The New Nation - Internet Edition

Ctg Port container terminal, cargo berths handling to be privatized

Shamim Jahangir

The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) will surrender the operational activities of both the container terminals and general cargo berths (GCB) to the private sector to fulfill the condition of the World Bank to get a loan of US$134 million under Export Infrastructure Development Project (EIDP) of Bangladesh Railway.

According to Railway sources, the Government has submitted a project styled "Export Infrastructure Development Project (EIDP) to the World Bank to get a loan of $134 million for well-equipping the Bangladesh Railway.

After getting the proposal from Bangladesh, the World Bank conditioned that the Bank would provide loan, if the authority would hand over the operational activities of the New Mooring Container Terminal (NCT) to private sector.

Under EIDP, the Government will establish a depot styled Gherashram Inland Container Depots at Pubail in Gazipur. Besides, the authorities will also install double track lines from Chittagong to Faujdarhat, construct two separate fly-overs at Gherashram at Pubail and Chittagong Saltgola.

The authority will buy 102 Container Flag Wagons, four Break-Vans and 10 Locomotives under the project.

The Railway authority was expected to get $1.50 million within two months for Technical-assistance Project Performance (TPP) to implement the project.

"After getting the money, we shall start our detail study plan," said a high official of the railway department.

He added, "I do not understand why the Government wants to implement the project with the support of the World Bank, which has a high interest rate."

"If the government would implement the project with the loan from the WB, we will pay 25 per cent interest out of $134 million to the WB," he further said.

After starting of the operational activities by the private sector, the port authority would act as a regulatory body to take care of maintenance, management and development of the port.

CPA Chairman Commodore M Farooq said this while exchanging views with journalists at a meeting at Chittagong Port Training Centre on the occasion of the 121st founding anniversary of the port on April 26.

The ongoing reforms helped CPA bring down the turnaround time of vessels at the port to 2.42 days, Farooq said.

The chairman also said the authorities will appoint contractor through open tender for integrated operation at Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT) and CCT extension area (interim area of New Mooring Container Terminal - NCT). Presently, private operator Saif Powertec Ltd is carrying out the handling operations at CCT and in its extension areas under a contractual appointment that will expire on August 6, he said.

A tender has already been floated on April 25 for appointing the contractor for a period of seven years against a security of Tk 6 crore, he mentioned.

To ensure transparency in the bidding process, CPA is holding a pre-bid meeting on May 7 or May 8 for the intended bidders before the tender opens on May 22, the CPA chairman said, adding that the meeting will remain open to media.

While talking with the New Nation, Anhar Mahmud, Chief Planning Office of the Bangladesh Railway said, "We shall hopefully start the project within two month after final approval of the Communication and Planning Ministry."

"The Railway will appoint a consultant firm to make detail study plan of the project next fiscal," Anhar added.

'Cancel seismic survey at Lawachhara' Environmentalists demand

Staff Reporter

Environmentalists at a press conference in the city urged the Caretaker Government (CG) to cancel 3D seismic survey at Lawachara National Forest and its adjacent areas.

They also urged the CG to form a body to investigate the anti-environmental incidents, which took place in Lawachara protected area recently, and provide compensation to the affected.

Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) organised the press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity demanding cancellation of seismic survey conducted by US oil company Chevron.

Prof Muzaffar Ahmed, President of BAPA, chaired the conference and read out keynote paper.

Dr Md Abdul Matin, General Secretary of BAPA, architect Iqbal Habib, Zakir Hossain, Joint Secretary, among others, spoke, while Sharif Jamil, Joint Secretary of BAPA, presented a report on Lawachara forest.

Speakers said in respect of environmental balance and eco-system, Lawachara forest is very important for our natural biodiversity. Some 167 plants, 246 birds and 30 other animal species, 20 species of orchids, is part of the West Bhanugach Reserve Forest. The park was notified in 1996 under the Wildlife Act of 1974.

'Ulluk Gibbon,' one of most endangered animals in the world, is living in Lawachara forest. This species of gibbons are only found in India, Myanmar, China and Bangladesh, they said and adding, "If this survey is continued, these rare species of animals will be lost for ever."

Speakers urged the Government to stop plying of vehicles in the forest area and also urged to remove the railway lines from there.

They also urged the Government to stop frequent movement of outsiders and to ban use of loudspeakers.

Meanwhile, Save Environment Movement at a press release yesterday urged the Government to cancel agreement with the Chevron to continue seismic survey at Lawachara National Forest.

They said Lawachara forest is a rainforest. This survey will be harmful for the forest and the wild animals.

Earlier, Bangladesh has been affected due to activities of foreign oil companies at Magurchhara and Tengratila. If this survey continues, similar incidents may take place in the Lawachara protected areas, said the environmentalists.

