The New Nation - Internet Edition

Taming inflation to be difficult

THE finance adviser has not made any new proposal in the proposed national budget for the next fiscal year to contain inflation and reiterated merely the measures already taken in the current year. The adviser, however, said the government has undertaken a 'Dal-Bhat Programme' through the Bangladesh Rifles and would continue the open market sale of subsidised essentials to curb inflation besides withdrawal of customs duty on imports of foodgrains and edible oil. He also mentioned that steps like increasing food grain imports, lowering the interest rate for import credit for foodgrains, undertaking of market monitoring on a regular basis.

In his budget speech last week the finance adviser mentioned the measures taken already by the government to keep inflation low. But he admitted that the fixed income-group people is hard pressed and is facing hardship due to high inflation increasing from the abnormal price hike in both international and domestic markets. Medium-term measures like increase of production and distribution of foodgrains through creation of wholesale markets in various places including Dhaka and taking initiatives for introducing Consumers' Rights Protection Ordinance can also be mentioned.

The Bangladesh Bank is also pursuing a 'production-oriented' and 'market-friendly' monetary policy to contain prices at tolerable levels. With the current Boro harvest coupled with the forecast of increased global food grain production by the second half of the current year, the average inflation would hopefully come down. Just to provide relief, a 20 per cent pay-hike as dearness allowance for the government officials and employees has been proposed to be effective from July 1. Global food production has not increased commensurate with the scale of demand across the world including the countries like Bangladesh that are pressed with acute food problems.

Saudi laudable move

SAUDI Arabia has decided to increase production of oil to the extent of half a million barrels per day sounds good. The added output will increase the daily production of oil to the level of ten million barrels a day in the Kingdom. The same quantity of oil may meet the increased demand in the world market and help reduce the economic effects of higher price of oil in different countries. The uptrend in price of oil has already affected development activities in different countries. It may be controlled if other oil rich countries also follow the move of Saudi Arabia to increase the production of oil. The immediate demand of oil in the global market has to be met with increase in its supply.

It is worth noting that major users of oil in the world have reportedly opted for alternative fuels. If the move is materialised, with necessary steps by concerned quarters, then oil rich countries may face problems. The overall growth of their economies may be thwarted and the goals and expectations of their people may remain unfulfilled. Beyond that, the growth of economies in different countries of the world may turn uncertain. The move of the Saudi authorities to increase oil production is commendable.

It is worth noting that natural bounties including oil, gas, coal and even water resources have to be rationally used. They are used for meeting immediate needs of the countries concerned. Some natural bounties in different countries have already been over utilised by the governments and the business and industrial communities have tried to meet demands of the people of the present generation. Future generations of people will face problems of different dimensions in all countries, if the natural bounties, including oil, are not brought under long term plans.

Visit Bangladesh : See the enchanting beauties of nature

Md. Sazedul Islam

Bangladesh, land of enchanting beauty, is endowed with almost all the natural potentials to attract tourists. All her six seasons vibrate with fairs, festivals, mirth and merriment. All riverine beauty, colourful tribal life and simple village life of the friendly millions are main motivational factors for the potential visitors.

Though one of the world's small countries, Bangladesh boasts of certain world class attractions and assets. Bangladesh offer ample opportunity to tourists for rowing, angling, jungle trekking, sun and sea-bathing and above all to be in and amidst the pristine nature. Bangladesh is heir to rich cultural legacy.

In 2000 or more years of its chequered history, many illustrious dynasties of kings and Sultans have ruled and disappeared and left their mark in the shape of magnificent cities, monuments, the desolate ruins which are still visible in places throughout the country. The archaelogolical treasures of Mahasthangarh, Pahapur Buddhist Vihara, a world heritage site and Salbana Vihara at Mainamati and sixty-domed grand mosque at Bagerhat, also a world heritage site, World War-ÐÐ cemetery at Comilla, Kantaji's temple of Dinajpur, the Hindu temples of Chandranath at Sitakund, Adinath at Mahashkhali, Sonargaon and Dhakeshwari in Dhaka bear testimony to its devotional past.

