The New Nation - Internet Edition

BB to return siphoned off money to NBR: Banks asked to curb high-risk loan

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed yesterday said that the central bank is ready to deposit the siphoned off money to the National Board of Revenue, which was brought back and deposited with them during the massive anti-corruption drive.

NBR has requested the central bank to give the money back so they could adjust the money against due VAT and taxes of the people who deposited the money with the bank.

"We have been asked to do so," Dr Saleh Uddin told reporters, replying to a question, after holding meeting with chief executives of public, private and specialised banks.

He said: "Bangladesh Bank has nothing to do in this regard. We will give the money back if the government wants."

Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam informed in his budget speech for the FY 2008-09 that Tk 1,219 crore has been deposited with the central bank against siphoned off money.

The central bank in the meeting directed the bankers to increase loan in productive purposes by limiting financing in luxury purpose.

The central bank asked the banks to give more credit to the fishermen of Sidr-hit areas, as NGO credits are too expensive for the poor fishermen to afford.

"Bangladesh Bank will issue guidelines in this regard, if necessary," Dr Salehuddin said.

The banks are being directed to make investments in line with the monetary policy of BB that encourages credit flow to create employment by increasing growth.

The Governor pointed out banks often tended to invest large amounts in risky sectors like real estate for higher profits, ignoring more productive sectors.

Dr Salehuddin also said bank executives assured him there was no liquidity crisis in banks.

He said that the majority of banks have narrowed the gap between deposit and lending rates to 5 percentage points, according to the central bank's directive.

But some banks were non-compliant, Governor Dr Salehuddin said, adding: "some were trying to slim the spread by raising the interest rate on deposits and maintaining high interest rates on loans."

He warned those banks of stern action. "Action will also be taken against the banks yet to cut the gap to 5 percentage points," he added.

He said bankers have been asked to explain soon why they could not reduce their lending rates and interest spreads.

Meanwhile Bdnews adds: The central bank has directed banks to cut loans to high-risk sectors, such as real estate, and prioritise more productive sectors to aid economic growth, the Bangladesh Bank governor said yesterday.

After a meeting with chief executives of public, private and specialised banks, BB chief Salehuddin Ahmed told reporters that the quality of bank loans would be supervised to make sure that banks properly complied with the directive.

The Governor said monetary policy for July-December had been designed giving the highest priority to productive sectors.

"Creating employment by increasing growth, achieving expected GDP growth and cuts in poverty have been given emphasis," he said.

"The banks are being directed to make investments in line with such monetary policy."

The Governor pointed out banks often tended to invest large amounts in risky sectors like real estate for higher profits, ignoring more productive sectors.

He lauded the majority of banks for narrowing the spread between deposit and lending rates to 5 percentage points, according to the central bank's directive.

But some banks were non-compliant, he said, adding: "some were trying to slim the spread by raising the interest rate on deposits and maintaining high interest rates on loans."

He warned those banks of stern action. "Action will also be taken against the banks yet to cut the spread to 5 percentage points," he added.

Salehuddin also said bank executives assured him there was no liquidity crisis in banks.

Gas leak fire panics city people: Traffic disrupted

Fire seeping out from the middle of VIP road at
Bangla Motor as underground gas pipe ruptured yesterday.
FocusBangla

Staff Reporter

Road communication between Farmgate and Shahbag remained disrupted for three hours from 3-30 pm yesterday as the underground gas pipe of the Titas gas distribution line in the middle of the road near the Bangla Motors intersection caught fire.

Panic surged the area soon after the outbreak of the fire .The leaping flame of fire gripped the commuters with panic and they ran helter skelter in all directions for safety.

The police later stopped the movement of traffic upto Bangla Motors intersection.

The suspension of the movement of all kinds of vehicles created heavy traffic jam from the National Press Club to the Rangs Bhaban near the old Tegaon airport causing immense sufferings of thousands of home bound commuters. Heavy traffic snarl was also noticed at Kawran Bazar and Hotel Sonargaon intersection.

The personnel of the Fire Brigade and Titas Gas Company came to the scene and extinguished the fire at around 5-45 pm after two hours of struggle.

When asked about the cause of the fire at the underground gas pipe line, an official of the Titas Gas Company said it could be ascertained only after proper investigation.