DCCI demands policy on tax holiday in next budget

Staff Reporter

Leaders of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday demanded a specific, clear-cut policy on tax holiday for the next ten years in the coming budget, as the government is planning incentive packages to promote industrialisation.

Besides, the DCCI also urged for raising the tax-free income to Tk 2.5 lakh from the existing Tk 1.5 lakh considering the pressure of inflation.

The demands were placed at pre-budget discussion between the DCCI leaders and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) with NBR Chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid in the chair.

"Tax holiday for the ICT should be extended up to five years and for agriculture sector at least three years to create employment opportunities and poverty alleviation," DCCI President Hossain Khaled said in the meeting.

He said the Pre-shipment Inspection (PSI) system was just an interim measure and it can be cancelled.

"Many developed countries in the world adopt the customs valuation system.

Although Bangladesh is talking about the cancellation of PSI companies, it could not do that just for a lack of database or computerisation," he said.

He said that it is possible for the Customs Department of the NBR to create a database with its own workforce to make transparent customs valuation.

The business leader pointed out that the importers are paying Tk 1700 crore each year to the PSI companies as commission, and this extra cost is ultimately borne by the consumers.

"As such, there should be a straight announcement of the government when the PSI system will be abolished. It is necessary to announce this in the upcoming budget," he said.

He also called for harmonising the HS Code system to avoid hassle on part of the importers and corruption of NBR officials.

The Chamber suggested empowerment of the Tax Ombudsman, vesting in him the power for announcement of final decision.

The DCCI leaders recommended exempting import duty of raw materials of those items, which are not produced in the country.

The DCCI gave suggestion for reconstructing the duty slab as 5 per cent (for essential items, machinery and raw materials), 10 per cent (for intermediary goods) and 15 per cent (for luxury items and imported readymade consumer products which are produced in the country).

Separate ministry for disaster management demanded

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a memorial meeting in the city yesterday demanded establishment of separate Ministry for Disaster Management and implementation of the proposed coordinated coastal development policy for disaster risk reduction and protection of 3.5 crore coastal people in the country.

The 29th April Smriti Parishad and Equity and Justice Working Group (EJWG) jointly organised the memorial meeting for the dead in the cyclonic disaster on April 29, at the National Press Club.

Eminent environment expert Dr Ansarul Karim presided over the meeting, while Awami League leader Abdur Razzak, former state minister AKM Zahangir Hossain, environment expert Dr Hasan Mahmud and Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia, among others, addressed it.

The speakers said the Government has yet to take any initiative to implement the policy, though three years have passed after the policy was proposed.

According to the proposed policy, sufficient structures including roads, dams and mangrove forest to protect the coastal area and shelter centres were to be made, but these policies are stalled and only to paper, they added.

They added, shrimp cultivation led deforestation in the coastal areas that made the areas more vulnerable.

Abdur Razzak said our country was being affected due to the Global Development Policy and climate change, so the Government would have to face the disasters using our own resources and policies.

Dr Hasan Mahmud urged the further development of the system of disaster warning system and reaching the proper information in due time to save the lives of the disaster threatened people.

He also urged the government for not taking the projects like housing and other development projects, which cause deforestation and hill destruction.

Chevron resumes survey in Lawachhara Petrobangla found no link between fire and study work

Staff Reporter

American energy group Chevron Corp resumed 3D seismic survey yesterday at Lawachhara forest with the clearance from Petrobangla.

Both Petrobangla and Chevron Corp conducted separate investigations into the forest fire and found no link between its gas exploration activities and recent bushfire.

According to a Chevron press release, investigations have proved that the fire incident on April 26 had no connection with the seismic-related works.

"Chevron is going to resume work on April 29," said the official statement issued by the US-based oil company.

About the outcomes of the Chevron-sponsored investigation, it said that there were no seismic crew present where the incident took place on April 26, and accordingly, there was no seismic-related work going on in the area at the time.

State-owned Petrobangla also has concluded its investigation led by a General Manager, who visited the area the day after the fire occurred.

Petrobangla official said that their investigation found "no link between the seismic survey and the fire incident."

"Since the place from where the fire broke out was adjacent to a rail-track, so it is assumed that the fire might have generated from anything that was thrown out from the train," he said, adding that the actual cause of the fire could not be ascertained in the investigation.

The US Energy Company suspended its survey work on April 26 following a fire incident at the protected national forest.

Chevron began the three-dimensional (3D) seismic survey last month. It is aiming to raise production from the gas field by 50 per cent to 105 million cubic feet per day.

The area is located in block 14 of the Moulavi Bazar gas field in the country's northeast, which also covers part of a national forest.

Discovered in 1999, the Moulavi Bazar field has an estimated reserve of 400 billion cubic feet of gas.

