BRTC to operate 200 buses during Eid holiday
Additional leased buses, alongside regular buses, will travel on inter-district routes during Eid holiday, a Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation statement said Sunday.
As many as 200 buses will be available during the holiday, which will start from Sep 8 and will continue three days after the Eid. BRTC will start selling tickets in bus-depots on Sep 4.
The buses will start from the capital's Motijheel, Joar Shahara, Kalyanpur, Mirpur-12, Fulbaria, Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Cantonment railway station.
Seats will be reserved for women and disabled.
BRTC has formed a special committee to supervise the service and a help desk at its head office. Its phone numbers are 9564361.
-bdnews
The buses will start from the capital's Motijheel, Joar Shahara, Kalyanpur, Mirpur-12, Fulbaria, Gabtoli, Mohakhali and Cantonment railway station.
Seats will be reserved for women and disabled.
BRTC has formed a special committee to supervise the service and a help desk at its head office. Its phone numbers are 9564361.
-bdnews
40-day Job in Mymensingh :AL leaders feast on it
The allegation of irregularities in a government scheme to provide job to the ultra poor in Gauripur upazila is now being investigated by a committee made up of the same persons who supervised the project.
In June, Gauripur upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) formed the probe body headed by Shahjahan Siraj, upazila agriculture officer, and AM Shahrier Taufiq, livestock officer of Gauripur, to probe the allegation of corruption in the “40-day Job Generation Programme for Vulnerable Groups”.
The other members are Golam Azam, upazila secondary education officer; Rafiqul Islam, social services officer; and Lutfur Rahman, fisheries officer.
The trio supervised the project at the upazila's different unions.
The programme at a cost of Tk 3,37,63,200 started on March 1 at ten unions of the upazila and ended on April 9.
Under the project some 7,034 people were engaged in road construction and repair.
Al Faruque, a local, said nowhere at the ten unions the 40-day project employed people for more than 20 days.
Local ruling party men, who directly interfered in the project, were involved in all sorts of irregularities including stealing project fund under the very nose of the government supervisors, he added.
"We can't accept the same guys [who were entrusted with the scheme] to conduct the probe. It's absolutely ridiculous," said Al Faruque.
Members of the Gauripur Socheton Nagorik Committee, a citizens' platform, also rejected the probe body. They said such investigation would hide truth.
The UNO, Abdullah Al Mamun, said the committee members are all top government officials and would perform their duties honestly.
"Moreover the three probe committee members, who were field-level supervisors during the project's implementation, didn't work in the areas where they are investigating," said Abdullah Al Mamun.
The project came under scrutiny when hundreds of deprived labourers from different areas, including Achintapur, Bangnamari and Maoha, of the upazila brought a number of allegations against the supervisors.
What most angered the labourers were tampering with their daily attendance books, inserting fictitious names, providing jobs for only 20 days and employing less than half the number of people fixed by the project.
Sheikh Mujir Rahman, a labourer who joined the programme in Tatir Paya village, said he worked for 22 days and received wage for 20 days at Tk 120 a day.
His fellow workers Kamal Hossain, Rafiqul Islam, Abdul Kadir said that after 22 days Dewan Md Khasruzzaman Khan Babul, secretary of the Maoha union project and also the general secretary of Maoha union Awami League, asked them to stop the work.
The work never resumed.
The local Awami League leaders masterminded the whole scheme and nobody in the area dared speak a word, the labourers said.
Upazila administration sources said the UNO, upazila project implementation officer (PIO) and field-level supervisors were mere spectators as the ruling party men came up with new ideas to steal the project money.
Probe body member Golam Azam, who was a project supervisor at Gauripur union, said, “We can't say anything about the allegations before the investigation ends.”
Azam, however, admitted that some ruling party men got involved in the project. He declined to say any further.
Another member of the probe committee, Rafiqul Islam who oversaw the project at Moilakanda union, simply refuted the accusations.
Former UNO of Gauripur AFM Alauddin Khan, who headed the project for the entire length, said although he headed the project its function was in the hands of the PIO.
"When the PIO submitted his requirement, he provided me with all necessary proofs. I then disbursed the money on the basis of his proposal. The PIO is officially in charge of the project," said Alauddin.
Abdul Latif, PIO of the work generation programme, said every step of the project was taken following procedure. The government supervisors selected the beneficiaries and also the site of the proposed work and submitted their proposals to the PIO.
"We accordingly issued cheques for the work. If there were any anomalies, an audit would have revealed it," he said.
"The complaints come from people who were not beneficiaries [of the project]. For instance, if we have fund for 500 people against a demand of 5,000, a large number of people would be left aggrieved and unhappy," he said.
