n Tanim Ahmed

Well-wishers and hangers-on start swarming the grey lakeside mansion on Banani Road 11 from before noon, when the Dhaka south mayor generally makes his public appearance.

Thus, despite the appointment at noon, Khokon is unable to � nd the time to sit for his interview till two hours later at the small glass-panelled o� ce in one corner of his ga-rage. There is the secretary from the city cor-poration followed by an invitation from the Local Government Ministry for the oath-tak-ing, after which the well-wishers throng the small o� ce for an opportunity to greet him and to document their relations.

Some have come with professional-look-ing photographers in tow, others with mon-strous phablets. Everyone has a bouquet to grace the occasion.

Son of the � rst elected mayor of undivided Dhaka, Sayeed Khokon does the rounds with aplomb. A photo, a few pleasantries, and it is the next group’s turn. A few stay back in the cool o� ce, though. The heat is sti� ing outside.

But why does the mayor of Dhaka south live in the throbbing heart of Dhaka north’s toney ‘tri-state’ (Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara area), that Banani 11 has come to be? I want to know.

The commute would take a couple of hours from his house to his o� ce and another cou-ple on his return commute, I put it to him.

“Why should that matter?” Khokon coun-ters, with a smile.

When asked if he found it contradictory that the mayor of Dhaka south was residing

and enjoying the amenities of Dhaka north all the while he pledges to improve public services at the other end of the town, Khokon brushes o� the suggestion with a shake of his

head and points to the parliament.Over 250 MPs live in Dhaka, he points out.

“But tell me, which constituency su� ers for their absence? Where do public works come to a halt because the MP does not reside in the area?”

It’s a fair point.“I only come here to sleep!” he � nishes dis-

armingly, if not altogether convincingly.A few of those basic services will be at the

top of the 44-year old’s agenda initially. Waste disposal, street lights, roads, graveyards, hos-pitals and certi� cate issuance are among the few that Khokon rattles o� with � uency when asked. “I would like to bring them in order within a year.”

He speaks of a few more initiatives, too. Several areas of Dhaka city will be turned into wi� zones by as soon as July. Initially unwill-ing to give out the locations, Khokon eventu-ally relents. It will be Ramna Park, New Mar-ket, Sadarghat and Gulistan.

“But this is a very primary list, you under-stand, nothing � nal,” he cautions, careful not to give it an appearance of conclusiveness, perhaps so as not to get residents’ hopes up prematurely, equally perhaps so that other ar-eas do not feel left out.

Another initiative that might come from his o� ce within three months, Khokon said in answer to a question about rooting out

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

PAGE 83 Thai o� cials, Myanmar man held over migrant deaths

PAGE 7Another baby stolen from hospital

PAGE 5HC orders to stop � lling up Gomti river

PAGE 3Pintu laid to rest in father’s grave

PAGE 4Tribunal clears Jamaat leaders, lawyer of contempt

CABINET OKAYS DRAFT NUKE PLANT ACT PAGE 2

MUHITH FED UP WITH CLIMATE FUND ABUSE PAGE 5

BAD NEWS FOR DHAKA WATER SUPPLY PAGE 32

SECOND EDITION

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015 | Boishakh 22, 1422, Rajab 15, 1436 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 23 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

Sayeed Khokon, mayor-elect of Dhaka South City Corporation, addresses questions by journalists in front of the National Press Club ahead of the April 28 city corporation polls SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

‘What authority does the mayor lack?’

New basic pay to cost exchequer Tk15,000cr n Asif Showkat Kallol

The government would need more than Tk15,000 crore to implement the pay com-mission’s recommendations for raising the basic salaries of public servants, sources at the Finance Division has said.

The amount, however, does not include allowances for around 21 lakh government employees.

An o� cial of the Finance Division, who was involved in estimating the costs, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Extra funds will be needed for salaries of the armed forces, as it was not calculated.”

Seeking anonymity, the o� cial said the � nal meeting of the secretary-level review committee is scheduled on Wednesday, while Finance Minister AMA Muhith will place the

PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Indian detectives in DhakaArrest of 3 fugitive JMB men charged in Burdwan blast case on agendan Mohammad Jamil Khan

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India has arrived in Dhaka, for the second time in six months, to discuss with Bangladeshi law enforcers regarding the ar-rest of three absconding accused of Burdwan blast case.

Apart from arrest of the fugitives, all lead-ers and activists of banned militant group Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the three-member team would also discuss mili-tant activities, security of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, human tra� cking and cattle smug-gling during meetings with di� erent agencies, say sources in the police headquarters.

The three-member NIA team led by its chief Shanjib Kumar Shing reached Dhaka on Saturday night.

“The NIA team has came to discuss with us about the charge sheet as four Bangladeshis are accused in the case. A meeting will be held in this regard with the NIA team,” Monirul Is-lam, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of police, said yesterday.

“The team will also discuss how the ab-sconding accused can be arrested in a joint e� ort,” added Monirul, chief of DB police, one of the leading agencies dealing with militant activities.

On March 30, charges were pressed against 21 people, including the four JMB leaders, for their involvement in the blast that took place on October 2 last year in a house at Kha-gragarh in Burdwan town. One person Shakil Ahmed died on the spot and another person Sovan Mandal died in a hospital. Another per-son Hasan Saheb was also injured in the blast

The four Bangladeshi accused are Sheikh Rahamatullah Sajid, Talha Sheikh, Kausar and Nasirullah alias Shahadat Sheikh. Of them, Sajid was arrested by sleuths of Bidhannagar Police Commisionerate in November last year from the Airport area of North 24-Parganas district.

The NIA thinks that the three fugitives have been staying in Bangladesh.

Another delegation of the NIA visited Bangladesh in November last year. Later a Bangladesh delegation comprising high of-� cials of law enforcement and intelligence agencies visited India and assured to help the Indian intelligence agencies locate the mili-tants believed to be hiding in India.

Earlier, police o� cials in Dhaka said Sajid was actually Masum, hailing from Narayanganj

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

‘What authority does the mayor lack?’corruption and hooliganism, would be to put up all calls for tender online. “That would make it completely transparent and ensure that the bidding process is open for all.”

Now the tough question: How much power does the mayor have? Isn’t his o� ce merely a ceremonial one?

The answer is swift: “Of course not. The mayor is adequately empowered to carry out his duties. Tell me, what authority does the mayor lack?”

Asked how he wished to address tra� c congestion, Khokon’s approach would be to rejuvenate the currently hibernating depart-

ment responsible for tra� c coordination. He suggests that the current dismal state of

a� airs was because the city corporation had been under an administrator for too long.

“See they are only bureaucrats, public servants who do not have the same kind of accountability to the people as elected repre-sentatives,” he points out.

That is also where he expects his challeng-es to stem from, bureaucratic red tape could prove to be a hurdle, says Khokon.

The mayor elect acknowledges that with the monsoon afoot, he would perhaps be

bogged down with water-logging before get-ting to anything else. And he is already in the process of getting in touch with WASA to be on top of things. Saving the Buriganga will be another tough ask, he admits too.

Regardless of the initiative, Khokon says he will stick to what he had pledged before. He believes in all round cooperation. And in line with what he had proposed, he would seek the counsel of his competitor Mirza Ab-bas, former mayor of Dhaka. “He has more ex-perience, he is also an elder. There is no harm in asking for his advice.” l

Indian detectives in Dhakawhile Shakil, who died in the incident, was identi� ed as Shakil Gazi of Tangail.

JMB’s Bangladeshi militants Salehin, Boma Mizan and Tarikul were also involved in the blast along with its members of the West Bengal unit. Indian madrasa teacher, 32-year-old Maulana Yusuf Sheikh, provided shelter to the Bangladeshi militants, a senior police o� cial said after their visit to India.

A high o� cial of the police headquarters said the NIA fears that if militant activities rise in Bangladesh, it might be threatening for India too. Moreover, India is very much con-cerned about security in the bordering areas.

Apart from militancy, India is also worried about human tra� cking and cattle smuggling.

Sources say the NIA team will look into the Bangladeshi law enforcers’ claim that JMB men involved in the recent bank heist at Ashulia might be linked to the Burdwan blast too.

The NIA team and Bangladesh police’s intelligence o� cials held a meeting at the police headquarters yesterday, and the meetings will continue in the next few days.

Abdullahel Baqui, police superintendent of organised crime unit of the Criminal Inves-tigation Department, said the NIA team had

sought information regarding some previous militant-related cases including the simulta-neous bomb blasts across the country in 2005.

“The NIA wants to assist us so that we can deal such cases successfully to stop militancy,” he added.

JMB, which aims to establish Islamic laws, was banned on February 23, 2005.

According to the NIA, Sajid and his wife Fatima were “lead trainers” at Simulia Madrasa where people had been indoctrinated in jihad and kept in readiness for indulging in terror activities.

Sajid, a member of Majlis-e-Sura which is the central committee of Jamaat, is alleged to have paid money of Rs8.75 lakh to another accused Kausar for purchase of land for a madrasa in Burdwan. Sajid had spent a few years in a jail in Bangladesh.

The Burdwan explosion gave rise to fears that the Indian state across Bangladesh’s border might have turned into a hub for militants. A huge stash of bomb-making materials was recovered from the spot.

India subsequently warned Dhaka that the bombs being assembled there were meant for use in subversive activities in Bangladesh.

According to a special press note issued

by the NIA in March regarding the Burdwan blast, the leading agency found that the JMB had established its network in India primarily in the states of West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand. Its activities primarily included recruitment, radicalisation and training of vulnerable youths in a systematic and organised manner.

“These bases were used for organising radicalisation programmes, organisational meetings, fund collection drives, hideouts for cadres and their families. A network of terrorist training camps at selected madrasas and other hideouts was found to be in operation where selected youths were indoctrinated into the violent jihadi ideology as well as trained for violent action by using explosives and � rearms.”

The JMB wanted to prepare a large group of Indians based on their common religious and linguistic identity, primarily in the Indian states bordering Bangladesh, to join the out� t and “utilise them for the movement to overthrow the existing democratic government in Bangladesh,” reads the press note. l

New basic paycommittee’s � nal assessments on pay hike before a cabinet meeting on Monday.

Muhith earlier said the pay commission recommendations would be implemented from July 1 this year.

Sources at the Finance Ministry said a decision has been made against allocating funds for launching the proposed Shamriddhir Shopan bank, but the review committee will be recommending that government employees be given near-zero interest house loans.

Terming the concept of the Shamriddhir Shopan bank a “daydream,” the Finance Division o� cial said: “State-run banks have already been facing massive capital shortages for the last few years due to massive irregularity and corruption.”

According to the original pay commission recommendations, the government would have needed Tk22,953 crore to increase the basic salaries and allowances for its employees.

For the 2014-15 � scal year, the government allocated Tk11,284 crore to pay salaries to its employees and an additional Tk12,058 crore for their allowances.

Meanwhile, a member of the secretary-level committee, which was formed in February to review the pay commission recommendations, told the Dhaka Tribune that the highest salary for public servants would be Tk70,000 instead of the proposed Tk1 lakh, while the lowest salary would be Tk8,250 instead of the proposed Tk8,200.

The committee has reportedly given its consent to the recommended basic salaries and an annual 5% increment, e� ective from the � rst day of next � nancial year.

On December 21 last year, the National Pay and Service Commission submitted its proposals to the � nance minister, recommending doubling public servants’ salaries, plots for group housing, and introducing bank loans for single-digit interest rates for public servants. l

Cabinet rati� es draft of nuclear plant actn Shohel Mamun

The cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the Nuclear Power Plant Act 2015 and also a proposal for setting up the � rst nuclear power plant company in the country.

The company, Nuclear Power Company of Bangladesh, will operate the proposed nucle-ar power plant in Pabna’s Rooppur, and will be set up according to the act.

The proposal and the draft act got the nod at the weekly cabinet meeting held at the Secretar-iat and chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Mushar-raf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the

meeting the Rooppur nuclear plant project would be implemented with � nancial and technical support of Russia to generate 1000 megawatts of electricity initially.

He said the project’s duration is from March 2013 to June 2017 and the plant would go into operation by 2021.

“The estimated cost of setting up the plant is Tk5087.81 crore that includes a project aid of Tk4,000 crore from the Russian government. The plant will operate for 60 years but its ser-vice life can be extended by another 20 years.”

The cabinet secretary said Russia would provide all the assistance needed for setting up the plant, including providing the fuel and also taking back the used fuel.

“Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission will own the plant while Nuclear Power Com-pany of Bangladesh will run it.”

Musharraf also said the company would have an authorised capital of Tk1 crore divid-ed into shares to be run by a board. l

Suranjit: International terrorism has spread to Bangladeshn Tribune Report

Awami League Advisory Council member Suranjit Sengupta yesterday said al-Qaeda claiming responsibility for killing bloggers in-cluding Avijit Roy was proof that internation-al terrorism has spread in Bangladesh.

“International terrorist out� t Al-Qaeda took responsibility of the killing of bloggers includ-ing Avijit. The communal political forces have forged alliance with all sorts of terrorism. So, all the secular democratic forces should be united in the mission for containing terrorism,” he said.

Suranjit made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion organised by Bang-abandhu Academy at the Institution of Diploma Engineers yesterday. He added that it would be a futile exercise to contain terrorism while keeping Jamaat-e-Islami in democratic politics.

“Bangladesh has now entered the network of Al-Qaeda. Secular democratic politics is the only way to face it. Even the US would now have to realise that international terrorism has entered domestic terrorism,” he said. l

PM orders sending 10,000 mts rice to Nepaln UNB

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday directed the authorities concerned to send 10,000 tonnes of rice and adequate water to Nepal for its earthquake-hit people.

“The prime minister has asked the

authorities concerned to send the rice and water to Nepal on an emergency basis,” said PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri.

He said the rice and water would be trans-ported to Nepal through air and by road in phases.

According to CNN, the death toll from the devastating magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25 climbed to 7,250, and the number of people injured is 14,122.

Besides, thousands of houses and other establishments were destroyed in the power tremor. l

The estimated cost of setting up the plant is Tk5087.81 crore that includes project aid of Tk4,000 crore from the Russian government

NEWS2DT

NEWS 3D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Pintu laid to rest in father’s graven Tribune report

Former BNP lawmaker Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu, who died in Rajshahi on Sunday, was buried at the capital’s Azimpur graveyard yes-terday.

His namaz-e-janaza was held at the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters and also in Hazari-bagh before he was laid to rest in his father’s grave around 6:45pm.

Earlier in the day, BNP Chairperson Khale-da Zia paid tributes to Pintu at the Nayapaltan o� ce where his body was taken.

She draped the BNP leader’s co� n with the party � ag and shed tears while paying her last respects.

The BNP chief was followed by hundreds of party members who paid respects before attending the namaz-e-janaza there.

BNP Standing Committee member Moudud Ahmed said Pintu’s death was unexpected. “Pintu was not only a promising leader but had good organising skills as well.”

A black � ag was hoisted at the Nayapaltan o� ce while party activists wore black badges to mourn Pintu’s death.

The body was then taken to his Hazaribagh residence where the second namaz-e-janaza was held at the Institute of Leather Engineer-ing and Technology ground before burial.

The BNP leader, who was convicted in the BDR mutiny case, su� ered a cardiac arrest and died on Sunday noon, according to doc-tors at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

Dr Rois Uddin, chief of the hospital’s car-diac department, said Pintu was pronounceddead around 12:20pm but had actually died earlier.

BNP leaders, including Khaleda, alleged that Pintu’s death was a premeditated hom-

icide as he was deprived of proper medical treatment.

Probe body formedA three-member committee was formed to

probe Pintu’s death in the wake of the allega-tion of medical negligence.

The committee is headed by Dhaka Division-al Deputy Jail Superintendent Golam Haider and the other members are Kashimpur Central Jail’s

Senior Jail Superintendent Mizanur Rahman, and Mymensingh Central Jail Senior Jail Superinten-dent Iqbal Kabir Chowdhury. It has been asked to submit its report by Thursday, said Rajshahi Central Jail Superintendent Sha� qul Islam. l

Khaleda not appearing before court todayn Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will not appear before a Dhaka court for the twin graft cases against her although she is scheduled to do so, her lawyer Md Sanaullah Miah has con� rmed.

She was supposed to appear before the court of Special Judge Abu Ahmed Jamadar of Dhaka Special Judge Court 3, set up at Bakshi-bazar Alia Madrasa playground in the capital, today as one of the accused in the Zia Charita-ble and Zia Orphanage Trust graft cases.

“Khaleda [Zia] will not appear before the court due to security reasons as she was attacked earlier when she attempted to appear before the court,” Sanaullah told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We will � le separate petitions before the court seeking time on Khaleda’s behalf men-tioning security grounds,” said Masud Ahmed Talukder, another counsel of Khaleda.

Besides, the lawyers are busy with the up-coming Bar Council polls, which is why they need the extension, Masud added.

The trial of the corruption cases against Khaleda and eight other accused began on September 22 last year.

The Anti-Corruption Commission � led one of the graft cases against Khaleda and � ve

others for embezzling over Tk2.1 crore via forming a “fake” Zia Orphanage Trust that ex-isted only on paper.

The other accused are Khaleda’s son Tari-que Rahman, Ziaur Rahman’s nephew Mo-minur Rahman, Khaleda’s former principal

secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, former BNP lawmaker Kazi Salimul Haque Kamal and businessman Sharfuddin Ahmed.

The other case was � led by the anti-graft body in 2011 for abusing power in setting up Zia Charitable Trust, accusing Khaleda, her former political secretary Harris Chowdhury, his assistant private secretary Ziaul Islam Munna, and former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s assistant personal secretary and Monirul Islam Khan. l

Abbas’ bail hearing deferred until May 24n Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court has deferred until May 24 the hearing on bail petitions by BNP’s Dhaka city convener Mirza Abbas in two arson cases.