UNB adds - Four female employees of Igloo Ice cream factory fell sick after inhaling gas following a pipeline explosion in the city's Shyampur yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon.

Police said heavy smoke filled inside the factory when a gas pipe line of the ice cream factory at Kutubpur suddenly exploded with a big bang at about 1pm.

Four employees-- Rebecca, 16, Suma, 16, Rashida, 25, and Kabita, 16--engaged in making ice cream at that time fell unconscious due to inhaling the gas. They were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Fresh border skirmishes at Chapainawabganj: Cross-border trade, immigration come to a halt

Hundreds of goods laden trucks remain stranded at
Sona Masjid Land Port as the export and import were halted
through the port following exchange of fire between BDR and
BSF members on Chapainawabganj border yesterday.
FocusBangla

Desk Report

Indian Border Security Forces(BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles(BDR) yesterday exchanged fire on Pirojpur border in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj and Nimtala border in Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga in a fresh skirmish, leaving one Bangladeshi farmer dead and scaring local people once again.

Border sources said cross-border trade and immigration through Sonamasjid land-port halted following the encounter between Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) troops.

None was reported hurt in the firing between the border guards of the two countries, which the sources said occurred following an encounter between BSF and gunmen inside India.

Contact between Sonamasjid immigration check-post in Bangladesh and Mahdipur immigration check-post on the Indian side snapped for the firing.

A Bangladeshi and Indian national got stranded at the immigration check-post on the other side of the border till the filing of the report because of the closure.

Besides, no trucks carrying commodities from India had reached Sonamasjid land-port till 1am, the sources said.

BDR sources said BSF troops from Sultanpur camp in India opened across the border at about 6:15am, forcing BDR jawans to fire back.

Commander of 39 battalion of BDR Lt Col Golam Kibria told UNB that they had first heard sound of firing by the BSF inside India at about 6am.

"At one stage, fire was opened towards us. In response, we fired one shot," the commander said.

The paramilitary BDR troops were put on high alert on the northwestern border after the firing.

The BDR sources also said that they came to know that a shootout between Indian terrorists and the BSF occurred before the firing through the border towards Bangladesh.

Two BSF troops were reported killed and an Indian citizen was wounded in that encounter.

Earlier last Friday, the BSF troops gunned down two BDR personnel in Raghunathpur border area in the same frontier uapazila of the district.

In another firing a Bangladeshi farmer was shot dead by

BSF at Nimtala border in Damurhuda upazila early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Rakibul Islam, 35, son of Babar Ali of Sultanpur village of the upazila.

BDR sources the BSF troops from Gede border in India opened fire on Rakibul Islam, killing him on the spot when he went to his cropland near the main pillar of the border at about 5:30am. Later, the Indian border guards took away the body.

BDR personnel sent a letter to their Indian counterparts demanding immediate return of the body.

According to official sources some 78 Bangladeshi people, including two BDR jawans, have been killed by Indian border security forces across the border since January this year.

In last Friday, BSF troops gunned down two BDR jawans at Raghunathpur border in Shibganj upazila of Chainawabganj district.

Odhikar, a human rights organisation, revealed in their recent report that some 707 Bangladeshi people have been killed by the BSF forces in last eight years.

CPM expels Somnath: 8 BJP MPs expelled

Somnath:

PTI, New Delhi

A defiant Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee was yesterday expelled by CPM in the wake of his refusal to quit the post in line with the directive of the party with which he was associated for four decades.

"The Politburo of the CPM has unanimously decided to expel Somnath Chatterjee from the membership of the party with immediate effect," a Politburo statement said after its meeting chaired by General Secretary Prakash Karat, that discussed his defiance ever since the party withdrew support to the UPA government.

The party invoked Article 19 (13) of its constitution to expel him under summary procedures without any notice on the charge of "seriously compromising" the party position.

The 79-year old barrister and ten-time MP, Chatterjee rejected both subtle and explicit hints from the party leadership, which asked him to quit the post to which he was elected unanimously after the 2004 elections, saying he was above party politics given the post he held.

In the last fortnight he had been maintaining that he would take an appropriate decision, but it became increasingly clear that he was not going to oblige the party diktat. Even

on Wednesday he maintained he may be going to Kuala Lumpur for a Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference early next month.

