The New Nation - Internet Edition

Duty free export to India: Only 650,000 out of 80 lakh pieces despatched

Syful Islam

Only 6.5 lakh out of 80 lakh pieces of Readymade Garment (RMG) so far could be exported to India with duty and quota free facilities that the neighbouring country allowed under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) deal.

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) so far allocated quota of 21.78 lakh pieces RMG in favour of 32 factories. The rest 73.74 lakh pieces of RMG quota is yet to be allocated.

Only 5 months of the quota year is left to export the rest of the pieces to India.

Sources in the EPB said some strict regulations of the government have created obstacles to the export of RMG to India with duty free facilities.

According to the regulations, exporters have to collect 'Confirmed Irrevocable Letter of Credit' to get export order to India under the SAFTA facilities. Besides, quota of no more than 2 lakh pieces of RMG can be allocated in favour of an exporter.

Sources said some of the exporters already have exported 2 lakh pieces of RMG to India and they are waiting for more quota allocation. But the EPB could not allocate more quotas in favour of them due to the existing rules.

EPB's quota monitoring committee at a recent meeting has proposed the government to change the regulations allowing repeat/performance quota in favour of exporters after they export 2 lakh pieces.

Besides the committee also recommended allocation of quota to the exporters based on purchase order or contract alongside the 'Confirmed Irrevocable Letter of Credit'. They said it will ease the export procedure, expedite RMG export and free the exporters from hassle.

An official of the Ministry of Commerce said India should allow more RMG from Bangladesh with duty and quota free facilities. He said 80 lakh pieces of RMG are so little for RMG giant Bangladesh.

On September 16, 2007 Bangladesh signed a deal with India for exporting 80 lakh pieces RMG with zero-tariff access facility.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Commerce Ministry and the Indian High Commission in Dhaka under the purview of the SAFTA deal among the SAARC member-countries.

As per the Safta agreement, developing countries in SAARC -- India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- will bring down their customs duties to 0-5 per cent by 2013, while the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan will implement it by 2018.

DU teachers, students demand withdrawal of all cases

Dhaka University students wore black badges
yesterday in observance of black day of August 23.
FocusBangla

DU Correspondent

With the demand of withdrawal of all cases in connection with the August incident last year, teachers and students of Dhaka University wearing black badges observed a 'Black Day' on the Dhaka University campus yesterday as some teachers of the university were arrested on the day. Students who languished in jail for many days for their role in the August incident last year arranged a solidarity meeting at the foot of Aparajeyo Bangla to mark the day and also demanding withdrawal of cases filed against them.

Teachers-newly elected Dean of Social Science Faculty Prof Harun-or-Rashid, AAMS Arefin Siddique, DU Teachers` Association general secretary Anwar Hossain, Mohammad Samad and the student organisations-Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Left leaning organisations have expressed solidarity with the meeting.

However, the teachers backed by BNP-Jamaat were lukewarm in their observance of the day as no teachers participated in the programme.

Prof Harun-ur-Rashid said, "History will judge the government's actions on the August 23."

"We don't want any further conflict, we only want a congenial academic atmosphere. The government must ensure that such incidents do not recur," he said.

Prof AAMS Arefin Siddiqui of Journalism Department said, "DU students had sacrificed lives in the past for the sake of fundamental rights and democracy."

"As a guardian of students I urge the government to withdraw the cases so that their future is not destroyed," he said.

Later, JCD brought out a procession on the campus and held a rally at the 'Battala' of the university while BCL formed a human chain stretching from central library to the western gate of Arts Building.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Chhatra Front, Chhatra Federation separately observed the day by holding processions and demonstrations on the campus.

Two senior DU professors Md Anwar Hossain and Harun-ur-Rashid were arrested on August 23, 2007, following violent clashes that erupted over the demand for withdrawal of an army camp from the campus.

The DUTA president Sadrul Amin, Prof Nimchandra Bhowmik and a number of students were also arrested in following days.

Hawkers, developers occupy 40 pc of city’s footpaths

Building materials and shop wares stacked on the
pavement of city roads narrow the footpath for pedestrians
to move freely. FocusBangla

Mamunur Rashid

At least 40 per cent of city's footpath is occupied by building materials of Real Estate Companies and street-hawkers. The occupiers are allegedly paying tolls to police, BRTA and DCC employees for smooth running of their business.