Most outstanding places in Bangladesh also include Cox's Bazar Beach, Dhaka, Kaptai, Chandanpura mosque, Kuakata, Rangamati Lake, tribal life, Sylhet Tea Garden and wildlife of Sundarbans. Other places of tourist attractions are Shilaidaha Kuthibari(Kushtia, a memory place of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore), Sagordari in Jessore, Mujibnagar memorial, Gandhi Asram, Jamuna Bridge, Trishal and Sri Chaitanya Temple.

Above all, simple and friendly people of Bangladesh along with its tribes isolated from modern society by their own distinct culture and way of life make Bangladesh a distinguished and unique attraction for tourists. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation (BPC), national tourism organization of the country, has renovated the existing tourist facilities and created new facilities at important tourist spots.

The tourist facilities created so far include hotel, motel, cottage, youth hostel, restaurant, duty-free shop, land and water transport at different tourist spots. BPC offers sightseeing, cruising, excursion, readymade and tailor-made all inclusive guided package tours in and around Dhaka and other places of interest through out the country. The tropical climate has made the country luxuriant in vegetation. Mango, lichi, banana, coconut and jack fruit trees are common sights everywhere in the country. Animals such as elephants, bear, bisons, monkeys abound in the hill districts of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban. Like the Sundarbans, the hilly area is an ornithologist's paradise.

Birds both migratory and resident are a feast to the beholder's eyes. Varied reptiles like sea turtles, tortoises, crocodiles, pyhton and cobra are but common sights. Herds of spotted deer in Sundarbans are wonderful sights to see. In capital Dhaka, there are lot of attractive places for visit. These are Lalbagh Fort, mosques, temples, churches, central Shaheed Minar, Suhrawardi Uddyan, National Memorial, National Mausoleum, Mukti Juddha Museum, Ahsan Manjil Museum, Fork Art Museum, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, National Poet's Graveyard, Martyred Intellectuals Memorial, Bahadur Shah Park/Victoria Park, Old High Court Building, Buddhist Monastery, Bangabhaban, Ramna Green, Shakhari Bazar, Baldha Garden, National Botanical Garden, Dhaka Zoological Garden, National Park and Sonargaon.

The commercial capital and largest international seaport of Bangladesh, the healthy city (as declared by UNESCO), Chittagong is located in a picturesque hinterland of large hill forests and lakes. It is really an amazing vacation spot. Its green hills and forests, broad sandy beaches and fine cool climate always attract holiday makers. It combines the hum of a restless seaport with the pleasure of a charming hill-town with its undulating topography. In Chittagong, there are many attractive places. These are World War II Cemetery, Foy's Lake, Ethnological Museum, Bayezid Bostami Mazar, Court Building Museum, Patenga Beach and Sitakunda. Cox's Bazar is a conglomeration of miles of golden sands, towering cliffs, surfing waves, rare conch shells, colourful pagodas, Buddhist temples and tribes and delightful seafood. It is the tourist capital of Bangladesh having the world's longest unbroken (120 km) smooth, sandy, shark-free beach slopping down to the blue waters of Bay of Bengal against the picturesque background of a chain of hills covered with deep forests. Cox's Bazar is of the most attractive tourist spots in the world. The beach is good for bathing, sun bathing and swimming.

The breathtaking beauty of the setting sun behind the waves of the sea is captivating. Visits to the fascinating picnic spots at Himchhari, Teknaf, Buddhist Temple at Ramu and nearby island of Sonadia, St Martin island, inani beach and Maheshkhali are memorable experiences of one's life time. Kuakata is rare beauty scenic spot on the southern most tip of Patuakhali district. It has a wide sandy beach from where one can get the unique opportunity of having a glance of both sunrise and sunset. Parjatan holiday homes at Kuakata offers a number of facilities for the tourists. Kuakata is the places of pilgrimage of the Hindu and Buddhist communities.