Jahangir Hossain, upazila election officer who supervised the project at Bangnamari union, said a few anomalies might have been there in the selection of labourers.
The deprived ultra-poor people also submitted a complaint to Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, minister for food and disaster management, in May. They also held a press conference.
On the alleged corruption, State Minister for Health and Family Affairs Captain (retd) Mozibur Rahman Fakir, also the president of Gauripur AL, said it is not his concern. "If local Awami League leaders are involved with the corruption, you can write about it."
-Daily Star
In June, Gauripur upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) formed the probe body headed by Shahjahan Siraj, upazila agriculture officer, and AM Shahrier Taufiq, livestock officer of Gauripur, to probe the allegation of corruption in the “40-day Job Generation Programme for Vulnerable Groups”.
The other members are Golam Azam, upazila secondary education officer; Rafiqul Islam, social services officer; and Lutfur Rahman, fisheries officer.
The trio supervised the project at the upazila's different unions.
The programme at a cost of Tk 3,37,63,200 started on March 1 at ten unions of the upazila and ended on April 9.
Under the project some 7,034 people were engaged in road construction and repair.
Al Faruque, a local, said nowhere at the ten unions the 40-day project employed people for more than 20 days.
Local ruling party men, who directly interfered in the project, were involved in all sorts of irregularities including stealing project fund under the very nose of the government supervisors, he added.
"We can't accept the same guys [who were entrusted with the scheme] to conduct the probe. It's absolutely ridiculous," said Al Faruque.
Members of the Gauripur Socheton Nagorik Committee, a citizens' platform, also rejected the probe body. They said such investigation would hide truth.
The UNO, Abdullah Al Mamun, said the committee members are all top government officials and would perform their duties honestly.
"Moreover the three probe committee members, who were field-level supervisors during the project's implementation, didn't work in the areas where they are investigating," said Abdullah Al Mamun.
The project came under scrutiny when hundreds of deprived labourers from different areas, including Achintapur, Bangnamari and Maoha, of the upazila brought a number of allegations against the supervisors.
What most angered the labourers were tampering with their daily attendance books, inserting fictitious names, providing jobs for only 20 days and employing less than half the number of people fixed by the project.
Sheikh Mujir Rahman, a labourer who joined the programme in Tatir Paya village, said he worked for 22 days and received wage for 20 days at Tk 120 a day.
His fellow workers Kamal Hossain, Rafiqul Islam, Abdul Kadir said that after 22 days Dewan Md Khasruzzaman Khan Babul, secretary of the Maoha union project and also the general secretary of Maoha union Awami League, asked them to stop the work.
The work never resumed.
The local Awami League leaders masterminded the whole scheme and nobody in the area dared speak a word, the labourers said.
Upazila administration sources said the UNO, upazila project implementation officer (PIO) and field-level supervisors were mere spectators as the ruling party men came up with new ideas to steal the project money.
Probe body member Golam Azam, who was a project supervisor at Gauripur union, said, “We can't say anything about the allegations before the investigation ends.”
Azam, however, admitted that some ruling party men got involved in the project. He declined to say any further.
Another member of the probe committee, Rafiqul Islam who oversaw the project at Moilakanda union, simply refuted the accusations.
Former UNO of Gauripur AFM Alauddin Khan, who headed the project for the entire length, said although he headed the project its function was in the hands of the PIO.
"When the PIO submitted his requirement, he provided me with all necessary proofs. I then disbursed the money on the basis of his proposal. The PIO is officially in charge of the project," said Alauddin.
Abdul Latif, PIO of the work generation programme, said every step of the project was taken following procedure. The government supervisors selected the beneficiaries and also the site of the proposed work and submitted their proposals to the PIO.
"We accordingly issued cheques for the work. If there were any anomalies, an audit would have revealed it," he said.
"The complaints come from people who were not beneficiaries [of the project]. For instance, if we have fund for 500 people against a demand of 5,000, a large number of people would be left aggrieved and unhappy," he said.
Jahangir Hossain, upazila election officer who supervised the project at Bangnamari union, said a few anomalies might have been there in the selection of labourers.
The deprived ultra-poor people also submitted a complaint to Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, minister for food and disaster management, in May. They also held a press conference.
On the alleged corruption, State Minister for Health and Family Affairs Captain (retd) Mozibur Rahman Fakir, also the president of Gauripur AL, said it is not his concern. "If local Awami League leaders are involved with the corruption, you can write about it."
-Daily Star
Online System of submitting income tax return by September 5
Finance Minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhit said here today people would be able to submit their income tax return through online from September 5 next.
