The New Nation - Internet Edition

Kapali’s ton fails to hold India

Alok Kapali hitting a boundary against India during
the Super Four match of Asia Cup between Bangladesh and
India at the National Stadium in Karachi, the port city of
Pakistan on Saturday. Internet

Sports Reporter

India defeated Bangladesh when they made 284 for the loss of three wickets in 43.2 overs in replay to Bangladesh's fighting total of 283 for the loss of six wickets in 50 overs in the Super Four match of Asia Cup at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday.

Suresh Raina remained undefeated with 115 off 105 balls.

Opener Gantam Gambhir deprived from a ton for just 10 runs. He smashed 90 facing 84 balls hitting 10 fours and a six.

After winning the toss Bangladesh decided to bat first but the Tigers had a modest start as they lost their early two wickets for 66 runs.

Later, Alok Kapali and Mahmudullah Riyad salvaged the team from danger contributing together 112 runs in the sixth wicket stand. Kapali cracked a wonderful 115 playing 96 deliveries. He hit five huge sixes and 10 fours before he returned to the pavilion when he was caught by P Ojha off M Gony when the team's total was 281 for the loss of six wickets. It was the highest individual score for a Bangladesh batsman against India so far.

Earlier, opener Tamim Iqbal led his team from the frontline scoring 55 off 67 balls. He struck seven boundaries before he was caught behind by wicketkeeper MS Dhoni off Ishant Sharma when the board was giving a reading of 102 for the loss of three wickets.

Mahmudullah Riyad remained undefeated with 26 when Bangladesh innings came to an end posting 283 for the loss six wickets in 50 overs.

Raqib ul Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Ashraful were the other three Bangladesh batsman, who reached double-digit figures making 25, 22 and 20 runs respectively.

P Ojha, M Gony bagged a pair of wickets conceding 43 and 65 runs respectively while Ishant Sharma and RP Singh got one wicket each.

Angered by accident: Dhaka College student in coma, vehicle set ablaze

A microbus was set ablaze by Dhaka College students
following injury to a fellow student in an accident in front
of the college yesterday. NN photo

Staff Reporter

Angry students of Dhaka College in New Market area went on rampage and set ablaze a microbus following a road accident that left one of their fellowmen seriously injured yesterday.

Police said Saiful Islam, a first year honours student of Zoology Department of the College, was seriously injured as a microbus hit him in front of the main Gate of the college at about 1:00pm.

Saiful was rushed to the city's Central Hospital. Critically injured Saiful was in coma.

Police said the students of the College took to the streets, damaged passing vehicles in New Market area to protest the accident.

The students seized the microbus after a chase, took it to their campus and then set it on fire. They also beat up bus driver Idris.

Protesters blocked the roads in New Market area and Mirpur Road for three hours. This created a serious traffic jam in the capital.

A large number of agitated students came to the road and vandalised vehicles passing through the area.

On information, police rushed in and took driver Idris to New Market police station.

Additional police have been deployed around the college as tension heightened in the area.

Residentship of DU female students cancelled

Students of Nawab Faizunnesa Hall of Dhaka
University observed a sit-in programme at the TSC area
yesterday to press home their various demands.
FocusBangla

DU Correspondent

Dhaka University Authority cancelled residentship of 29 M Phil students from Nawab Foyzunnessa Chowdhurani Hostel due to their irregularities in research and payment of the hostel dues.

The decision was taken at a Syndicate meeting on Friday night.

Hearing the news, students of the female dormitory staged a sit-in in front of Rokeya Hall and later they demonstrated at Aparajeyo Bangla demanding cancellation of the decision.

Hostel sources said some students did not pay any dues of the hostel in last two years even they, maximum students, were not carrying out their research regularly.

As per the rules and regulations of the University, the married and service-holder students could not stay in the dormitory but many of them are married and service holders.

Hasina Banu, a student of the hostel, alleged that the University Authority cancelled their seats without any notice.

Vice-Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz said nobody would get chance to stay in the hostel breaking the rules of the university. If anybody obstructs in the administrative work, they must be punished.

Shady deals of agents, employers put job workers abroad at bay

Staff Reporter

Low wages, inadequate facilities and deprivation by the job providers force Bangladeshi workers abroad to engage in illegal activities resulting in ban on fresh visas for them, informed sources say.

Returning home penniless such deprived Bangladeshi workers also fail to get back their contract money from local recruiting agencies allegedly due to lack of seriousness by the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET).