Most of the footpaths, under the control of the local musclemen, are being rented to Iftar item sellers and hawkers rushing to the capital for Eid business seven days ahead of Ramzan.

According to Strategic Transport Planning (STP) report Dhaka Metropolitan City has around 388 km of footpaths for smooth movement of city dwellers but hawkers and real estate developers have occupied around 155 km of the footpaths, the report said.

As most of the footpaths are under occupation, it is very difficult for the pedestrians to use them. Sometimes they are forced to step on to the main road for passing that area. As a result, many of them meet tragic end to their lives under the wheels of speeding buses or other heavy vehicles.

Those eager to protect their precious lives pass through the hawkers' occupied pavements or footpaths only to become the victims of pickpocket or other petty criminals. Apart from these, the pedestrians also receive injuries, as the construction materials including rods, bricks and other materials are stacked on the footpaths and roadside indiscriminately.

When asked about the irregularities on the footpaths, an official of the Estate Department of DCC said, "We are not authorised to monitor these irregularities. We just evict unauthorised occupants, demolish illegal structures and business establishments from the footpaths on the basis of our zonal office reports. Special teams of engineering department of the BRTA are responsible for taking steps against these issues," he added.

Earlier, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripaksha (RAJUK) and Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) with the help of different law enforcing agencies launched a massive drive to evict the hawkers, vendors and demolished the illegal structures and business establishments in order to reduce traffic jam and ensure smooth movement of pedestrians.

With the conclusion of the drive, hawkers have reoccupied a major part of the city's footpaths while contractors and traders continue to store building materials on the pavements illegally. The city footpaths remain full with buyers and sellers throughout the day. The city dwellers cannot reach their destination in time.

Visiting some areas, this correspondent found that the footpaths of Motijheel, Baitul Mokarrum, Gulistan, Paltan, Newmarket, Nilkhet, Dhaka College Gate, Farmgate, Science Laboratory Crossing and Mirpur-10 areas have turned into sprawling markets displaying different daily necessities like vegetables, fruits, garments and spices ahead of the holy month of Ramzan.

Four underpasses have been constructed at Gabtoli inter-district bus terminal, Karwan Bazar, Gulistan and Jatrabari for ensuring the smooth movement of pedestrians. But all these have become dens of cheats, snatchers, drug peddlers and drug addicts. At night all sorts of anti social activities are carried out in these places.

Senior officials of Detective Branch of Police said as per the directives of higher authority, a huge number of law enforcers from different law enforcement agencies will be deployed in and around the capital to combat the unlawful activities during the holy month.

Argentina win football gold

Argentina's Angel Di Maria celebrates after scoring
the goal against Nigeria at the Beijing Olympics on
Saturday. AP photo

AP, Beijing

Angel di Maria's goal gave Argentina its second Olympic football title in a row, a 1-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday.

Di Maria collected a through ball from Lionel Messi in the 58th minute to give 2004 winner Argentina another gold medal and leave the Nigerians, champions in 1996, the silver.

Brazil won the bronze on Friday by beating Belgium 3-0 in Shanghai.

The only football game to be played in Beijing's Olympic stadium, Saturday's match was watched by a crowd of 89,102 - including Argentina great Diego Maradona - but hampered by very hot

conditions. The referee took the rare step of twice allowing players to stop and take drinks.

This was the first football game to be staged in the Bird's Nest which had the entire playing surface bathed in sunshine at kickoff time. The 90,000 capacity stadium was nowhere near full at kickoff time but had filled up by midway through the first half by which time the heat on the field had built up to 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit).

After 30 minutes play, Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai took the unusual step of using a free kick stoppage to let players take a two-minute break to drink water and try and cool down. Not surprisingly in the searing heat, the game was poor quality in the first half with too many mistakes, misplaced passes and players trying to move slowly around the field to conserve energy.

After Peter Odenwingie's free kick had tested Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero into a diving save in the sixth minute, Juan Roman Riquelme fired one over the bar.