Income tax return procedure would be brought under online system from September 5 to reduce public hassle in line with the government's vow to build digital Bangladesh, he said while addressing a tax motivational meeting at Narayanganj club community hall.
Organized by taxes Zone Dhaka 1, the meeting was addressed, among others, by members of parliament Sarah Begum Kabori and Golam Dastagir Gazi (Bir Protik), Taxes Zone Dhaka 1 Commissioner M A Quader Sircar and BKMEA President AKM Selim Osman.
The meeting was chaired by chairman of National Board of Revenue Dr. Nasir Uddin Ahmed.
Finance Minister said September 15 would be declared as tax day while a five daylong tax fair would be held from September 25 to September 30 all over the country to motivate people for submitting their income return.
The minister lauded the entrepreneurs of export oriented Knit-garment industries in Narayanganj who contributing greatly to the development of National Economy through earning foreign exchange.
Representatives of 29 trade bodies and lawyers of Narayanganj district Taxes bar Association attended the meeting.
Six leading businessmen submitted their income Tax return Taka 40 lakh to the finance minister in the form of pay order for the year 2010.
-BSS
PDB Chief Engineer Abul Kashem and senior general manager of NTPCI will sign the MoU on behalf of their respective sides.
Under the MoU, a 620-MW coal-fired power plant would be set up in Khulna, PDB Chairman AHM Alamgir Kabir, now in India, told BSS over phone today.
Kabir said the agreement will also include increasing energy- efficiency, rehabilitation of old power plants, training of power officials and capacity building of the PDB.
Earlier, an agreement on the grid connectivity issue was signed between Bangladesh and India on July 26.
-BSS
They urged the government to act in a fair and democratic way and stop repression on journalists and professionals all those who differ with the views of the ruling party.
They requested the government to be tolerant to the opponents.
Bangladesh Sammilita Peshajibi Parishad hosted the meeting at the National Press Club, chaired by filmmaker Chashi Nazrul Islam, also Jatiyatabadi Sangskritik Jote president.
Leaders and activists of professional bodies of teachers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, journalists and trade unions attended and expressed their solidarity with the demand.
On August 20, the Supreme Court imposed a six-month jail sentence on Mahmudur Rahman and one-month sentence on Oliullah Noman for contempt of court.
Supreme Court Bar Association president Khandker Mahbub Hossain said by sending them to jail meant infringement of freedom of expression of the people.
‘The court is the last safeguard of justice. The people should not lose confidence on it,’ he said.
The veteran lawyer said that it was the responsibility of the judges to maintain the dignity of the court.
The voice of the people, he said, cannot be gagged by contempt cases.
A country where freedom of expression is denied cannot be called democratic, said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP senior joint secretary general.
The people’s right to speak and write, he said, was not secure under the Awami League led alliance government.
He described the political atmosphere in the country as ‘suffocating.’
Mirza Alamgir said that the government was following a policy of ‘double-standards’ throughout the country.
He said that the government was filing false cases against the BNP leaders and activists and at the same time well-known ‘murderers’ like Shaon and Dr Iqbal are allowed to go scot-free.
Sadrul Amin, dean of Dhaka University arts faculty, said that under double standards citizens cannot expect to get neither justice nor the rule of the law.
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Sultan Salauddin Tuku said that the citizens of Bangladesh have nowhere to get justice and fair play.
He said that the citizens cannot expect to get the extra privileges reserved for the ruling party leaders and activities.
He said that the citizens cannot be expected to have faith on a system based on all pervasive double standards.
BNP standing committee member Rafiqul Islam Mian and finance secretary Abdus Salam, DU former pro-Vice Chancellor AFM Yusuf Haider, Bangladesh Swechchasebak Dal president Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel also spoke, besides others.
The president of the federation, Amirul Haque Amin, equested the factory owners to pay wages according to the new rates announced on July 29.
Speaking at a news conference at Dhaka Reporter’s Unity he said that the buyers increase the prices of apparels from Bangladesh.
He said that international buyers pay less for apparels from Bangladesh compared to from the neighbouring countries.
He said that they make greater profits out of apparels they buy from Bangladesh and sell in western markets.
For example, said Amin, the buyers pay $ 8 to 10, for one dozen T-shirts from Bangladesh and sell them for $ 50 to 60 in the US and Europe.
The federation leaders called on the Awami League led government to provide full rationing of food and other essentials, free medical treatment and low cost housing to apparel workers.
Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad central leader Safiuddin Ahmed, president of Sramik Jote Bangladesh Abdul Kader Hawlader, federation leaders Shafia Parvin and Faroque Khan were present at the news conference.
