Archive for July 6th, 2008
Sunday, July 6th, 2008The amendment to the Emergency Power Rules (EPR) planned by the government will create scopes of getting bail for many high profile corruption suspects and convicts who are not prime accused in any graft case.The probable amendment will facilitate bail to politicians like Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, MK Anwar, Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, M Shamsul Islam and Motiur Rahman Nizami, who are co-accused--convicted or not--in such graft cases.A few more amendments are also likely to be made effective after the Truth Commission starts functioning maybe later this month, sources said.Through these amendments the government is, however, unlikely to offer the scope ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008While the coverage of government safety net programmes has been inadequate to meet the needs of the poor, the net benefits of the programmes are also shrinking day by day due to price spiral of essentials, says a draft survey report of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).Suggesting periodic review and adjustment of allocations for social safety net programmes (SSNP), the draft report strongly recommends increasing allowances for the old, widowed and distressed women, and the disabled."Taken all system costs on recipients' accounts and ever increasing price hikes of essentials into consideration, the net benefit of the present meagre rates ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008Firoza, a 22-year-old burn patient, was screaming in pain when the ward assistant (Aya) was changing her bandages. The aya was removing the gauze mercilessly from the wounds on her chest, hands and abdomen; she was never trained for this and had many other things left to do.Trained nurses usually do this job in hospitals of Bangladesh but as there are very few nurses, the ayas do it alone."As the number of nurses is inadequate here and they are busy with other work, it is the norm here that the ayas would change the bandages in exchange for Tk ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008BNP might not take disciplinary action against those who will participate in the August 4 polls though the party is not likely to change its stance against the local elections.Considering the enthusiasm of the rank and file for elections and their views that the party would lose ground in local politics if it decides to boycott the polls, the BNP high-ups are now taking a soft line with those who intend to take part in the elections, said party insiders.Archrival Awami League's (AL) decision to participate in the polls is another reason for their easing up on the ones ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008Malaysia recently resumed issuing job approvals to Bangladeshi jobseekers -- bringing an end to a temporary ban the South-East Asian country had imposed in October last year on the hiring of workers from Bangladesh.Authorities say the withdrawal of the ban was made possible due to the efforts of both the sides -- Malaysia and Bangladesh.Amid numerous reports of unemployment, underpayment and various other contract violations by the employers, the two sides have also been working to resolve the workplace issues faced by the Bangladeshi workers who had already been working in Malaysia.Abdul Matin Chowdhury, the expatriates welfare and overseas employment ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008Petrobangla has directed Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Ltd (MGMCL) to ask the unfinished hard rock mine's North Korean developer Namnam to extend the term of $4.2 million bank guarantee till May 2009, sources say.Although it is the task of Petrobangla, which signed the agreement with Namnam for developing the mine in 1994, MGMCL is now preparing to ask Namnam to extend the guarantee period till May 24, 2009.Since June 2007, Namnam kept no bank guarantee against the unfinished work of the mine and Petrobangla did not take any action against the North Korean company.The government accepted the unfinished ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008Illegally occupied lands in canals and rivers in and around Dhaka City should be returned to the water bodies immediately, failing which would threaten the very existence of the 400-year-old city, environmentalists warned yesterday.They were speaking at a press conference, organised by Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) at Dhaka Reporters' Unity.The environmentalists also called for an autonomous body that would coordinate the projects of Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa), Dhaka City Corporation, Water Development Board and district administration, meant for reducing water-logging.Proposing that the theme of the 400th anniversary of Dhaka City should be protecting its water bodies, Bapa President ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008Candidates in the local elections who use their political identity during campaign would lose their candidacies, Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain yesterday said.He told this at a view-exchange meeting with election officials at Government Devendra College auditorium in Manikganj.According to Article 66 of the constitution, local-government polls should be held before the general election, he said adding that the constitutional requirement was not followed in the past.The present Election Commission would apply the article properly, he said.Sakhawat said presiding officials would count the votes at vote centres in presence of the candidates' agents and would give ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal will form a human chain in front of the makeshift jail in Sangsad Bhaban complex tomorrow demanding unconditional release of former premier and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her two sons and Jamaat Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami.Jubo Dal President Mia Mohammad Selim announced the programme at a press briefing at BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain's Nam flat yesteray, as a move for the release of Khaleda and her sons--Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman--has apparently stalled.General Secretary of the BNP youth front Abdus Salam Azad in a written statement criticised the government for filing Zia Orphanage corruption case. ...
(read more) Sunday, July 6th, 2008The authorities of Dhaka University (DU) yesterday felled two more full-grown trees to make room for a new dormitory building for Jagannath Hall.The five-storey building, to be constructed in between the hall pond and Udayan High School compound, is expected to accommodate around a thousand students. The new facility would have the capacity to be extended upto ten stories.The authorities have previously chopped down quite a good number of full-grown trees for the construction project.A number of resident students of the hall and Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (Bapa) have expressed dissatisfaction over the felling of the trees, saying that ...
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