News from Bangladesh-Updates and Discussion

[LEGENDARY WARRIOR]

Listen brother,Jaamat e Islami people raped and killed civilians during 1971.My question to you:
Can a muslim rape??
Can a muslim kill an innocent irrespective of what religion he follows??
But Jaamatis did these things.Now only Allah knows best what should we call them.
They are war criminals and they will pay for it Inshallah.

About BD-PAK relations,we hope it will strengthen as there are democratic Govt. on both sides.

I agree with you. All these politics resulted in the separation of our East wing. . .

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Monday, November 22, 2010
Govt to procure 211 jeeps for UZ chairmen

File photo UNB, Dhaka

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Monday at a meeting approved a number of proposals, including procurement of 211 four-wheel drive vehicles for upazila parishad chairmen.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith presided over the meeting attended by senior cabinet ministers.

The local government and rural development ministry placed the proposal for jeep procurement at a total cost of Tk 87.56 crore. The state-owned Progati Industries Limited will supply the vehicles, with each jeep costing Tk 41,50,000.

This procurement is the part of the total purchase of 471 jeeps. Earlier, 260 jeeps were procured by the same ministry under a same project.

The cabinet body approved another three proposals of the agriculture ministry to import a total of 275,000 metric tons of fertiliser. Of the bulk fertiliser, 100,000 tonnes will be DAP fertiliser and 150,000 metric tons of TSP fertiliser imported from Tunisia under a state-state level agreement between Groupe Chimique Tunisien (GCT) and state-owned Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC).

The price of fertiliser will be fixed through negotiation. Another 25,000 metric tons of DAP fertiliser will be imported from Morocco under a similar agreement between the two countries.

Four components of a project of Chittagong water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) received approval of the cabinet body.

As per a proposal placed by the LGRD ministry, the components are the Nasirabad Reservoir (New) of about 2600 cubic metre capacity and transmission, distribution pumps; Nasarabad Elevated Tank (New) of about 2200 cubic metre capacity; Battali Hill Reservoir (renovation) of 8,500 cubic metre capacity and Khulshi Booster Pump Station (rehabilitation).

Korean contractor Kolon Engineering and Coinstruction Co Ltd will complete the jobs of the project at a cost of about Tk 145 crore.

The cabinet body also approved a proposal of the communications ministry to appoint the Joint Venture of Consulting Engineering Services of India, and local Deve Consultants as the consultant for the Dhaka-Chittangong 4-lane Improvement Project at a cost of Tk 23.88 crore.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Sunday, November 21, 2010
Front Page
PM begins 3-nation visit today
N-power, Padma Bridge top agenda
Diplomatic Correspondent

PM begins 3-nation visit today

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today begins her tri-nation visit to Russia, Belgium and Japan for 12 days.

She will leave for Russia tonight to attend a Tiger's Conference in St Petersburg on November 22-23, official sources said.

Though this is not a bilateral visit, the premier will have talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Tiger's Conference. The two leaders are expected to discuss different issues including setting up of a nuclear power plant at Rooppur.

During her stay in St Petersburg, Sheikh Hasina is expected to have talks with several heads of government of participating countries. She will join a high-level discussion on Natural Habitat of Tigers and address a session on the issue.

Hasina will join a lunch to be hosted by the Russian premier in honour of the participating delegates and visit the office of honorary consul general of Bangladesh in St Petersburg.

On November 24, Hasina will fly to Brussels where she will meet the Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leteme on November 25.

Sheikh Hasina will also have meetings with President of European Union Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso.

Discussions with the European leaders will mainly focus on trade and investment, EU support to Bangladesh for climate change mitigation, and international issues of common concern.

She will leave Brussels for Frankfurt on November 27 and reach Narita International Airport on November 28.

During her four-day official visit to Japan from November 28-December 1, Hasina will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and also have an audience with Japan Emperor Akihito. Bangladesh and Japan will sign several agreements on economic cooperation during this visit.

Bangladesh is expecting an assurance from the Japan government that Japan will fund the long-cherished Padma Bridge.

Sources said she will address a number of investment conferences and hold meetings with representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency, Japan External Trade Organisation, and Japan Bank for International Cooperation to discuss investment, economic cooperation and development issues.

She will also address a meeting at the Peace Park in Hiroshima and lay the foundation of a Bangladesh Embassy in Tokyo.