One Jahangir Alam from Comilla recently came back from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) penniless after being deprived of promised employment reportedly by one Dallah Group in Jeddah.

Jahangir Alam was sent to Dallah Group by the local Carrier Overseas Consultants Ltd as storekeeper. The recruiting agency told Jahangir that he would be given 2,500 Saudi Riyal (SAR), overtime facilities, travel and daily allowances. It is alleged, before flying from the Zia International Airport in Dhaka, officials of the Carrier Overseas compelled Jahangir to sign a paper mentioning salary at SAR 1000 per month.

Jahangir alleged that he was promised a job in Jeddah but was sent to Qungfuda, under district of Zigan, 450 kilometres away from Jeddah. No terms and conditions of job were followed. He was paid 1000 SAR per month and given no other facilities.

"I have lodged complaints with the officials of the Carrier Overseas Consultants Ltd., but as they did not take any action, I left KSA," Jahangir said.

Jahangir did pay a job contract fee of Tk 2,20,000 selling all his property. "I want my money back and action against the recruiting agency for cheating me" the deprived foreign job seeker said.

Bangladesh labour law has fixerd minimum wages at SAR 650 per month for workers. The Dallah Group in KSA is reportedly paying only SAR 250 as salary and SAR 150 as food and other allowances.

"The deprived workers, who pay Tk 2 to Tk 2.5 lakh to the recruiting agencies thus find no alternative but to engage themselves in illegal activities like unauthorised jobs in KSA," he said.

The KSA government imposed ban on issuing fresh visa to Bangladeshi and Indian nationals early this year due to such illegal activities by them.

The workers who have to return home fail to realise their money from the recruiting agencies due to failure of BMET to take timely action.

The deprived workers come to the BMET day after day but fail to get any settlement of their claims. The recruiting agencies reportedly do not care for directives of the BMET. According to the rules, they are bound to follow the same. BMET is empowered to cancel the recruiting licence if any of those fail to follow its directives.

Abu Taher who returned from Malaysia filed a case against recruiting agency Rabeta International with BMET in January this year seeking his money back. No representative of Rabeta attended the trial in BMET although four notices were served. As a result, he is still to get any money back from the Rabeta international.

Prof Muzaffar questions role of micro-credit providers: Most NGOs run on foreign funds

Staff Reporter

Noted economist and Chairman of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Prof Muzaffar Ahmad yesterday questioned the role of micro-credit providers in poverty reduction of Bangladesh.

He also criticised the nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) for their corruption and intrusion into politics and urged them to make their budget public to bring transparency in their activities.

The TIB Chairman was speaking at a convention on "Institutional Good Governance of NGOs" organised by Campaign for Good Governance (Supro) at the LGED auditorium in the city. More than 300 representatives of NGOs from Dhaka and outside participated in the convention.

"In our country, NGOs run on foreign funds. Their projects ponder to the wishes of donors. The NGOs have to become self-reliant," Prof Muzaffar said.

He suggested NGOs to stop receiving foreign assistance to become self-reliant, claiming that there would be no welfare with foreign money. "We have to have self-reliance and institutional transparency."

"During the Language Movement, students had raised funds by saving up from their pocket money. They raised funds from different sources for different movements, but did not receive foreign assistance."

Pointing to NGO representatives present at the convention, Ahmad said: "You don't stand against the eviction of indigenous people from their ancestral lands, encroachment of rivers and land grabbing. You don't stand against pollution through industrial waste."

"Where is your contribution in the field of agriculture? You are speaking of eliminating poverty but you are doing nothing for the betterment of farmers. Rather you are making them poorer by giving loans on high interest."

The NGOs have been used politically, Ahmad alleged. "As a result, the job of NGOs is being hampered. Religion-based NGOs are emerging. Money comes from abroad in the name of religious schools."

On the operations of microcredit by NGOs, he said: "Many NGOs have disappeared into thin air after taking money meant for microcredit. Big corporate NGOs are involved with other businesses."

The civil society leader also advised reviving the roles of NGOs in safeguarding culture and heritage.

We are not counterpart of political parties: CA tells Ctg meet: Upazila election to be held before JS polls

Chittagong Correspondent

Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed here yesterday reaffirmed his government's wish to create an environment where free, fair and credible polls would take place and that is positively by second week of December this year.

He said that the Election Commission had already announced the schedules of local government elections after successful registering of 80 million voters setting a positive instance towards the roadmap earlier drawn by his government.