The bench of Justice Md Ruhul Quddus set the date following a time petition � led by Ab-bas’ lawyer Nitai Roy Chowdhury yesterday.

In the petition, Abbas’ counsel mentioned that they need more time as their senior law-yer Khandakar Mahbub Hossain was busy ahead of the Bar Council election, which is slated for May 20.

Advocate Joinul Abedin and Nitai Roy Chowdhury moved for Abbas while Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ullah stood for the state during the hearing.

On April 15, the High Court passed a split order on the bail petitions of Mirza Abbas in the cases.

Justice Quamrul Islam granted the BNP leader a three-week anticipatory bail, while his colleague in the bench – Justice Gobinda Chan-dra Tagore – rejected both of Abbas’ pleas and ordered him to surrender to the trial court.

Later, the petitions and the two orders were sent to Chief Justice SK Sinha, who formed a single bench to hear the pleas. l

HC questions legality of charges against Moududn Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court has questioned the legality of a lower court order that accepted charges against BNP leader Moudud Ahmed in a land grabbing case.

The bench of Justice Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan yester-day issued a rule upon the Anti-Corruption Commission and the government to explain in two weeks as to why the lower court order should not be declared illegal.

It � xed May 21 for holding hearing on the rule.The bench passed the order after hearing a

revision petition � led by Moudud in Novem-ber last year challenging the cognisance order.

The ACC � led the case with Gulshan police on December 17, 2013 against Moudud and his brother Monjur Ahmed on charge of grabbing government land that worth more than Tk300 crore in the capital’s Gulshan.

The case says while holding di� erent posts as minister during 1978-2006, Moudud tried to grab the house misusing his power. He made the fake documents in the name of his expatriate brother Monjur.

During the hearing yesterday, Moudud told the court that the case was false and fabricat-ed, and meant to harass him politically. l

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia covers the co� n of former BNP lawmaker Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu with the party � ag in front of the BNP party o� ce in Nayapaltan, Dhaka yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

‘We will � le separate petitions before the court seeking time on Khaleda’s behalf mentioning security grounds’

NEWS4DTTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

AIUB to organise seminar on public healthn Tribune Report

American International University Bangla-desh Department of Public Health is going to organise a seminar on Friday, May 8 on how to pursue a career in public health.

The department will also organise a basic research methodology workshop and an essay competition. The essay topic is “Food Safety” and the last date of submission is May 6.

Masters of Public Health (MPH) is the only degree available in our country that focuses on public health and the seminar aims to help graduates to choose a career path.

Prof Dr Md Nazrul Islam PhD, former head of the department of Maternal and Child Health and course director NIPSOM, will con-duct the research methodology workshop as chief facilitator.

Registration for the programme and essay submission will continue until May 6. Reg-istrations can be done at AIUB campus and online registration is also available. Facebook link of the event is https://www.facebook.com/events/1637768499772402/.

You may also contact Dr Tajdit Rahman Tanim at 01971070707, Dr Marufur Rahman Opu at 01670874253 and Dr Mahmood at 01685641221 for further details. l

DNCC, DSCC o� cials busy impressing new city bossesn Omar Farook

O� cials of Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations were busy over the long weekend at the city corporation headquarters trying to get the � les in order before the may-or-elects take o� ce.

Sources said the o� cials chose to work over the weekend, as well as the public holi-day for Buddha Purnima on Sunday, in order to update old � les, sort old bills and prepare a summary of the current status of the projects under both the city corporations.

Sources at DNCC said mayor-elect Annisul Huq had already instructed o� cials to pre-pare a presentation on the overall operation and the current condition of the organisation.

The frantic activities to get all the work sorted at both the o� ces is an attempt to get on the good side of the new mayors, sources told the Bangla Tribune.

The city corporation o� cials – especially those with records of corruption – are report-edly intimidated by the “clean” image of the mayor-elects, and are trying their best to im-press them, sources said.

The DNCC headquarters is situated at Ful-baria and the DSCC headquarters is situated in Gulshan Avenue. l

Tribunal clears Jamaat leaders, lawyer of contemptn Ashif Islam Shaon

The International Crimes Tribunal 1 yester-day exonerated Tajul Islam, the lawyer for war crimes convict ATM Azharul Islam, and three other Jamaat leaders from a contempt of court charge.

Tajul sought unconditional apology to the tribunal, while the Jamaat leaders – Jamaat’s acting ameer Maqbul Ahmed, acting nayeb-e-ameer Mohibur Rahman, acting secretary gen-eral Sha� qur Rahman – submitted respective explanations regarding their contempt charge.

The tribunal cleared them of the contempt charge, but asked the men to be more careful

while commenting on the judicial process.The tribunal further issued a ruling against

Shibir President Abdul Jabbar and General Secretary Md Atikur Rahman, asking them to explain within three weeks why action should not be taken against them for their statements about a war crimes verdict.

On December 30 last year, Jamaat-e-Islami called a two-day countrywide shutdown for December 31 and January 1, protesting the death penalty to its leader ATM Azharul Islam for war crimes.

Later, the tribunal issued the contempt of court ruling against the men for calling the two-day hartals over the verdict. l

Parties not candidates on voters’ mindsn Udisa Islam

In the current political landscape, the elector-ate still cannot think outside Awami League and BNP. People still consider the party when voting, not the candidates.

The fact that the Jatiya Party (JP), being the opposition in parliament, still have not earned a political standing in the people’s mind was evident from the recently held city corporation polls.

Meanwhile, the left-wing parties have tak-en an ambivalent position after losing at the ballots. On one hand, they are saying their true vote count could not be ascertained be-cause of the irregularities. On the other, say-ing they have been used by the two powerful parties to put up a competitive show. The left-ists are also doubtful if their own leaders-ac-tivists had voted properly.

Although the BNP-backed candidates re-jected the three city corporation elections in Dhaka and Chittagong, JP candidates candi-dates continued the � ght till the end. How-ever, their mayoral candidates bagged only about 13,500 votes in total.

Communist Party of Bangladesh backed mayor candidate Abdulla Al Ka� posted on facebook after the voting (translated): “All this time I heard that more than a hundred thousand ex-Chhatra Union activists live in Dhaka. Naturally, most will be in the north. Let’s say there are � fty thousand. Did they not vote for the elephant symbol? If so then where are those votes? Did the Election Com-mission throw away my votes on instruction from the government? I do not know who is behind this betrayal.” l

Badda police: BCL leader killed over internal clashn Tribune Report

The reason behind the murder of Bangladesh Chhatra League Badda unit vice president Mofazzal Hossain Rahin may be due to an internal clash between two factions of the group, suspects Badda police.

Rahin was shot dead in on Sunday night and another Manu Miah, his friend, was injured in the attack.

However, a case is yet to be � led in this connection.

Badda Police Station O� er-in-Charge (OC) M Abdul Jalil said: “Rahin’s brother informed us that they will � le a case with the police station after completing Rahin’s burial.”

The OC said it may be due to an internal clash which arose over the huge amount of money the Badda Jagoroni Sangsad (club) made from the Aftabnagar cow hut and various other sources.

When asked about suspects he said opposition group member Rabin, Dalim, Mahabub, Tanvir and Ovi were on the list but no one were arrested or detained.

Residents of the area informed that a local criminal Saidul, backed by Badda Thana unit AL leader Talal Rizvi, occupied a room of the club that Rahin uses and that triggered a con� ict. They also said about a month ago associates of Rahin attempted to kill Saidul.

Locals claimed Rahin might have been killed to keep him from taking part in the club committee election scheduled to be held soon.

However, the information could not be veri� ed immediately as police did not make any comment on the matter. l

Speakers discuss women’s rights to land properties and the inheritance law in Bangladesh at a seminar organised by the Association for Land Reform and Development yesterday at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

NEWS 5D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Muhith fed up with climate fund abusen Abu Bakar Siddique

After � ve years of allocating funds, the Fi-nance Minister expressed his doubt about the necessity of the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund.

Abul Maal Abdul Muhit who has been allo-cating moneys for the trust fund since 2010, expressed his frustration over the projects as he suspected abuse and malpractices. He said he did not want to allocate more of Bangla-desh’s own resources from the next � scal.

Bangladesh is one of the worst victims of climate change and the money was allocated to reduce its negative impacts.

The minister made the observation in a let-ter to the Environment Ministry seeking their thoughts about the trust fund saying that it had become unnecessary from the way it was going.

Terming the BCCTF a “new window” for Water Development Board and Forest Min-istry projects, the � nance minister said the

trust fund had already lost its relevance by not taking up appropriate projects to tackle climate change.

The government allocated Tk2,700 crore in BCCTF since 2009-10 � scal in 277 projects worth Tk2200 crore till now. Of them, Bangla-desh Water Development Board alone bagged 117 projects.

Of them, 65 projects have already been completed and 85 other projects are expected to be � nished by June but they do not account for more than 30% of the projects initiated.

Regarding the anomalies and sluggish-ness, the Trustee Board of BCCTF comprised of 10 ministers led by Environment and For-est Minister increased the time duration of 12 projects and reduced funds of 23 others in its 34th meeting on February 24.

In addition, the government has formed another fund named Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) with the contribution of development partners which received around US$189.5 million till 2012

with no more contributions since.The BCCRF has been maintained by the

World Bank since its formation in 2011 though the WB has already declared that it will not continue with the fund past 2016.

In his letter, the Finance Minister said the objective of BCCTF was to initiate short term projects and building the capacity of the min-istries to tackle climate initiatives and the fund would be eventually dissolved with the Environment Ministry taking care of the resil-ience fund.

Dissolving the BCCTF, he rather suggested to strengthen the BCCRF for climate projects, if needed.

In reply, the Environment Minister Anwar Hussain Manju said he agreed with the ob-servation on getting more projects by certain speci� c ministries.

However, he requested Muhith to recon-sider and continue funding since stopping it altogether would give a wrong message to the international community regarding the gov-

ernment’s management capacity.The government formulated the Bangla-

desh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) 2009 as the guideline for climate projects but failed to take up a good number projects based on priority and need, which was the core direction of the action plan, said Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of Centre for Global Changes adding that in most cases the money had been wasted on irrelevant projects.

Also on the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, the highest body on climate change in the world, Ahsan said the BCCTF has been facing lack of trust due to the abuse of its funds.

Regarding the negative impression that would arise out of dissolving the state run fund, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Stud-ies chief executive Atiq Rahman said the mes-sage was already out there loud and clear due to the previous practices.

It should now run in a transparent manner for the sake of the country’s image, he said. l

No LBA proposal from India yetn Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

India is yet to share a proposal with Bangla-desh about the partial or staggered imple-mentation of the land boundary agreement.

The agreement has languished for four decades because of Indian delays in ratifying the pact and, more recently, opposition from its state governments.

“We did not receive any proposal from the Indian government,” said State Minister for Foreign A� airs Md Shahriar Alam yesterday.

The junior minister said the LBA, signed in 1974, and its protocol, signed in 2011, are still valid. He said the Indian side, time and again, has reassured Bangladesh that it would remain valid in the future.

“We are waiting to implement the agree-ment – but it has not happened in 40 years,” he said.

The state minister said: “We will consider any speci� c proposal about staggered imple-mentation of the agreement.”

He categorically said no action would be tak-en beyond the stipulations of the agreement.

There are media reports that India is trying to exclude Assam in implementing the LBA, for political reasons.

A bill to amend the Indian constitution to pave the way for ratifying the agreement was placed in India’s upper house at the end of 2013; a parliamentary standing committee after scru-tinising the bill submitted its report a year later.

City electionsThe government said it is ready to answer questions related to the recently held city cor-poration elections and provided relevant in-formation to Bangladesh’s embassies abroad.

“The foreign ministry is ready to respond

if anybody wants to know anything,” Shahriar Alam said.

The junior minister said the information available showed that out of 2,701 vote cen-tres, the Election Working Group recorded 138 incidents.

According to the government’s assess-ment, this was the most peaceful local gov-ernment election held so far, he said.

Shahriar said US State Department Un-der-Secretary Wendy Sherman, during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, asked why Bangladesh did not introduce an electronic voting system.

“The prime minister told her that it had been used in other elections, but it was op-posed by the BNP,” he said.

Sherman expressed surprise that the BNP opposed the use of such a system, Shahriar said. l

RAMPURA HOUSE COLLAPSE

Fugitive owner arrested in Comillan Kamrul Hasan

After almost two months of running from the law, the Jubo League leader accused of ille-gally building a rickety two-storey house that collapsed and killed 12 people last April – was arrested in Comilla yesterday.

A RAB team detained Moniruzzaman Chowdhury, the information and research secretary of Dhaka North Jubo League unit, from a house at Nischintopur village in the district.

RAB 3 Commanding O� cer Lt Col Golam Sarwar said: “A RAB team led by Major Kabir arrested him from his brother-in-law’s house in the area.

“Moniruzzaman built the [collapsed] house on the illegally occupied land,” he told a press brie� ng at Tikatuli RAB 3 o� ceyesterday.

However, Moniruzzaman said he had legal ownership of the land where the house was built, adding that his family had already sub-mitted necessary documents to the Rampura police station following a request from the in-vestigators.

At least twelve people including four of a family died when the two-storey house made of corrugated iron sheets collapsed into a wa-ter body in the capital’s Rampura on April 15.

Nearly 100 low-income people used to live in the poorly-built house that was erected us-ing only bamboo poles over the muddy bed of the water-hyacinth-� lled jheel or water body at Hajipara.

Following the collapse, the police � led a case with Rampura police station on April 16, making Moniruzzaman the lone accused for the incident.

Lt Col Sarwar said Moniruzzaman was also an accused in three murder cases � led with Gulshan, Ramna and Sabujbagh police stations, two arms cases, and several other cases � led over extortion and � ghting. Mon-iruzzaman had also been behind bars sev-eral times in connection with those cases,he added. l

HC orders to stop � lling up Gomti Rivern Ashif Islam Shaon

The High Court has ordered authorities con-cerned to take action to stop the � lling up of and constructing a dam across the Gomti River at Comilla’s Muradnagar upazila within 24 hours.

The bench of Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Ho-que and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rah-man passed the order yesterday following a writ petition � led by Muradnagar inhabitants Monir Hossain, Taslim and Farhadul Alam.

The deputy commissioner of Comilla was asked to submit a report on the implementa-tion of the order in seven days.

The court also asked the authorities to take action within 72 hours against the persons in-volved in the earth-� lling of the river. Murad-nagar UNO and the Muradnagar police station OC were asked to submit a progress report in this regard within May 25.

The court also issued a ruling asking why the inactivities of the respondents should not be declared illegal. l

Following a long weekend, Dhaka streets returned to its usual congested state, with tra� c movement remaining a near standstill at Banglamotor intersection yesterday afternoon MEHEDI HASAN

NEWS6DTTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

No trucks at Sonamasjid land port, Indian goods stuckn Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

Truck owners have stopped sending trucks to the Sonamasjid land port in Chapainawabganj in protest of extortion and harrassment by the facilitators, labour coordinators, and Panama Port Link.

Goods coming from India are now stuck at the port since Sunday morning as a result of the protest by the truck owners’ group and the truck and motor workers’ union in the district.

President of the truck owners’ group Aminul Islam Sentu said: “Everyday trucks transport goods imported from India to dif-ferent parts of the country. These trucks are charged exorbitant amounts in the name of

facilitation, labour coordination and Panama Port Link by locals identi� ed as Sobhan, Arif, Kajim Ali, and Motahar Hossain Mota.

“They charge trucks carrying fruits Tk10,000, onions Tk2,500, corn Tk1,500, and stones Tk3,000. Because of such extortion truck fares are going up, and the owners are getting less money. It is becoming di� cult for the owners.

“If their demanded amounts are not met, they don’t release the truck from the port under various ruse. Labour coordinators ex-tort Tk400-Tk1,200 out of every truck. That is why the truck owners’ group and the truck and motor workers’ union jointly decided to not send trucks to the Sonamasjid Port from Sunday morning. But trucks are operating as

usual in other parts of the district.”Pushpa Narayan Burman, President of the

truck and motor workers’ union, said almost 250 trucks have been kept parked at the cen-tral truck terminal in the district town since Sunday morning.

In this regard Sonamasjid land port labour coordination committee President Sadiqul Is-lam said a fair amount of money is taken for facilitation and loading of goods, no extra money is charged. “This problem has occurred because the district truck owners’ group de-manded that they be assigned more trips as well as the higher-rate trips.” he added.

Meanwhile, Panama Port Link Manager Probir Chandra Shil denied the allegation of extortion. l

Srimongal district administration conducts a drive in Shahibagh area and demolishes a good number of illegal structures FOCUS BANGLA

Police o� cer accused of torturing wife sent to jail n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A police o� cial of Kawnia police stationin the district suspended after accused of tor-turing minor aged third wife was sent to jail yesterday.

Barisal Police Lines Inspector (reserved force) Abu Zafar said that Sub-Inspector Ab-dul Wares, 40, had been closed following the � ling of a case against him on March 10 for regularly torturing his 14-year-old third wife Habiba Akhter Marufa con� ning her to his house for dowry.

Victim’s mother Mahmuda Begum lodged the complaint on March 10. In her complaint, the victim’s mother alleged that SI Wares mar-ried her daughter Habiba concealing the fact that he has two more wives, and he used to regularly torture Marufa for dowry. l

Bribes the only motivation for Kashiani primary education o� cen Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

No work is carried out without a bribe at the Department of Primary Education Kashiani upazila o� ce in Gopalganj.