In an announcement on November 16, Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Hasina's visit to Japan will strengthen the friendly relation between the two countries.

A 42-member entourage including her security personnel, media team, PMO officials and five eminent personalities including four AL men will accompany her in Russia while the number of entourage members in Belgium will be 31.

A 97 members' team including a 41-member business delegation will accompany her to Japan. Most of them will leave Dhaka on November 26.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, prime minister's advisers Alauddin Ahmed and Masihur Rahman, Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary of the prime minister M Abdul Karim, Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes will be in the team.

Besides, seven party men as eminent citizens will accompany her in Japan.

As per the tradition, the members of the business delegation bear all their expenses including the travel cost.

 

[Skies]

First Bangladesh Company Wins 2010 Red Herring Asia Tech Startup Award

By Syed Tashfin Chowdhury

Somewhere in Net Limited, a company operating the World´s largest Bangla Social Media community is the first and only company from Bangladesh to be a winner of the prestigious Red Herring Award.

Through an event in Shanghai on the 16th of November 2010, Red Herring announced its Top 100 Asia Award in recognition of the leading private companies from Asia.

Red Herring's business technology team is dedicated to cover innovation, technology, financing and entrepreneurial activity. As such, the editorial team of the media company has been surveying entrepreneurship around the world on a regular basis for the past ten years. Recognizing the level of innovation and entrepreneurship that is transforming business, around 100 companies from each continent is awarded the prize each year.

This year Somewhere In Net is the first ever company from Bangladesh to win the award. "As the pioneer in creating social media and online communities for Bangladesh where the number of Internet users may grow with 2,000% by 2020, I think our practical way of creating services in Bangla with easy mobile access was well received", said Arild Klokkerhaug, Head of Opportunities of Somewhere in Net.

The company, which was initiated in 2005 in Dhaka, develops and operates the World´s largest Bangla Social Media Platform, including the popular Bangla Blog community somewhere in... blog - world´s largest bangla blog community. ??????????? ?? ???? - ???? ????? ?????? ? ????? ???? | and home - aawaj!!! carry your friends with you., a popular location based community for activity sharing, allowing easy Bangla text entry and SMS-to-web features. Every month the platform sees more than 750,000 visits and displays more than 7,500,000 pages to Bangla speaking users accessing the services through web or mobile.

"We believe Somewhere in Net embodies the vision, drive and innovation that define a successful entrepreneurial venture, "said Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring. " Somewhere in Net should be proud of its accomplishment, as the competition was very strong," he added.

"Choosing the companies with the strongest potential was by no means a small feat," Vieux went on. "The Top 100 Winners emerged after narrowing down a list of nearly 1,000 highly promising tech startups from all over Asia," he informed.

Red Herring's editorial staff evaluated the companies on both quantitative and qualitative criteria, such as financial performance, technology innovation, management quality, strategy, and market penetration. This assessment of potential is complemented by a review of the track record and standing of startups relative to their sector peers, allowing Red Herring to see past the "buzz" and make the list a valuable instrument of discovery and advocacy for the most promising new business models in Asia.

Becoming a mark of distinction for identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs, Red Herring editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work.

First Bangladesh Company Wins 2010 Red Herring Asia Tech Startup Award

 

[akash57]

EU wants deeper ties with Bangladesh

BRUSSELS — European Union President Herman Van Rompuy held talks Thursday with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and called for tighter cooperation on human rights, terrorism and nuclear issues.

"The cooperation between the EU and Bangladesh is excellent," Van Rompuy said in a statement after the meeting in Brussels, calling for the two sides to "deepen" their relationship.

"I particularly appreciated Bangladesh's constructive and proactive role both regionally and on the world stage," he said.

"As democracies with shared values, I underlined that we would like to work more closely with Bangladesh on issues such as human rights, non proliferation and the fight against terrorism."

Outside EU headquarters, between 200 and 300 supporters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party held a protest, some holding signs calling Hasani "dictator" and shouting slogans in their mother tongue.

AFP: EU wants deeper ties with Bangladesh

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

MPs demand compensation from rich countries

MPs demand compensation from rich countries


FE Report

Lawmakers at a view-exchanging meeting Thursday said they will collectively make efforts to reach a valid agreement in the coming 16th World Climate Summit in Cancun by presenting the adverse impact of climate change.

