Archive for December 21st, 2006
Thursday, December 21st, 2006The advisory council of caretaker government requested Election Commissioner SM Zakaria yesterday to go on leave of absence while at its request the Election Commission (EC) rescheduled the polls timetable again, keeping in mind holding of election within the 90-day constitutional obligation.The advisory council claimed that it has implemented the entire package proposal finalised 16 days ago although the proposals also included sending of Election Commissioner Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury on leave and appointment of new election commissioners to recast the EC.The council of advisers also decided not to appoint any new election commissioner although its package proposal had a deal ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed a case against nine Power Development Board (PDB) officials, including one of its former chairmen, involved in the construction of the Tongi 80 megawatt power plant.The nine officials are accused of deliberately accepting sub-standard machinery from the plant's Chinese builder Harbin, as well as dispensing with the approval of higher authorities for the deviation they committed for their personal gains, the case filed with Gazipur Police Station states.The accused officials are: SA Mayeed (former chairman of PDB), Dr MAK Azad (former member (Generation), PDB), BSMM Haq Fatimi (former project director), Akhtarul Islam ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006Awami League (AL)-led 14-party coalition, Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-led Jatiya Oikya Front (JOF) yesterday rejected the fresh proposals of the advisers to the caretaker government (CG). In separate news conferences, they termed the CG's latest move 'a fresh conspiracy and a piecemeal approach only to mislead the people'."The latest announcement is not acceptable. It's a move to mislead the people. No one talked to us before taking the decision," 14-party Coordinator Abdul Jalil told a news briefing at his NAM Bhaban residence in the capital.Prior to 14-party's briefing, JP and LDP held two separate news ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006After two years of delay and disagreements, the government yesterday approved the gas sales purchase agreement (GPSA) with Canadian company Niko Resources for purchase of gas from the Feni marginal field, Niko officials said.But as promised by former energy ministry adviser Mahmudur Rahman, the GPSA is not addressing any issue related to compensation for the Tengratila gas field blowouts."The compensation issue has apparently become so quiet that it seems Bangladesh did not lose anything in the two rounds of blowouts," regretted a Petrobangla official. Two rounds of official investigations blamed Niko's poor operation and negligence for the blowouts in ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006The capacity of the four sophisticated gantry cranes installed at the Chittagong Container Terminals (CCT) is being underused as they remain idle for most of the time due to weak back up services and non-cooperation of the port workers. For smooth functioning of such sophisticated cranes, the operation and back up services like rubber tyre gantry cranes should be unified and handled by a single authority, sources said.But in CCT the operation of the sophisticated cranes has been handed over to a private company while most of the back up services remained at the hand of Chittagong Port Authority ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006Leaders of Awami League (AL) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in separate meetings with the European Union (EU) election observation team yesterday described President Iajuddin Ahmed as the 'key obstacle' to a free, fair and neutral election. Observing that Iajuddin's activities will go in favour of the BNP-Jamaat alliance in the upcoming polls, the leaders of both the parties said other than his resignation from the post of the chief adviser (CA), there is no other way for holding the election in a credible manner.The three-member team, led by chief observer Alexander Lambsdorff, which also met senior leaders of ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006Diplomats from several Western countries and representatives of UNDP and other donor agencies met BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday and once again raised voices for holding a free and neutral election with participation of all political parties.Sources said BNP leaders told the delegation that according to the constitutional framework there is no scope to defer the poll date beyond the stipulated 90 days.The envoys, however, did not express any opinion to the BNP leaders.British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury, who led the delegation, also did not make any comment while talking to reporters after the meeting at the BNP ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006Shushashoner Janney Nagorik (Shujan) yesterday said people's right to choose an honest and credible candidate in the upcoming parliamentary elections will be hampered since they will not be able to know vital information about the contestants.A movement for good governance, Shujan expressed its concern over the issue at a press conference in Dhaka styled as "Attempt to Snatch Away Voters' Right to Know". Its leaders talked on the stayed High Court (HC) verdict that compels the Election Commission (EC) to collect and make public some vital information about the poll candidates.Prof Muzaffer Ahmad, Shujan chief, in his introductory speech said ...
(read more) Thursday, December 21st, 2006Political parties bagging less than 2.5 percent of total cast votes in the parliamentary elections should be barred from contesting the next polls, former chief election commissioner (CEC) Justice Abdur Rauf said yesterday.He urged President Iajuddin Ahmed to incorporate the condition through a new clause into the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 1972 to maintain discipline during elections.The former CEC made the suggestions while addressing a roundtable on 'Democracy Protection and Acceptable Election' at the Jatiya Press Club. Institute of Policy Development (IPD), a UK-based research and training institute, organised the programme where several suggestions for holding a free ...
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