With hundreds of thousands of takas tak-en as bribes for all kinds of paperwork related to the primary school teachers, the education o� ce has been turned into a money making machine. The teachers are being made to pay bribes for transfers, due bill approvals, travel approvals, etc and have become hostages to the Kashiani education o� ce.

According to sources from the Kashiani ed-ucation o� ce, teachers going for their LPR are charged bribes of Tk10-20,000 each; in case of transfers the bribe goes up ranging from Tk30,000 to Tk1,00,000. It was alleged that a teacher named Champa was transferred illegally for over one lakh taka while she was on maternity leave.

For reassignments, the bribe is Tk30,000; if teachers want to take a loan from the general

providend fund (GPF) they are made to pay 10% of the amount; the o� ce takes bribes for all such duties, informed the sources.

A teacher on condition of anonymity said Education O� cer Md Ra� qul Islam of the Kashiani Department of Primary Education is behind all the rampant bribery. He alleged that Ra� qul, earning a salary of Tk30,000 – of which Tk15,000 goes to GPF loan repayment and Tk7,000 in rent – is erecting a three-sto-ried building in his home village.

The teacher said Ra� qul is transferring junior teachers instead of the seniors in ex-change of large amounts of bribes. Following his suit, everyone in the o� ce including the attendants are taking bribes; it is now an open secret, he added.

Denying the allegations, Rafqul Islam said: “I have a GPF loan, but I do not that much rent. I am also not erecting the building as alleged. Investigation into the bribery allega-tion will also prove nothing.” l

Snatcher held with Tk14 lakhn Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Police arrested an alleged snatcher yesterday while he was trying to � ee after snatching Tk14 lakh from an o� cer of a pharmaceuticals company in Darshandeuri area in the district.

The arrested was identi� ed as Khaled Hassan Robiul,27, son of Mahmud Hassan of Hanif Nagar under Horinath upazila of Khul-na district.

Police also seized chili power and sharp weapons from him.

Shohel Ahmed, o� cer-in-charge of Kotwa-li Model police station said Ahmed Hossain, accounts o� cer of the Globe Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd was going to Dutch Bangla Bank Amberkhana Branch to deposit money. When he was near to the bank, Robiul snatched the money and tried to � ee.

On information, police rushed to the spot and arrested him.

A case was � led in this connection. l

NEWS 7D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

WEATHER

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:29PM SUN RISES 5:21AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW37.5ºC 20.5ºC

Rajshahi Sylhet

TUESDAY, MAY 5

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 36 26Chittagong 34 26Rajshahi 38 26Rangpur 37 24Khulna 36 25Barisal 36 26Sylhet 33 22Cox’s Bazar 33 26

PRAYER TIMESFajr 3:57am

Sunrise 5:21am

Zohr 11:55am

Asr 4:32pm

Magrib 6:29pm

Esha 7:59pm

DRY WEATHER

n Tribune Report

People caught a woman while she was � eeing with newborn from Dholpur Brac Hospital in the capital yesterday afternoon.

Giving her a good beating, people handed her over to Paltan police station.

Police said Guljaan, 55, was traveling on a bus with a newborn baby in the afternoon, but noticing her suspicious activities passen-gers of the bus challenged her.

As she failed to give proper answers of que-ries people caught her and beat her indiscrim-inately. Then, she acknowledged that she had bought the baby from a hospital located at Dholpur under Jatrabari police station.

O� cer-in-Charge of Paltan Model police station Morshed Alam said: “The newborn were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and the woman is now under police custody.”

During interrogation, she told the po-lice that she had bought the newborn for Tk20,000 from a woman who was the wife of Akhtaruzzaman, a resident of Dholpur. But she could not answer whom she was going to hand over the baby.

Meanwhile, police contacted with mother of the baby namely Parvin Akter, a resident of Dholpur area. She said the baby was born on Saturday.

On March 9, 2014, another new born baby was stolen from Dhaka Medical College Hos-pital.

Later, a team of the Rapid Action Battalion rescued the baby from Kalameshwar village of Board Bazar of Gazipur. l

Another baby stolen from hospital

DEATH OF PILOT TAMANNA

Family likely to � le case against � ying academyn Nazim Mridha, Rajshahi

Family members is likely to � le a case against the Bangladesh Flying Academy over the death of Tamanna Rahman Hridi, a female trainee pilot who died on April 1 after an air-craft of Bangladesh Flying Academy and Gen-eral Aviation Limited crashed on the runway and caught � re while making an emergency landing at Shah Makhdum Airport in Rajshahi.

The family members of Tamanna alleged that she had died due to negligence of � ying academy.

They made the allegation at a press brie� ng held at a restaurant in Rajshahi city yesterday afternoon.

Rehana Yeasmin, mother of Tamanna, read out a written statement at the press confer-ence where Dr Anisur Rahman, father of the deceased, was also present.

Rehana Yeasmin said they would � le a case against the � ying academy soon after collect-ing all necessary evidences.

Dr Anisur said: “We have already got di� er-ent evidence of negligence about conducting training of Bangladesh Flying Academy which

caused the death of Tamanna.”The written statement said that as per in-

ternational rules, all � ying academy and civ-il aviation should have 24 hours � re service team, rescue team and ambulance service at the runway so that services could be rendered within 2 minutes if any untoward incident takes place but there was no such type of ser-vices at Rajshahi Shah Makhdum Airport.

The statement alleged that soon after the incident the local peoples came forward but � re� ghting team came after 21 minutes. In the meantime, Tamanna was burnt to death.

Mother of Tamanna informed that Bang-ladesh Flying Academy running its training programme with the 3 decade-old aircraft (Sesna-152). The seat belt of the aircraft was not working properly and for this reason trainer could not manage to get out of the air-craft soon after it catches � re.

They also alleged that Moniruzzaman Rumi, the chief engineer of Bangladesh Flying Acad-emy, has been given responsibility without any certi� cate regarding his competency. They also claimed that Rumi was a fake engineer. l

Freedom � ghters demand removalof CU VCn CU Correspondent

A group of freedom � ghters in Chittagong yes-terday demanded immediate removal of Chit-tagong University (CU)’s Vice-Chancellor (VC) Professor Anwarul Azim Arif for his alleged corruptions and anomalies.

Muktijodha Odhikar Sangrokhon Parishad, a platform of freedom � ghters in Chittagong city, came up with the demand at a press con-ference held at Chittagong Press Club around 11:00am. They also sought intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in this regard.

President of District (south) Sector Command-ers’ Forum freedom � ghters Mohammed Idris read out a written statement at the conference.

Mohammed Idris alleged that Prof Anwarul Azim Arif was a fake freedom � ghter as he did not accomplish or carry out any kind of battle during Liberation War in 1971.

After taking charge as VC at CU, Prof Arif has appointed a number of Jamaat-Shibir backed teachers and he also appointed his son, sister-in-law and daughter-in-law violat-ing the university rules and regulations.

Brushing all the allegations aside, CU VC Professor Anwarul Azim Arif said: “As I had re-fused to ful� l Idris’s some unlawful demands, he has been spreading propaganda against me with some insiders of the university.” l

A middle-aged woman was caught red-handed in Paltan, Dhaka yesterday afternoon while stealing away a newborn from Dhaka Medical College Hospital DHAKA TRIBUNE

Penalty sought for Aug 21 grenade attack case accusedn Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

Two prosecution witnesses yesterday sought exemplary punishment for the accused in two cases launched for conducting horri� c grenade attack on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.

Dr Hasan Mahmud, publicity a� airs secre-tary of AL, and Abdul Matin, former driver of PM Sheikh Hasina, gave the depositions be-fore a court of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal 1 judge Shahed Nuruddin in the attack that left 24 people killed and scores inured. The judge also recorded it.

According to the deposition, the witnesses were present at the rally on the day and Hasan Mahmud said the attack was run aiming to kill Sheikh Hasina as well as the party’s all top leaders.

Later, the defence counsels cross-exam-ined the witnesses and then the court � xed today for the next hearings. With the duo, a total of 130 prosecution witnesses have so far testi� ed before the court.

BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rah-man and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar as well as 50 others were made accused in the cases. l

WORLD8DTTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Gunmen killed at exhibit on Prophet Muhammadn Agencies

Texas police shot dead two gunmen who opened � re on Sunday outside an exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that was organised by an anti-Islamic group and billed as a free-speech event.

An FBI o� cial said the home of the two gunmen were being searched for evidence.

Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are viewed as o� ensive in Islam, and Western art that portrays the Prophet has sometimes an-gered Muslims and provoked threats and at-tacks from radicals.

Sunday’s attack took place at about 7 p.m. in a parking lot of the Curtis Culwell Center, an indoor arena in Garland, northeast of Dal-las. Geert Wilders, a polarising Dutch politi-cian and anti-Islamic campaigner who is on an al Qaeda hit list, was among the speakers at the event.

Shortly before midnight police alerted me-dia that a strong electronic pulse would be ac-tivated near the scene, presumably as part of the bomb squad’s work, and a loud boom was heard moments later, though police did not comment further on what was done.

The exhibit was organised by Pamela Geller, president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI). Her organisation, is described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, has sponsored anti-Is-lamic advertising campaigns in transit sys-tems across the country.

Organisers of the “Muhammad Art Exhib-it and Contest” said the event was to pro-mote freedom of expression. They o� ered a $10,000 prize for the best artwork or cartoon depicting the Prophet, as well as a $2,500 “People’s Choice Award.” l

Facebook opens up Internet.org amidst net neutrality rown BBC

Facebook says it will allow more websites and other online services to join its “free mobile data” Internet.org scheme.

The announcement follows a backlash against the initiative.

Opponents suggest it compromises the principles of net neutrality, because it favours access to some sites and apps over others.

But Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg said it was “not sustainable to o� er the whole internet for free.”

“It costs tens of billions of dollars every year to run the internet, and no operator could af-ford this if everything were free,” he said in an online video posted to Internet.org’s website.

“But it is sustainable to build free basic ser-vices that are simpler, use less data and work on all low-end phones.”

One leading Delhi-based campaigner sug-gested that protests against the o� er would continue.

Internet.org allows subscribers of partner mobile networks to use a limited number of online services without further charge.

Networks operators participate because they believe users will pay for wider internet access once they have had a chance to try out the free content on o� er.

To access the facility, people must use special Android apps, Internet.org’s website, Facebook’s own Android app or the Opera Mini browser. l

Three Thai o� cials, Myanmar man held over migrant deathsn AFP

Three local Thai o� cials and a Myanmar national have been arrested on suspicion of human tra� cking after the remains of 26 mi-grants were found in a mass grave in southern Thailand, police said Monday.

The decomposed bodies of migrants thought to have come from Myanmar or Bangladesh were exhumed over the weekend at an abandoned jungle camp in the Sadao district of Songkhla province.

Tens of thousands of migrants, mainly from Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority but also increasingly Rohingya from Bangladesh, have made the dangerous sea crossing to southern Thailand, with many bound for Malaysia.

On Monday police said they arrested three local male o� cials in Songhkla, and were holding a fourth man from Myanmar in Nak-hon Sri Thammarat province after his arrest Tuesday.

“One is a member of the local municipal council and the other two are assistant village headmen,” said a senior police o� cial, who did not want to be named, of the Thai men arrested, adding that the other man in deten-tion was a Myanmar national.

He also said a further four arrest warrants had been issued in connection with the mass grave but gave no more details.

Nakhon Sri Thammarat deputy police commander Anuchon Chamart said the My-anmar national – Soe Naing, known as Anwar – was a “central � gure who ran camps and sought ransoms” in a major people-smug-gling operation.

“He was involved with smuggling Rohing-ya from Myanmar through Thailand to Indo-nesia and Malaysia,” Anuchon told AFP.

Thailand’s border zone with Malaysia is criss-crossed by tra� cking trails and is noto-rious for its network of secret camps where smuggled migrants are held, usually against their will, until relatives pay hefty ransoms.

Thai police said Sunday they are search-ing for other camps following the discovery of the mass grave, with dozens of other peo-ple-smuggling sites believed to be based in the area.

The exodus of Rohingya – described by the UN as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities – has followed deadly communal unrest in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state since 2012.

Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh have also been kidnapped and tra� cked to

Thailand, after being duped with fake job of-fers or even drugged.

Thailand says it is cracking down on traf-� cking networks on its soil after revelations that government o� cers, police and navy o� -cials have been involved in the lucrative trade in humans � eeing poverty and persecution. l

Rouhani: Police not Islam’s enforcersn AFP

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Monday it was not up to the country’s police to deliver Islamic guidance, distancing himself from ef-forts to involve law enforcement in religion.

Rouhani, a relative moderate, last week faced criticism from the Islamic republic’s clerical establishment and conservative law-makers for insisting the police had no role to play in religion.

But in a speech to teachers on Monday he took up the issue again, saying it was for of-� cers to carry “handcu� s and pistols,” not to act like clergy.

“But you can’t just tell anyone... (to) inter-pret” Islam, he added.

Rouhani last year spoke out about draft legislation that would have given more pow-er to police and volunteer militias to enforce women’s compulsory wearing of the veil.

“We should not be overly focused on one issue, such as bad hijab, to prevent vice,” he said, in reference to women deemed not properly veiled.

The proposed law was later ruled unconsti-tutional.

And last month he told law enforcement commanders that “police should only enforce the law,” drawing a rebuke from the country’s powerful religious establishment.

Rouhani was elected in 2013 to replace the more conservative Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and has faced resistance from hardliners on a range of issues. l

About 100 bodies found in Nepal trekking villagen Reuters, Kathmandu

Nepali police and local volunteers found the bodies of about 100 trekkers and villagers buried in an avalanche set o� by last month’s devastating earthquake and were digging through snow and ice for signs of dozens more missing, o� cials said on Monday.

The bodies were recovered on Saturday and Sunday at the Langtang village, 60 kilometres north of Kathmandu. The entire village, which includes 55 guesthouses for trekkers, was wiped out by the avalanche, o� cials said.

“Local volunteers and police personnel are digging through six-feet (deep) snow with shovels looking for more bodies,” said Gau-tam Rimal, assistant chief district o� cer in the area where Langtang is located.

The dead include at least 7 foreigners but only two had been identi� ed, he said. l

A local Muslim leader joins rescue workers as they bury co� ns containing the human remains of migrants exhumed the day before from a mass grave at an abandoned jungle camp in Thailand AFP

Migrants wait to disembark yesterday from a tug boat in the Sicilian harbour of Pozzallo in southern Italy REUTERS

WORLD 9D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Eight troopers dead in rebel attack in northeast Indian AFP

Heavily armed separatist rebels have am-bushed a paramilitary convoy in India’s re-mote northeast, killing eight soldiers and in-juring six, o� cials said Monday.

The militants opened � re on the troops be-fore exploding a small bomb during the attack on Sunday in underdeveloped Nagaland close to the border with Myanmar, the state’s police chief said.

“Militants � rst resorted to � ring and then triggered an improvised explosive device, killing eight troopers on the spot and serious-ly injuring six more,” Nagaland police chief L.L. Doungel told AFP by phone.

Another four Assam Ri� es troopers were missing, with a search underway in the area, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) north of the state capital Kohima, an o� cial said on con-dition of anonymity.

Police suspect the attack was carried out by the outlawed National Socialist Council of Nagaland, which has been campaigning for decades for a homeland for indigenous Naga tribes to be carved out of India’s northeast states.

Last month a faction of the council called o� a longstanding cease� re, saying New Del-hi was not serious about meeting the move-ment’s demands.

The troopers in two vehicles came under

attack as they returned to their camp from collecting drinking water nearby, the police chief said.

“There was heavy � ring with the troopers retaliating but it was not immediately known if there were any casualties on the militants’ side,” Doungel said.

“A massive operation has since been launched in the thickly forested area,” he said.

India’s seven northeastern states have long been plagued by insurgent violence. They are home to dozens of tribal groups and small guerrilla armies that resist rule from New Delhi and often compete against each other. l

Israeli Ethiopian protest exposes ‘wound’n AP, Jerusalem

Israel’s president said yesterday that an out-break of violent protests by Ethiopian Jews has “exposed an open, bleeding wound in the heart of Israeli society.”

Reuven Rivlin spoke a day after thousands of Ethiopian protesters clashed with police in Tel Aviv in an unprecedented scene of unrest and anger. The clashes re� ected widespread frustration in the Ethiopian community, which three decades after it � rst arrived in Israel, has become an underclass plagued by poverty, crime and unemployment.

About 120,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Isra-el, a small minority in a country of 8 million. l

Taliban, Afghan negotiators unable to agree cease� ren Reuters

Taliban representatives met with Afghan political � gures for a second day in Qatar on Sunday, and one participant said the two sides discussed a possible cease� re but ultimately disagreed over the continued presence of US troops in the country.

The United States and Pakistan, long-re-garded by critics as sympathetic to the Afghan Taliban, both welcomed the closed-door talks aimed at ending an insurgency that has raged in Afghanistan since US-backed forces drove the Taliban from power in 2001.

The informal talks, hosted by Qatar’s for-eign ministry, came as � ghting escalated after the withdrawal of most US and allied troops. The Taliban recently launched an o� ensive in northern Afghanistan that brought its � ghters to the outskirts of Kunduz city, a provincial capital.

Participants in Sunday’s meeting in Al-Khor, a seaside town north of Doha, emerged from the venue smiling and laughing on Sun-day but refused to talk to waiting reporters.

The Afghan government has made no of-� cial statement on the meetings, though a member of the country’s High Peace Council con� rmed a delegation would attend meet-ings in Qatar with the Taliban.

One Taliban participant in the talks told Reuters by telephone late on Sunday that an eight-member Taliban delegation, headed by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, had held direct dialogue with Afghan o� cials.