The parliamentarians said they are preparing themselves for achieving the milestone by capitalising on their previous experiences they gained in Copenhagen Summit-2009, which brought nothing special for the least development countries.

All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) organised the meeting titled "16th Global Climate Summit (COP16): National Expectations in Bangladesh" at the National Press Club where they also underscored the necessity of taking special measures to successfully tackle the problem.

Awami League lawmaker from Tangail-7 constituency Ekabbar Hossain presided over the meeting.

"We want to sign at least one treaty in the summit so that we can put pressure on the developed countries to reduce pollution," an influential member of the parliament Israfil Alam said, adding that they have been preparing themselves in this regard.

He demanded enough compensation from the developed countries - which are the major players behind climate change - for whatever harms have already been caused to the environment or are likely to cause in the future.

"What our strategies will be in the conference should have been fixed in a transparent way after receiving opinion and suggestions from all stakeholders," Joynal Abedin Faruk, opposition chief whip in the parliament, said, adding that they are united in placing the demand in the international arena to cope with global warming.

He said the developed countries spend billions of dollars each year for launching attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Then why will they not spend money for protecting people from climate change, for which they are responsible?" he questioned.

He also demanded considering inclusion of more opposition lawmakers in the team of 92 parliamentarians to participate in the Cancun summit in Mexico on December 3rd this year.

Noni Gopal Mandal, a lawmaker from the country's coastal area, said the rich countries will be convinced to provide compensation if Bangladeshi representatives can successfully present the climate change-related miseries.

 

[Skies]

Little Bangladesh must grow into its name

The four-block stretch of 3rd Street between Alexandria and New Hampshire avenues has been designated Little Bangladesh. (Genaro Molina, Los Angeles Times / November 23, 2010)


By Raja Abdulrahim, Los Angeles Times

November 28, 2010

A new sign hangs at the corner of 3rd Street and New Hampshire Avenue in Central Los Angeles: Little Bangladesh.

Just behind it is a small shopping plaza with a Salvadoran restaurant, a pizza joint, a former Korean cigarette shop and a restaurant that serves teriyaki chicken, burritos and boba drinks. Across the street are more Korean- and Mexican-themed businesses.

The nearest store with a clear connection to Bangladesh, Bengal Liquors, is a block away. All told, there are fewer than a dozen shops owned by or catering to Bangladeshis along this working-class commercial strip flanked by apartment buildings.

Muhammad "Shamim" Hussain, a leader of the local Bangladeshi community, said that although the sign is significant, the community must work to make the idea behind it a reality. "The sign is the symbol," said Hussain, who came to the U.S. in 1981.

Community leaders applied for the neighborhood recognition more than a year ago. At first, the goal was much grander: to designate a 56-square-block area from 3rd to Wilshire Boulevard and from Western Avenue to Vermont Avenue — an area generally considered part of Koreatown — as Little Bangladesh.

The Korean community, which had not previously sought an official designation for the area, countered with its own application. And when the City Council voted on the matter in August, the Bangladeshis got only a four-block stretch of 3rd Street between Alexandria and New Hampshire avenues as their own.

But that strip doesn't yet have the look or feel of a Little Bangladesh. Most stores in the area cater to a Korean or Latino clientele, and many of the dozen or so Bangladeshi stores are blocks away. Aside from a handful of restaurants and grocery stores, the neighborhood features almost no other Bangladeshi shops or services: no clothing boutiques selling salwar kameez, the traditional two-piece attire worn by both men and women; no jewelry shops for bangles; no souvenir shops; no salons offering henna and threading services. And since it closed about a year ago, no community center either.

Since they began their effort, local Bangladeshis have been trying, with limited success so far, to open and relocate businesses to the area, both to show their presence and to provide needed services for the thousands of lower- to middle-income Bangladeshi immigrant families who live there. On any given day, women in brightly colored traditional dress can be seen walking the tree-lined residential streets, often pushing strollers or accompanied by small children. On the weekends, they are joined by men also wearing salwar kameez, but in white or beige.

Although the number of Bangladeshi businesses in the area hasn't risen quickly, the neighborhood designation is an acknowledgment of the local Bangladeshi presence and recognition that it has been positive, said Manju Kulkarni, executive director of the South Asian Network, a cultural and advocacy group with an office nearby.

The network estimates the current Bangladeshi population in the area at more than 20,000, based on a community mapping project it did five years ago.