Messi had a penalty appeal turned down when he tumbled over Dele Adeleye's challenge and was told to play on by the referee.

Nigeria almost went ahead shortly after the drink break when Odemwingie crossed from the left and Promise Isaac just missed the ball in front of goal. The ball came back and Isaac's looping header

was saved by Romero above his head.

Argentina, and Messi in particular, were very disappointing in the first half but Di Maria almost made the breakthrough with a 30-meter (yard) shot which Ambruse Vanzekin pushed round the post at

full stretch.

Messi produced one of his special moments in the 50th minute when he spun past a defender just outside the area and fired a left-footed drive which Vanzekin punched away.

Then came his pass that set up the goal.

Riquelme went into a tackle inside the center circle and the ball spun out to Messi who immediately released Di Maria clear of the Nigerian defense. The Benfica midfielder had only goalkeeper

Vanzekin to beat and nonchalantly lobbed the ball over him into an empty net.

Victor Obinna had a chance to level in the 63rd when he had a clear shot at goal but stabbed it straight at the goalkeeper.

Hesitancy by Javier Mascherano in his own area gave Ebenezer Alijore a shot at goal but it rolled wide of the post and then Sani Kaita fired over the bar from the edge of the area.

Sharif to endorse Zardari’s presidency if he abandons power to dissolve parliament

Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif

AFP, Islamabad

The widower of Pakistan's assassinated former premier Benazir Bhutto was Saturday considering whether to run for president, but the country's ruling coalition remained riven by squabbles.

Asif Ali Zardari on Friday won the unanimous backing of lawmakers from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), but has yet to announce if he will stand in the September 6 poll that will choose a successor to Pervez Musharraf.

Musharraf's resignation on Monday and the race to replace him come amid a prolonged battle with Islamic militants who have carried out suicide bombings and fighting on the Afghan border of nuclear-armed Pakistan.

The fragile coalition government comprising the PPP, now led by Zardari, and the party of another former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, is at loggerheads over how to reinstate dozens of judges sacked by Musharraf last year.

Political instability and a nosediving economy have alarmed Western nations looking for continuity after the departure of Musharraf, a key US ally, but talks between the PPP and Sharif's party have so far failed to make headway.

Zardari is seen as a frontrunner for the presidency despite having previously denied any ambitions for the post made vacant when Musharraf stepped down in the face of looming impeachment charges.

"Zardari thanked Pakistan People's Party of which he is the co-chairman and said he will announce his decision within the next 24 hours," Information Minister Sherry Rehman said Friday, announcing the PPP's backing for Zardari.

There was no indication when Zardari might announce his intentions.

The fate of the 60 judges, including the chief justice, has become a political sticking point with crucial repercussions for the coalition.

Sharif has asked the PPP to tell him if the judges can get their jobs back on Monday, having previously threatened to quit the coalition if they were not reinstated by Friday.

The former premier-who was ousted by Musharraf in a 1999 coup-had said representatives of the two parties would draft a resolution on restoring the judges over the weekend and then introduce it in parliament on Monday.

A resolution on the reinstatement of the judges would require the PPP's support, but the party has shown no sign yet of keeping a pledge made in May to put them back on the bench.

Meanwhile, Sharif said Saturday after a meeting with PPP stalwarts in the eastern city of Lahore that he would back Zardari's presidential bid if he does away with the presidential power to dissolve parliament, created by Musharraf.

In restive northwest Pakistan, the military said troops had killed up to 35 militants in an offensive in the troubled Swat valley after a suicide attack on a police station killed seven people, including three policemen.

A double Taliban suicide bombing at Pakistan's biggest weapons factory on Thursday, the deadliest ever attack on a Pakistani military site, has put fresh pressure on the coalition to end its bickering and focus on militant violence.

Critics have suggested that Zardari is against the return of crusading chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry because he could overturn an amnesty on corruption charges that allowed Bhutto and Zardari to return to Pakistan.

Bhutto was killed in a suicide attack at an election campaign rally in December and the parties in the current ruling coalition defeated Musharraf's allies in polls held in February.