The vacation bench of Justice Moyenul Islam and Justice Abdus Samad also asked the government to explain why the proceedings of cases would not be declared illegal.
The court passed the order after hearing separate writ petitions filed by Rafiqul and Shah Moazzem, who are now on bail, challenging the legality of the case proceedings.
They said in accordance with Article 35(2) of the constitution which said no people would be prosecuted in more than one case for similar offences.
A total of 13 cases had been filed with courts in Dhaka, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Sirajganj, Bogra, Narail, Kushtia, Chittagong, Jessore, Panchaghar and Bhola by local leaders of the ruling Aami League, alleging that the BNP leaders had said that Hasina would have the same fate of her father at a rally at Muktangan in Dhaka on July 25.
It was a death threat which revealed ill intention of the BNP leaders to grab state power by killing the prime minister, the AL leaders he said in their complaints.
Organized by taxes Zone Dhaka 1, the meeting was addressed, among others, by members of parliament Sarah Begum Kabori and Golam Dastagir Gazi (Bir Protik), Taxes Zone Dhaka 1 Commissioner M A Quader Sircar and BKMEA President AKM Selim Osman.
The meeting was chaired by chairman of National Board of Revenue Dr. Nasir Uddin Ahmed.
Finance Minister said September 15 would be declared as tax day while a five daylong tax fair would be held from September 25 to September 30 all over the country to motivate people for submitting their income return.
The minister lauded the entrepreneurs of export oriented Knit-garment industries in Narayanganj who contributing greatly to the development of National Economy through earning foreign exchange.
Representatives of 29 trade bodies and lawyers of Narayanganj district Taxes bar Association attended the meeting.
Six leading businessmen submitted their income Tax return Taka 40 lakh to the finance minister in the form of pay order for the year 2010.
-BSS
Bangladesh-India sign MoU on 620-MW power plant tomorrow
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between the National Thermal Power Corporation of India and the Power Development Board (PDB) tomorrow.PDB Chief Engineer Abul Kashem and senior general manager of NTPCI will sign the MoU on behalf of their respective sides.
Kabir said the agreement will also include increasing energy- efficiency, rehabilitation of old power plants, training of power officials and capacity building of the PDB.
Earlier, an agreement on the grid connectivity issue was signed between Bangladesh and India on July 26.
-BSS
Professional groups want Mahmudur, Noman set free
Professional groups at a meeting on Sunday demanded immediate release of the Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman and the daily’s special correspondent Oliullah Noman.They urged the government to act in a fair and democratic way and stop repression on journalists and professionals all those who differ with the views of the ruling party.
They requested the government to be tolerant to the opponents.
Leaders and activists of professional bodies of teachers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, journalists and trade unions attended and expressed their solidarity with the demand.
On August 20, the Supreme Court imposed a six-month jail sentence on Mahmudur Rahman and one-month sentence on Oliullah Noman for contempt of court.
Supreme Court Bar Association president Khandker Mahbub Hossain said by sending them to jail meant infringement of freedom of expression of the people.
‘The court is the last safeguard of justice. The people should not lose confidence on it,’ he said.
The veteran lawyer said that it was the responsibility of the judges to maintain the dignity of the court.
The voice of the people, he said, cannot be gagged by contempt cases.
A country where freedom of expression is denied cannot be called democratic, said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, BNP senior joint secretary general.
The people’s right to speak and write, he said, was not secure under the Awami League led alliance government.
He described the political atmosphere in the country as ‘suffocating.’
Mirza Alamgir said that the government was following a policy of ‘double-standards’ throughout the country.
He said that the government was filing false cases against the BNP leaders and activists and at the same time well-known ‘murderers’ like Shaon and Dr Iqbal are allowed to go scot-free.
Sadrul Amin, dean of Dhaka University arts faculty, said that under double standards citizens cannot expect to get neither justice nor the rule of the law.
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Sultan Salauddin Tuku said that the citizens of Bangladesh have nowhere to get justice and fair play.
He said that the citizens cannot expect to get the extra privileges reserved for the ruling party leaders and activities.
He said that the citizens cannot be expected to have faith on a system based on all pervasive double standards.
BNP standing committee member Rafiqul Islam Mian and finance secretary Abdus Salam, DU former pro-Vice Chancellor AFM Yusuf Haider, Bangladesh Swechchasebak Dal president Habibun Nabi Khan Sohel also spoke, besides others.
RMG workers want wages at new rates
National Garments Workers’ Federation on Sunday called on the international buyers to pay fair prices for apparels from Bangladesh. Speaking at a news conference at Dhaka Reporter’s Unity he said that the buyers increase the prices of apparels from Bangladesh.