"Now the people, they are going to say, 'This is my place, I have to build it up' … because this is the biggest news of our history in the U.S.," said Maminul "Bachu" Haque, who owns a travel agency a few blocks away and is interested in relocating to the new district. He moved from Bangladesh to the U.S. in 1983.

Councilman Tom LaBonge, who represents the area, led the effort to forge a compromise between the Bangladeshi and Korean communities. LaBonge said he had initially wanted to designate a stretch of 3rd Street as an "international mile" because of its Korean, Salvadoran, Oaxacan and Bangladeshi shops and restaurants. But the Bangladeshis were insistent, he said.

Chang Lee, Koreatown development chairman for the L.A. Korean American Chamber of Commerce, was among those from the Korean and Bangladeshi communities who toured the area with LaBonge a year ago to decide on the boundaries for the new neighborhood designation. He said he expected it to take a while for the relative newcomers to establish as many businesses as his compatriots have during their 40-year presence in the area.

"Their stay in that area is not that long, so it will take some time," Lee said of the Bangladeshis. "It's their responsibility to turn that into Little Bangladesh, not just having the name for the name's sake."

There are some signs of progress. The new owner of the 99-cent store at 3rd and Ardmore Avenue plans to open a halal butcher shop next door, catering to the area's new Muslim residents. And a halal butcher nearby is looking to open a restaurant. Other Bangladeshi merchants are looking at every open storefront but say the rents are too high.

The community regards Little India in Artesia as a model. Although Little India, unlike Little Bangladesh, doesn't have an official county designation, it is known across the region as the place to go for saris, gold jewelry and Indian food. The new neighborhood must work to establish that kind of recognition, its leaders said.

When people come to the area, Hussain said, they should enjoy a full Bangladeshi experience.

On Dec. 16, the anniversary of Bangladesh's 1971 victory over Pakistan in its war of independence, residents hope to close several blocks of 3rd Street for a celebration. By then, they hope the Bangladeshi-owned businesses along the strip — even those catering to a Latino clientele — will feature signs in Bangla.

In a cramped second-floor apartment one block north of 3rd, Taslimah Parveen sells formal and casual salwar kameez she brings back from annual trips to Bangladesh. When customers arrive, she brings out large plastic bins full of the folded two-piece outfits, many of them beaded.

For the last few years, Parveen has been looking for a small shop where she could open a boutique instead of selling the clothing in her living room or driving to Little India.

Many of the Bangladeshi women she knows make the drive to Artesia for such things as threading, a hair removal method, or henna at an accommodating salon. Many end up "spending $20 on gas to do a $5 threading," her daughter, Mahajabeen Mahtab, said.

Parveen has looked at four or five stores, but rents that were already too expensive at $2.50 per square foot have risen to $3 and higher, her daughter said. The area's comparatively high rents were the reason for the closure last year of the community center that had stood for several years near Deshi, a popular grocery and restaurant featuring Bangladeshi and Indian food, Hussain said.

"I think we need the whole boutique thing, the culture," Mahtab said. "I think they can do a lot better. I think they can get a lot more stores. But it's tough."

raja.abdulrahim@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, Los Angeles Times

 

[Skies]

37 Bangladeshis died due to AIDS in 2010

2010-12-01 20:50:00

Dhaka, Dec 1 (IANS) Thirty-seven people died this year due to AIDS as the total number of HIV/AIDS cases in Bangladesh rose to over 2,000, the country's health minister said Wednesday.

The number of AIDS cases rose to 2,088, compared to 1,745 in 2009, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ruhul Huq said at a programme organised in the Bangladesh capital on the World AIDS Day, Xinhua reported.


'We recorded 343 new HIV/AIDS cases in the country in the last 12 months, and 37 of them died,' he said.


But according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of HIV/AIDS patients in Bangladesh has crossed 12,000.


Hasan Mahmood, deputy programme director of the National AIDS/STD Programme (NASP), said drug users, migrant workers and commercial sex workers were found to be the 'most at risk' of HIV infection.

 

[Peacefull]

Lot of positive news coming out of BD and this will continue from now on.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

50 BD children drown every day


50 BD children drown every day

Leading global experts on child drowning will sit together in the city today (Saturday) for a three-day congress to discuss and develop strategies to reduce the horrific toll of child drowning in Asia, reports BSS.