The party hoped that Chatterjee, who was leader of its Parliamentary Party in the Lok Sabha for some time, would quit before the confidence vote on Monday, but he went ahead and presided over the proceedings of the two-day Special Session that ended on Tuesday.

After persuasion by CPM patriarch Jyoti Basu and others failed, the party is understood to have deputed one of its senior leaders Biman Bose to tell him that he give up the post in the light of the changed situation.

Meanwhile, Somnath Chatterjee yesterday declined to comment on the CPI(M) decision to expel him from the party.

BJP expels 8 MPs

Cracking the whip on MPs who defied the party in Parliament, the BJP yesterday expelled eight Lok Sabha members, who bailed out the UPA government either by cross-voting or remaining absent during voting in the confidence motion.

"We have expelled eight MPs who either cross-voted or abstained during the trust vote," BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters here after a meeting of senior party leaders at Leader of Opposition L K Advani's residence.

While four MPs were expelled for voting in favour of the government in the trust vote in Lok Sabha last night, four others faced the action for remaining absent.

The expelled Lok Sabha members are Brijbhushan Sharan Singh (Balrampur), Manjunath (Dharwad), Chandrabhan Singh (Damoh), H T Sangliana (Bangalore North), Manorama (Udipi), Haribhav Madhav (Jalgaon), Babubhai Katara (Dohad) and Somabhai Patel (Surendranagar).

"But for cross-voting and abstentions, the UPA would not have won. This government was formed with the help of tainted people who were included in the ministrytThis is a tainted victory," Advani said. PTI

Stung by violation of party directives in the confidence motion, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu yesterday expelled his party MP M Jagannatham for defying the whip and voting in favour of the UPA government.

The party was also seeking an explanation from another party MP, Adikesavulu, for indiscipline, said Naidu, who played a key role in stitching new alliances against the government.

"We are expelling Jagannatham from the party. Since there was some confusion about the voting of Adikesavulu, we are seeking explanation from him. I am verifying reports about his voting, if he has also violated the whip, he will also be expelled," he told reporters here.

Questioning why so many Central ministers had approached Adikesavulu, elected from Chittoor, during the voting process, Naidu alleged that there was also pressure on the member from the Chief Minister Y S Rajashekhara Reddy.

Asked whether money was offered to lure Jagannatham, who was elected from Nagarkurnool in Andhra Pradesh, Naidu said, "you have to verify from him. For 13 years he was a member of the party. This way of behaving only showed greediness".

Accusing the Congress of pursuing "dirty politics", the former Chief Minister said the trust vote was a "big farce, bad for democracy and shameful to the nation".

He said 21 members of the House who cross-voted on Tuesday were liable to be disqualified.

Tapes of alleged bribe-taking handed over to Indian Speaker: Nobody will be spared if found guilty: Somnath: Monmohan promises to cooperate with inquiry

Agency

The Indian government's win in a vote of confidence has been "tainted" by charges of vote buying, newspapers say.

Opposition MPs had waved wads of money in the house alleging they were offered bribes to abstain during horse-trading. The government survived Tuesday's vote over a nuclear deal with the US by 275 votes to 256. Indian shares rose more than 5% as markets welcomed the result.

The vote came after the Government's left-wing allies withdrew their support in protest at the controversial accord.

If the Congress party-led government had lost the vote, India would have faced early elections, casting the nuclear deal in doubt. The opposition claimed that a news channel had secretly recorded the alleged bribe taking. The channel handed the tapes over to the parliament speaker Somnath Chatterjee for investigation.

Chatterjee said Tuesday was a "very sad day" for the Indian parliament, adding: "Nobody will be spared if found guilty."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has promised his party will co-operate in an inquiry into the claims.

"Whatever be the veracity of the accusations made by three BJP [main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party] MPs [who alleged that they were offered bribes] what is needed if the nation even hopes to come to terms with this body blow of India's parliamentary democracy is an inquiry into the allegation."

"Democracy is what we make of it and it seems very clear that at some basic level, we have made a hash of it."

The Times Of India said that the 19-vote victory came "after the managers of the Manmohan Singh government had outmanoeuvred and outgunned the opposition in what has been one of the murkiest contests in parliamentary history - a contest in which charges of bribery and misuse of CBI [the federal detective agency] drowned all other substantive issues on debate".

The newspaper said as many as 14 MPs had defied their parties to support the government, while four went against party whips by abstaining or staying away.