He said that international buyers pay less for apparels from Bangladesh compared to from the neighbouring countries.
He said that they make greater profits out of apparels they buy from Bangladesh and sell in western markets.
For example, said Amin, the buyers pay $ 8 to 10, for one dozen T-shirts from Bangladesh and sell them for $ 50 to 60 in the US and Europe.
The federation leaders called on the Awami League led government to provide full rationing of food and other essentials, free medical treatment and low cost housing to apparel workers.
Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad central leader Safiuddin Ahmed, president of Sramik Jote Bangladesh Abdul Kader Hawlader, federation leaders Shafia Parvin and Faroque Khan were present at the news conference.
HC stays proceedings of 12 cases against Rafiqul, Shah Moazzem
The High Court on Sunday stayed for six months the proceedings of 12 cases filed with 12 district courts against BNP leaders Rafiqul Islam Miah and Shah Moazzem Hossain for issuing death threats to prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The court passed the order after hearing separate writ petitions filed by Rafiqul and Shah Moazzem, who are now on bail, challenging the legality of the case proceedings.
They said in accordance with Article 35(2) of the constitution which said no people would be prosecuted in more than one case for similar offences.
A total of 13 cases had been filed with courts in Dhaka, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Sirajganj, Bogra, Narail, Kushtia, Chittagong, Jessore, Panchaghar and Bhola by local leaders of the ruling Aami League, alleging that the BNP leaders had said that Hasina would have the same fate of her father at a rally at Muktangan in Dhaka on July 25.
It was a death threat which revealed ill intention of the BNP leaders to grab state power by killing the prime minister, the AL leaders he said in their complaints.
SEC strict on margin loans
The capital market regulator, Securities and Exchange Commission, said that they would maintain their stance regarding calculation of marginal loan.
"Representatives of the bourses and merchant bank association have been asked to implement the SEC directive by Sep 30," the commission's executive director Anwarul Kabir Bhuiyan told journalists on Sunday.
"The brokerage houses and merchant banks have been instructed to disburse margin loan on the basis of net asset value of the shares".
Earlier on Tuesday, SEC set out specific rules and outlines to calculate the margin loans. Following the new method, the margin loan will be calculated by averaging the end market price of the share and its net asset value.
Margin loans are disbursed by merchant banks and brokers against the shares of an individual investor.
According to the older method, investors were allowed to borrow at a 1:1 ratio, meaning they could get loans up to the same value of the share in their possession.
After a pre-scheduled meeting with the members of the bourses and merchant banks the SEC spokesperson told the press that the market watchdog has asked the players to bring in their margin loan accounts for inspection by next week.
"SEC will examine the loan accounts of brokerage houses and merchant banks to examine the possibility of any drastic fall in the market due to the adjustment," said Bhuiyan.
He admitted that the adjustment might push some of the market players to resort to a 'forced sell'.
"Forced sell resulting from the adjustment might bring down the stock market much below the desired level," he added.
Bhuiyan told the press that bourses and merchant bank representatives have informed SEC that the new method would raise complications and they lack technical resource to address the situation.
However, preferring anonymity, a director of the Dhaka Stock Exchange who was present at the meeting, told bdnews24.com that they broadly agree with the decisions of SEC.
"We are in line with the decisions of the SEC and I don't think this is the right time to make any comment on this".
-bdnews
The response came after the parliamentary standing committee on the defence ministry asked the ministry to review the cases of alleged political victimisation of certain officers and personnel in army, navy and air force during the five-year tenure of Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government and the two years of military-back Fakhruddin Ahmed administration.
A number of retired officers and personnel appealed to the committee seeking justice as they felt they had been deceived in promotion, retirement and deprived of some other benefits during the last seven years before the Awami League-led alliance government assumed office in early 2009.
In its report collected from the three services—army, navy and air force—the armed forces division justified the actions taken against the 25, nine of whom were officers of different ranks, citing relevant rules and regulation of their respective forces.
The parliamentary watchdog is expected to pass its recommendations to the government after reviewing the report at a meeting scheduled for Monday at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
In the case of Colonel (retd) Abdul Hye, who had sought reinstatement in the service and promotion, the army headquarter says that the officer was a freedom fighter. At the end of his service length, the officer applied for retirement and accordingly went on leave preparatory for retirement.
It said Lieutenant Colonel Helal Uddin Ahmed served at DSCSC Mirpur as directing staff between January 12, 1997 and January 2, 2001. Helal, who in his application to the parliamentary panel sought promotion, had completed staff course in Pakistan from February 7, 1990 to March 1, 1991 and also served in Bangladesh mission in New Delhi between October 2, 2001 and September 15, 2005. He retired on October 1, 2009.