Many devotees arrive here during the festival of Rush Purnima and Maghi Purnima. All these extraordinary events in addition to panoramic beauty make the beach more attractive to the visitors. Three hill districts---Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari---are paradise for nature lovers. These districts offers dazzling beautiful spots where nature has been least disturbed. Far from congested, polluted and madding crowd of the plains, its scenic and calm spots offer rare opportunities to the tourists.

Sundarbans, the abode of majestic Royal Bengal Tiger is located 320 km southwest of Dhaka and is the biggest mangrove forest. These deeply dense mangrove forests are criss-crissed by a network of rivers and creeks. Tourists find here tides flowing in two directions in the same creek and often tigers swimming across a river or huge crocodiles basking in the sun. Other wildlife in this region are chetah, spotted deer, monkey, python, wild-boar and hyenas. The UNESCO has declared Sundarbans a world heritage site.

Sylhet, a land of devotion and nature's bounties is in the northeast of Bangladesh. Sylhet is the foremost tea granry of the country. The tea gardens mile after mile like a green carpet spread over the slopes of the hills are a feast to the eyes of travelers. Tourist attractions in Sylhet are: the shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal, Jaintapur, said to be the capital of ancient kingdom, Shahi Eidgah, Madhabkunda (famous for its fascinating waterfall, temple of Sree Chaitannya Dev and Tamabil-Jaflong which is glimpse of the waterfall across the border inside India from Tamabil and stones rolling down the sides of hills or to the plains is beholder's delights.

On mass arrest- a common feature with all the governments

Md. Masum Billah

We have got the test of all sorts of governments namely democratic, autocratic, military and caretaker government. All the governments claim to do something different from the previous ones but the poverty and the sufferings of the people have either remained static or become worse. No upward trend in the barometer has yet been discerned. Each government comes to the power with its special agenda which mostly reflect their political agenda or motif. There is no doubt about the fact that none of these agenda comes to the help of real poverty alleviation and other chronic problems of the country. Suppose, electricity is the vital point to go forward for any country but this point has been neglected for long. The stops taken by the governments in this filed seem to be meager or not up to the mark.

During the reign of democratic governments on mass arrest goes on to quell the protest of the opposition. But the government terms it as a part of endeavor to maintain law and order situation of the country. Many innocent people or not related with politics get arrested and the untold miseries and sufferings visit to their families. Yes, the government orders the police not to arrest any innocent people but the government does not have any mechanism to check whether police is following the point or not. As a result, police rest to their own way of exercising their brutal power without giving even a little consideration to the misers of the arrestees. This has been continuing unhindered year after year.

The autocratic government does the same thing just to uphold its own interest. The military government does it to create panic and to exercise its own power. The caretaker government has also shown no exception in this regard. It has also started on mass arrest since it came to power and still it continues with some special emphasis on corrupt people. Actually people think that the government has resumed it to create panic among the people so that they don't participate or respond to the call of AL declared countrywide signature programme.

Who think of the person who is the only earning member of a family has been arrested? The whole family depends on his income. He is in the custody of police but he does not know why he has been arrested. This phenomenon is very common in anytime arrest. The democratic government, autocratic, military and caretaker government shows no exceptional or different approach to impose the so-called law without showing any consideration whether any innocent individual has been affected or not. The police utilize the opportunity over enthusiastically. No mechanism or management has yet been established to see or oversee what actually the police do when they are ordered to arrest the criminals. This is why police particularly dishonest members of this force use this opportunity as business season and the common people become the victims of it. Both in democratic and ethical point of view arresting any citizen without any specific allegation

is quite unlawful. This indiscriminate arrest may happen and can be taken as usual happening in an undemocratic or unreasonable situation of the state. Why in the democratic form of government and impartial government common people will be harassed every now and then? No reason can be placed to satisfy the argument behind this indiscriminate arrest of common people until and unless another force to be created to oversee the unlawful activities of the police. Where there is no system to police the police, such kind of unreasonable arrest by police must not be entertained. Time has come to show honour to the respectable citizens. We are having this kind of government to grave all the misgoverning and misdoings of political governments who used to use police just to satisfy their party interest at the cost of common and innocent peoples' sufferings and miseries. Still the repetition of the same thing haunts people. So, what's the difference they have made? We must ensure the honour and respect for the citizens. On mass arrest and undermining citizens should be stopped once and for all.

