The New Nation - Internet Edition

Seminar on Jum cultivation to be held in city

UNB, Dhaka

Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) will organize a seminar on 'Jum Cultivation and State Policy:

Jumia People's Land Rights in CHT' at YWCA conference hall in Mohammadpur tomorrow.

Santosh Tripura, a researcher and NORAD Fellow University of Troms, Norway will present key-note paper and Prof. Abul Barkat, Dr Ainoon Naher, Dr Ahsan Ali, Barrendralal Tripura, Gautam Chandra and Utpal Khisha will take part as panel discussants.

Khushi Kabir will chair and moderate the seminar to be held at 10:30am.

Main Uddin selected finalist for DAJA in Japan

Staff Reporter

Khawaza Main Uddin, Special Correspondent of New Age, has been selected one of the finalists for Developing Asia Journalism Awards 2008, organised by the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo, Japan.

A total of 25 journalists from 13 developing countries in Asia have been selected by a panel of judges and invited to attend a four-day workshop and award-giving ceremony on November 11-14, according to a press release issued from Tokyo on Wednesday.

'The event recognises excellence in journalistic reporting by those covering development trends and issues in the region,' said the release.

Main Uddin has submitted his entry in governance category and the title of his article is 'Bangladesh Agriculture Still Trapped in Ad-Hoc Policymaking'. He earlier won the UN MDG Award 2007 in a competition among journalists of Asia Pacific countries and also World Food Programme Award 2006.

Other finalists are from China, India, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Thailand, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka.

Prizes for 2008 will be awarded for reporting in four strategic areas of development - environment, governance, infrastructure and regional integration. In addition, there are two special prizes for Development Journalist of the Year and Young Development Journalist of the Year (for entrants under 30).

Awareness campaign about renewable energy from Nov

UNB, Dhaka

The government will launch a two-month campaign from November to popularise renewable energy and create awareness about energy conservation across the country.

This was decided yesterday at a meeting of the steering committee on renewable energy and energy conservation at Power and Energy Ministry.

Chief Advisor's Special Assistant Dr. Tamim presided over the meeting attended by top officials of different organisations under the Power and Energy Ministry.

As per the decision, the government will launch campaign at district and upazila levels across the country to motivate the people to use renewable energy as a new source of safe and clean energy.

An official of the Power Ministry said schools and colleges will be involved in the campaign which will also include programmes like rallies, processions and seminars.

The meeting reviewed the latest state of renewable energy use in the country and impediments it has been facing.

The meeting also discussed the draft renewable energy policy and energy conservation act.

Different kinds of renewable energy like solar, bio-fuel and wind were introduced in the country more than a decade ago.

So far about 2 lakh units of solar energy plants were set up at different rural areas with a total capacity of about 10 MW.

Apart from this, a 1-MW wind power unit was set up at the remote Kutubdia island of the country.

The committee found this growth as inadequate compared with other neighbouring countries in South Asia region.

To popularise renewable energy, the committee suggested to give incentives to the users and importers of the renewable energy systems and equipment in the country.

Doctors urged to disclose all undisclosed money

UNB, Dhaka

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid yesterday urged all to disclose their undisclosed money earned by legal means to avert future hassle.

He made the appeal at a view-exchange meeting with doctors at Dhaka Medical College (DMC) auditorium. Tax Commissioner Rahela Begum presided over the meeting.

"If anyone evaded tax he or she will be questioned by several government agencies in near future for this," the NBR Chairman said.

Currently, the government is allowing the undisclosed money holders to disclose their wealth earned by legal means and this opportunity will continue till October 31.

Holders of undisclosed money earned through legal means would have to pay 7 percent in addition to their due taxes under the ongoing opportunity.

This is the second time that the nonparty caretaker government is offering such opportunity.

Abdul Mazid said that each year his organization has to file cases on three grounds-for tax evasion, fake wealth statement and for hiding wealth information.

He also informed the doctors that NBR is thinking to fix the VAT amount for doctors. At present the doctors are paying VAT at the rate of 4.5 percent based on their fees.

"This is a matter of examination as we have to look if there any complexity in the process," he said adding, "But I can assure you that we will reform the process after discussing with you."

Three killed in Rangpur Road mishap

UNB, Rangpur

Three people were killed in a road accident at Baniapara Hajir Hat on Rangpur-Dinajpur highway in Sadar upazila late Wednesday night.

The deceased were identified as Korban Ali, 18, a rickshaw puller, and two rickshaw passengers, Arif, 15, and Labu, 28.

Police said the accident occurred as a paddy laden truck hit a rickshaw from behind, killing the rickshaw puller and its two passengers on the spot.

Being angered over the accident, local people set two goods laden trucks and another night coach of Shaymoli paribahan on fire and blocked the highway, hampering vehicular movement.

Vehicular movement on the highway resumed at 4am with the intervention of police.

A case was filed with kotwali thana in this connection.