Major (retd) ABM Aminul Islam, who also sought a promotion, was warned by the GOC 55 infantry division in 2005. His case for promotion was considered by the promotion selection board in 2009, according to the army headquarters.
Colonel (retd) Kazi Kaisar Uddin was promoted to this rank on July 8, 2001 and went into normal retirement on October 31, 2006, said the report.
Lieutenant Colonel (retd) SM Mustafizur Rahman was a freedom fighter, but he was not evaluated accordingly during his service in army. At the end of his service length, Mustafiz applied for normal retirement.
In the case of Squadron Leader Abdul Baki Mollah, who sought promotion, the air force headquarters said the officer could be given the rank of wing commander without any financial benefit. The case could be settled as per the government directives.
While dealing with promotion of Group Captain (retd) Md. Jamal Uddin, the air headquarters said that the officer went into normal retirement on April 30, 2005. There has been nothing clear in paper whether he was deprived in promotion to the post of Air Commodore at that time. It was observed that his performance in the services was above average. He had obtained a letter of praise from the air chief on June 30, 1990, but also received a warning letter for breach of discipline on August 13, 1992. He was served a letter expressing dissatisfaction for his activities beyond the directives of the air headquarters on June 17, 2003.
Squadron Leader (retired) AKM Akhtaruzzaman sought for promotion and allotment of a plot in DOHS. But the air headquarter examining his records said that the officer went into normal retirement and there was no clear indication that he was deprived of promotion. He was an above average officer in the service. Records say that the officer served in a state-run bank before he joined the air force. His retirement benefit was given accordingly. As there is no rule for counting previous service as qualifying service for obtaining a DOHS plot, his previous service was not counted. The matter was conveyed to him in writing.
An expelled sailor, Imam Hossain, appealed for his reinstatement in the service. But the navy headquarter commented that the sailor was terminated from the service for selling out fuel – octane and petrol – using false demand notes and fabricated vouchers in connivance with others in the service.
Similar allegations were found against Manzurul Haq, another expelled sailor, who wanted to return to the service.
The navy headquarters turned down the appeals citing that its rules did not permit their reinstatement.
Md Abdus Samad, an expelled warrant officer of the air force, applied for punishment waiver and pension benefits, but the air headquarter opined that the non-commissioned officer was terminated from the service due to his involvement in recruiting personnel in the service in exchange of money. The review board also turned down his appeal. ‘An expelled employee is not entitled to pension benefit,’ said the report.
Corporal Md. Nazmul Hossain, who was terminated from the service, also sought his return to the air force. The air headquarter said that he was sacked because of his involvement in an abduction case and beating others.
Another corporal Ashraful Alam was sacked as he was absconding for years, showing utter disrespect to the service rules.
The parliamentary committee on July 16, 2009 had asked the government to review the cases of political victimisation during the past two regimes.
‘A number of officers were victimised because of so-called political reasons during the past governments. We were told the offices of the forces’ chiefs started reviewing the matter case by case,’ the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the defence ministry, Idris Ali, said after a meeting on that day.
The headquarters of the forces’ chiefs were reviewing the cases at the directives of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is also in charge of the defence ministry, the army said.
On September 9, 2009, a senior minister of the AL-led ruling coalition had said that as many as 74 officers of the armed forces were politically victimised in the last seven years, including the five-year rule of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government.
A review committee has so far found out that 74 officers were forced to retire from service on political considerations, the planning minister, AK Khandaker, who is also in charge of the defence ministry in the parliament, said.
The government had earlier formed a high-powered committee at the Armed Forces Division to review the forced termination of the officers from all the services — army, navy and air force — during the last two regimes.
Construction of the 5.71-kilometre road with a width of 100 feet will start in January 2011 as the Rajuk was making preparations for floating tender for the construction work, its officials said.
The project will be implemented under the housing and public works ministry at a cost of Taka 225 crore to be entirely borne by the government with the project tenure being April 2010-September 2012.
The money will be spent for acquisition of land and compensation for structures, land development and construction of bridges and culverts, apart from the road construction.
Rajuk’s superintendent engineer Md Anwar Hossain, also the project director of the Madani Avenue extension project, told New Age that the process was underway for floating tender for the construction work so that the project could be launched in January 2011.
‘We have already started the process for acquisition of lands required for the project,’ he said.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council in May approved the project to be funded by the government itself.
The main aim of the project is to create a new exit-entry point for the capital city as it experiences tailbacks at the three existing entry points in rush hours and during festivals like Eid, said Anwar Hossain.