Muhammad Nurul Haque , the ex-IGP of police has rightly said, " The pernicious culture has become an anathema to democracy because in such an environment tolerance, compassion, sympathy, respect for different view all essential tenets of a lawful society, take leave of us." Really its negative impact will vitiate every tier of the society. We cannot afford to do it. He further says, " In a democratic set up, the members of police must be made to realize that they are not above the law but subject to it like all other citizens and all their actions have to be supported on grounds of legality when challenged before a court of law."

We believe the police department nurture many talented and patriotic officers. How this illegal and unreasonable thing occurs again and again in this civilized society? What is the meaning of democracy and what is the significance of independence when common people still suffer at the hands of uniformed people who are managed with the tax money of these people?

Quite unlawful action of the police will amply prove from one of my practical experiences. During the reign of Ershad I was arrested by police when I was coming from my friend's house ( who now works at Bangla Academy) with my another fried. The cause of the arrest was the next day AL and BNP called hartal.. I expressed my identify to the police ( I was then a lecturer of a college) but they did not pay listen to it. Moreover, they continued arresting people wherever and in what situation they were found. Later I came to learn that the performance of the OCs depends on how many people they could show arrested.

However, case was filed against us that we threw stones at police van. How false lies police deal with really made me astonished. The whole night we were packed in the thana custody and their behaviour was not up to the mark. This should not happen in an independent country where criminals go scot-free or have friendship with the police (not all the police) and the honorable and honest citizens will remain behind the bar. Quite illegal. Please stop this game. Modernize police really not orally and invigorate them with the ideals of honesty and patriotism. On mass recruitment and recruitment on the basis of dishonest means must be stopped for ever. The officers recruited through BCS examinations in the police department must be re-scrutinized .

We have passed a pretty long time since we achieved independence. Still the colonial attitude of the police hovers making the democracy and independence tainted. Still we just blame the politicians.

Real honest officials hardly bow down their heads before the dishonest politicians. Time has come for the police to show real courage, heroism and honesty to the nation and its citizens. Only following the unlawful orders must not be the philosophy of police. Rather they should show their honesty, patriotism and real girt towards the nation. Only a handful of dishonest members of police force's unlawful activities should not be allowed to cast a slur on the whole police department.

This country is ours. It is our solemn duty to uphold the prestige of it. Let us work together. Its fruit will reach to all sorts of people. Police is not a separate entity of the sate rather they are our friends to establish a real democratic and peaceful society.

Social forestry may reduce rural poverty

Taieba Ahmad Ireen

Social Forestry a forestry which aims at ensuring economic, ecological, and social benefits to the people, particularly to the rural masses and those living below poverty line, specially by involving the beneficiaries right from the planning stage to the harvesting stage. The target of the social forestry is the 'rural poor' and not the 'tree' alone. This support, however, is not just to ensure that the trees get planted and survive but rather to ensure that the people who plant the trees receive adequate sustenance to live with dignity before reaping the harvest from the raised crops. FAO defined social forestry as 'any situation which intimately involves local people in a forestry activity'. It excludes large scale industrial forestry and other form of forestry which contributes to development solely through employment and wages, but includes activities by forestry industries and public services to encourage and assist forestry activities at a community level.

