectares in Gaibandha, 4,820 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 5,450 hectares in Nilphamari, 5,560 hectares in Kurigram, 9,817 hectares in Dinajpur, 6330 hectares in Thakurgaon and 3,725 hectares in Panchagarh districts.

The flood-ravaged people in the sandy char areas of Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Bogra and Sirajganj districts have cultivated winter vegetables and many other crops including maize in vast areas in the river basins under the post-flood agri-rehabilitation programme of the government.

Programme to reduce maternal neonatal mortality taken

BSS, Thakurgaon

The government of Bangladesh in association with UNFPA, UNICEF and World Health Organization for the first time has launched a programme named "Accelerating Progress towards Maternal and Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity Reduction" in the frame work of Health Nutrition and Population Sector Programme (HNPSP) to cut maternal and neonatal mortality rates.

The programme, officials told BSS, would help achieve UN millennium development goal (MDG) 4 and 5 will cover 22 upazilas of Thakurgaon, Moulavibazar, Narail and Jamalpur districts.

At present in Bangladesh the rate of neonatal mortality is 37 per 1000 and the rate of maternal mortality is 320 per one lakh, experts told a meeting held here on Sunday at the conference room of Thakurgaon sadar upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). The meeting presided over by Md Sarwar Alam, UNO, Thakurgaon sadar upazila and addressed, among others, by Dr Md Nurul Huda, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, Thakurgaon sadar upazila, Prof Ayub Ali, former Principal Thakurgaon Govt College, Syed Merajul Hossain, former president Thakurgaon Press Club, Sadequl Islam, Co-ordinator of Manab kallyan Parishad.

Local elite, teachers of schools and colleges, imams of mosques, representatives of different NGOs, representatives of socio-cultural organizations, representatives of women groups, officials and workers of Health and Family Planning Department and journalists attended the meeting.

To implement the task of reducing maternal and neonatal Mortality, a 14- member Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Committee was formed with Md Sarwar Alam, UNO Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila as co-chairman and Dr Md Nurul Huda, Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer as member- secretary in the meeting.

7 students get medals in Barisal

BSS, Barisal

Seven students of AK Institute in the city were awarded 'Khan Bahadur Aziz Uddin Ahmed Medals' for their brilliant results in the last year's SSC examinations at a simple ceremony held on Monday.

Of the students, three were given gold medals while four others received silver medals for their performance in the examinations.

Presided over by the acting head master of the institution Md. Shah Alam Hawlader, the prize distribution ceremony was attended by founder of the award Nazir Uddin Ahmed as the chief guest while Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) AN Ahmed Ali and Begum Nazir Uddin Ahmed was present as special guests.