Biden named Obama’s running mate

Joseph Biden

AFP, Chicago

Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama early Saturday named Senator Joseph Biden as his vice presidential running mate, according to a cellphone text message sent by his campaign to supporters.

"Barack has chosen Senator Joe Biden to be our VP nominee," the message said.

It called on supporters to go to Obama's website to watch the new running mates appear together for their first rally at 3:00 pm (2000 GMT) Saturday, when the candidate is scheduled to speak in Springfield, Illinois.

"Spread the word!" the message ended.

Republican John McCain's camp responded by saying Obama's choice of Biden as his running mate was an admission by the Democrat that he was not ready to serve as president himself.

"There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden," McCain campaign spokesman Ben Porritt said in a statement.

"Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgement and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing-that Barack Obama is not ready to be president."

Biden, 65, brings decades of national security experience to the Democratic White House ticket, an area where the presumptive nominee is seen as lacking.

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, the new vice presidential nominee has met many of the leading actors on the world stage, and is an outspoken critic of the Bush administration's foreign policy.

The Delaware Senator took the chance to flex his national security muscle in a just completed trip to Georgia, at the invitation of President Mikheil Saakashvili to discuss the still simmering showdown with Russia.

A Roman Catholic, with a no nonsense style, and an appeal to traditional grass roots Democrats, he will also appeal to working class voters with whom Obama has had a hard time connecting.

But the fact that Biden has spent more than half his life in the Senate may however be used against him by the campaign of Republican nominee John McCain, with thousands of votes to mine for controversy.

His presence on the ticket would also seem to somewhat undercut Obama's call for a wave of fundamental change to overwhelm political gridlock in Washington.

Biden is also somewhat of an unknown quantity, he has tried hard to tone down his notoriously long winded speaking style-but is a clear candidate for verbal gaffes on the campaign trail.

In a presidential debate however last year, he offered a witty rejoinder when asked if he had the self-discipline to cut down on his trademark long-winded perorations simply saying "Yes."

Biden will need no invitation to wade into the fray however against McCain in outspoken defence of Obama, who does not always seem comfortable lobbing verbal missiles in the political crossfire.

Biden has a compelling life story to match that of Obama-his years in the Senate have been tinged by tragedy-he has recovered from two brain aneurysms.

He has commuted to Washington daily by train from his state of Delaware, following the death of his first wife and infant daughter in a car crash just before Christmas 1972.

He has spoken movingly how, as a new senator he wondered whether to resign, but took counsel from colleagues and decided to stay on.

Biden's short-lived presidential campaign-he pulled out of the race after getting less than one percent of the votes in the the first nominating contest in Iowa, did however enhance his national political appeal.

Ironically, his campaign had been derailed almost before it began last year, after he stumbled into a racial storm about remarks about Obama-who hopes to become America's first black president.

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate, and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden told the New York Observer in an interview. "I mean, that's a storybook man."

Obama said he was not offended, and the matter was dropped.

Biden had been forced to end a previous presidential bid, in 1988, over claims he plagiarized foreign politicians including Britain's former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock.

Govt borrowing from banks unusually high

UNB, Dhaka

Government borrowings from the banking system were unusually high in 2007-08 compared to recent trends as it grew more than 30 percent, despite a substantial 32 percent decline in credit to other public sector.

"Increased spending on food, fuel and fertilizer might have stimulated the borrowings from the banking system," a senior Bangladesh Bank official told UNB yesterday.

According to the latest figures the central bank reviewed late last week, net credit to the government sector increased to about Tk 47,000 crore at the end of June this year from Tk 36,000 crore at the end of June last year.

Credit to other public sector decreased by 32 percent to Tk 11,840 crore in June this year from Tk 17,455 crore in the previous June.

The BB official said that the borrowing of public sector from the banks decreased significantly due to the budgetary provision of Tk 7,523 crore against the liability of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC), the major borrower.

The latest figure, however, show that private sector credit increased 25 percent during the last fiscal year as compared to a 15 percent growth in 2006-07.

Total domestic credit registered a faster growth at 21 percent in 2007-08, compared with about 15 percent in the previous fiscal due to a significantly slow growth in government sector supported by the budgetary provision.