“After the dialogue began, our people gave demands and conditions in written form and ... distributed copies among all the partici-pants,” he said on condition of anonymity.

“Then the dialogue started openly, and the Afghan delegation and Qayyum Kochai, uncle of (Afghan) President Ashraf Ghani, demand-ed we stop our � ghting and announce a cease-� re. They called us brothers and advised us to come to Afghanistan and obey the Afghan constitution,” he said.

The Taliban said they would not stop � ght-ing until all foreign forces left Afghanistan, he said.

The government delegation argued that most foreigners had already left and only trainers remained, who would also leave if the Taliban stopped � ghting, he said.

The talks ended with no agreement except to hold another meeting in the United Arab Emirates “probably next month.” l

Around 6,800 migrants rescued, baby girl born on Italian navy shipn Reuters

Around 6,800 migrants were rescued from overcrowded boats crossing to Europe over the weekend, including a mother who gave birth to a baby girl on an Italian navy ship, the coast guard said.

Numbers risking the journey in search of a better life have continued to rise two weeks after as many as 900 people drowned in the worst Mediterranean shipwreck in living memory.

Crew from the Italian naval vessel Bettica found the woman in labour on a boat over-night – one of 34 vessels intercepted over the weekend. A photo posted online showed her new daughter sleeping in a makeshift cradle decorated with a pink bow.

“Both mother and daughter are in good health,” the navy said in a statement.

Growing lawlessness and anarchy in Lib-

ya – the last point on one of the main tran-sit routes to Europe – is giving free hand to people smugglers who make an average of 80,000 euros (59,570 pounds) from each boatload, according to an ongoing investiga-tion by an Italian court.

Mild spring weather and calm summer seas are expected to push total arrivals in It-aly for 2015 to 200,000, an increase of 30,000 on last year, according to an Interior Ministry projection.

Police said o� cers rescued 21 immigrants in a boat o� the southern coast of Spain on Monday.

On Sunday, seven bodies were found on two large rubber boats packed with migrants and three others died after jumping into the water when they saw a merchant ship ap-proaching, the Italian coast guard said.

Many migrants who have made the sea crossing this year have been Eritreans, So-

malis, Afghanis, Syrians and Nigerians, ac-cording to the UN refugee agency. Few details were available regarding the nationalities of those rescued over the weekend.

About 1,800 are estimated to have per-ished during the crossing already this year, the UN refugee agency said. Some 51,000 have entered Europe by sea, with 30,500 coming via Italy.

Shocked by last month’s record disas-ter, European Union leaders agreed to triple funding for the EU sea patrol mission Triton, but there is still disagreement on what to do with the people � eeing con� ict and poverty in various parts of Africa and the Middle East.

Italy has coordinated the rescues by its own navy and coast guard, a French ship act-ing on behalf of the European border control agency, merchant ships of various nationali-ties and one vessel run by the privately fund-ed Migrant O� shore Aid Station. l

WORLD10DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

China’s Xi calls for ‘equal’ political talks with Taiwann Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping o� ered the head of Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party yesterday “equal” talks to resolve their political di� er-ences, but only if Taiwan accepts it is part of China, a concept many Taiwanese balk at.

Xi, in his role as head of China’s ruling Communist Party, met Nationalist chairman Eric Chu in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, the � rst meeting between the leaders of the old political rivals in six years, China’s Xinhua news agency said.

While business ties between Taiwan and China have improved to their best level in six decades since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took o� ce in 2008, there have been no talks on Taiwan’s political future.

Chu made no mention of political talks in a transcript of his remarks released by his party, but said he hoped Taiwan would be al-lowed greater participation in international organisations, something hard at present due to Chinese objections.

Xi told Chu that the two should settle po-litical di� erences through equal consulta-tions, Xinhua said.

“The two sides can consult with each oth-er on equal basis under the principle of ‘one China’, and reach a reasonable arrangement,” Xi was quoted as saying.

Beijing’s “one China” policy holds that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of it. Many in proudly democratic Taiwan fear auto-cratic Beijing’s designs on the island, and there is a strong pro-independence movement.

Xi said both parties “should be brave when facing lingering political di� erences and dif-� culties, pool wisdom of compatriots of both

sides and actively search for a solution,” Xin-hua added.

Chu’s Nationalists are viewed as pro-Chi-na, while the opposition Democratic Progres-sive Party (DPP) is widely seen as leaning to-wards independence, something China says it will never allow.

Thousands of young people occupied Tai-wan’s parliament in March last year in an un-precedented protest against a planned trade

pact calling for closer ties with Beijing and the Nationalists su� ered a heavy setback in local elections in November.

Xi said China would ensure more econom-ic opportunities for the people of Taiwan as China continues down its path of reform.

“Our e� orts to open up to Taiwan compa-triots will be bigger,” he said.

This trip is expected to bolster Chu’s in� uence. l

Iran determined toend ‘manufactured’ nuclear crisisn AFP, Tehran

Iran is determined to end the “manufac-tured crisis” over its nuclear programme and drafting of a � nal deal with world powers, though hard, is progressing, For-eign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said yesterday.

The remarks, on Zarif’s o� cial Twitter ac-count, came two days after US Secretary of State John Kerry denounced what he said was “hysteria” from opponents of an agreement, which is due by June 30.

Zarif, Kerry and other diplomats from Iran and the P5+1 world powers (Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany) say the deal would guarantee Iran’s nuclear activities are peaceful.

“Drafting #IranDeal is moving forward. Hard work, and many brackets, remain. De-termined to end this manufactured crisis & open new horizons,” Zarif tweeted.

Iran has long asserted its nuclear pro-gramme is for peaceful energy purposes and that international concern about it seeking a nuclear bomb is misplaced.

An outline agreement between Iran and the P5+1 reached on April 2 in Switzerland af-ter marathon talks met with � erce opposition from US Republicans who say it would threat-en America’s security.

But Zarif told an audience at New York Uni-versity last week that Iran is willing to submit to the highest level of international transpar-ency and wants to conclude a � nal accord as soon as possible.

If fully implemented, a deal would see Iran dramatically scale back its nuclear activities for at least 10 years along with other curbs in exchange for the lifting of UN, EU and US sanctions. l

Eric Chu, left, chairman of Taiwan’s ruling Kuomintang party, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing AFP

EDITORIALTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

According to the UNESCAP transport division not a single kilometre of the 1,741km of Bangladeshi roadways desiignated as part of the Asian High-way meets the standards it requires.

The Asian Highway network runs along three routes for 1,741km in Bangla-desh.

At present, only 72km of all these roads is a four-lane highway. While the on-going upgrade of the Dhaka-Chittagong road which overlaps with all these routes into a four lane highway, will substantially increase the volume of tra� c running on four-lanes, it will still leave our national road network running to far lower standards than Asian Highway roads in other nations.

The capacity of our national highways is constrained even further by the failure of authorities to safeguard even those wider highways we have from encroachment, and to properly control access to set groups of vehicles.

We must invest in a faster, more e� cient and safer national network to overcome these defects and meet international standards.

The bene� ts in terms of reducing delays and improving safety would be a huge boon to the economy and pay for itself by allowing Bangladeshis to take full bene� t from our country’s small land area.

Faster major roads will not only increase trade between our major cities, but open up new opportunities to attract overseas investors by improving inter-national connectivity and taking full advantage of Bangladesh’s geographical position at the crossroads of South and South-east Asia.

We cannot a� ord not to demand and expect better of our national highway network.

The bene� ts would pay for themselves

Make national highways � t for purpose

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com

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Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com

www.dhakatribune.comJoin our Facebook community:

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Delinquent diplomatsApril 13

disgustedChee! Chee! Most diplomats are nothing but idiots in cheap suits, and Bangladesh should not send so many unworthy and immoral men out into the world to represent the country. Shoplifters? Really? Yuck. A very good article in exposing the suit-clad thieves. Under the diplomatic umbrella they hide and think they have immunity. I want to see his picture plastered all over! What a shame.

sundardisgusted: As a matter of fact, without being a thief it is not possible for a bureaucrat of

Bangladesh to wear a suit. We all know what they are supposed to earn according to the prescribed government pay scale. As per the current price level, the paltry amount that a bureaucrat draws as a monthly salary is supposed to be consumed by the bare necessities of daily life. It can hardly provide any luxuries, like suits (irrespective of sea-son), cars, smartphones, laptop, dinner in 5 star hotels etc.

And we all know what luxurious and extravagant lives the bureaucrats of our country lead, except a very few. Having the inside experience, I can say, with a fair degree of certainty, that most of them are inveterate thieves. They don’t consider thieving a crime but as a sort of competence and proof of their extraordinary talents. I know of some bureaucrats, though very few in numbers, who live a very honest and simple life are known are in the society as “opodharto.”

So, I don’t � nd any special reason to feel disappointed or ashamed at the shoplifting case of this particular diplomat. Rather, he deserves to be rewarded for correctly portraying their representative character in a foreign land. The government should seriously consider giving him a promotion for his extraordinary smartness which we expect from our diplomats.

DTJustice for village of widows

April 12

Dev SahaHe had plenty of time to ask for forgive-

ness but chose to show his bravado. Does justice have any other options? No!

Save Barisal church from encroachment

April 13Sinthi 

We must value diversity and heritage more. The hooligan lawyers who attacked

the women should be punished. The government claims to protect minorities.

Won’t Sheikh Hasina throw out those in her party who practice intolerance and

exploit mi norities?

Of mayors, here and thereApril 11rose The mayors and others who are in power should act responsibly and play their roles in the most e� cacious manner.

Sammy  How dare the author suggest that these elections will not be completely fair, free, and transparent? He needs to be hauled before the war crimes tribunal or sent to remand or something like that!

Mohammad Zaman  Just shared in my FB. Great piece.

Breadbitten Mohammad Zaman: I just told my friend about this piece. He seemed excited.

Osmania  Great article as always from Esam. Everything is over centralised in central government hands. Including, as it turns out, our ward councillors.

The government still has time to heed warnings about the unacceptable environmental hazards posed by the setting up a 1,320MW coal-� red power plant at Rampal in an Ecologically Critical Area some 10km from the

Sundarbans..Independent studies indicate insu� cient safeguards have been implement-

ed to mitigate the risks of coal burning, transportation and post-burn waste disposal at this site. The potential consequences in terms of pollution to air, soil, and water poses a major unnecessary threat to living organisms in the area.

It is not acceptable that public interest regulations designed to safeguard the bio-diversity and wildlife of the world’s largest mangrove forest are being � outed by this project.

To make matters worse, if this project is allowed to proceed at this site, it risks open-ing the door for to other similar power plants at equally controversial locations.

The Indian power company behind the project is prevented by India’s own laws from setting up a coal power project at similarly sensitive locations within India.

Bangladesh has plenty of far more appropriate locations available, closer to industries, transport and supplies of coal, at which this type of power plant can be located. The government needs to give more regard to the high degree of public concern expressed about this project by moving its location.

Only by doing so can it fully reassure the public that vested interests will not be allowed to ride roughshod over laws to protect the environment.

Still time to move Rampal

Heed warnings about the unacceptable environmental hazards posed by this location

11D

T

OPINION12DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

n Ikhtisad Ahmed

It has been the same game, rules un-changed, since before the Liberation War. The motivational words of conso-lation are wrong: Winning is, has been,

and will be more important than how it is played.

The sole objective, therefore, is absolute power. Successive governments have tried and failed. The current one remains in situ, but the � ne margins set by those cursed rules make strongholds vulnerable, success imper-manent, failure impending.

Past players, licking their wounds, are not to be trusted either. Their sorrow comes from envy, wishing to trade places with the ruling regime. They did not do better during their purple patches, and will do worse if their wish is somehow granted.

Their misdeeds during their � eeting victo-ries are responsible for the present desper-ation and devastation, as today will inspire tomorrow’s carnage.

Unless there is a unanimous, an unequiv-ocal rejection of the game, there is no other way. Absolute power, repeated as a mantra, is a self-ful� lling prophecy that produces only one outcome.

During the latest phase of play, the BNP’s 2006-2007 moves were rendered ine� ectual, the Awami League’s 2013-2014 were not. It is a perpetual race to the top of the moun-tain, hoping to be closer to the summit than

base camp. When, never if, the mountain is conquered, the � ag that is planted -- regard-less of whether it has stars and stripes or is a dreaded black, has a boat or an ear of rice -- signi� es the pursuit of absolute power, and its establishment, of various levels of temporariness.

The sticks used to beat the opposition in-creases in size, giving way to knives. They, in turn, get sharper and give way to guns, ever more e� cient. The ruthless endeavours do not di� erentiate between political opposition and observers or well-wishers.

The binary view, adopted by the poli-ticians and codi� ed in laws governing the populace, makes dissenters of everyone.

Consider the process brie� y, and it be-

comes clear why it matters little. In a straight choice between legitimacy and control, only one paves the road to victory. It is, thus, the only one that is of any consequence.

An authoritarian regime that believes in its own myth of invincibility will be less inclined to add a veneer of legitimacy than one that is more pragmatic.

The occasional member of the ruling party or governmental activist being punished for one of the several deplorable acts committed by the regime would be a shrewd strategy that shows a just, humane side of said autoc-racy.

The odd election would have a similar e� ect, making the people believe. Instead, oppression and dominance have been the preferred poisons. Every instance of them producing the desired result -- celebrating the inexcusable, the heinous, the repulsive, and propagating the fallacy of a divine right to rule -- reinforces the belief in a godlike invincibility, the rea� rmation con� rming further deployments of the same strategy in the future.

Individual incidents may be met with ap-proval or submission, but a growing litany is less manageable. When counting the cost of extending its victory, the government should pause to study the people’s ledger. Dismiss-ing it because those numbers tell a very di� erent story to the delusional narrative of the rulers will be to their own peril.

Redacting them or replacing them with

more favourable alternatives may rewrite perceptions and perspectives, but does not change the truth. The process may be imma-terial in attaining victory, but it has a part to play in extending it, because the process de-termines when the people, who are counting up actions, become the enemy.

Heightening partisanship, using terrorism for e� ect, prevents discussions and debates that are necessary for improvement. Civil rights activists � ghting the race war in the US and su� ragettes demanding women’s rights in the UK were labelled terrorists. Martin Lu-ther King Jr, however, can be told apart from Osama bin Laden, even by the dullest or most unhinged minds.

The government of Bangladesh, like all governments in the history of the human race, is fallible. Displaying humility to accept this rather than forcing people to believe in its arrogant presumption of being � awless, with threats and intimidation when coaxing and cajoling do not work, serves the objec-tive of absolute power better.

The people know that perfection is impos-sible, thus they seek betterment. The govern-ment is convinced it is the better choice. It is long past time the AL started to prove this hypothesis. Making an enemy of a people that historically does not tolerate oppression or respond well to it is not the way. l

Ikhtisad Ahmed is a writer and an erstwhile lawyer. He can be contacted on Twitter via @Ikhtisad.

A counting up of actions

Absolute power, repeated as a mantra, is a self-ful� lling prophecy that produces only one outcome

BIGSTOCK

OPINION 13D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

n Tim Steel

It has taken a little time, but the evident, present, unwillingness of voters to change their mind no matter what the would be stars attempt in order to do so,

it appears that boredom has set in.Perhaps we should not be surprised. The

politicians may yet come to regret setting � xed � ve year terms on Parliament. In the ICE age, unful� lled expectations for quantity and quality of information, poor commu-nication, and a developing sameness in the practice of entertainment, are surely greater than, even, � ve years ago.

Certainly, the blushing reluctance of the politicians to give detail; such as the former, (and perhaps future?), chancellor of the exchequer, the � nance minister, to give even clues to how he would save a further 12bn pounds from welfare spending if re-elected, jars with even, possibly especially, the really engaged voters.

The fact that my snail mail letterbox has received the free communications permitted to candidates from only three, and those, primitive in format and content seems repre-sentative of the level of communication. And my online box, only a few desultory mails from Labour, instantly as deletable as the snail mail was binned for recycling.

Mass media may well bene� t party lead-ers, but it certainly doesn’t do much for local candidates, and it seems unsurprising that no sign of motorcades or canvassing has reached communities such as that in which I live.

And mass media, of course, has its lim-itations. As a parliamentary candidate at the time of the 1979 referenda on regional devolution in UK, I well remember being given a ticking o� by prime minister, Jim Callaghan, for telling him that the vote was going to be lost. I explained to the evidently bemused premier that, on the doorstep, it was being lost because it was being inade-quately argued.

“But I am on TV every day, explaining it,” he expostulated. “Yes,” I responded,” but lec-tures on TV give no opportunity for questions to amplify your explanations.”

And, of course, despite the internet, politi-cians seem, if anything, even more addicted to talking at people, rather than with them.

Major party leaders are being carefully shielded from any contact with any oth-er than carefully vetted, loyal gatherings. Election campaigns seem to have come to re� ect the academic approach to debate, in which original, or o� the wall thought is not permitted; as a result there is, of course, no real engagement on the part of those whose votes are being sought.

The consequence of real education, of course, is that our present genre of politi-cians, as people who have never made the mistakes that would be sought and exposed by media opponents, the great jury of journos who seldom engage, either, with their read-ers, and who are ever ready, in a high-minded way, to expose the shortcomings of everyone else.

As they say: “The man or woman who never made a mistake, never did anything.” Early in my days in active politics, I received the interesting mentorship of one very suc-

cessful local politician who told me: “Every-one has a skeleton in their cupboard; if you � nd your opponents, you’ve got them beat.”

It has resonated with me through the years, and I guess we are now seeing the logi-cal consequence of that philosophy.