Writing in The Indian Express, political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta said Tuesday's incidents in the parliament pointed to the "abominable" depths that Indian politics had sunk to.

"What has been established beyond doubt is that the bags of money have not just a metaphor for the character of our politics, they have become its means and its essence," he wrote.

"It would be prudent not to prejudge the allegations. But it has to be said that either way this episode reflects the abominable depths in our politics.

"We have a politics without scruples, without principles, without common decency and without common prudence."

Pratap Bhanu Mehta said the PM had lost his "moral identity" despite winning the trust vote.

"We had a prime minister whose trump card was integrity. But in order to retain political control rather than face elections, he lost his own moral identity."

"UPA [United Progressive Alliance, the governing coalition] wins vote, loses trust," The Pioneer newspaper said in its headline.

"The manner in which it [the government] stacked up numbers in its favour has resulted in its losing the trust of the people," the paper wrote.

"It is at best a pyrrhic victory which will delight only those who have scant regard and ever less respect for ethics and probity in politics."

"Shame! Go for polls to regain glory," said The Economic Times.

"If power is not its own end for this government, the prime minister must use his new-found authority and public esteem to squarely address the malaise of money power in politics," the paper wrote.

Two directors from depositors made mandatory

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has asked the commercial banks, except foreign banks, to appoint two directors from among the depositors in their respective boards.

The central bank issued a circular in this regard yesterday which also delineates the guideline for the appointment, in line with the existing Bank Companies Act.

To qualify for the post a depositor will have to be highly educated in economics, banking or related fields. He or she must not be a service holder or director of any bank company, insurance company, financial institution or stock exchange.

S/he or her family members must not hold more than one percent share of the concerned bank and s/he will have to continue to deposit in the concerned bank after being appointed as a director there, says the circular.

Members of any political party, loan defaulters and tax defaulters will not be eligible to be a director, the BB circular says.

The central bank formulated the regulation on the basis of stakeholders' opinions, officials of the central bank said.

On May 29 last, the BB made a public announcement seeking fresh opinions from the people to finalise the rule of appointing two depositor directors.

Under the rule, the board of directors of a bank will submit proposal to the central bank seeing approval on appointment of the directors.

The appointment will be effective after receiving approval from the central bank. The central bank might seek more names for appointment of the directors from the board of directors of the bank concerned.

A three-member high-powered committee, headed by BB governor, will select the two directors for each commercial bank from among the depositors and appoint them for a three-year term.

Earlier, on April 6 last, the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) sent a letter to the central bank raising objection to its move on appointment of two directors from among individual depositors in every bank.

On April 17 last, the central bank turned down the private commercial banks plea and asked them to submit fresh recommendations in this regard within two weeks.

On May 22 last, the central bank sought fresh proposals from the BAB to frame the modalities of selection of two directors from among depositors in each commercial bank.

Disabled deprived of polling booth facility

Mahbubur Rahman Khan

A large number of physically challenged people will not be able to exercise their voting rights in the coming local government elections as no special arrangement has been made for them in the polling centers.

Of the 140 million total population in the country, the number of disabled people stands at 14 million, of which 7.5 million are voters, said Mozammel Haque, Advocacy Coordinator of Action on Disability and Development (ADD).

Talking to The New Nation, he pointed out that many of disabled people would not be able to stand on the queue for a long time at the polling booths. They should, therefore, be provided with separate queues to enable them to cast their votes without any difficulty.

He said that disabled people should be spared from going upstairs where necessary for casting votes.

Mozammel pleaded with Election Commision to make special arrangements for disabled voters and widely publicise the arrangements for them at the polling booths.

He also laid stress on creating mass awareness for encouraging the physically challenged voters to exercise their right of franchise. Otherwise, many of the disabled voters will not turn up at the polling centers, he noted. He further said that the forthcoming local government election was test case for the Election Commission to encourage these people to come to the polling centers for casting votes. If it succeeded in motivating the physically challenged voters to come to the polling centers in the local government elecion, it would generate great enthusiasm among them to participate in the national election, he added.

When contacted, an official of the EC said that no special arrangement was underway for the disabled voters. He, however, noted that special attention would be given to them at the polling centers on humanitarian ground.

Earlier the Chief Election Commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda said that EC would try relentlessly to ensure the voting rights of the disabled and create favorable polling environment for them national election.