Drowning is the largest killer of Bangladeshi children aged 1-18 years, with around 50 children drowning each day. It is also a public health problem in other countries in Asia as well as in other parts of the world, organisers of the congress said Friday.

The three-day workshop is the first of its kind and public health experts are expected to discuss issues specific to Asia as well as find strategies to keep children safe from open water bodies such as ditches, ponds, swimming pools and rivers.

Experts and policymakers in the fields of public health and injury prevention are from Malaysia, the Phili-ppines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Denmark and host Bangladesh.

International Drowning Research Centre - Bangladesh (IDRC-B) in association with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC) and Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) is hosting the event at a city hotel.

Director of IDRC-B Dr Aminur Rahman, who led some ground breaking research assignments on child drowning in Asia, said the issue of drowning goes largely underreported in Bangladesh.

"Child drowning is a hidden epidemic in Bangladesh. It's the leading killer of our children aged above one year. The rate of drowning in Asia is around 20 times higher than in developed countries," he said.

"We know from our research and pilot programme that low cost preventive measures are effective against drowning, like teaching older children how to swim and supervising movement of younger children", he added.

Dr Rahman said the focus should now be put on all children across Bangladesh and Asia. He said it was also important to learn from each other and scale up the effective interventions all over the world.

He said the meeting in Dhaka was bringing together the best researchers and policymakers in the child health field to discuss the problem of child survival in the region and beyond.

Participants are scheduled to discuss the current drowning interventions that are in place, visit a project site to see some interventions in action, and develop a set of guidelines to reduce child mortality from drowning in Asia.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

50 BD children drown every day


50 BD children drown every day

Leading global experts on child drowning will sit together in the city today (Saturday) for a three-day congress to discuss and develop strategies to reduce the horrific toll of child drowning in Asia, reports BSS.

Drowning is the largest killer of Bangladeshi children aged 1-18 years, with around 50 children drowning each day. It is also a public health problem in other countries in Asia as well as in other parts of the world, organisers of the congress said Friday.

The three-day workshop is the first of its kind and public health experts are expected to discuss issues specific to Asia as well as find strategies to keep children safe from open water bodies such as ditches, ponds, swimming pools and rivers.

Experts and policymakers in the fields of public health and injury prevention are from Malaysia, the Phili-ppines, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, Denmark and host Bangladesh.

International Drowning Research Centre - Bangladesh (IDRC-B) in association with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), The Alliance for Safe Children (TASC) and Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) is hosting the event at a city hotel.

Director of IDRC-B Dr Aminur Rahman, who led some ground breaking research assignments on child drowning in Asia, said the issue of drowning goes largely underreported in Bangladesh.

"Child drowning is a hidden epidemic in Bangladesh. It's the leading killer of our children aged above one year. The rate of drowning in Asia is around 20 times higher than in developed countries," he said.

"We know from our research and pilot programme that low cost preventive measures are effective against drowning, like teaching older children how to swim and supervising movement of younger children", he added.

Dr Rahman said the focus should now be put on all children across Bangladesh and Asia. He said it was also important to learn from each other and scale up the effective interventions all over the world.

He said the meeting in Dhaka was bringing together the best researchers and policymakers in the child health field to discuss the problem of child survival in the region and beyond.

Participants are scheduled to discuss the current drowning interventions that are in place, visit a project site to see some interventions in action, and develop a set of guidelines to reduce child mortality from drowning in Asia.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Guilty yet get off scot-free

Road accidents rise as reckless drivers slip thru' legal loopholes
Drivers' reckless driving, lack of respect for traffic rules, speeding, racing and traffic rules violators going unpunished have turned the highways and roads of Bangladesh into death traps. The photo was taken at Sitakunda on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway yesterday. Photo: Anurup Kanti DasMukhlesur Rahman

Almost all drivers responsible for road accidents across the country escape punishment through legal loopholes and continue to commit such offences, resulting in heavy casualties.

According to police records, on average 3,300 people were killed every year in road accidents in the last one decade. People of all categories -- from high profile ones to the common men--are falling victims to reckless driving and lax enforcement of traffic laws.

In one of the latest incidents, Mahbub Alam, the gold medallist sprinter in 1995 SAF Games in Delhi, died in an accident on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Narayanganj yesterday.