That rather unpleasant truism, o� ered to me in the 1960s, has evidently come home to roost. Only the most able, like Bill Clinton, have the strength and power to resist such sordid stu� , and overcome.

So, we should not be surprised that our politicians are more uninteresting cardboard cut-outs of people, than most of us. Or that they are so afraid of mis-speaking, or being misreported, that they avoid unscripted speech, anywhere, and are certainly reluctant to respond to questions, unless anticipated, with rehearsed responses.

That ennui has set should be no surprise. The sense of having seen and heard it all before, and believing little of it, seems wide-spread in the electorate, which presumably accounts for lack of movement in the polls.

The Blair years may have been introduced with some real advertising and PR appeal, which generated, in part, the 1997 landslide for Labour, but, somehow, today’s generation of politicians, perhaps having lived through the tumultuous disillusionment, seem reluc-tant to adopt any really e� ective methods of communication and persuasion.

Such advertising techniques as product endorsement have been tried and tested in the commercial world, and the perils of it clearly demonstrated, but that hasn’t de-terred the Conservatives from giving it a try.

Perhaps memories of the e� ectiveness of celebrity endorsement and appeal so successfully used by Labour in the 90s and early noughties have spurred their partner-ship with the once respectable The Daily Telegraph to produce such non-events as, “100 successful businessmen” letter of endorsement; it seemed to play well until it

was discovered to be badly researched and prepared.

That, however, didn’t deter the Conservatives from an attempt at a rerun, a letter from “5,000” entrepreneurs, expressing their wish for another Conservative-dominated government; this attempt also proved to be fallible. From that, the campaign has moved on to the national statistics revealing that the much heralded recovery is not, with GDP growth faltering badly for the second quarter in a row. All bad background music!

However, despite the evident improve-ment in the personal ratings of Labour leader, Ed Milliband, he still trails, in all polls, ratings for his party, and lies far behind those for David Cameron, his adversary, the Con-servative leader.

What the polls ... and there are far more of them in this election than ever before, which tends to diminish any appearance of progress by any party ... are more clearly suggesting is that the electoral turnout this time could well fall even lower than the last election, when it was an all time low of 65%.

Commentators, after the high turnout in the Scottish Independence Referendum last autumn, suggested there were signs of re-engagement by voters in the political process. What none of them seemed to understand was that in the Referendum, voters were voting for a big idea, the fundamental element of any e� ective communication. O� ering a clear and simple decision to either remain in the Union, or seek independence.

It is no great surprise to hear vox pop subjects on radio telling of voting for Inde-pendence then, and Labour, who led the no vote campaign, this time. It probably simply re� ects the low credibility and unappealing personalities of politicians, especially politi-cians, despite the lack of credibility, promis-ing an ever-increasing and bewildering array of policies as the campaign continues.

When training political speakers, espe-cially those heading onto the small screen, in the early 80s, we always tried to get them to understand that, to be e� ective, they needed to remember that listeners often simply have a low interest, and a lower capacity to retain ideas.

“Keep it simple, stupid,” has become a widely-recognised principle of communica-tion. But evidently, not one that appeals to a highly opinionated community of communi-cators.

In Bangladesh, I have often experienced the clear belief of politicians and other would be communicators, that a very long speech is likely to be more e� ective than a short one.

In UK today we seem to be experiencing both the live spectacle, and in the media, of politicians who seem to be moving swiftly into the Bangladesh ... and, to be fair, having experienced elections elsewhere in South Asia, perhaps regional ... school of commu-nication.

Whether the Conservatives are shrewd enough to appreciate that confusion maintains the level of uncertainty about voting intentions, with a signi� cant proportion of those who do vote deciding on the day, and even inside the polling station, with research suggestion that such decisions tend to break, two to one in favour of incumbents, can only work to their advantage is unclear.

There seems little doubt that, if they win, or are at least able to lead a coalition on May 7, a large majority of voters will not be happy. And there are likely consequences for such alienation. l

Tim Steel is a communications and marketing consultant. His half-century experience in politics includes speech-writing, research, and consultancy to two Labour party prime ministers and leaders of the opposition.

Has the audience lost interest?

BIGSTOCK

OPINION14DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

n Saquib Rahman

Having campaigned over the years with the civil society body “Desh, We’re Concerned” for the proper justice of the BDR Pilkhana

massacre, I have personally observed the political right and the extreme right to have been the most active in social media with regards to the issue. Needless to say, all the blame is thrown at the government for the gruesome murder of 57 army o� cers and 17 civilians inside the Pilkhana on February 25-26, 2009.

In the past few years, I have upheld two demands with regards to the tragedy that Desh, We’re Concerned believes the citizens fervently seek as well. Setting up a Judicial Inquiry Commission under a retired Supreme Court justice is the � rst. The commission would have access to all legal documents and investigate the involvement of BDR jawans, as well as outsiders, in a bid to unearth the real mysteries behind the massacre that took precious lives.

Our expectation from the commission is that their � ndings be made public. In that case, not only can the abettors be spotted, but also, details of the incident starting from the initial planning, movement, and distribu-tion of lea� ets containing materials instigat-ing the jawans to take up arms against their o� cers, can be known. Another point is de-claring February 25 as Shaheed Shena Dibosh,

in remembrance of the fallen soldiers. The � rst demand, we believe, would be

a strategic move towards � nding the men behind the guns. However, till date, BNP and its allies have failed to present a solution.

Having lost my own father in the brutal tragedy, and having registered an organisa-tion that speci� cally pressured the govern-ment with events, rallies, press releases, and articles at national dailies to unveil the truth behind the carnage, as much as I grieve in anger that I lost my best friend, guide, and philosopher during this tenure, it is beyond me to blame AL as a party for the incident.

During such a situation, the method to tackle it is to be decided by senior military personnel who clearly failed to convince our PM with regards to carrying out an operation inside Pilkhana during the revolt. Which sane person, at any cost, would order the military to move, risking the lives of civilians inside and outside the Pilkhana in such circum-stances, if not properly and con� dently advised by her then military leaders?

Taxpayer money for protocol, the luxury of fancy cars, and accommodation of the military chiefs and generals certainly pay for their tactical ideas and e� ciency in handling situations such as Pilkhana, where, as funny as it now seems, with the army positioned outside the gates, the PM had risked sending her civilian leaders inside with a white � ag.

The courage shown by AL leaders, and Sheikh Hasina’s presence at Shena Kunja

right after the incident, facing the grieving and agitated junior military o� cers, is cer-tainly commendable.

If I may ask readers to imagine holding a public leader’s o� ce with the military to have clearly advised you to “let it be” and not move the army by considering innocent civilian lives, what better performance can we expect from what has been done already?

The long-awaited trials began on Novem-ber 24, 2009. On November 5, 2013, after nearly four years of lengthy trials, the court passed capital punishment for 152 perpetra-tors. 161 persons were jailed for life, 256 were jailed for various terms, and 277 received acquittals. The death penalty remains a valid form of punishment in Bangladesh under its penal code and there is hardly any construc-tive and meaningful discussion from educat-ed quarters re-evaluating the need for such a harsh form of punishment.

Therefore, constantly pressurised from international rights organisations such as Hu-man Rights Watch and Amnesty International about how the trial process was not fair to the jawans, and how the death penalty is wrong, not carrying out of such a trial would, in fact, be advantageous for the AL in regards to the international quarters, including local rights bodies. So, provided the government would have no intentions of proper justice, it would not have gone through a second “trouble” (after the ICT trying war collaborators) to o� er solace to the martyrs’ souls.

Lastly, the cancellation of the PM’s visit on the day of carnage is often questioned. Even if the intelligence and many o� cers inside Pilkhana were aware of the jawans’ initial planning regarding some of their demands and grievances -- would, or should, such grief or mere distribution of lea� ets stop such brave o� cers of the army, some of the very best, to not attend the darbar and listen to what their soldiers were in need of? I believe that is a prime reason why the darbar is held, and, of course, none had imagined that their own sepoys would be such ruthless preda-tors.

Therefore, when asking the AL to take re-sponsibility of the death of the BDR martyrs, BNP and their allies are required not to just analyse the above, but also come up with proper evidence that back what their associ-ated social media pages tend to promote.

They must also provide proper guidelines for the purpose of � nding the men behind the guns (as we have proposed a Judicial Inquiry Commission) and be clear about their stance, since “expressing deep shock” at their leader Nasir Uddin Pintu’s death by cardiac arrest -- a man awarded life-time imprisonment for his involvement in the Pilkhana tragedy -- can send a confusing message to concerned citizens. l

Saquib Rahman is the founder of “Desh, We’re Concerned,” a registered society for rights and social awareness.

Why the shock at Pintu’s death?

15D

TBusiness TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Call to expand budget allocation to promote women entrepreneurship

17DSEX falls below 4,000-mark threshold

19Bu� ett: Stock prices would be high if rates were ‘normal’

16Swan workers uncertain about getting 5-month dues

20

Accord � nds modest cracks in three RMG factories n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bang-ladesh, a platform of European retailers, found-modest cracks in three factories in its post-earth-quake safety assessment in 61 factories.

After the 7.9 earthquakes that hit Nepal on April 25, the Accord launched inspection to identify the immediate impact of the earth-quake and will inspect approximately 200 factories, which were deemed structurally the most vulnerable from its initial inspections.

“We’ve so far inspected 61 factories after the earthquake and found modest cracks in three of those factories,” Brad Loewen, chief safety inspector of Accord on Fire and Build-

ing Safety, told the Dhaka Tribune. The Accord is following up with the facto-

ries, the brands, labour partners, and the In-spector General to ensure that they are made safe, he said. The factory owners have to hire engineers to investigate the cracks, to check whether it could pose any threat to the work-ers’ safety or not, said Brad.

“The owners have already been asked to look into matter.”

Accord Executive Director Rob Wayss said, “The Accord is implementing measures to de-termine if buildings, we have inspected and which are producing for Accord signatory companies have been structurally a� ected by the earthquakes.”

‘We’ve requested those factories which re-quired a detailed engineering assessment from the Accord initial structural inspection to have the engineers their company is working with on the DEA to conduct an immediate impact inspection to determine if the earthquake has caused any structural damage to the building where the factory is housed,’ said Rob.

The platform also requested its signatory companies to share any related information they have obtained regarding the listed fac-tories with the assigned Accord case handler.

The safety issues came under spotlight after the Rana Plaza factory that killed over 1,135 workers and injured over 2,500 people on April 24, 2013. l

Mashiur advocates opening up overseas investmentn Abid Azad

While a number of former bureaucrats oppose the idea of opening Bangladeshi investment in foreign countries right now, Prime Min-ister’s Economic A� airs Adviser Dr Mashiur Rahman thinks otherwise.

He said the country’s economy would bene� t from the move in the long run though there would be negative impact initially.

He made the suggestions at a meeting on “Overseas investment by Bangladeshi entre-preneurs” organised by International Busi-ness Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB) in the city yesterday.

But some former secretaries and experts opposed the idea of opening up overseas in-vestment by Bangladeshi entrepreneurs at the present situation.

They said opening up overseas investment will cause employment crisis in the home country while it has negative e� ect on the foreign exchange reserves also.

Former secretary Dr AFM Matiur Rahman said: “Bangladesh is yet to be developed and not ready to make overseas investment. The economy has not gone to that level.”

Mashiur said: “It is true that once we start investment in abroad, there will be negative e� ect in our economy but it will be short-term. In the long term we would achieve bet-ter economic growth.”

Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Syed Nasim Manzur said Bangladesh hasmany skilled and experienced managerial sta� but we need to take them now to the next level. Now they should be sent to abroad to compete in the global mar-ket.”

A concept paper titled “Overseas Invest-ment by Bangladeshi entrepreneurs” was pre-sented by Dhaka University professor Dr AK Fazlul Haque Shah.

It talked about both merits and demerits of the opening up overseas investment.

It said the move would have counter ef-fects on the source country’s capital account of the balance of payment including unem-ployment crisis and negative e� ect on the for-eign exchange reserves.

According to the paper, during the period 2002 to 2012 Bangladesh lost more than US$ 12 billion in the form of illicit � nancial out� ow (GFI, 2013).

Money is transferred from Bangladesh to Malaysia, Canada, India, Singapore, UAE, Thai-land, Switzerland, USA, UK, Australia and Hong Kong while the primary purpose of such capital

� ight are to buy land, houses, � ats, to invest in business endeavors and to deposit money with banks in those countries, the paper said.

The result of capital � ight, which is not legal, are loss of tax revenue to the NBR, investment opportunities and learning advantages of local multinationals, the paper added.

However, on the other hand, currently, 47% gradu-ates in Bangladesh are unem-ployed according to a recently published special report of world-renowned British maga-zine, The Economist.

The meeting was presided over by International Business Forum of Bangladesh president

Ha� zur Rahman Khan.IBFB founding president Mahmudul Islam

Chowdhury and stakeholders from di� erent levels were present at the function. l

Speakers at a meeting on ‘Overseas Investments by Bangladeshi Entrepreneurs’ in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Continued stock market fall worries regulator n Tribune Report

Continuous slide of stock markets has made securities regulators worried, forcing it to call an urgent meeting with the stakeholders yes-terday evening.

The commission has asked the stakehold-ers – brokerages and merchant banks – to support the market for few days to bring back investors con� dence from the brink.

Stakeholders were also urged to begin counseling investors to expel their fear of furthering falling of the market. Representa-tives of brokerage � rms and merchant banks described the current market situation and some di� culties faced by them while putting funds in the market.

They also recommended to take measures including removing regulatory barriers of banks exposure and allowing to open more brokerage � rms. l

BUSINESS16DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Bu� ett: Stock prices would be high if rates were ‘normal’n Reuters, Omaha

Billionaire investor Warren Bu� ett said on Saturday that stock prices would appear ex-pensive if interest rates normalized from their ultra-low levels.

“If we get back to normal interest rates, stocks at these prices will look high,” said Bu� ett, speaking at the annual shareholders’ meeting of his sprawling conglomerate Berk-shire Hathaway Inc.

Bu� ett, one of the world’s most famous investors, is widely followed for his advice on � nance and life. While he often empha-sizes the importance of not basing long-term investing decisions on short-term economic expectations, his views on the US and global

economies carry signi� cant weight well be-yond Berkshire Hathaway’s shareholders.

Regarding the Federal Reserve’s loose mon-etary policy, Bu� ett said he could not have predicted that rates would remain this low for this long without becoming a problem.

“So far, I have been wrong on interest rates. It’s so hard for me to see how, if you toss mon-ey from helicopters that eventually you don’t have in� ation, but we haven’t.”

The Fed is currently weighing raising rates from their near-zero levels of the � nancial crisis era, even as questions remain about the strength of growth in the world’s biggest economy.

The current US economic environment will not in� uence potential acquisitions at Berk-shire Hathaway, Bu� ett added.

Berkshire tends to hold companies for dec-ades - or forever, as Bu� ett has said in the past - making the short-term economic outlook less valuable as a predictor of a company’s success than longer-term trends.

“Any company that has an economist cer-tainly has one employee too many,” he added.

He also said about the greenback: “I think the dollar will be the world’s reserve currency 50 years from now.”

Nevertheless, Bu� ett praised China as a ris-ing superpower, saying the country’s population had “found a way to unlock their potential.”

Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman, echoed that sentiment, noting Chi-na’s drive against corruption and its relation-ship with the United States. l

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Bu� ett talks to reporters prior to the Berkshire annual meeting in Omaha REUTERS

El Mundo: HSBC whistleblower Falciani says his work is not donen Reuters, Madrid

Herve Falciani, a former HSBC employee who leaked information on the bank’s clients and tax situation, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo he had knowledge of other cases and could act again, adding his “work was not done”.

Falciani previously said that media leaks on HSBC accounts held in Switzerland, which unleashed a public storm around the British bank, were “only the tip of the iceberg”, and that tax authorities had access to a lot more data.

The former information technology work-er at HSBC’s Swiss subsidiary hinted in the in-terview published on Sunday that he could be moved to make more revelations.

“My work is still not done. We’re not in a hurry. It’s possible that at the end of the year, we’ll have the opportunity to act,” he said, asked by El Mundo whether he would lift the lid on further tax cases if Spanish authorities did not.

Several high-pro� le Spaniards have been a� ected by the Falciani leaks.

The International Consortium of Investi-gative Journalists, which in February coordi-nated the media release of details of leaked client data, said account-holders included ex-Santander Chairman Emilio Botin, who died last year.

Spanish authorities are also coming under pressure from opposition parties to reveal which public � gures feature on a list of people who signed up to a recent tax amnesty, especially as a general election nears. They have so far said the information is con� dential.

“It’s only a question of political will to un-cover that there is 10 times more than what we discovered at HSBC,” Falciani is quoted as saying in the interview.

Falciani told El Mundo he had never worked alone in trying to uncover tax data at HSBC.

“From the beginning, I did everything with the help of others,” he said. He added that there were several people within the bank who shared his views and that he had asked for help from contacts he had among police and customs specialists in Montecarlo.

Falciani did not specify what kind of help they had provided. l

Taiwan party chief to talk to China’s Xi about new global bankn Reuters

The head of Taiwan’s ruling Nationalist Party said on Friday he will talk to Chinese Presi-dent Xi Jinping about joining global organisa-tions such as the China-led Asian Infrastruc-ture Investment Bank (AIIB) when they meet next week.

Eric Chu’s meeting with Xi, who also heads China’s Communist Party, will be the � rst meeting between the heads of the two parties in six years. The defeated Nationalist forces � ed to Taiwan at the end of the Chinese civ-il war in 1949. Chu said he would talk about issues that are tough but of concern to many

Taiwanese when he meets Xi in Beijing on Monday. Among them is the name that Tai-wan would use to join the AIIB and the Re-gional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a proposed East Asian free trade deal.