The history of social forestry in Bangladesh is linked with the institutional approach to the introduction of forest extension services in the Forest Department. During 1962-63, two forest extension divisions, one at Rajshahi and other at Dhaka were created and the tree planting day on 1st June was introduced. Since the creation of the forest extension division for raising and distributing of seedlings, a gradual expansion of activities took place. The activities, however, remained confined in the establishment of nurseries and ceremonial planting in the district headquarters and some important centres. Tree planting campaign initially was for a day which later extended to a week, then a month and subsequently to three months period. The programme activity initially was small and it never created impact on people. The activities failed to bring any change in the outlook of extension personnel or change in the mind of common people. No thought was given to the utilization of landless people and their involvement in the forestry activities.

Social forestry project in Bangladesh was taken up by entrepreneurs like Mahbubul Alam Chashi, Mohammad Eunus and Abdul Alim at Betagi and Pomora, two remote denuded hills in Rangunia thana of Chittagong district. One hundred one families were selected for the purpose and land was given to them.

The programme was a self-help type and needed to be self reliant. The inducted farmers were not to receive any outside grant. Krishi Bank (Agricultural bank) advanced loan on condition that workers of Grameen Bank to distribute and recover the loan. The programme was evaluated in the second and third year and found to be satisfactory. However, the number of participants reduced to 83 families from the initially inducted 101 families. The lessons learnt from the project helped in the development of further programmes.

Social forestry in real sense of the term started with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed community forestry project. ADB sanctioned a loan of 11 million US dollar and United Nations Development Programme allotted 2.0 million dollar through Food and Agricultural Organisation as technical assistance. Project activities started in 1982 and completed in 1987 in seven districts, namely Dinajpur, Rangpur, Pabna, Rajshahi, Bogra, Kushtia and Jessore. The objective of the project was to increase supply of fuelwood, fodder, small timbers, fruits and other products. The project was designed to act as catalyst by creating community awareness with permanent institutional capacity. The main components of the project were: establishment of about 4800 km strip plantations along road, railway, and canal embankments; adopting participatory approach in raising fuelwood plantation in 4800 ha, and demonstrative agroforestry farms in 120 ha in the denuded forest land; establishing a social forestry training institute at Rajshahi; providing equipment and training to staff as part of institutional support; imparting training to various categories of people to create awareness among them; and establishment of regional office and division office within the project area. The project exhibited overall success in meeting the target and also as an initiative in the integration of the people in forestry activities. For the first time it brought in women as participant of community forestry programme.

The Asian Development Bank was pleased with the overall performance of the community forestry project and sanctioned 'Upazila Afforestation and Nursery Development' project as a follow up. This was a countrywide project covering all parts except the Sundarbans and greater Chittagong Hill Tracts districts.

The component-wise targets of the project were: raising of plantations in the depleted sal forest over an area of 16,194 ha involving local people; establishment of agro-forestry farms in the denuded and encroached sal forest over 3289 ha following participatory approach; afforestation of 810 ha outside the area of Water Development Board; development of 8, upgrading of 32, and maintenance of 51 community forestry growth centres by renaming them as Forestry Extension Nursery and Training Centres (FENTC); raising and distribution of 40-48 million seedlings during project period; imparting training to about 75,000 village leaders, block supervisors and upazila agriculture officers, plantation assistants, gardeners, staff, and officers of Forest Department; establishment of another 345 nurseries in the upazila complexes; establishment of 17,760 km strip plantation along road, railway, and canal embankments; raising and distribution of 10.97 million seedlings from the newly established upazila nurseries; and helping in establishing 100 private nurseries by encouraging entrepreneurs with training and financial assistance.

Another participatory social forestry project financed by Asian Development Bank is the Coastal Green Belt project started in 1994-95. It is based on the Asian Development Bank's upazila Afforestation and Nursery Development Projects theme. The project area includes 10 districts of the coastal zone. The objective of the project is to reduce loss of life and damage to property caused by cyclones through increased vegetative cover in the project area. Increasing the vegetative cover will be realized by the promotion of coastal tree planting activities among the local population with the involvement of non-government organisations (NGOs).