Local firm quotes $446 per ton lowest price for food import

Staff Reporter

A local firm, Smile Food Products, yesterday quoted the lowest price of $446 per tonne in a Bangladesh import tender to supply 70,000 tonnes of wheat, official sources said last afternoon.

The tender to import 100,000 tonnes of wheat floated by the Food and Disaster Management ministry early this month, closed on yesterday, with validity up to May 19.

But Smile quoted the price only to supply 70,000 tonnes of wheat, to Chittagong port cif, including stevedoring on the seller's account at both ends of the shipment.

Smile will buy the wheat from the Singapore-based Agro Crop International Pvt Limited, which will procure the cargo either from the United States or from Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada or Australia, they said.

The firm also quoted a separate price of $456 per tonne to supply 30,000 tonnes of wheat, to Mongla port.

Meanwhile, a Reuter's story from Dhaka yesterday said another Bangladeshi firm BSM Syndicate quoted $517 per tonne for Chittagong port and $521 for Mongla port to supply 40,000 tonnes of wheat from Canada.

Another local firm Bulk Trade International, quoted $492.20 per tonne for Chittagong port and $507.20 for Mongla port to supply 35,000 tonnes.

India's LMJ quoted $474 per tonne only for Chittagong port to supply 10,000 tonnes.

Officials say the country needs to import more than 2 million tonnes to meet annual demand of 3.5 million tonnes of wheat despite a probably bumper harvest of 1.4 million tonnes in the financial year to June.

Ershad’s graft case verdict today

Desk Report

A Dhaka court is set to deliver today a verdict on the corruption case over the waiver of loan against former president HM Erhsad, former state minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain and four others.

Dhaka divisional special judge Golam Mortuza Majumder on April 22 fixed the date for judgement after hearing arguments of the prosecution and defence attorneys.

Now-defunct Anticorruption Bureau official Golam Mortuza filed the case with Motijheel Police Station charging the six with waiving Tk 35 lakh loan Bangladesh Shilpa Bank had sanctioned to owner of Three Star Poultry Farm Jahangir Kabir and his wife Nurun Nahar Shelley on April 22, 1999.

Ershad, also chairman of Jatiya Party , former chairman of Shilpa Bank Mosharraf Hossain, former upazila chairman of Savar and Jatiya Party leader Feroz Kabir, Borhan Uddin, Feroz Kabir's brother and poultry farm owner Jahangir Kabir and Jahangir Kabir's wife the co-owner Nurun Nahar Shelley are facing trial.

Jahangir Kabir and his wife Nurun Nahar Shelley are absconding while the others have been bailed out.

Meanwhile, the recording of deposition in the corruption case over setting up of digital telephones in 89 upazilas against Ershad has been deferred to May 18 as the prosecution failed to present witnesses and evidence.

Anticorruption Bureau official Upendra Chandra Das filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station on September 5, 1992 against six persons including Erhsad and former telecommunications minister Kazi Feroz Rashid.

Other accused in the case are fomer chairman of Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board Maksud Ali Khan, who is dead, former deputy general manager of BTTB Shamsul Islam (absconding), former manager of BTTB Anwarul Quader and Expo Trade owner Malik Majid Chowdhury.

Charges in the case were framed on May 7, 2003 and Feroz Rashid was exempted.

BB guideline to curb extra spending

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh Bank yesterday issued a guideline to curb extra-spending by some financial institutions amid allegations they appoint chosen ones as adviser or consultant to give them extra benefits beyond service rules.

The additional spending reduces profit earnings of the companies, resulting in lower dividends to the shareholders, a senior Bangladesh Bank official told UNB.

As per the guideline, which comes into immediate effect, the financial institutions have been prohibited from giving the advisers or consultants any benefit beyond the consolidated monthly pay or onetime payment.

BB officials said the advisers or consultants, whatever may be their status, were receiving extra facilities including car, entertainment allowance, phone and fax. The FIs were spending huge amount of money for them. The central bank also prohibited former chairmen, directors and chief executive officers or managing directors of the FIs concerned to be appointed as the advisers or consultants of their former institutions.

"This is to ensure good governance in the FIs," said the BB circular. Officials said such advisers/consultants were being involved in the day to day company affairs and even influencing important decisions.In some cases, they said, former chairmen appointed as advisers were performing the responsibility of the company chairmen while the former CEOs/MDs discharging the duties of the CEOs.

"The scope of work for advisers must be specific. They should not be involved in the company affairs beyond the specific assignment. They will not exercise any sort of power in the regular affairs of the company, nor involve in any decision making process."

Bangladesh Bank also advised the FIs to avoid appointing advisers or consultants as best as possible if the jobs could be done with their regular employees.

It, however, allowed the Fis, subject to prior approval of the respective board of directors, to appoint advisers or consultants for a maximum period of two years for specialized jobs relating to tax, law and legal cases, engineering and technology, information technology and introduction of financial instruments.