“We’ll face these problems, joining AIIB and RCEP and other issues that people care about, in a practical way,” Chu told a news brie� ng. “We hope to achieve a win-win in this meeting.”

China last month rejected Taiwan’s bid to become a founding member of the AIIB, though said it was welcome to join as an ordi-nary member if it used an appropriate name.

China views Taiwan as a renegade province. Most countries, including the United States, do

not recognise Taiwan as a nation due to pres-sure from China. Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, the World Bank or the In-ternational Monetary Fund. It is a member of the Asian Development Bank, though under the name of Taipei, China, not Taiwan.

Business ties between Taiwan and China have improved to their best level in six dec-ades since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took o� ce in 2008. But deep suspicions re-main and there have been no political talks.

Taiwan’s pride in its democracy helps re-inforce the unwillingness of many to be ab-sorbed politically by China, which has not ruled out force to ensure uni� cation.

Thousands of young people occupied Tai-wan’s parliament in March last year in an un-precedented protest against a planned trade pact calling for closer ties with Beijing.

But the Nationalists are perceived as being pro-China and they su� ered a heavy setback in local elections in November.

The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is seen as leaning towards inde-pendence, which China says it won’t tolerate.

This trip is expected to bolster Chu’s in� u-ence. He has said repeatedly that he will not join the race for January’s presidential elec-tion, but he remains the most promising can-didate to rival DPP candidate Tsai Ing-wen. l

BUSINESS 17D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

China April HSBC PMI shows biggest drop in factory activity in a yearn Reuters, Beijing

China’s factories su� ered their fastest drop in activity in a year in April as new orders shrank, a private business survey showed yesterday, hardening the case for fresh poli-cy stimulus to halt a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy.

The HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers’ In-dex (PMI) fell to 48.9 in April - the lowest level since April 2014 - from 49.6 in March, as demand faltered and de� ationary pressures persisted.

The number was weaker than a prelimi-nary reading of 49.2, and below the 50-point level that separates growth from contraction compared with the previous month.

The overall new orders sub-index dipped to 48.7 in April, the sharpest contraction in a year, although new export orders showed ten-tative signs of improvement.

Both input and output prices declined for a ninth month in April, while manufacturing employment contracted for an 18th month, auguring poorly for an economy that grew at its weakest rate for six years in the � rst quarter.

“China’s manufacturing sector had a weak start to Q2, with total new business declining at the quickest rate in a year while production stagnated,” said Annabel Fiddes, an econo-mist at Markit.

“The PMI data indicate that more stimulus measures may be required to ensure the econ-omy doesn’t slow from the 7% annual growth rate seen in Q1.”

An o� cial survey released on Friday showed China’s factories struggled to grow in April as domestic and export demand re-mained weak, reinforcing expectations that Beijing will roll out more measures to support the slowing economy.

The private survey focuses on small and mid-sized � rms, while the o� cial one looks more at larger, state-owned companies.

Shanghai shares extended early losses to more than 1% after the PMI, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index surrendered gains and the Australian dollar eased. l

World Bank’s pension investments clash with principlesn Reuters, Washington

The World Bank indirectly invests part of its $18.8bn sta� pension fund in companies in industries such as coal and tobacco, holdings that clash with the development institution’s own calls for ethical and low-carbon investing.

In an internal post to sta� seen by Reuters, the World Bank’s treasurer said around 40% of the fund’s equity holdings are actively or passively invested against equity index funds, which include companies in industries associ-ated with environmental and health problems.

Two World Bank sources, who asked not to be identi� ed, showed Reuters discussions be-tween sta� and managers on an internal site and a research note produced by employees. The note expressed concern about the pen-sion and gave details of the holdings, ques-tioning why the bank does not use socially responsible alternatives.

In its own lending practices across the de-

veloping world, the bank refuses to invest in tobacco production and has banned � nan-cial support for the construction of coal-� red electricity except for the poorest countries that lack other options.

The Washington-based bank’s pension fund, details of whose holdings have not previously been reported, was ranked a “lag-gard” in transparency and managing climate risks in a report released this week by the As-set Owners Disclosure Project, which push-es asset owners to address climate change risks. It ranked lower than the pension funds of companies including British Coal and the state oil fund of Azerbaijan.

“It’s very di� cult for the bank to take a position where it is promoting sustainable growth and not managing the risks in their large portfolio - or telling anyone about it,” said Julian Poulter, chief executive of the initiative.

While the pension fund is required to pri-oritize � nancial gains for sta� , investment

analysts said it could be directed into pre-screened or tailored funds that exclude com-panies that fail to follow sound environmen-tal, social and governance (ESG) principles.

The bank’s pension fund assets are held in a separate legal trust administered by its Pension Finance Committee (PFC), chaired by the World Bank’s chief � nancial o� cer and in-cluding a mix of members from management, sta� and retirees. External managers run the funds on a day-to-day basis. The PFC did not respond to Reuters request for comment.

The World Bank has a responsibility to manage the money “in the best interest of plan bene� ciaries,” the bank said in a state-ment to Reuters.

The bank said it does not comment on spe-ci� c pension investments, adding that it opts for a “principled yet pragmatic approach” within the fund’s overall requirements that considers ESG risks and opportunities “where material and relevant.” l

China’s economy seen slowing to 6.8% in Q2n Reuters, Shanghai

China’s economy is expected to slow further to 6.8% in the second quarter from a six-year low hit in the � rst, a top government think tank said in a research report that underscored the need for more stimulus to shore up faltering growth.

The forecast by the State Information Centre backed last month’s move by China’s central bank to cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, the second in-dustry-wide cut in two months, to combat slowing growth.

“China’s economic growth will slow in the second quarter (of this year), impacted by structural reform,” the think-tank said in its research report published in the o� cial China Securities Journal on Monday.

The think tank operates under the purview of China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission. l

Call to expand budget allocation to promote women entrepreneurship n Shadma Malik

Speakers at a views-exchange meeting called upon the government to expand budget allo-cation for women and advocated for its prop-er implementation.

They also emphasised the need for women entrepreneurship in the best interest of the country’s development.

The emphasis came at the programme ti-tled “Gender Sensitivity 2015-2016 organised by Steps Towards Bangladesh at the National Press Club yesterday.

The allocation of fund should not only be aimed at women entrepreneurs in cities, it has to target those residing in rural areas, said

the discussants. They demanded that budget be allocated

for the security of women also. In his speech, Ranjan Karmaker, executive

director, Steps Towards Development, focused on women development that can bring in sustainable development for the country.

“if a woman makes progress, the entire country will develop. Women in Bangladesh are moving forward,” he added.

The discussants observed that women make a lot of e� orts at agriculture, but their contributions are often ignored.

The contribution of women in this sector is mostly 70%, they said, adding that research

suggests that woman are deprived of their rights and wages for their job.

The speakers also called for the law en-forcement authorities to be strict enough to protect women from violence and sexual assault, which are bar for women to coming forward.

In his address, State Minister for Finance MA Mannan said it is true that once a budget is allocated, it is not properly used.

He stressed the importance of gender sen-sitivity budget and its proper implementa-tion.

The government will welcome new ideas in this regard which will be fruitful for the country, said the state minister. l

Speakers exchange their views at a discussion on a gender-sensitive national budget at the National Press Club yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

BUSINESS18DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY

Sector DSE CSE TotalMillion Taka % change Million Taka % change Million Taka % change

Bank 289.27 8.75 9.05 3.61 298.32 8.39NBFI 90.88 2.75 4.08 1.63 94.97 2.67Investment 15.77 0.48 0.64 0.26 16.41 0.46Engineering 429.27 12.99 45.42 18.13 474.69 13.35Food & Allied 70.26 2.13 2.79 1.12 73.05 2.05Fuel & Power 761.10 23.03 78.24 31.23 839.35 23.61Jute 0.71 0.02 0.00 0.71 0.02Textile 232.87 7.05 18.21 7.27 251.08 7.06Pharma & Chemical 796.80 24.11 30.19 12.05 826.99 23.26Paper & Packaging 7.07 0.21 1.07 0.43 8.14 0.23Service 81.17 2.46 7.09 2.83 88.26 2.48Leather 35.91 1.09 0.16 0.06 36.07 1.01Ceramic 25.55 0.77 1.79 0.72 27.35 0.77Cement 142.92 4.33 12.90 5.15 155.82 4.38Information Technology 56.54 1.71 3.29 1.31 59.83 1.68General Insurance 14.26 0.43 1.04 0.41 15.29 0.43Life Insurance 31.65 0.96 1.00 0.40 32.65 0.92Telecom 111.98 3.39 14.78 5.90 126.75 3.57Travel & Leisure 40.83 1.24 5.86 2.34 46.69 1.31Miscellaneous 69.16 2.09 12.95 5.17 82.12 2.31Debenture 0.46 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.48 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

News, analysis and recent disclosuresUNIQUEHRL: 20% cash divi-dend, GM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 24.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 3.27, NAV per share of Tk. 87.74.WATACHEM: 5% cash and 25% stock dividend, AGM: 11.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 5.79 and NAV per share of Tk. 97.32.CMCKAMAL: 12.50% stock divi-dend, AGM: 31.05.2015, Record Date: 17.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.34, NAV per share of Tk. 19.62.ARAMITCEM: 10% cash divi-dend, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 13.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 0.51, NAV per share of Tk. 17.48.GOLDENSON: 12.50% cash divi-dend, AGM: 27.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 2.01, NAV per share of Tk. 27.09.GQBALLPEN: 10% cash divi-dend, AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 2.41, NAV per share of Tk. 190.80.SUMITPOWER: 10% cash and 5% stock dividend, AGM: 28.06.2014, Record Date: 17.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 3.26, NAV per share of Tk. 26.43.SPPCL: 25% cash dividend, AGM: 28.06.2015. Record Date: 17.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 4.78, NAV per share of Tk. 29.48.TAKAFULINS: 12% stock divi-dend, AGM: 25.07.2015, Record Date: 21.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.40, NAV per share of Tk. 16.58.PRAGATIINS: 10% cash divi-dend, AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 20.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.67, NAV per share of Tk. 50.34.PLFSL: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 25.06.2015, Record Date: 17.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 0.76, NAV per share of Tk. 17.52.BSRMLTD: 10% cash dividend,

AGM: 15.06.2015, Record Date: 13.05.2015. Basic EPS of Tk. 0.74 and Diluted EPS of Tk. 0.73, NAV per share of Tk. 54.95.ZAHEENSPIN: 15% stock divi-dend, AGM: 23.06.2015, Record Date: 21.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.36, NAV per share of Tk. 12.98.BAYLEASING: 15% cash divi-dend, AGM: 08.06.2015, Record Date: 13.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.06, NAV per share of Tk. 21.71.RENATA: 80% cash and 20% stock dividend, AGM: 20.06.2015, Record Date: 13.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 38.24, NAV per share of Tk. 181.04.PREMIERBAN: 10% stock dividend, EGM and AGM: 16.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.55, NAV per share of Tk. 15.87.KAY&QUE: No dividend, AGM: 21.06.2015, Record Date: 24.05.2015. EPS of Tk. -0.66, NAV per share of Tk. 1.55.SAFKOSPINN: 10% stock divi-dend, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 18.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.16, NAV per share of Tk. 21.95.INTECH: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 24.06.2015, Record Date: 14.05.2015. NAV per share of Tk. 235.81 million, EPS of Tk. 1.03.ARAMIT: 50% cash dividend, AGM: 13.06.2015, Record Date: 13.05.2015. Basic EPS of Tk. 12.07, NAV per share of Tk. 140.32.CONFIDCEM: 25% cash divi-dend, AGM: 16.06.2015, Record Date: 17.05.2015. EPS of Tk. 5.32, NAV per share of Tk. 64.42. SAL-VOCHEM: 10% stock dividend, AGM: 27.07.2015, Record date: 29.06.2015. EPS of Tk. 1.13, NAV per share of Tk. 11.74.

CSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

In Tech Online -A 27.55 26.51 12.36 12.50 13.00 10.70 0.791 -0.88 -veMidas Financing-Z 10.00 10.00 9.90 9.90 9.90 9.90 0.004 -3.24 -veACI Formulations-A 9.53 12.27 182.14 185.00 185.70 172.00 16.115 6.80 26.8FarEast Knitting -N 9.15 6.87 17.58 17.90 18.00 17.00 1.271 1.96 9.0Alltex Industries -Z 8.18 3.57 23.52 23.80 24.20 22.50 2.198 2.02 11.6Eastland Insur -A 6.67 5.33 18.96 19.20 19.20 18.10 0.005 2.65 7.2Wata Chemicals -A 6.32 7.45 204.15 202.00 212.00 202.00 0.161 5.37 38.0Reckitt Benckiser -A 6.25 6.25 1440.10 1440.10 1440.10 1440.10 0.001 42.33 34.0AramitCementA 4.46 3.88 21.40 21.10 21.70 21.00 0.456 0.32 66.9BDCOM Online-A 4.07 4.88 23.00 23.00 23.00 23.00 0.008 1.68 13.7

DSE GAINER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

In Tech Online -A 31.25 25.57 12.08 12.60 13.00 10.80 9.317 -0.88 -veWata Chemicals -A 17.70 11.71 202.48 210.80 215.00 178.10 12.790 5.37 37.7ACI Formulations-A 9.91 10.09 180.46 185.30 185.40 169.10 288.317 6.80 26.5FarEast Knitting -N 9.04 6.50 17.86 18.10 18.20 17.30 3.923 1.96 9.1GeminiSeaFood-B 7.98 9.22 272.05 271.90 273.80 258.00 3.041 -6.36 -veUnited Insur -A 7.18 6.13 19.23 19.40 19.90 18.90 0.044 2.92 6.6AramitCementA 6.47 3.37 21.19 21.40 21.50 20.80 0.311 0.32 66.2Alltex Industries -Z 5.88 5.70 23.57 23.40 24.30 22.80 34.144 2.02 11.7Midas Financing-Z 5.75 4.94 9.14 9.20 9.30 9.00 0.016 -3.24 -vePremier Leasing-Z 4.62 4.62 6.79 6.80 6.90 6.70 0.346 0.07 97.0

CSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

BSRM Ltd. -N -21.17 -17.96 49.52 47.30 52.10 46.10 20.477 1.59 31.1GQ Ball PenA -14.41 -14.30 61.24 61.20 65.20 60.50 0.061 2.21 27.7SonarBangla Insu. -A -9.87 -9.87 13.70 13.70 13.70 13.70 0.002 1.65 8.3Meghna Life Ins. -A -9.86 -9.86 58.50 58.50 58.50 58.50 0.003 6.45 9.1Orion Infusions -A -9.84 -9.46 34.34 33.90 36.00 33.90 0.477 1.84 18.7MeghnaCement -A -9.84 -9.81 68.74 68.70 69.20 68.60 0.047 6.71 10.2Hakkani P& Paper -B -9.74 -9.84 17.60 17.60 17.60 17.60 0.009 0.42 41.9Central Pharm-A -9.72 -9.02 19.86 19.50 20.10 19.50 0.220 1.92 10.3R. N. Spinning-Z -9.71 -9.22 18.70 18.60 19.50 18.60 1.396 2.19 8.5Saiham Cotton-A -9.36 -9.06 15.55 15.50 17.50 15.40 0.084 1.43 10.9

DSE LOSER

Company Closing (% Change)

Aver-age (%

Change)

Closin-gAvg. Closing DHIGH DLOW Turnover

in MillionLatest

EPSLatest

PE

BSRM Ltd. -N -21.37 -18.47 49.30 47.10 62.00 45.80 79.298 1.59 31.0Pragati Gen. I -A -17.73 -21.05 22.24 23.20 24.00 21.00 0.446 2.47 9.0Monno Sta� lers -A -11.52 -6.64 261.96 248.00 287.00 200.30 0.367 1.17 223.9GQ Ball PenA -11.03 -12.21 62.85 62.10 67.80 60.00 1.397 2.21 28.4Golden Son -A -9.85 -8.91 25.56 24.70 26.70 24.10 16.470 2.47 10.3Legacy Footwear -A -9.76 -9.19 15.02 14.80 16.00 14.80 0.697 0.28 53.6R. N. Spinning-Z -9.50 -7.99 18.42 18.10 20.30 18.00 11.886 2.19 8.4Deshbandhu Polymer-A -9.38 -14.77 11.60 11.60 11.60 11.60 0.699 1.22 9.5Central Pharm-A -9.26 -9.46 19.91 19.60 21.90 19.50 10.969 1.92 10.4BSRM Steels-A -9.06 -6.59 56.03 54.20 58.00 53.70 31.405 3.63 15.4

DSE key features May 4, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

3,304.42

Turnover (Volume)

80,336,526

Number of Contract

91,319

Traded Issues 306

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

64

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

235

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,298.21

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.86

CSE key features May 4, 2015Turnover (Million Taka)

250.58

Turnover (Volume)

6,293,054

Number of Contract

13,604

Traded Issues 220

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

53

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

161

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,230.94

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.04

BUSINESS 19D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

DSEX falls below 4,000-mark threshold n Tribune Report

The stock market went deep into depression yesterday as the political turmoil-hit � rst quarter earning results accelerated selling pressure.

The stocks that witnessed strong sell-o� are bank, ce-ment, textile, engineering, � nancial institutions and oil and gas.

The benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, lost more than 87 points or 2% to close below the psychological barrier of 4,000 at 3959, which is low-est in 18 months.

With this steep fall, the in-dex fell around 230 points in the last � ve trading sessions.

