Archive for June 29th, 2009
Monday, June 29th, 2009Workers from around 50 garment factories and police clashed for hours at Ashulia near the capital yesterday, leaving a worker killed and over 150 people including 30 cops wounded.The fight was a continuation of Saturday's pitched battles that saw a worker killed and 25 others injured as the Ansars fired on a demonstration for pay hike.During yesterday's clashes, police fired over 200 rounds of rubber bullets and teargas canisters and charged baton to disperse the demonstrators.The workers attacked at least 15 factories and damaged over 50 vehicles. They barricaded the Dhaka-Tangail highway for over four hours, leading to traffic ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury yesterday urged lawmakers to take steps to abolish the caretaker government system and strengthen the Election Commission (EC) for holding free and fair parliamentary elections.Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad echoed her and urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to free politics from the caretaker government system.Treasury bench MPs supported their proposals, thumping desks in parliament during a general discussion on the proposed budget for the next fiscal year yesterday.The caretaker government system was introduced in the constitution in 1996 in the face of vigorous agitation of opposition political parties.The EC also opined earlier ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009While political leaders, academicians, eminent citizens, professional groups and the common people are demanding urgent measures to save our rivers, the government is sitting on two projects -- demarcation of all the four rivers and a four-lane bypass highway around the city -- which would ensure water flow, if implemented.The Dhaka Integrated Flood Control Embankment-Eastern Bypass Road Multipurpose Project, widely known as bypass project, and the Rehabilitation of the Buriganga-Turag-Shitalakhya River System and Augmentation of Dry Season Flow are the two mega projects lying idle now due to lack of funds.According to Water Development Board (WDB), the initiator of ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009Piara Begum, a widow of 40, and Mamun Miah, 25, fell victim to fatwa (religious edict) and were whipped before hundreds of people at Khaiyar under Debidwar upazila of Comilla Saturday night for their alleged involvement in anti-social activity.Police, in this connection, arrested six people including a local religious leader who issued the fatwa. The conditions of the victims were stated to be critical.The arrestees are Dakhil Madrasa Assistant Super Moulana Mohammad Manirul Islam, Dudmiah, Ibrahim, Wahed, Jalil and Mamun, the victim.Dudmiah presided over the village arbitration while Wahed and Jalil executed the whippings, locals said.Piara Begum filed ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009The government has decided to reclaim the Cox's Bazar plots, which were leased out to boost tourism but have been illegally used for other purposes, to make the beach town a modern tourist hub.An inter-ministerial meeting yesterday formed a high-powered committee to identify the structures used illegally for purposes other than tourism in violation of the conditions of the Hotel/Motel Zone under Jhilangza mouza along the sea beach."The tourism secretary will head the committee, which will visit Cox's Bazar soon and submit a report in 30 workdays," Land Minister Rezaul Karim Hira told newspersons after the meeting held at the ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009The government may narrow the gap between the highest and lowest salaries for public servants, fixing the lowest basic salary at Tk 4,800 by doubling that on the present scale of pay.The Pay Commission had suggested the lowest basic salary at Tk 4,000 but a cabinet committee for implementation of the pay scale recommended doubling the present Tk 2,400.Headed by the cabinet secretary, the committee has almost finalised the report of its review of the Pay Commission's proposals and it will submit it to the cabinet very soon, committee sources said.They said the recommendations have been made in accordance with ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009Bangladesh and UK yesterday launched a joint working group (JWG) to enhance counter terrorism cooperation between the two countries for building capacity of combating terrorism.At the first meeting of JWG, high officials of the two countries primarily identified the areas of cooperation, including sharing intelligence and training of law-enforcers.They agreed to hold the next meeting of the group by the end of this year to finalise the modalities of their cooperation under the group.State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud and UK Minister for Security and Counter-Terrorism Lord West led their respective sides at the day-long meeting at state guesthouse ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009Known as Lal Bahini (red force) to the villagers for their red T-shirt and cap, a group of young volunteers are working for prevention of early marriage by creating awareness and convincing the parents of underage boys and girls.Whenever the volunteers get any information about any possible child marriage, they promptly reach there and persuade parents of the children to stop such marriage.Driven by their own conscience, fifteen youngsters aged between 15 and 22 years work voluntarily in four unions of Charghat upazila in Rajshahi aiming at freeing the upazila from all kinds of social ills.Even they inform union parishad ...
(read more) Monday, June 29th, 2009BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday asked the government to make public all data and information on the 'controversial' Tipaimukh Dam project provided by the Indian government.Mosharraf, also a former minister, said only a parliamentary delegation should visit the site of the proposed dam in the greater interest of the country as sending of two or more teams there will harm national unity.If more than one team is sent there, it would weaken Bangladesh's bargaining power with India, he told journalists at his Segunbagicha office.He, however, indicated that his party might consider sending a separate team to ...
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