"The Election Commission (EC) has drafted proposals for the electoral reform what is now awaiting nod from the President. Once okayed the proposals will become law and be enforced by the EC for resisting unwanted people from the race," Dr. Fakhruddin said while clarifying the initiatives taken for steady growth of democratic practices in the country.

He was addressing a colloquium of local dignitaries titled "National Dialogue for Restoring Democracy" as the chief guest at the auditorium of the Institute of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) this afternoon.

Adviser for Commerce and Education to the Caretaker Government Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman moderated the colloquium while Adviser for Local Government and Rural Development Anwarul Iqbal, Adviser for Communications Major General (Retd) Golam Quader and Adviser for Law AF Hasan Ariff accompanied the chief Adviser on the podium.

Chittagong District Administration hosted the colloquium where Divisional Commissioner in Chittagong Hossain Jamil delivered the speech of welcome. The Chief Adviser hoped that the poll campaigning would automatically come under stipulated framework as and when the election laws are enacted and enforced appropriately saying it is the absolute power of the EC either to qualify or disqualify the candidates.

He reminded that the existing government had neither love nor hatred for any political party. "We're not a party to any political group," he asserted.

Though the colloquium agenda was to seek opinions for smoother journey to the democracy, majority of the participants put focus on local utility and infrastructure problems and post-election violence. Only a handful of the participants voted for basic policy changes but for the continuation of this government's initiatives.

Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed pledged to form an expert committee to work out affordable solutions to the ongoing power and gas crisis in the port city saying, "Hopefully a committee will start working on the problems as soon as we get back to Dhaka."

He said that furnace oil-based rented power plant for the port city had been very much within the government's consideration as a short-term remedy to the crisis.

"The ongoing gas crisis forces us to look for alternative fuel for the power plants," he said admitting bleak scenario in the natural gas sector.

Discussing the sustainability of the democratic norms and practices the Chief Adviser said that the government would enact the 'Right to Information Act' soon for ensuring transparent and better governance, essential prerequisite for democratic growth.

He called upon all to show better tolerance to the lapses and shortcomings of this government what had to operate under many limitations and constrains apart from recalling its jurisdiction for bringing constitutional amendment.

Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed justified the city corporation and municipal polls ahead of the parliamentary polls saying it a move to give budding democracy a stronger foundation.

Nearly 40 of the 300 participants gave their opinions on various issues at the colloquium.

Earlier, the Chief Adviser joined a colloquium at Kashem Mahbub High School at Chandanaish in the morning.

Council of Advisers approves budget today

Staff Reporter

The Council of Advisers is expected to approve the proposed budget for fiscal 2008-09 today bringing a few changes in it including raise in the income tax exemption limit for individual taxpayers.

The president will promulgate an ordinance to pass the budget tomorrow following its approval by the Council of advisers as a new financial year begins on July 1.

Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam proposed the Tk 99,962 crore budget on June 9 through his televised speech.

In absence of parliament that was supposed to discuss and approve the budget, the Government invited written and online feedbacks from people on it. The authorities, however, received 542 recommendations within the stipulated time (by June 16) from various quarters.

Officials in the Finance and Planning Ministries told this correspondent that they have minutely examined the suggestions of people as well as stakeholders.

The Finance Adviser also held several meetings with the high level officials discussing efficacy of the suggestions.

The officials indicated that they were considering a proposal to raise the income tax exemption limit for the individual taxpayers.

For consideration by the Advisory Council, some new measures on one or two sectors would be proposed, which was earlier excluded due to intra-sector conflicts.

One-third of the new budget will be used to fight soaring food prices that have left the country's poor vulnerable.

The budget will increase monthly stipends for the poor when it takes effect from July 1. The Government would sell three million tons of rice at a subsidized rate, and that in some cases it would be given away for free.

The new budget offered other measures designed to help the country's poor, including a program to pay for two million unemployed people to work for 100 days.

ACC to probe private varsity anomalies

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission is going to look into corruption and irregularities in the country's private universities soon.

"A special team already constituted by the ACC to investigate corruption in the education sector will start looking into corruption and irregularities in private universities," a competent source told UNB.

The source said the special ACC team, headed by deputy director Syed Iqbal Hossain, would soon start investigating corruption and irregularities in some of the private universities.

The team would look into irregularities in student admission and also see whether the private universities are run as per the relevant government rules and regulations.

Apart from press reports, many complaints are being lodged with the anti-graft watchdog by members of the public about irregularities in private universities.

"The special team can investigate any corruption and irregularity in the education sector as it wants. It doesn't need to depend on complaints or reports," the sources said.