Truth Commission to function in 10 days

Staff Reporter

The much-talked-about the Truth and Accountability Commission will start its functioning within next 10 days.

"The process of formation of the Commission is now at the final stage. We do hope that it will be able to start its activities within next seven to 10 days," said Adviser for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs AF Hassan Ariff while talking to reporters after a meeting at the Ministry of Shipping at the Secretariat.

The Truth Commission has been formed with a view to giving a scope of the clemency for the high-profile corrupt elements.

The Cabinet on May 25 approved the Right to Voluntary Disclosure Ordinance 2008 in this regard and the President promulgated the ordinance on June 5. Later on July 6, the cabinet, however, proposed a number of amendments to the ordinance.

The ordinance provided the provision that anybody who has already been convicted in a graft case, with a sentence of two years or less, would get the scope of mercy if he or she confesses about his/her illegal earnings and returns those within a certain timeframe.

The ordinance, however, said the persons who would make voluntary disclosure about their illegal wealth would be disqualified for a period not exceeding five years from holding any offices, including Parliament, zila parishad, upazila parishad, union parishad, municipality, city corporation, or any trade organisation and professional body, or any post in any bank, financial organisation or public limited company or any other organisations formed under the constitution or any law, the ordinance said.

The Commission will run for five months with three members. The president will appoint one of the three members as chairman of the commission, the ordinance said.

Those eligible to be members of the commission are retired chief justices, retired justices of the Appellate Division, retired army officials ranked major general or above, retired government officials ranked as secretary or equal designation.

Asked whether former Chief Adviser Justice Habibur Rahman is going to be the chairman of the Commission the adviser parried the question saying that this also would be announced within 10 days.

Earlier, the government has appointed 26 officials and staffers on deputation for the commission and established its office on Minto Road.

WB to finance small power plants

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Bank signed a Facility Access Agreement with NCC Bank Limited yesterday whereby the NCC Bank is borrowing US$ 24 million from the World Bank supported Investment Promotion and Financing Facility (IPFF) Project for financing three small power plants (SPPs) to be set up by Doreen Power Generations and Systems Limited. The three SPPs are expected to add 66MW of additional power in the national grid between October and December this year.

Md Abul Quasem, IPFF Project Director and Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank and Md Nurul Amin, Managing Director of NCC Bank Limited signed the agreement at the Bangladesh Bank premise where senior officials from the World Bank, Bangladesh Bank and NCC Bank were also present.

Earlier the World Bank approved US$ 50.0 million equivalent IPFF Project to introduce longer term financing for private sector led infrastructure initiatives within the Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework.

"Due to the ongoing preference for shorter term financing and with limited capacity, the local financial institutions are not yet keen to finance infrastructure projects for a longer term like 10- 15 years" said Xian Zhu, the World Bank Country Director. "The IPFF would enhance capacity of the local financial sector and bolster their ability for financing the much needed PPP ventures in infrastructure sector".

Local financial institutions can apply for IPFF fund through Bangladesh Bank "As the country is facing acute power crisis, IPFF so far has received funding application for six small power plants to be set up by private sector entrepreneurs", said A.K.M. Abdullah, Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank. "Infrastructure projects from other sectors like roads, bridges, flyovers, container terminals, telecommunication, waste management etc. are also eligible for IPFF fund"

The IPFF project cell in Bangladesh Bank provides all necessary supports to the financial institutions and also to the private sector entrepreneurs in handling the project modalities and in application processing.

Sugar output likely to decline as fertiliser crisis looms

Shamim Jahangir

Production of sugar is likely to decline this year as the growth of sugarcane suffered a setback for want of fertilisers.

Many of the growers failed to apply fertilisers on sugarcane fields due to its acute crisis, sources in the Bangladesh Sugar and Industries Corporation (BSFIC), said.

"We fixed the target of sugar production at 1,63,844 tonnes this year, but actual production will elude the target because of non-availability of fertilisers as per the requirement of the growers", sources added.

The 15 BSFIC run sugar mills across the country on an average produce 1.50 lakh tonnes to 1.60 lakh tonnes of sugar annually against the total demand of 12 lakh tonnes.

The 15 sugar mills have a capacity to produce 2,10,400 tonnes pf sugar. But they cannot run to their full capacity because of shortage of sugarcane, according to sources.