"The faster growth in total domestic credit, including private sector credit, has been more or less satisfactory in the context of GDP growth projection at 6.2 percent and inflation," said the Bangladesh Bank review.

It said the consumer price inflation on 12-month average was 9.94 percent at the end of June this year (point-to-point 10.04 percent) as compared to 7.2 percent (point-to-point 9.2 percent) at the end of June last year.

Money supply increased slightly by 17.6 percent in the last fiscal year from 17 percent growth of the previous fiscal year.

The intensity of classified loans of the total outstanding credits by commercial banks dropped marginally to 13 percent at the end of June this year from about 14 percent at the end of June last year.

Agriculture credit disbursement stood at Tk 8,581 crore during the last fiscal year as compared to the period's target of Tk 8,309 crore.

Bangladesh Bank has set the credit target at Tk 9,379 crore for the current fiscal year to accelerate the rehabilitation of Sidr-affected agriculture sector and boosting agriculture production.

During the last fiscal year, investment in national savings certificates declined drastically to Tk 2,518 crore from Tk 4,174 crore of the previous fiscal year.

The central bank observed a fluctuation in the inter-bank call money market recently as the weighted average rate stood at 9.41 percent as on August 19 this year, which was 6.9 percent on the same day last year. At the end of June this year, the rate was 4.78 percent.

It said the foreign exchange market has been stable during the last two years and the US dollar was trading at an average of Tk 68.52 as on August 19. It was traded at Tk 68.52 at the end of June this year and Tk 68.53 at the end of June last year.

In 2007-08, wage earners' remittance rose by 32 percent and exports increased by about 16 percent to help the foreign exchange reserve grow significantly, said the Bangladesh Bank.

The forex reserve stood at about US$ 6.0 billion on August 19 this year, as against US$ 5.1 billion on the same day last year.

Telecom prospect bright: Govt likely to earn Tk 1500 cr revenue

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Government would earn Tk 1500 crore revenue annually if the licensed six telecom companies could work properly.

Major General Manzurul Alam, Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), yesterday said this while inaugurating the opening ceremony of Interconnection Exchange (ICX) of GETCO Telecommunications Ltd.

The companies are Mir Telecom, Novotel and Bangla Trac Ltd providing International Gateway (IGW), M&H Telecom and GETCO providing Interconnection Exchange (ICX) and Mango Teleservice providing International Internet Gatway (IIG).

Besides, Manzurul Alam on the day inaugurated ICX of M&H Telecom and International Gateway (IGW) of Novotel Ltd and Bangla Trac Communications Ltd.

Any international or national call is first caught by IGW then it is transferred to the ICX from where both mobile and land phone subscribers are connected now through this telecommunication technology.

Manzurul Alam said, the operation of the IGW and ICX will go a long way to put an end to illegal VOIP business as a result government will earn Tk 1500 crore annually.

Because of high speed connection and low noise in telecommunication the number of calls both national and international would increase which in turn help to earn huge revenue to the government he said.

"As the private companies are operating as medium of transit of international and national call, the monopoly business of some big companies will stop", Manzurul Alam said and added, "BTRC facilitates level playing field for all companies irrespective of big and small companies through awarding license to the companies."

He also said the responsibility of BTRC is to ensure proper use of each penny of the public.

The BTRC Chairman said the ICX operation is now limited in five districts and it will expand to other districts gradually. "Within next 3-5 years, there will be revolution in the telecommunication sector,"

KM Khaled, Managing Director of GETCO said, apart from the Dhaka ICX, GETCO had also set up ICX at Sylhet and Bogra to provide nation-wide service. The ICX is designed to carry daily traffic of five million minutes of international traffic and 17 million minutes per day of inter-operator traffic.

The exchange is also designed to carry one-third of international and inter operator traffic and 50 per cent traffic at Bogra and Sylhet. The switch is capable of handiling a total of 16 million busy hour call attempts (BHCA).

Arifur Rahman, Chief Executive of M&H Telecom Ltd, in his keynote papers said that the ICX technology would help to prevent mobile hijacking, provide inter operator connectivity and international connectivity and reduce problems like busyness problem of network.