As reckless driving goes on unabated, more and more people are killed and injured in road crashes every day. But no government agencies maintain the record of how many offending drivers are prosecuted or brought to book.

Lawmaker Tarana Halim said, "As far as I know, no driver has ever been jailed on charge of killing people on the road."

Records show at least one driver was handed down punishment by a court on September 19 this year for reckless driving in October 2007. Covered van driver Nurul Islam was jailed for seven years, though in absentia, and also fined Tk 20,000, in default of which he will have to serve two more years behind bars.

In another rare judgment, the High Court on May 11 directed the Bangladesh Beverage Industries Ltd to pay Tk 2.01 crore in compensation to the wife and two sons of Mozammel Hossain Mintu, former news editor of the daily Sangbad. Mintu was hit on December 3, 1989 by a vehicle of the company and died on December 16.

Experts say as there is no comprehensive law, guilty drivers return to the road with the same vehicles, while employers of unregistered drivers cannot be tried.

As per section 304 (B) of the Penal Code, killing of a person due to reckless driving is a bailable offence and the highest punishment for it is three-year jail or fine or both.

Only the accused drivers can be implicated with sections 279, 304 and 304 (B) of the Penal Code. But there is no law to try the vehicle owners even though they employ such drivers, commented Tarana Halim.

There is no legal provision to keep the seized vehicles in police custody until the case is dissolved, although those should be kept in custody as evidence, she added.

Sub-inspector Didarul Alam of Ramna Police Station has been investigating the murder case concerning Willes Little Flower School student Hamim Sheikh. Hamim was killed by a bus of Madhumati Paribahan in front of his school on February 3.

The investigation officer said Madhumati Paribahan employed a fake driver for that particular bus but he is unable to implicate the owners.

He added Madhumati Paribahan released the bus through a court order around four months into the accident, while the driver is also out on bail.

Usually, it is hard to prove the guilt of drivers, as neither the accused nor the vehicles concerned remain in custody. The transport owners meanwhile put pressure on the victims' families for negotiations.

Sometimes the drivers even destroy the pieces of evidence from the vehicles after having those released. It also becomes tough to identify whether the accident occurred due to mechanical fault or callous driving.

In such situation, the victims' families lose interest in continuing the legal battle.

Shafiqur Rahman, chief of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's traffic wing, said in most cases drivers with valid licences obtain bail. Incidents of obtaining instant bail too demoralise the victims' families in pursuing the case.

Besides, if the drivers with fake licences can escape the accident spots, they do not appear before court and send their colleagues with valid licence as imposters to seek bail.

Several investigation officers of accident cases said they had little to do when imposters take responsibility to save the unregistered, unskilled and guilty drivers.

It is impossible to prove that these drivers were not driving the vehicles concerned, as the guilty ones escaped the scenes leaving no trace behind, they said.

Citing an example, Shahbagh police said they learned that a driver of Labbaek Paribahan fled after his vehicle crushed ATM Anisuzzaman to death at Banglamotor intersection on April 21.

Later in May another driver of Labbaek Paribahan who had valid licence appeared before court and obtained bail, police added.

The law enforces said they come to know of incidents like this from sources, but they can do little to prove those before court.

Labbaek Paribahan sources said they have got their driver released and he is driving the bus again.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Dhaka may get 2-4 mayors

Dhaka may get 2-4 mayors

Polls after legal process done; decision comes as PM sits with city lawmakers
Rashidul Hasan and Pankaj Karmakar

Dhaka City Corporation may be split into two or four parts, and elections to those are likely after that, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said.

The plan will, however, be finalised in consultation with the experts, she added.

Hasina, also president of Awami League, said this at a meeting with the city lawmakers--all from the AL-led grand alliance.

She called on the lawmakers to work sincerely in their constituencies so that people cast their votes for the alliance-backed candidates.

The two-hour long meeting began at 6:00pm at the prime minister's Ganobhaban residence.

Coming out of the meeting, Rashed Khan Menon, president of the Workers Party, a component of the grand alliance, told The Daily Star that the prime minister is dissatisfied with poor civic service under the present DCC mayor.

Menon, MP from Dhaka-8, said the number of mayors will depend on how many parts the city corporation will be divided into.

“A bill to split the DCC will be placed in parliament after examining all relevant aspects,” he added.

