Archive for September 6th, 2006
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday sounded tough on each other's election stances, indicating further escalation of conflict between the two main parties -- the BNP and the AL. Both leaders however were confident that elections will be held albeit their own way.If not AL, others will contest Khaleda says AL has no chance to win, they can boycott elections if they wantPrime Minister (PM) Khaleda Zia yesterday said if the main opposition boycotts the elections, there are many other political parties ready to contest the polls.Urging the main opposition to participate in the upcoming ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006Fuel distributors and the tank-lorry owners and workers went on an indefinite strike in Dhaka division from yesterday demanding cancellation of fuel rationing and smooth supply of petroleum to the dealers and agents.As part of the strike programme, they stopped drawing oil from the Godnail and Fatulla depots. As a total of 550 agents did not work and 650 tank-lorries did not ply, 300 petrol pumps remained closed due to lack of supply.Dhaka Divisional Committee of Bangladesh Tank-lorry Owners Association, Bangladesh Jalani Tel Paribeshok Samity (Bangladesh Fuel Oil Distributors Association) and Bangladesh Tank-lorry Sramik Union have jointly called the strike.They ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006Defying the government ban on all kinds of gatherings and rallies in the areas around the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat, the Awami League (AL)-led 14-party combine has vowed to lay siege to it today to press home the demand for electoral reforms.The government has planned a heavy security net around the EC Secretariat to thwart the siege programme.The opposition leaders sounded a warning that if the government tries to foil the 'peaceful' programme, it would have to take the responsibilities for any untoward incidents taking place.Tougher programmes including hartals, barricades and indefinite sit-ins in the capital will follow if ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006In defence of seeking exemption from Public Procurement Regulation (PPR) 2003 for printing updated electoral rolls, the Election Commission (EC) is now passing on the blame for delay in preparing the list on the shoulders of the Supreme Court. The Cabinet Purchase Committee however declined to provide the EC with the exemption as indiscriminately as it is seeking, although the commission is claiming that it is seeking the exemption to enable itself to finish printing the updated voter list before the election scheduled for next January, sources said.With the parliamentary election around the corner, the EC has yet to ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006The newly formed National Unity Front (NUF) in an unprecedented move tried to give chief election commissioner (CEC) and three other election commissioners four eight-foot-long pens, symbolically asking them to resign from their posts within seven days.NUF leaders Major (retd) Abdul Mannan, Mahi B Chowdhury MP, Abdur Rouf and Zakir Hossain carried the pens, which had slogans demanding their resignation printed on them, to the Election Commission (EC).They left the pens next to the CEC's nameplate in front of his office on the first floor of the EC building at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar as the CEC and the election commissioners ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006A World Bank study reveals that productivity in Bangladesh is higher in those industries and locations where firms spend a large chunk of their sales in bribes to get through bureaucratic and customs hassles."More than 85 percent of firms indicate that in their industry it is necessary to bribe the government officials to get things done," the survey report says pointing at a high level of corruption in interactions between the private sector and the state organs.According to the survey titled "Firm Productivity in Bangladesh Manufacturing Industries", bribes take up 1.3 percent of sales on average in the ready-made garment ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006The nationalised commercial banks (NCBs) in the first half of the year have attained only 3.62 percent of the target they set for recovering loans from the top 20 defaulters.The rate was 3.90 in cash recovery from the other defaulters.The information came up at a meeting between Bangladesh Bank (BB) and the NCBs to review the latter's performance in the last six months in achieving the targets they set in their memorandum of understanding (MoU).Earlier this year, four NCBs--Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali Bank--had committed themselves to recovering Tk 232 crore from their top 20 defaulters in the first ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006The Private Sector Infrastructure Committee (PICOM) headed by the principal secretary to the prime minister's office will sit today for discussing the proposal of a private company for constructing a metro rail system in the capital. The Contech Limited, a local firm, has been selected in the pre-qualification bid for constructing the subway and the communications ministry has forwarded the proposal for approval of the committee.The 10-member committee is considered the apex body for approving proposals of constructing infrastructures by private and foreign investors.Secretaries from the ministries of finance, economic relation division (ERD), law and president of Federation ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006The government apprehends bomb attacks, and a sharp rise in organised crimes during and before the Ramadan and Durga Puja, the two major religious occasions of the nation. Law enforcement agencies have already been ordered to step up security at the diplomatic zone and other key points in the capital."We simply can't dismiss the possibility of subversive acts. We always take such apprehensions seriously," State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar told reporters after a meeting on law and order yesterday.Asked whether they have any specific intelligence reports in this regard, he avoided a direct reply and said, "We're working ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 6th, 2006Chittagong Feeder Trade Committee (CFTC) withdrew its agitation programme of suspending loading and unloading of containers at Chittagong Port yesterday with immediate effect.The suspension programme was withdrawn following a four-hour long discussion with State Minister for Shipping Mohammad Quamrul Islam at his office last night.The Singapore-based feeder vessel operators also agreed to refund the congestion surcharges realised since August 20.Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) also agreed to withdraw the cases it filed against the five feeder vessel operators.The CFTC stopped loading and unloading containers at Chittagong Port following a contempt case filed by the BGMEA for realising congestion ...
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