A total of 2,27,500 acres of land were targeted for production of sugarcane by BSFIC in 2007-8,but it was cultivated on 2,17,065 acres.

"We will get 18.66 tonnes of sugarcane from each acre of land against the projection of 20.20 tonnes this year," a senior official of BSFIC said adding, "We will get less than 1.54 tonnes of sugarcane from each acre this year due to less application of fertilisers".

"We have got 11,137 tonnes urea fertiliser, 8,018 of TSP and 2,600 tonnes of MOP against the demand of 21521 tonnes of urea, 13,903 tonnes of TSP and 13,103 tonnes of MOP for producing 40,51,137 tonnes of yield," BSFIC sources said.

The supply of fertilisers fell short of requirement by 26,773 tonnes, sources added.

Besides, a total of 74,000 hectares of land were brought under the cultivation of sugarcane under the supervision of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) to produce 35.66 lakh tonnes of sugarcane.

"Due to less application of fertiliser on the lands the growth of sugarcane will suffer, DAE sources said.

S Arabia to construct 10,000 houses for Sidr-victims

BSS, Dhaka

The newly appointed Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr. Abdullah Bin Naser Al Busairi paid a courtesy call to Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed at the latter's office here on yesterday afternoon.

During the meeting, they discussed matters relating to bilateral issues of mutual interests, including the expansion of trade and business between the two friendly countries, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim told journalists.

Fahim said the Saudi envoy appreciated the role of Bangladeshi workers in his country, saying they were peace loving and law-abiding people. These people, he said, have been contributing to the development of both countries.

Welcoming the Ambassador at his office, Dr. Fakhruddin expressed the hope that the existing relations between the two Muslim brotherly countries would be further geared up in the days ahead, especially during the tenure of Dr. Naser in Bangladesh.

The Chief Adviser said trade and business should be further expanded for the benefit of the two countries. He said Saudi Arabia could import world-class Bangladesh pharmaceuticals and garments.

The entrepreneurs of Saudi Arabia, he said, can also invest more in Bangladesh for higher return, taking the advantage of a favourable investment atmosphere here.

Extending invitation to the King of Saudi Arabia to visit Bangladesh, Dr Fakhruddin said the high level visit can help increase people to people contact between the two countries.

The Chief Adviser expressed gratitude to the government of Saudi Arabia for employing and hosting 1.7 million Bangladeshi workers and said Bangladesh was ready to send more workers to the middle-eastern country.

The Saudi envoy in this connection said his embassy grants 1,000 visas everyday in Dhaka.

In this connection, he said, the Caretaker Government has been providing training and pre-departure briefing to Bangladesh migrants on local laws before they leave for Saudi Arabia .

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed said apart from the unskilled, many skilled Bangladeshi workers like doctors and engineers were also working in Saudi Arabia with dignity and handsome salaries.

Appreciating the role of King Abdullah, the custodian of two holy mosques for spearheading interfaith dialogue in Spain, the Chief Adviser said the meet would contribute towards building a tolerant and peaceful world at its critical juncture of time.

The Chief Adviser also expressed gratitude to the government of Saudi Arabia for its donation to Bangladesh's Sidr and flood victims. He said Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh have been contributing together to the world's peace and stability.

Referring to Saudi assistance for the cyclone victims, the Saudi envoy informed the Chief Adviser that as part of the commitment, his country would send materials during the holy month of Ramadan to construct 10,000 houses for the cyclone affected people.

Secretary to the Chief Adviser's Office Kazi M Aminul Islam and Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Syed Fahim Munaim were present on the occasion.

Reinstating 10 judges: Petition moved for overturning HC order

Staff Reporter

A lawyer yesterday moved an petition before the Chamber Judge of the Supreme Court seeking permission to have a High Court order overturned that asked the government to reinstate 10 unconfirmed additional judges as regular judges of the High Court.

Supreme Court lawyer Ashrafuzzaman submitted the petition moved by senior Advocate TH Khan.

After a brief hearing, Chamber Judge Justice MA Matin referred the petition to the full bench of the Appellate Division for hearing on July 29.

On July 17, a 3-member bench of the High Court declared illegal and unconstitutional the government's decision of non-confirmation of the services of 10 additional judges of the High Court.

The High Court also asked the government to appoint them within a month.