He also said this technology would provide a subscriber using of same number but getting facilities of any other operators.

Manzurul Alam inaugurated IGW of Mir Telecom and International Internet Gateway (IIG) of Mango Teleservice on last Thursday.

Elect honest people in next polls : CA

BSS, Sunamganj

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday called upon all to discharge their responsibilities to hold the next general elections in a free, fair and credible manner.

"The next general election must be held in December. It is my firm belief that the government will certainly reach the target of holding the polls in time," he said while exchanging views with the local elite at Shaheed Abul Hossain auditorium here. Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed said the government will ensure such an environment where people can exercise their right of franchise without any fear and intimidation to elect their chosen candidates.

He called upon all to cast their votes in favour of honest and capable candidates in the next general elections saying that electing appropriate candidates is the social responsibility of all citizens.

The Chief Adviser said since taking of the office, the government has been working relentlessly to hold a free fair and credible election in the country.

Referring to the recently held city corporation and municipal polls, he said, the voters came to the polling centres spontaneously to elect their chosen candidates.

"This spontaneous voter turn out will immensely help expedite the process of transition to democracy," he added.

About preparation of voter list with photograph and national ID cards, he said the huge task has been completed with the concerted efforts of civil and military officials and the whole nation is proud of it.

Regarding holding of the upazila polls, he said, the Election Commission (EC) has achieved remarkable progress to this end.

Besides, the government has put emphasis on strengthening local government bodies to ensure transparency and accountability in its works, he added.

Speaking on the much-talked about Right to Information Act, the Chief Adviser said it is now at the final stage and it will be put forward in the meeting of the council of advisers soon for its approval.

On the government's ongoing anti-corruption drive, he sought peoples' active cooperation to carry forward the drive along with creating mass awareness against corruption. Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Manik Lal Samaddar also spoke on the occasion.

Besides, peoples from different professions including local public representatives, journalists, lawyers, business leaders, farmers, fish traders, women entrepreneurs and academics also spoke on the occasion.

They raised and number of demands and requested the government to meet their demands as soon as possible for the development of the district.

The demands included repairing of damaged culverts and bridges on the Sumanganj-Sylhet highway, ensuring transparency in leasing out water bodies (Jal Mahal) and formation of separate "Jal Mahal" (water bodies) Authority.

Responding to their demands, the Chief Adviser put emphasise on integrating the Policy to lease out water body (Jal Mahal) and Fishing policy giving priority on the opinions of local people.

The Chief Adviser directed the ministry concerned to resolve the existing problems while leasing out the water bodies and tender procedures to this end.

In the meeting, he was apprised that there are 45,00 water bodies (Jal Mahal) in Sunamganj district and the government used to lease out these "Jal Mahal" every year among the fish traders for fishing.

Secretary to the Chief Adviser's Office Kazi M Aminul Islam and high civil and military officials were present. Deputy Commissioner M Saber Hossain gave address of welcome.

New platform in DU for women, gender studies

DU Correspondent

With a view to sharing ideas, knowledge and experiences among the gender organizers, researchers, academicians and grass root level workers of the country, Women and Gender Studies (WGS) department of Dhaka University (DU) is going to form a common platform titled 'Rokeya Network'.

The tentative launching date of the platform is March 8, 2009, on the eve of International Women's Day. The Women and Gender Studies department will serve the network as the secretariat.

To make the platform effective, the department yesterday arranged a view exchanging meeting at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Babhan at DU. A number of DU teachers, academicians, researchers, gender organisers and development workers participated in the meeting.

Addressing the meeting as honorary guest, DU Vice Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz said there is no alternative of establishing gender equity in all phases in the society to facilitate the overall development in the country.

He expressed his hope that the 'Rokeya Network' will address gender related all issues in the country and play a vital role to resolve the gender related crisis being encouraged by the ideology of Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain, the pioneer of women education in the country.

Department's teachers assured the participants that they would pay utmost attention to their suggestions to make the platform a successful one.

In September this year, membership of the organisation will be offered. The expected date for member selection is February 2009. A steering committee would be formed to run the activity of the body, which is scheduled to be formed in April next year.