The source added that the head of the special team would soon go to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to know about the findings of the investigations already carried out by the UGC into the irregularities of private universities.

According to the source, the team would soon start investigating corruption, irregularities and financial mismanagement in different projects undertaken by the Education Directorate.

Meanwhile, the ACC team has primarily revealed significant irregularities in inclusion of educational institutions in the Monthly Payment Order (MPO). ACC director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told a Commission's regular briefing Thursday that the team has collected from the Education Ministry the documents relating to inclusion of educational institutions in the MPO.

Examining the files and documents, the team is finding out possible serious irregularities, he said.

Hanif, also the ACC spokesperson, said the special team has so far contacted or planned to contact Viquarunnissa Noon School and College, Motijheel Ideal School and College, Lalmatia Women College, Titumir College and Borhan Uddin College for looking into financial irregularities, mismanagement, appointment of principals, teachers and employees and irregularity relating to students admission.

City, poura polls: 14-party to contest under Nagorik committee banner

UNB, Dhaka

The 14-party alliance led by Awami League might field candidates under the banner of 'Nagorik Committee' to contest the forthcoming elections in some city corporations and municipalities.

Acting Awami League President Zillur Rahman spoke about this possibility yesterday, a day after his party eventually decided to go for the much-debated local polls scheduled for August in four city corporations and nine municipalities.

But, the central body of the alliance would not nominate any candidate for the local elections, being held under the interim regime.

The candidature will be finalized at the grassroots levels, but in case of any dispute regarding candidature, the centre may intervene, he said.

Zillur Rahman was replying to questions from journalists at his Gulshan residence in the afternoon when a delegation of Bangladesh Garment Workers Unity Council (BGWUC) came to meet him.

"Centrally the 14-party alliance will not nominate anybody, nor will it support anyone. But, if several persons stand for the candidature against one area from the alliance, then the centre may intervene to decide what will be the best. But 14-party candidates may contest under the banner of Nagorik Committee," he said.

Asked about their position on the upazila election-which the caretaker government is going to hold before parliament election, too-Zillur Rahman said decision would be taken later on considering time and situation.

The journalists also sought his reaction about the news reports that one member of the AL working committee during its meeting said Sheikh

Hasina had been released and sent abroad following secret agreement with the government.

Zillur Rahman said such report was not true as none of the WC members did talk in such a way.

The BGWUC leaders informed him about their several demands, including increase in their salaries, providing 50 percent dear allowance, transport facilities.

Zillur assured the labor leaders that the AL would provide all necessary assistance to them in realizing their demands.

Is this true?

Bdnews24.com, Dhaka

Blindfolded, the man was driven away by the elite RAB force in a microbus from Kaliganj on the other side of the Buriganga. After some time, the black cloth was taken off.

"I understood the place was Shayestaganj in Lalbagh. From there I was taken to a vacant place in Postogola area. They tried to tie me down. I tried to resist. The RAB men fired blank and shouted, 'The terrorist is fleeing. Catch him. Shoot him.'"

"One of them rode on my chest and started beating me. All the time they were asking me to give them the firearms," says Mohammad Babul, 30, of Ispahani area in Aganagar of Dakhhin Keraniganj in Dhaka.

RAB said he was a suspected criminal, an allegation he laughs off.

"One of them said, 'Shoot him in the leg.' One shot me on the right leg. I screamed in pain. Another said, 'Shoot him again' and I took another bullet in my leg. I was praying to Allah all the time (for my life)."

A RAB officer told the officer-in-charge of Lalbagh Police Station on the phone, "We have caught a terrorist from your area. Come over."

"A police car came in and I was taken into it."

From his bed at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Babul, a clothes trader, recounted how he had survived 'crossfire'.

A bdnews24.com correspondent was stopped at first by policemen from talking to Babul in hospital, as he was under police custody. A phone call to the Lalbagh police chief resulted in the correspondent getting two minutes to speak to Babul.

As Babul was speaking, his wife was wiping tears, her three-year-old son in her arms.

Babul said that he was lucky to be alive and that he was not involved with any criminal activities, a claim the police statements support.

RAB hold onto the "crossfire" story, though. They claim Babul is a 'top terror'.

RAB officials said after the arrest on Thursday afternoon-Wednesday evening, says Babul-when they along with Babul had gone to recover firearms Babul's "accomplices" used to fire on them.

Babul tried to flee during the firefight and received bullet injuries, RAB claimed.

Babul told bdnews24.com that he had gone to Kaliganj to realise dues Wednesday and a team of RAB-10 arrested him there.