The Shariah Index DSES fell 19 points or 2% to 973. The comprising blue chips DS30 was down 39 points or 2% to 1,505.

Chittagong Stock Ex-change (CSE) Selective Cat-egories Index, CSCX, closed at 7,433, losing 115 points.

Stocks across-the-board fell as more than 70% com-panies share prices eroded on strong selling pressure. Out of 305 issues traded, share prices of 227 closed in red, 52 in green and 26 re-

mained unchanged. Trading activities also

took a dive with DSE turno-ver falling over 13% to Tk330 crore compared to previous session.

Lanka Bangla Securities said performance by most of the companies in March quarter earnings wrecked investor sentiment.

“Investors are going through the earning season and looking for companies that show some sort of vis-ibility. However, a few large dividend declaring stocks stood out in the market.”

IDLC Investments said lower earning disclosures resulting from � rst quarter’s political blockade soared pessimism and brought an-other collapse across the market.

In the � nancial sector, non-banking � nancial in-stitutions and banks went down by 1.9% and 1% re-spectively.

United Power Generation and Distribution Company Limited topped the turnover list with shares worth Tk35 crore, followed by ACI For-mulation, ACI, Square Phar-maceuticals and Lafarge Surma Cement Limited. l

Lower earning disclosures resulting from � rst quarter’s political blockade soared pessimism and brought another collapse across the market

ANALYST

Daily capital market highlightsDSE Broad Index : 3959.73776 (-) 2.16% ▼

DSE - 30 Index : 1505.70450 (-) 2.56% ▼

CSE All Share Index: 12209.50890 (-) 1.96% ▼

CSE - 30 Index : 9989.55940 (-) 1.66% ▼

CSE Selected Index : 7433.81900 (-) 1.64% ▼

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change % ClosingY DHIGH DLOW AvgPrice

BSRM Ltd. -N 413,494 20.48 8.17 47.30 -21.17 60.00 52.10 46.10 49.52ACI Formulations-A 88,478 16.12 6.43 185.00 9.53 168.90 185.70 172.00 182.14LafargeS Cement-Z 112,933 11.50 4.59 102.40 -4.21 106.90 107.00 99.50 101.83BEXIMCO Ltd. -A 429,313 10.68 4.26 24.10 -8.37 26.30 26.60 23.90 24.87BD Submarine Cable-A 85,681 9.56 3.82 110.20 -2.65 113.20 114.40 109.70 111.61MJL BD Ltd.-A 74,025 9.00 3.59 122.30 0.82 121.30 123.70 120.00 121.57WesternMarine -N 167,289 7.37 2.94 43.30 -5.66 45.90 45.90 42.80 44.06Grameenphone-A 16,104 5.21 2.08 322.10 -0.03 322.20 325.50 321.10 323.75Square Pharma -A 19,884 4.78 1.91 239.00 -2.81 245.90 244.00 237.50 240.16SAIF Powertec-N 69,810 4.60 1.83 64.30 -6.13 68.50 67.90 63.30 65.84Singer BD -A 30,611 4.42 1.76 144.50 -4.24 150.90 150.00 140.70 144.43ACI Limited- A 7,414 4.04 1.61 542.80 2.05 531.90 554.00 526.30 545.16Meghna Petroleum -A 25,413 4.02 1.60 156.40 -6.24 166.80 168.00 156.00 158.03Baraka Power-A 129,970 3.99 1.59 30.70 3.72 29.60 31.80 30.40 30.73ACI Limited- A 7,298 3.68 0.87 509.00 0.24 507.80 519.00 490.00 503.58

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS

Company Volume-Shares

Value in Million

% of Total-Turnover ClosingP Change

% ClosingY DHIGH DLOW Avg-Price

United Power-N 1,916,046 349.76 10.58 189.10 3.73 182.30 194.90 171.10 182.54ACI Formulations-A 1,597,688 288.32 8.73 185.30 9.91 168.60 185.40 169.10 180.46ACI Limited- A 337,706 183.32 5.55 545.40 2.13 534.00 554.90 525.00 542.83Square Pharma -A 459,733 110.64 3.35 238.00 -3.25 246.00 252.00 237.00 240.67LafargeS Cement-Z 1,024,869 103.80 3.14 102.70 -3.66 106.60 107.00 98.00 101.28Ifad Autos -N 1,287,972 99.62 3.01 76.80 -2.04 78.40 78.40 76.10 77.34Social Islami. B-A 6,933,193 87.83 2.66 13.90 2.96 13.50 14.70 12.20 12.67BSRM Ltd. -N 1,608,341 79.30 2.40 47.10 -21.37 59.90 62.00 45.80 49.30Grameenphone-A 236,792 76.67 2.32 322.60 -0.34 323.70 330.00 321.00 323.80Khulna Power-A 1,241,320 72.68 2.20 57.00 -7.01 61.30 61.60 56.00 58.55WesternMarine -N 1,612,316 70.65 2.14 43.00 -5.70 45.60 45.90 42.60 43.82Shasha Denims -N 1,694,229 63.04 1.91 36.80 -2.13 37.60 38.10 36.60 37.21MJL BD Ltd.-A 510,164 62.27 1.88 122.50 -0.08 122.60 123.90 120.00 122.06Shahjibazar Power-N 353,584 58.45 1.77 163.40 -3.94 170.10 172.00 162.10 165.31Baraka Power-A 1,827,496 56.04 1.70 30.50 2.35 29.80 32.00 30.20 30.67

BUSINESS20DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Financial institutions want tax cut n Tribune Report

Di� erent � nancial institutions have urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to reduce tax burden including corporate tax to facil-itate their business in the upcoming budget for the � scal 2015-16.

Leaders and representatives from Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), Chittagong Stock Ex-change (CSE), Bangladesh Merchant Bank Association (BMBA), Bangladesh Leasing and Finance Companies Association, Bangladesh Insurance Association (BIA) and SME foun-dation came up with the demand at a pre-budget meeting held at the NBR headquarters in the city yesterday.

NBR Chairman Nojibur Rahman presided over the meeting.

Representatives from DSE and CSE de-manded for tax exemption facilities for � ve years, instead of the existing partial exemp-tion at gradually declining rates, as both the bourses are incurring operating loss since de-mutualisation in the year 2013.

“DSE undertook huge initiatives for infra-structure development after its demutualis-ation,” said DSE Chairman Siddiqur Rahman Miah.

He also observed: “Tax holiday is needed to keep running the reform activities.”

The DSE representatives also demanded to re-� x the advance income tax at 0.015% from existing 0.05% to reduce transaction cost, considering the current market situation.

BMBA demanded to reduce corporate tax at 15% from the existing 37.5% as the asset management companies pay tax at 15%.

“The tax rate for merchant banks should be 15% as they are the same type business organisation like asset management compa-nies,” said Akter H Sannamat, vice president of BMBA.

He also demanded tax exemption from in-terest suspense accounts and on interest waiv-er given to negative equity accountholders.

Leaders from leasing and � nance compa-nies urged the NBR to allow bank, insurance and � nancial institutions to get tax exemp-tion on any income derived from zero coupon bonds.

Currently individual investors, other than the bank, insurance and � nancial institutions are exempted from payment of tax on income derived from zero coupon bond.

Tax exemption facility for income from zero coupon bonds will help to popular the bond market and will be the source of fund-ing, they explained. l

Swan workers uncertain about getting 5-month dues n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

An uncertainty looms large over the jobs and � ve months’ dues of 1,200 workers in Swan Garments Limited after the factory owner shut the factory without any prior notice and his subsequent suicide last week.

The garment workers are now faced with a precarious situation following the unnatural death of the factory owner, Ming Yuen Hon (Toby), who took his own life.

Abu Bakar, inspector (investigation) of Va-tara Police Station, con� rmed the death and an unnatural death case has been � led in this connection.

The untimely demise of the managing di-rector put the Swan Garment workers and the factory itself in a � x as none claims to be the heir to the property. On April 9, Ming Yuen Hon tried to � ee Bangladesh without making payments and arrears to the workers, but was caught by his employees.

“We caught him at the Airport and brought him back to the factory. After that he paid us a one-month salary,” said Jahangir Alam, line

chief of the factory. Later on April 10, the factory owner hung a

notice that said the factory had been declared closed, Jahangir added.

“We were working in the factory and there was enough work order to run the factory, but over the last few months, the owner had been subcontracting his work orders,” Sharifa, an op-erator of Swan Garment, told the Dhaka Tribune.

She alleged that the factory owner had a bad intention and he delayed making pay-ment, that resulted in � ve-month dues.

“Now it has become very tough to lead our lives as we did not have a single penny,” said Roksana, a worker of the factory.

She said she failed to pay her house rent and tuition fees for her child over the past three months.

“If we do not get the dues, we have to starve and leave Dhaka silently.”

BGMEA President Atiqul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune, “We have discussed the issue with the Ministry of Labour and called for necessary steps to pay the workers dues.”

The factory owner has assets and the gov-

ernment can pay the workers through the sale of his properties as there is none to inherit the garment factory other than the government, added Atiqul.

The labour leaders and BGMEA in a meet-ing decided to meet the government to re-solve the issue while the garment workers demanded quick disposal of the issue.

Meanwhile, at least � ve RMG workers of Swan Garment received injures while po-lice charged baton to bar them from staging demonstration in front of BGMEA Bhaban.

According to workers, at least � ve of them were injured in police attack. The workers were trying to make their voices for � ve-month salaries and job bene� ts heard.

Sub-Inspector of City Special Branch (SB) Obaidur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune two workers sustained injuries while police charged baton to disperse the workers to clear the gate of BGMEA Bhaban to let an ambas-sador out.

At around 11am, the workers of the facto-ry gathered in front BGMEA headquarters to realise their salaries of the last � ve months. l

Swan Garment workers demonstrate before the BGMEA building demanding payment of their wages yesterday RAJIB DHAR

GP revenue grows 1% in political unrest-hit quarter n Tribune Report

The country’s largest mobile phone operator Grameenphone earned Tk2,520 crore revenue during � rst three months this year with a mar-ginal 1% growth year-on-year.

The operator released the latest � gures at a press conference yesterday.

The data showed the revenue dropped by 2.9% from that in the last quarter of 2014.

The operator’s revenue earning was Tk2,492 core in � rst quarter of 2014 and Tk2,590 in the last quarter.

Grameenphone reported Tk2,620 crore

revenue in second quarter of 2014 and Tk2,560 crore in the third quarter.

Chief Executive O� cer of Grameenphone Rajeev Sethi said they had to � ght against ad-verse political situation in the country during the January-March quarter.

But their commitment to the goal enabled them to improve performance in the later part of the period, he added.

Chief Financial O� cer Dilip Pal also spoke at the press conference.

He said the revenue from services also in-creased by 0.8% year-on-year.

Growth in service revenue was mainly driv-

en by data and VAS. The data revenue grew by 67.9% along with 37.2% growth of VAS.

The net pro� t after tax for the quarter was Tk540 crore with 21.3% margin compared to Tk520 crore with 20.7% margin of the corre-sponding period of 2014.

E� ciency in operating expenditure man-agement resulted in higher growth in EBITDA (before other items) of 2% compared to rev-enue. EBITDA margin also saw an improve-ment to 54.2%.

Earnings per share (EPS) for the period stood at Tk3.96 compared to Tk3.82 of the � rst quarter of 2014.

During the quarter, GP acquired half a mil-lion new subscriptions, taking the year-end subscription base to 52m. This constitutes 6.8% subscription growth (YoY) with SIM market share of 42%.

Data subscriber number stood at 11.0m with encouraging volume growth.

“We’ve had a rough start to the year due to political turmoil and intense competition. However, we stood strong and committed to ourambition against this head-wind and we have seen signs of improvement in the later part of the period,” said Rajeev Sethi. l

21D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015T

-JUN

CT

ION

22tourneyDribble: Age of excellence

23reviewMortal Kombat X

24wheelsWant to ride a driverless car or train?

Exclusive design and engineering delivers powerful cooling performance and cleaner air quality

Samsung Electronics has recently launched its Triangle Air Conditioner in Bangladesh. Triangle AC is engineered to deliver exceptional cooling comfort and hygienic bene� ts in a striking triangular design. This innovative design allows

for a wider inlet, wider outlet and bigger fans while maintaining a compact exterior pro� le to enhance the overall air conditioning experience.

Triangle AC comes in three di� erent capacities with an a� ordable price range for the valued customers of Samsung. The 1 ton (Model AR12JCSNAWK2RG) is available at Tk61,900,

the 1.5 ton (Model AR18JCSNAWK2RG) is available at Tk81,900 and the 2 ton (Model AR24JCSNAWK2RG) is being sold at Tk92,900 in the Bangladeshi market along with a 5-year warranty.

Samsung launches“Triangle Air Conditioner”

news INSIDE

Age of automation

n Chisty Rahim

“When I was young, I had to learn the fundamentals of basketball. You can have all the physical ability in the world, but you still have to know the fundamentals.” – Michael Jordan

It all starts from the “home court,” the � rst few steps towards the ring with a basketball in hand and no knowledge of how to dribble it; the aim is to simply put the ball through the hoop! With time, we learn and with practice, we become better.

In our country, a selected number of schools can provide the facilities for an amateur to burnish his skills. More importantly, luring enthusiasts to come forth and build themselves up for the following generations need a touch of inspirational promises, such as recognition and prizes as memorabilia for their achievements. The scenario has changed!

The time of concrete ground and wooden boards with spring-less rings is over! Some schools upgraded their basketball courts to a much higher standard - wooden courts that screech every time you rub your Jordan soles on the surface, � bre board with shot clocks on them, digital screens as score boards instead of a movable chalk board and automated buzzer systems, and last but not

the least, a gallery around the court. “The invention of basketball was not an

accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play ‘Drop the Handkerchief’.” – James Naismith

The school tournaments organised nowadays is hyped to the closest coherence with the NBA games. And such was the most recent, and considered one of the most well organised inter-school basketball tournaments, Noushir Hasan Inter-School Basketball Tournament. With every nook and cranny of the school basketball court renovated, a 55-inch screen on the top right corner of the shade above the court, and shot-clock sensors at both ends of the board, St Old Boys Foundation hosted their third grand basketball tournament at Saint Joseph school premises on May 1.

The tournament is dedicated to one, Noushir Hasan, who during 1963, played in the national Pakistani basketball team and was later o� ered an athletic scholarship in Texas.

The organisers had so much to o� er to the participants, as well as the viewers, starting from refreshments such as juice and cold drinks to free T-shirts and jerseys for the players. The whole school’s been decorated with long banners, ceiling to � oor. Stalls are set up inside the school to provide free

drinks and food.The day started o� with the inaugural

ceremony and a match between Saint Joseph’s basketball team and BIS afterwards. Josephites were victorious on that match with 56-41 on the score line. Brother Robi Puri� cation CSC (school principal), Syed Sogir Mahmood (brand manager, Olympic Industries Ltd), Rashed Maqsood (president, Saint Joseph Old Boy’s Foundation; managing director and Bangladesh Country O� cer, City Bank, NA), and Amer Salim (vice president, Saint Joseph Old Boy’s Foundation; director, Knit Asia Ltd) graced the tournament with their presence during the inaugural ceremony.

Among the participating school teams, there are St Joseph Higher Secondary School, Notre Dame College, Dhaka Residential Model College, Dhaka Commerce College, Bangladesh International School, Dhanmondi Tutorial, Aga Khan School, Summer� eld International School, in the senior category and St Joseph Higher Secondary School (Red), St Joseph Higher Secondary School (Blue), Delhi Public School, Sunnydale School, Baridhara Scholars’ Institution, Dhanmondi Tutorial, S F X Greenherald International School, Summer� eld International School,

Bangladesh International School, Scholastica School in the junior category.

According to the o� cials, the group stage matches continued till May 4. But the main attraction is the alumni match, said to be taken place on May 8. All the ex-students of the school who ever played basketball during their school life will be putting on a jersey and battling with the young bloods in a friendly match. l

Dribble: Age of excellence The T-shirts read “Practice hard, play strong, love the game”

tourney

Basketball DiariesTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

T-JUNCTION22DT

Photos: Shafquat Ameen

n Humayra Rahman

Mortal Kombat has been around for as long as gamers can remember. Over the years this immensely popular game has evolved and this April NetherRealm Studios came up with their eighth generation version of this game. MKX has all the classic characters like Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Johnny Cage, Sonya, Liu Kang, Jax, Goro, Rayden, Reptile, etc. along with newer characters like the daughter of Sonya and Johnny Cage, Cassie Cage.

Even though many years pass after Shao Kahn admits defeat, the Earthrealm is put under attack. Shinnok and his army of NetherRealms are behind the attack with other resurrected Earthrealm warriors joining the forces as revenants. On another end, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade, and Kenshi make a bold move by heading towards the Raiden’s Sky Temple. They go with an intention to � nd the Jinsei Chamber which is the Earthrealm’s life force. Once they reach there, they see that Raiden and Fujin are � ghting Shinnok along with his NetherRealm forces. It’s during this act when things take an interesting turn - the team somehow distracts Shinnok, giving Raiden room to steal Shinnok’s amulet. They successfully imprison him in it, however, they realise that Quan Chi manages to get free. This is when Johnny and Sonya take this up as a challenge and � nd a way to his lair in NetherRealm where Chi admits defeat. As a result of this Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Jax are restored completely to their original human form but once again, this win is short lived as Quan Chi manages to escape. While this forms the

foundation of the game, there’s a lot more action in and around this scene.