‘Another aim is to connect central Dhaka to the eastern bypass and expand the east-west road network which will eventually help ease traffic congestions in the city.’
He said, ‘Once a bridge is constructed on the Balu River after completion of the extension work of Madani Avenue, a large portion of Sylhet-bound commuters would not need to use the Kanchpur bridge.’
In response to a question, Anwar Hossain said, ‘About 40 to 45 acres of land will have to be acquired for the project.’
Rajuk sources said about Taka 120 crore would be spent for land acquisition and compensation for structures while about Taka 40 crore wouldl be needed for land development.
Road construction will cost about Taka 25 crore, construction of bridges and culverts will cost about Taka 37 crore and about Taka 40 crore will be needed for electrification of the extended stretch of the road.
Rajuk had a plan plan to start the Madani Avenue extension work this year but it had to wait for approval of the project by the ECNEC, according to the Rajuk officials.
"The brokerage houses and merchant banks have been instructed to disburse margin loan on the basis of net asset value of the shares".
Earlier on Tuesday, SEC set out specific rules and outlines to calculate the margin loans. Following the new method, the margin loan will be calculated by averaging the end market price of the share and its net asset value.
Margin loans are disbursed by merchant banks and brokers against the shares of an individual investor.
According to the older method, investors were allowed to borrow at a 1:1 ratio, meaning they could get loans up to the same value of the share in their possession.
After a pre-scheduled meeting with the members of the bourses and merchant banks the SEC spokesperson told the press that the market watchdog has asked the players to bring in their margin loan accounts for inspection by next week.
"SEC will examine the loan accounts of brokerage houses and merchant banks to examine the possibility of any drastic fall in the market due to the adjustment," said Bhuiyan.
He admitted that the adjustment might push some of the market players to resort to a 'forced sell'.
"Forced sell resulting from the adjustment might bring down the stock market much below the desired level," he added.
Bhuiyan told the press that bourses and merchant bank representatives have informed SEC that the new method would raise complications and they lack technical resource to address the situation.
However, preferring anonymity, a director of the Dhaka Stock Exchange who was present at the meeting, told bdnews24.com that they broadly agree with the decisions of SEC.
"We are in line with the decisions of the SEC and I don't think this is the right time to make any comment on this".
-bdnews
AFD sends to JS panel list of officers, personnel allegedly victimised
The Armed Forces Division has sent a list of 25 army officers and personnel, claimed to have been politically victimised during the past two regimes, to a parliamentary standing committee. A number of retired officers and personnel appealed to the committee seeking justice as they felt they had been deceived in promotion, retirement and deprived of some other benefits during the last seven years before the Awami League-led alliance government assumed office in early 2009.
In its report collected from the three services—army, navy and air force—the armed forces division justified the actions taken against the 25, nine of whom were officers of different ranks, citing relevant rules and regulation of their respective forces.
The parliamentary watchdog is expected to pass its recommendations to the government after reviewing the report at a meeting scheduled for Monday at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
In the case of Colonel (retd) Abdul Hye, who had sought reinstatement in the service and promotion, the army headquarter says that the officer was a freedom fighter. At the end of his service length, the officer applied for retirement and accordingly went on leave preparatory for retirement.
It said Lieutenant Colonel Helal Uddin Ahmed served at DSCSC Mirpur as directing staff between January 12, 1997 and January 2, 2001. Helal, who in his application to the parliamentary panel sought promotion, had completed staff course in Pakistan from February 7, 1990 to March 1, 1991 and also served in Bangladesh mission in New Delhi between October 2, 2001 and September 15, 2005. He retired on October 1, 2009.
Major (retd) ABM Aminul Islam, who also sought a promotion, was warned by the GOC 55 infantry division in 2005. His case for promotion was considered by the promotion selection board in 2009, according to the army headquarters.
Colonel (retd) Kazi Kaisar Uddin was promoted to this rank on July 8, 2001 and went into normal retirement on October 31, 2006, said the report.
Lieutenant Colonel (retd) SM Mustafizur Rahman was a freedom fighter, but he was not evaluated accordingly during his service in army. At the end of his service length, Mustafiz applied for normal retirement.
In the case of Squadron Leader Abdul Baki Mollah, who sought promotion, the air force headquarters said the officer could be given the rank of wing commander without any financial benefit. The case could be settled as per the government directives.