"At about 8pm a team of plainclothes RAB personnel suddenly showed up and asked me to go with them. They took me into their vehicle. At about 9:30 pm they took me to the RAB-10 headquarters at Dhalpur in the capital.

"There they beat me. When I asked them what my fault was, a RAB officer said, 'You have mugged Tk 24 lakh. Where are the arms? Bring them out.'

"I said I have no arms but they weren't listening. They detained me there."

"They took me to Shayestaganj in Lalbagh early Thursday morning for 'crossfire'," Babul said.

Babul admitted to bdnews24.com that there had been a fraud case against him.

But he said he had never been involved with criminal activities.

A RAB-10 official, flight lieutenant Mostafa Humayun Kabir said to bdnews24.com: "Babul is a listed top criminal of Kotwali-Islampur area. There are at least seven extortion and fraud cases against him. Most of them are with Kotwali police."

Kotwali police chief Abdul Hannan told bdnews24.com Friday, "There are a number of fraud cases against Babul. But he is not on the list of criminals, let alone being a top criminal."

RAB's Kabir insisted, "Babul is one of the masterminds behind the mugging of Tk 13 lakh, done by exploding bombs in Islampur area in the first half of this month."

On quizzing Babul, the law-enforcers retrieved a revolver and two rounds of bullet, Kabir said.

RAB-10 commanding officer SM Kamal Hossain alleged: "Babul is a criminal in the guise of a clothes trader. He also ran a syndicate of brand forgers and sold counterfeit clothes."

RAB director general Hasan Mahmud Khandaker told bdnews24.com: "I heard about the incident, but I don't have further details."

RAB was formed on March 26, 2004 during the rule of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government as a specialised force to check crimes. With officers drawn from the army, air force, navy and police, the elite force swung into action on April 14, 2004 with the slogan "War against terrorism".

Human rights leader Sultana Kamal said: "A criminal, however notorious, should be tried under law."

Bangladesh signed the United Nations convention against torture which means the country must prevent extrajudicial killings and torture, said the former caretaker government adviser.

RAB courted controversy for killings in so-called crossfire, which international human rights activists describe as extrajudicial killings. They accuse RAB of simply shooting suspects to death after arrests and making up story of armed gunfight with the cohorts of the suspects.

Human-rights organisation Odikhar recorded 184 extrajudicial killings by law-enforcement agencies in 2007, with 94 of them in the hands of RAB officers.

Right to Information Act soon

BSS, Chittagong

Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed on Saturday said with due approval from the President the Right to Information Act (RTI) will be finalised within next few weeks.

"The Council of Advisers has approved in principle the proposed ordinance earlier,"

the Chief Adviser said while making concluding remarks at the maiden regional dialogue in the city held at the auditorium of IEB Chittagong center on Saturday afternoon.

In response to demands from some of the participants, who pleaded for ensuring transparency and accountability of the administration by necessary reforms, Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed said people will get necessary information and know the activities of the government after enactment of the law.

He said the law would play a significant role in ensuring transparency and accountability of the administration.

Around three hundred distinguished personalities representing different professions and social groups attended the regional dialogue titled "National Dialogue for Democratic Transition" moderated by Education and Commerce Adviser Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman.

LGRD and Cooperatives Adviser M Anwarul Iqbal, Communication, Public Works and Housing Adviser Major General (retd) Ghulam Quader, and Law and Religious Affairs Adviser AF Hassan Ariff were present in the dialogue.

4-party alliance reviews latest political situation

UNB, Dhaka

The BNP-led four-party alliance is reviewing the latest political developments as it sits for a crucial meeting today to discuss issues tied to local government polls slated for August 4.

Amid rival Awami League's latest decision endorsing the elections to four city corporations and nine municipalities, the alliance leaders told UNB that they would take a decision on the basis of the reality on the ground.

Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid told UNB by phone: "The government is working beyond its mandate (to hold national polls) but still we will take a decision by giving a serious thought to the issue."

BNP's Standing Committee member Dr RA Gani would not disclose what was going on inside the alliance regarding the local body polls but said:

"We have to take a decision taking all possible aspects into account."

Meanwhile, some BNP leaders said that the alliance might go to local polls if the government fulfilled "certain conditions".

The meeting will be held at the house of Jatiya Party (Manzur) chairman Andalib Rahman at 3 pm.

The alliance will hold another meeting on Monday at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in the city to protest against soaring prices of daily commodities and recent hikes in fertilizer prices.