Dr Maleka Begum, Associate Professor of the department stressed the need for linking persons and organisations, involved with gender related activity across the country to expand its' action.

Arts' faculty dean Prof Sadrul Amin, Social Science faculty dean Prof Harun-or-Rashid, WGS department chair Prof Ayesha Banu and Prof Mahmuda Islam among others spoke at the session.

OMS rice haul 2 cases filed: Govt rice seized in Barisal

Staff Reporter

The police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) filed two separate cases with Sabujbagh police station last night against 10 persons in connection with the haul of government rice for Open Market Sale (OMS) from the local market.

Deputy Assistant Director of Rab-3 Shahidul Haq, filed the case. The accused are Jasim, Hazrat, Rabiul, Sharif and Manik of Madartek area.

The RAB members arrested four people on Friday and yesterday arrested the main accused Manik.

Sub Inspector of Police Jainal Abadin filled another cases in this connection with the police station.

The accused are Sharif Uddin Ahmad, Sohag, Abdul Awal, Hiran Molla and Abdullah.

The RAB officials Javed Shams told the New Nation that a team of RAB members visited the Tejgaon Government LSD Godown and talked to the officials of the godown and also found out the names of those dealers involved in the OMS rice theft. But did not disclose the names for the sake proper investigation.

The police seized 138 sacks of rice from Madartek road crossing Rajdhani Rice Agencies. And on Friday night RAB seized another 232 sacks of rice from Nandipara Thirimohini Rice Stores. Police and RAB seized a total of 368 sacks weighing 9,350 kg of government rice for Open Market Sale (OMS) from the two spots.

Meanwhile, Barisal Kotwali police station sources said on the basis of tips police raided a rice mill owned by Md Abdus Salam at Kalijira area on the border of Barisal-Jhalakati districts and recovered the rice from there.

Police sources claimed Nuru Mia, local OMS dealer received 17 sacks of rice from the district food department on Thursday for distribution in the area. He sold 7 sacks of rice at the OMS centre and stocked the rest 10 sacks of rice at the rice mill with the ill intention of selling those in the black market.

The recovered rice has been placed under the custody of Abdul Mannan, president of local bazar committee till investigation, police said.

Abdus Salam and Nuru Mia, rice mill owners and OMS dealers, managed to flee and claimed that the rice was stocked at the rice mill due to shortage of space at the OMS centre.

Ashuganj power plant resumes operation

Staff reporter

The Ashuganj thermal power plant has resumed generation of electricity yesterday that was snapped following a fire incident at the plant Friday night.

Three units of the seven units of the 501-MW electricity generation capacity of plant were pressed into operation yesterday morning, according to the Power Development Board (PDB) sources.

All the seven units of the plant went out of operation when a transformer of the steam turbine plant caught fire and exploded.

The fire at the plant disrupted power supply to the neighbouring districts of Brahmanbaria, Mymensingh, and Netrakona causing immense inconveniences to the consumers.

Ashugnaj power plant Chairman Rezwan Ahmed, Power Development Board member (generation) Mortuza Ali visited the power plant yesterday.

FBCCI would monitor market price during Ramzan

Staff Reporter

A meeting between the leaders of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) and of leading importers, wholesale and retailers was held at its conference room yesterday.

Annisul Huq, president of the country's apex trade body, chaired the meeting,

which reviewed the latest market situation and discussed ways and means to contain the price hike during the upcoming holy month of Ramzan.

Abul Kasem Ahmed, first vice president, Abu Alam Chowdhury, vice president and directors of FBCCI, Major Rawshanul Feroj of Bangladesh Rifles ,mong others, were present on the occasion.

The meeting unanimously decided that the members of the monitoring taskforce of FBCCI would coordinate with the government for monitoring the price situation, ensure issuance of sales receipt to the retailers by wholesalers and hang the price list of essentials by shopkeepers during the month of Ramzan.

Olympic Games’ closing today

BSS, Beijing

China is preparing to dazzle the world again with a glittering closing ceremony of the Olympic Games at the Bird's Nest here today (Sunday). Unlike the opening ceremony, which was repeatedly rehearsed at the National Stadium, the closing ceremony will not be rehearsed, Beijing News said.