While dealing with promotion of Group Captain (retd) Md. Jamal Uddin, the air headquarters said that the officer went into normal retirement on April 30, 2005. There has been nothing clear in paper whether he was deprived in promotion to the post of Air Commodore at that time. It was observed that his performance in the services was above average. He had obtained a letter of praise from the air chief on June 30, 1990, but also received a warning letter for breach of discipline on August 13, 1992. He was served a letter expressing dissatisfaction for his activities beyond the directives of the air headquarters on June 17, 2003.
Squadron Leader (retired) AKM Akhtaruzzaman sought for promotion and allotment of a plot in DOHS. But the air headquarter examining his records said that the officer went into normal retirement and there was no clear indication that he was deprived of promotion. He was an above average officer in the service. Records say that the officer served in a state-run bank before he joined the air force. His retirement benefit was given accordingly. As there is no rule for counting previous service as qualifying service for obtaining a DOHS plot, his previous service was not counted. The matter was conveyed to him in writing.
An expelled sailor, Imam Hossain, appealed for his reinstatement in the service. But the navy headquarter commented that the sailor was terminated from the service for selling out fuel – octane and petrol – using false demand notes and fabricated vouchers in connivance with others in the service.
Similar allegations were found against Manzurul Haq, another expelled sailor, who wanted to return to the service.
The navy headquarters turned down the appeals citing that its rules did not permit their reinstatement.
Md Abdus Samad, an expelled warrant officer of the air force, applied for punishment waiver and pension benefits, but the air headquarter opined that the non-commissioned officer was terminated from the service due to his involvement in recruiting personnel in the service in exchange of money. The review board also turned down his appeal. ‘An expelled employee is not entitled to pension benefit,’ said the report.
Corporal Md. Nazmul Hossain, who was terminated from the service, also sought his return to the air force. The air headquarter said that he was sacked because of his involvement in an abduction case and beating others.
Another corporal Ashraful Alam was sacked as he was absconding for years, showing utter disrespect to the service rules.
The parliamentary committee on July 16, 2009 had asked the government to review the cases of political victimisation during the past two regimes.
‘A number of officers were victimised because of so-called political reasons during the past governments. We were told the offices of the forces’ chiefs started reviewing the matter case by case,’ the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the defence ministry, Idris Ali, said after a meeting on that day.
The headquarters of the forces’ chiefs were reviewing the cases at the directives of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is also in charge of the defence ministry, the army said.
On September 9, 2009, a senior minister of the AL-led ruling coalition had said that as many as 74 officers of the armed forces were politically victimised in the last seven years, including the five-year rule of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government.
A review committee has so far found out that 74 officers were forced to retire from service on political considerations, the planning minister, AK Khandaker, who is also in charge of the defence ministry in the parliament, said.
The government had earlier formed a high-powered committee at the Armed Forces Division to review the forced termination of the officers from all the services — army, navy and air force — during the last two regimes.
Madani Avenue extension work starts in Jan 2011: Rajuk
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha has taken a project for extension of Madani Avenue eastward from Pragati Sarani to the Balu River to open a fourth entry-exit point to Dhaka to reduce traffic congestions in the capital city. The project will be implemented under the housing and public works ministry at a cost of Taka 225 crore to be entirely borne by the government with the project tenure being April 2010-September 2012.
The money will be spent for acquisition of land and compensation for structures, land development and construction of bridges and culverts, apart from the road construction.
Rajuk’s superintendent engineer Md Anwar Hossain, also the project director of the Madani Avenue extension project, told New Age that the process was underway for floating tender for the construction work so that the project could be launched in January 2011.
‘We have already started the process for acquisition of lands required for the project,’ he said.
The Executive Committee of National Economic Council in May approved the project to be funded by the government itself.
The main aim of the project is to create a new exit-entry point for the capital city as it experiences tailbacks at the three existing entry points in rush hours and during festivals like Eid, said Anwar Hossain.
‘Another aim is to connect central Dhaka to the eastern bypass and expand the east-west road network which will eventually help ease traffic congestions in the city.’
He said, ‘Once a bridge is constructed on the Balu River after completion of the extension work of Madani Avenue, a large portion of Sylhet-bound commuters would not need to use the Kanchpur bridge.’
In response to a question, Anwar Hossain said, ‘About 40 to 45 acres of land will have to be acquired for the project.’
Rajuk sources said about Taka 120 crore would be spent for land acquisition and compensation for structures while about Taka 40 crore wouldl be needed for land development.
Road construction will cost about Taka 25 crore, construction of bridges and culverts will cost about Taka 37 crore and about Taka 40 crore will be needed for electrification of the extended stretch of the road.
Rajuk had a plan plan to start the Madani Avenue extension work this year but it had to wait for approval of the project by the ECNEC, according to the Rajuk officials.
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