ACC to issue notices to Dr Mosharraf's sons, Ctg mayor's wife

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission is going to issue notices to eight individuals, including detained former minister and BNP leader Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain's two sons and Chittagong City Corporation Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury's wife, directing them to submit their wealth statements.

ACC director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal told the Commission's regular briefing yesterday that the anti-graft watchdog has approved the issuance of notices to Dr Mosharraf's sons Khandaker Mahabub Hossain and Maruf Hossain, Mohiuddin's wife Hasina Mohiuddin and five others.

The others going to receive ACC notices are Syed Abdul Malek, private secretary (retd) to former Home Minister and Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim, former acting superintending engineer of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) Noor Hossain, his wife Monjil Ara, CDA assistant engineer Mohammad Ilyas and his wife Zannatul Maowa.

After receiving the notices, these individuals will have seven working days to submit their wealth statements to the Commission.

Col Hanif also informed the briefing that the ACC has so far referred 128 names to the Truth and Accountability Commission for considering their clemency applications and another 14 applications are under process.

Tk 19.50 lakh looted from two city business houses

UNB, Dhaka

Suspected thieves broke open two business offices in city's Fakirapool area of Motijheel Wednesday night and allegedly stole about Tk 19.50 lakh in cash, police said, quoting victims.

They said the burglars entered the closed offices of Akash Travel Agency and Oriental Courier Services at DIT extension road of Fakirapool sometime around mid-night by breaking locks and looted the money from cash boxes of the two offices.

Police began investigation but no arrest was made as yet.

Monsur Ahmed Kalam of Akash Travel yesterday said that he along with his employees found the broken locks when they came to reopen the office Thursday morning. They had shut the office after day's work around 10:00pm on Wednesday.

BNP starts parleys with dist leaders

UNB, Dhaka

Former ruling-party BNP yesterday opened parleys with its district leaders in a bid to reactive the organizational network that passed through ordeals in past months and get prepared for the December 18 general election.

Immediate-past premier and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia assigned the party's senior leaders to the task of doing the groundwork in districts and upazilas ahead of the elections.

She constituted seven committees with senior leaders for six divisions and Dhaka.

BNP joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan said they started discussions with the presidents and secretaries of district committees and front organizations of seven districts-Mymensingh North and South, Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Tangail, Jamalpur and Sherpur. The separate discussions were held at the party's central office.

Khan asked the BNP district leaders to submit their organizational reports detailing the strengths and weaknesses of each committee and suggestions for strengthening those.

After receiving the reports, he said BNP top leaders would visit different districts and submit report to party secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain who will later inform chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Khan said the organizational activities would complete within this month.

BNP standing committee member Chowdhury Tanvir Ahmed who held meeting with leaders of Munshiganj district at BNP city office said they kicked off election activities in a big way.

"The party chairperson and the secretary general will finalize the nominations, he said. He asked the district leaders to work for those who will get party ticket.

Standing Committee member M Shamsul Islam, Mizanur Rahman Sinha, Abdul Mannan and Shafi Bikrampuri, who are from Munshiganj district, were present at the meeting.

Huge sex-stimulating medicines seized in Keraniganj

UNB, Keraniganj

RAB recovered sex-stimulating medicines from a house at Ramjannagar village in South Keraniganj yesterday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB-10 raided the house of Quddus Mia and seized the medicines, which were brought here illegally from different countries, at noon.

During interrogation by RAB, Quddus said Shahidullah of Bagashur village in same upazila recently rented his house and kept the medicines.

Later, Shahidullah was arrested from the area.

The recovered medicines worth about Tk 5 crore were taken to local RAB office.

High-security driving license to be introduced

UNB, Dhaka

The government is going to introduce high-security driving license with a point system so that drivers instead of transport owners could be punished for violation of any traffic rules.

The new system is expected to reduce traffic jam and ensure better passenger service and disciplined movement of vehicles.

This was disclosed at an inter-ministerial meeting held at Home Ministry yesterday.

Chaired by Home Adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin, the meeting was attended, among others, by Home Secretary Abdul Karim, Communications Secretary Dr Mahbubur Rahman, the IGP, the DMP Commissioner and other senior officials concerned.

The meeting discussed the gradual replacement of manual rickshaws with battery-run auto-rickshaws on feeder roads of the city. But the meeting said the battery-run auto-rickshaws should not be allowed to ply the main roads.

It asked police to ensure the parking of vehicles on feeder roads instead of main roads in Gulshan and Banani areas, and make sure that vehicles are parked in parallel instead of horizontal way.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Home Secretary Abdul Karim said traffic police policy is going to be formulated to ensure a better traffic management.

He said no truck would be allowed to ply Dhaka city streets after 8:30 am and before 9:00 pm, except government holidays, to ease vehicle movement.

Communications Secretary Dr Mahbubur Rahman said the meeting decided that no inter-city bus would be allowed to make halts for a long time on the street to pick up passengers.

He said a draft parking policy has been completed and it would be finalized within the next one month.