If the FIs appoint advisers or consultants, they would have to inform Bangladesh Bank and send their resumes and specific assignment within seven working days from the appointment.

Arrest warrant against ex-MP Monirul

UNB, Comilla

The chief judicial magistrate court of the district Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against former MP Monirul Haq Chowdhury and six others, as they failed to appear in the court

in an extortion case.

The court also rejected the bail petitions of 15 others as they appeared in the court and sent them to jail.

Salauddin Ahmed of Kaliajuri area in the town filed the case against BNP leader Monirul and 21 of his associates accusing them of looting and demanding money in toll.

BNP's feeding of poor programme foiled

UNB, Dhaka

Pro-Khaleda BNP Tuesday alleged police took away 55 pots of cooked food and 300 packets rice from Mirpur, Pallabi, Kafrul and Siddheswari in the capital foiling their feeding-of-the-poor program undertaken in view of the prevailing dearth.

A BNP release said police took away 20 'patils' of cooked food from Shah Ali Mazar gate in Mirpur, 20 patils from Kafrul, 15 patils from Pallabi and 300 packets of rice from Siddheswari Balurmath. Police also took away cooked food from Hazaribagh Tannery crossing.

The release further alleged that BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, who was at Kafrul to distribute food, was "threatened over telephone" from an undisclosed place.

Shah Ali Thana OC Monir Hossain said police did not allow the distribution of food since there was no permission about it, as such outdoor activities are restricted under the emergency rules.

Delwar told reporters "inhuman behaviour of the government has come to such a pass that it cannot give food to the poor on the one hand and on the other we are not allowed to distribute food."

ACC taskforce detects ex-Whip Jamal's unearned property worth Tk 150 cr

UNB, Barisal

A taskforce of the Anti-Corruption Commission has detected that former BNP Whip Shahidul Huq Jamal and his family members have huge property worth Tk 150 crore beyond their known sources of income.

Taskforce officials, wishing anonymity, Tuesday said in their primary investigation they found that Jamal and his family members own movable and immovable property worth Tk 150 crore although Jamal in his wealth statement claimed that he owns property worth only Tk 64 lakh.

In his wealth statement submitted to the ACC, Jamal also mentioned that his family members, including wife, three sons and daughter, have their own sources of income, as they are well established businesspersons and are not dependent on him.

Jamal's name appeared on one of the lists of corrupt suspects published by the ACC after the 1/11.

After submission of his statement early this month, the ACC taskforce visited Barisal, Banaripara, Swarupkati and Dhaka last week to verify Jamal's wealth statement.

Int'l Dance Festival ends

Staff Reporter

The first International Dance Festival concluded at Jatiyo Natyashala at Shilpakala Academy in the city yesterday.

To mark the International Dance Day on April 29, a colourful rally was brought out from the Shilpakala Academy premises yesterday morning. Eminent journalist Kamal Lohani led the rally where hundreds of dancers and artistes attended.

A discussion meeting was held at Shilpakala Academy to mark the day. A joint dance performance by 25 dance organisations was held later to end the three-day colourful festival.

Therefore, 'Nrityamela,' dance fair, also concluded at Jatiyo Chitrashala of Shilpakala Academy.

The three-day long International Dance Day celebration programme-jointly organised by Bangladesh Nrityashilpi Sangstha (BNS) and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA)-began on April 27. Rasheda K Chowdhury, Cultural Affairs Adviser inaugurated the programme.

Noted cultural personality Mustafa Monwar; Ramendu Majumdar, President of ITI (International Theatre Institute) Bangladesh, Sharful Alam, Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Quamrul Hassan, Adviser of the International Dance Day Celebration Committee and Amanul Huq, Co-convenor of the celebration committee attended the inauguration as special guests.

About the festival Ramendu Majumdar said, "Despite being one of the basic art forms, dance in Bangladesh does not get the priority it deserves. I went to check out the Music and Dance Centre auditorium at Shilpakala Academy and I wondered which 'genius' came up with the design. The stage is not fit for dance performances at all and the sitting arrangement is shabby."

"I partly blame the leading dancers of the country for this. During the planning and construction of National Theatre Stage, we, theatre activists were directly involved. Dancers should have been more proactive. If you are not vocal, your needs will never be met."

Eminent artist Mustafa Monwar referred to Rabindranath Tagore who initially had to label dance as 'exercise with music' - due to the stigma associated with the art form - when describing the student activities at Shantiniketan- that however, didn't deter Tagore from popularising dance throughout the subcontinent.

"Dance has never had a dearth of devotees or foes," said Monwar and he quoted the National Poet Nazrul: "Ami Nrityapagal Chhando" and the legendary Sufi poet Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Rumi who described dance as a "spiritual route to God's proximity."

The joint performance by 25 dance organisations across the country enthralled the audience.