AKM Rahmatullah, lawmaker from Dhaka-10, told The Daily Star that some MPs at the meeting proposed that DCC be split into four (east, west, north and south)."But the prime minister said the decision in this regard will be taken after discussions with the experts."

Hasina also directed the MPs to do welfare activities in their constituencies so that people vote for AL-nominated candidates in the DCC polls, he added.

Rahmatullah said the meeting also discussed programmes to celebrate the Victory Day.

“Since it will be the 40th anniversary of our victory, this year's calls for grander celebrations,” he quoted her as saying.

Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, MP from Dhaka-7, said the population in the capital is growing fast and so the city needs to be divided into several parts for better administration and development.

"The prime minister has asked us to think more about the issue," he told the correspondents.

Replying to a query, Mohiuddin said, "The parliamentary committee on the local government and rural development ministry will decide on this issue after consulting the minister concerned and the city MPs."

Earlier on September 22, the Election Commission decided to hold the long overdue DCC polls by December and union parishad between January and February next year.

The tenure of the present DCC mayor expired in May 2007.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Mob kills 3 'robbers'
One of locals dies of bullet-injury

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=164840
A Correspondent, Comilla

A mob beat dead three alleged members of a robber gang who had opened fire on locals killing one at Muradnagar upazila in Comilla yesterday.

Police said some 10 to 12 people on a microbus had intercepted another microbus carrying a group of businessmen near Elliotganj Bazar in the morning and robbed them of Tk 16 lakh.

While hurrying to free, the gang's vehicle plunged into a roadside ditch.

As locals came forward sensing trouble, the criminals opened fire at them, leaving three locals -- Kazi Mohammad Siraj, Zakir Hossain and Vanu Bhushan Saha -- injured, said witnesses.

The mob caught three gang members and beat them to death on the spot. The identities of the deceased trio could not be known immediately.

The rest of the gang, however, fled.

Locals caught one unidentified person on suspicion and handed him over to police.

Bullet-hit Siraj died at Comilla Medical College Hospital. The two other wounded have been sent to Dhaka for treatment.

Law enforcers recovered one pistol, one revolver and five bullets from the crime scene.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Canals for grabbers

Canals for grabbers

Haikkar Khal disappearing as encroachment goes unabated
People have put up numerous signboards claiming ownership of land on this filled-up stretch of Haikkar Khal, just behind the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial. Land grabbers continue to fill up the canal that once flowed through here before emptying into Buriganga. Photo: Anisur RahmanMorshed Ali Khan

Natural canals crisscrossing the low-lying areas along the Mohammadpur flood protection dam are disappearing fast due to encroachment by land grabbers.

The famous Haikkar Khal, which links the Turag river with the Buriganga, faces obliteration as the "so-called" landowners continue to fill it up.

Hundreds of signboards have been put up in the filled-up sections of the canal claiming ownership of the lands just behind the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial.

Not so long ago, the canal originating from the Turag streamed across a vast area in Ramchandrapur, Basila, Mohammadpur and Rayer Bazar, before emptying into the Buriganga river. It has now shrunk considerably.

Interestingly, no government office claims responsibility for protecting the canal.

The deputy commissioner's office said it is the Dhaka City Corporation's responsibility to protect the canal since the corporation plans to set up a graveyard there.

Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka asked this correspondent to contact the Local Government and Rural Development ministry to inquire about the issue.

"Our project proposal for setting up a graveyard there is now with the Planning Commission," said Khoka.

"It is very difficult to protect canals because of a huge demand for land in our country," he added.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority built a landing station for boats on the Haikkar Khal in Mohammadpur near the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in 2000.

Local traders, who use the canal for transporting sand and bricks to local markets, said they would suffer terribly if the canal is not protected.

The canal must be brought back to its original shape, they said.

"The way the canal is being encroached upon, nothing would be left of it in the coming year. It will be a big blow to thousands of people in the area," said Ramzan Ali, who trades in brick and sand.

In 1997, the DCC abandoned a project to set up a truck terminal by filling up the Haikkar Khal after The Daily Star ran reports.

Real estate developers have filled up most of the canal at the Turag end and incorporated them in their projects.

Retired schoolteacher Mohammad Arefin, who owns a plot near the Khal, said he protested the filling-up of the canal last year.

"I became a target of the land grabbers soon," he said.

"I went to the Mohammadpur Police Station to file a complaint but the officers there told me to go home and mind my own business."