Mortal Kombat’s been doing video game violence for ages, even before its contemporaries like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty thought of it. In fact it is a pioneer in the art of digital gore. “FINISH HIM!” the signature, iconic shout from Mortal Kombat is still followed by a brutal execution of a virtual opponent even after over two decades. MK has come a long way since its beginning and so has its graphics. So if you do not have the stomach for it then this is most certainly not the game for you. This version consists of unspeakable carnage and next-level violence.

It is the 10th main installment in the Mortal Kombat video game series and was released on April 14, 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows, scheduled to be ported to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by High Voltage Software in Q2/Q3 2015. NetherRealm’s mobile team developed a version for iOS and Android devices. The iOS version was released on April 7, 2015, while the Android version was soft launched on April 23, 2015.

Mortal Kombat XBuckle up for the biggest Armageddon of the season

review

Gaming T-JUNCTION 23D

T

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Celebrate Super Mom at Amari Dhaka

“Mother,” is the � rst word to be uttered by infants. Amari Dhaka rejoices and acknowledges the contribution of mothers to their families, society and mankind as a whole. We bow to all the mothers in the world. On this Mother’s Day 2015; Amari Dhaka o� ers an exclusive set lunch and dinner to all mothers at the Cascade Lounge. Their special lunch and dinner are on o� er at Tk1599++ with up to 25% discount from May 8 to 10. For more information, please call 88 02 9841-951 or visit facebook.com/AmariDhaka.

news

n Abdul Matin

Driving in Bangladesh has become a big hassle. Getting a good and cautious driver is sheer luck. I am waiting for the day when I shall sit in my car, register my destination on the GPS (Global Positioning System), put the car on self-driving mode, start the engine and let it go. I shall relax, read my favourite book or take a nap and, sooner or later, � nd myself in front of my destination! I will not drive or navigate the car. The car, with its automated driving technology, will do everything for me. Am I daydreaming? No, I am not.

Recently, an Audi car started from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, crossed 3,400 miles, touched 15 cities driverless and arrived in New York after nine days. The trip was organised by auto parts maker Delphi to test its automated driving technology. To comply with state regulations, one person sat in the driver’s seat, ready to take over in case of an emergency. Several engineers sat in the car to monitor its performance. 99% of the trip was completed in automated mode. What a success!

The car was equipped with high-tech electronic gadgets, worth about $150,000, that allowed it to make human-like decisions during turning, stopping at tra� c lights, exiting and entering highways, navigating city streets or parking. Along the way, the vehicle encountered di� cult driving situations such as tra� c circles, construction zones, bridges, tunnels, aggressive drivers and a variety of weather conditions. Sounds fantastic!

Google’s self-driving car project started in 2009 with nearly 100,000 miles of testing on

California highways. Its current � eet of more than two dozen Lexus hybrid SUVs have travelled over 7,000,000 miles in self-driving mode. Google’s self-driving cars are believed to be safer. “After a couple of minutes you forget the car is driving itself. It’s smooth, patient, and cautious,” one rider wrote in an e-mail. Several reputed car manufacturers unveiled models of automated cars. Renault-Nissan’s CEO hopes to have a model on sale by 2020! Four states in the US now allow driverless cars on the streets.

Although, automated cars are still in experimental stage, Automatic Train Operation (ATO) system has been in service for many years. Most systems employ a driver (operator) to alleviate risks in case of failures or emergencies. Modern ATO systems are computer-controlled and used widely in Metro lines in London, Paris, Washington, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and several other cities. Automated trains are safer than manually driven ones as computer controlled systems eliminate the possibility of human errors.

In this age of automation, how far are we in Bangladesh? Believe it or not, a train ran 27km backwards, crossing three stations in Rajbari, without its driver (DS: April 13, 2015)! Thanks to a ticket checker’s presence of mind, the train, Faridpur Express, � nally stopped near Pangsha station. Thank goodness!

How could it happen? According to railway o� cials, minutes before the train was due to leave Rajbari station, its driver was busy chewing betel leaf on the platform while his assistant was checking the engine. The assistant perhaps manipulated some wrong

gears that made the train roll backwards. “Before I could realise what was happening, the train had shot out of the station,” the driver said later. Failing to stop the train, the assistant jumped o� the moving train! Good job! At least he saved his life, leaving 150 passengers at the mercy of their fate!

It took quite some time for the passengers to realise that something had gone wrong. As they began to panic, the ticket checker calmed them down. With the help of some passengers, he opened the air-brake hoses between the carriages which put the brakes on and stopped the train. Very clever and good e� ort!

It was mere negligence of the driver and his assistant that put the lives of the passengers at great risk. Imagine what would have happened if another passenger train travelled from the other end on the same track and collided with it. Bravo to the ticket checker who helped to avert what could have been a catastrophic accident! The driver, his assistant and the guard were suspended. It is reported that the railway formed a � ve-member team to probe the incident. Will the report see the light of the day? Shall we learn any lesson from it? Embarrassing questions!

I still want to ride my driverless dream car but next time I take a train journey in Bangladesh, I shall carry a basketful of betel leaves as gift for the driver and a leash for his assistant to make sure they are not obliged to leave the engine during the journey! l

Tires

Want to ride a driverless car or train?

T-JUNCTION24DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

The future is closer than you thinkTo celebrate Samsung’s collaboration with Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” Samsung Mobile Bangladesh is giving one lucky winner the chance to win a brand new Samsung Galaxy S6 smartphone.

Samsung has introduced an “Interactive On Screen Quiz” about Avengers. During the movie show, a one minute video clip (quiz) containing questions will be displayed on the giant screen. This promotion will go on for the month of May. At the month end, a lucky winner will be selected through a ra� e draw and will get a brand new Samsung Galaxy S6.

Along with the on screen quiz, a mobile quiz contest also began from May 1 where fans can participate and answer questions on a micro site by clicking on the link that’s sent to them through an SMS.

The fans can also win free “Avengers: Age of Ultron” movie tickets by taking part in the Facebook Quiz Contest. Right answers will bring them free movie tickets and a brand New Samsung Galaxy S6. The premiere of the movie has been held on April 30 and on May 6 there will be a special screening of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” by Samsung GALAXY S6 and S6 edge exclusively for the winners of the mobile and Facebook quiz contests and invited S6 users.

To take part in the quiz contest interested participants need to visit their o� cial Facebook page at www.facebook.com/samsungmobilebangladesh. l

Watch Avengers: Age of Ultron and win a new Samsung Galaxy S6

wheels news

The writer is a retired nuclear engineer

25D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

INDIA TO ARRIVE IN BANGLADESH JUNE 7

COSTA, FABREGAS TURNED BLUES INTO CHAMPIONS

CONTRASTING DAY FOR BANGLADESH, PAKISTAN

26 2827

AC Milan’s Mattia De Sciglio was given a straight red card and

conceded a penalty in the � rst minute of their 3-0 defeat at

Napoli on Sunday

RED IN 50 SECONDS!

Sport

Carlos TevezJuventus

Cristiano RonaldoReal Madrid

10 Apps 106 Goals 81 Assists 3

23 Key Pass 1223 Dribble 23

n Reuters, Turin

Having battled to break down one of Europe’s meanest defences in the quarter-� nals, Real Madrid will have to do it all over again when they face Juventus in their Champions League semi-� nal.

The defending champions took just under three hours to break down Atletico’s resist-ance in the previous round, wining 1-0 on ag-gregate with a goal in the 88th minute of the second leg.

On Tuesday, they face a Juventus side who were crowned Serie A champions on Saturday with four games to spare after conceding only 19 goals in 34 games.

Juve’s defence has been just as impressive in the Champions League with only � ve goals against in 10 games and six clean sheets.

However, Juventus are also a more re� ned out� t than Atletico, less prone to rough-arm tactics and capable of coming out and attack-ing depending on the circumstances.

Central defenders, Giorgio Chiellini, An-drea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci, have

been playing together for four seasons for both Juventus and Italy, winning four

successive Serie A titles.“I think we have the best defence,”

Bonucci said ahead of their semi-� nal � rst leg against Real. “We know and

understand each other perfectly after playing together for so long.”

The question is whether it is good enough to stand a Real Madrid attack led by the pro-li� c Cristiano Ronaldo, who sounded another warning by � ring his 25th La Liga hat-trick in the 3-2 win over Sevilla on Saturday.

Juventus will also have to worry about breaking down Real’s defence, which has not conceded an away goal in the competition since their 2-1 win at Ludogorets Razgrad on Oct. 1, a total of 444 minutes’ playing time.

Although Juventus are the dominant force domestically, Italian football has been in the doldrums for several years and they cannot compete with Real’s spending power.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Juventus last played in the semi-� nals 12 years ago when, coincidentally, they also faced Real and won 4-3 on aggregate.

The only two surviving players from those ties are the respective goalkeepers Gianluigi Bu� on and Iker Casillas.

Altogether, Juventus and Real have met 16 times before, all in the European Cup/Champions League, since their � rst meeting in the 1961/62 quarter-� nals.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Al-legri, who has surpassed expecta-tions in his � rst season at the club, was happy to accept the under-dogs’ role.

“It’s not every day you get to play Real Madrid so we have to keep our heads to reach the � nal. If we don’t get there, it’ll be ex-pected,” he told reporters.

“We are among the top four teams in Europe, have won the Scudetto and are in the Coppa Italia � nal. Nobody would have bet on us at the start of the season.

“Many thought we would be eliminated in the group stage but instead we are facing the reigning champions for a place in the � nal.” l

Juve eyeing � rst CL � nal in 12 years

l Juventus and Real Madrid have met in six editions of the Champions League (since 1992), with the Old Lady progressing to the � nal on the only previous occasion they faced the Blancos in the semi-� nal stage (in 2003).

l Overall, these two clubs have met 16 times in the Champions League/European Cup – Real Madrid lead the head to head record by eight wins to seven, with only one draw.

l Real have kept a clean sheet in 7 of their last 8 matches in the Champions League while Juventus have kept a clean sheet in 5 of their last 6 matches.

High-� ying Bianconeri host holders Real in the � rst leg of their Champions League semi-� nal today

Sport26DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

It all runs in the Iqbal familyn Minhaz Uddin Khan

The time was January, 2005. The stage was Bangabandhu National Stadium. The oc-casion – the second and � nal Test between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Already leading 1-0 in the series, Bangla-desh were given a challenging target of 374. Zimbabwe were slightly in the driving seat as � ve more sessions were still to be played.

All the Tigers had to do was to bat out the remainder of the Test in order to secure their � rst ever series victory. The task, however, was anything but easy.

Slowly but surely, Nafees Iqbal began the proceedings for the home side, alongside Javed Omar. Nafees was coolness personi� ed on his way to a patient 355-ball 121. Knuckling down at the crease for the best part of eight hours, Nafees’ brilliant knock went a long way in ensuring Bangladesh would draw the Test and seal their maiden series win. The whole country erupted in celebration.

Within a span of 10 years, the country witnessed something similar. And this time, Nafees’ younger brother Tamim turned out to be the saviour in the � rst Test against Paki-stan, having played the leading role in the re-cord-breaking 312-run partnership with Imrul Kayes. The prospect of surviving � ve sessions was a daunting one. The de� cit was huge and the opposition’s bowling attack was and still is, a potent one.

Tamim though, with his steely determina-tion, guided the Tigers to safety and, in the process, their maiden draw against Pakistan in nine Test matches.

The two knocks had striking similarities. Media and social media had great fun com-

paring the two innings, given that both the Iqbal brothers were involved. Many might put Tamim’s innings ahead of Nafees’ one but the elder sibling is not harbouring any resentment towards his younger brother. Rather, Nafees is feeling extremely proud, as expressed to Dha-

ka Tribune yesterday. “It is a proud moment for me, to be honest.

I really enjoy when people talk to me about my innings against Zimbabwe. I feel proud that Tamim broke my record for the slowest Test hundred among Bangladesh batsmen. I real-ly feel proud over the application showed by both Tamim and Imrul under trying circum-stances. It was really amazing. I think their job was tougher than mine. Pakistan have a very

good bowling attack and they both handled the opposition brilliantly,” informed Nafees over phone yesterday.

Nafees stated that he had every con� dence in the Tigers and his younger brother’s ability when they went out to bat against Pakistan in

the second innings of the � rst Test. “Weather was very hot. Bangladesh had � eld-

ed for a very long time as Pakistan posted 600-odd on the board. So, it really becomes di� cult for a team to come and bat with a fresh mindset after � elding for so long. But, they bounced back really well and surprised us all. The current team had nothing to lose, I think. To be honest, I was con� dent when the fourth day ended without Bangladesh losing a single wicket. I had belief

in them for the way they played in the ODIs and also in the lone Twenty20 international,” said the former national opener.

“To be honest, I never had any doubts with Tamim. I was very relaxed all the time. I was a bit frustrated because of some reactions from the fans. I never thought Tamim was in that bad shape the way some portion of his fans had projected him to be. Yes, he might have failed to perform in three or four matches. He might have been inconsistent but if you look back, he has contributed something or the other for his team. I think it was just some fans who got im-patient. I always had belief in him. I think he is one of the best batsmen Bangladesh have ever produced. He has got all the records now. I still remember the time when I told a senior sports journalist that Tamim is a much better bats-man than me. My comment made some people laugh but he has proved it,” he said.

Nafees also went down memory lane and recalled the memories of that eventful Test series win against Zimbabwe.

“We had a long meeting after the conclusion of day four. We ended the day on 98 for no loss. We (Nafees and Javed) were asked to play nor-mally. And we did that. So, the match was nice-ly-poised in favour of us. We could have either gone for a win or a draw. We were leading the se-ries 1-0 after winning the Chittagong Test. So, we tried to avoid taking undue risks. The wicket on the � fth day of a Test becomes very di� cult for a batsman so there was confusion if we should go for the win or simply a draw. So, Dav decided that we should bat as long as we can and make sure that we win the series. At that time, ques-tions started to rise with regards to our ability in the longer version. So, we had a point to prove. And we proved it in some style,” he said. l

Contrasting day for Bangladesh, Pakistann Mazhar Uddin

Yesterday di� ered strikingly for Bangladesh and Pakistan. While the home side had a re-laxed day spending some time at the gym, the visitors toiled hard under the scorching sun at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Only two Bangladesh cricketers – Mush-� qur Rahim and Jubair Hossain - were present at the nets of the home of cricket as there was no practice session scheduled for yesterday. The wicketkeeper-batsman injured his right ring � nger during the � rst Test in Khulna and did not keep wickets for the remainder of the game. The diminutive cricketer yesterday did not con� rm whether he will don the gloves in the second and � nal Test, slated for tomorrow.

Shakib al Hasan and man of the moment Tamim Iqbal, meanwhile, attended a social awareness programme where they mingled for some time with the fans.

In contrast, the Pakistan cricketers were sweating it out on the � eld, led by the deter-mined captain Misbah-ul Haq, while Bilawal Bhatti became the latest addition to the Test squad following the injury of Rahat Ali.

Pakistan, third in the International Crick-et Council’s Test rankings, will be looking to avoid defeat in the Dhaka Test in order to hold on to their position while ninth-placed Bang-ladesh will be targeting some much-needed ranking points to close their gap on the West Indies, who are eighth. lA determined Mush� qur Rahim walks through the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Tamim Iqbal (L) and Nafees Iqbal talk with each other during a Brothers Union training session last year

Sport 27D

T

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Su� an, Mehedi, Debaraj share leadInternational Master Abu Su� an Shakil and Fide Masters Mehedi Hasan Parag and Debaraj Chatterjee jointly shared the lead at the top of the Golden Sporting Club International Rating Chess Tournament standings after the end of the sixth round yesterday. Mohammedan’s Shakil beat Momin, Parag of Leonine Chess Club defeated Emon while Debaraj of Titas Club overcame Saiful Islam Chowdhury in their respective sixth-round games at the Muktijuddho Smriti Stadium Bhaban in Rajshahi. The trio have 5.5 points each while six players - FMs Syed Mahfuzur Rahman Emon, Mohammad Fahad Rahman, Shahnaz Mohammad Faruk, Faisal Hossain, Dilip Das and Shrutarshi Roy of India – are jointly occupying second spot with � ve points each. Abdul Moin and Women’s International Master Rani Hamid are jointly at third position with 4.5 points each.

– Shishir Hoque

Sky Blues face Muktis todayAbahani will face Muktijoddha today in the lone match of the top-� ight. The match will kick o� at 4:45pm and Channel 9 will telecast the game live. A win for either side will be enough to take them to second at the expense of Mohammed-an. Mohammedan, Abahani and Muktijoddha all have 13 points each.

– Shishir Hoque

Di Natale overtakes Baggio in goals chartVeteran Udinese striker Antonio Di Natale remained tight-lipped on his future after overtaking Roberto Baggio in the all-time Serie A goalscoring charts with his winner at Verona on Sunday. The 37-year-old former Italy international scored his 206th Serie A goal with a cheeky backheel in his side’s 1-0 win. But he was subdued during his brief post-match interview, preferring to comment on the game than what will happen next season. “I am happy both for me and my team-mates, we did well against a very good Verona side,” said Di Natale. “It is an honour to overtake Baggio and I am very happy for this goal, but I don’t want to talk about my future.”

– AFP

Federer ends clay drought with 85th titleRoger Federer defeated Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay to clinch the Istanbul Open on Sunday for his 85th career crown and � rst title on red clay for over a half a decade. The Swiss world number two and 17-time Grand Slam winner showed imperious form ahead of the French Open, beating world number 23 Cuevas after a thrilling second set tie break. Top seed Federer showed dexterity and power despite resolute defence from his opponent, who required two injury timeouts for treatment on his wrist, to win through 6-3, 7-6 (13/11) in one hour 36 minutes. “It’s been a while since I won a title on clay,” said a delighted Federer. “It’s been a pleasure playing here.” “I picked up con� dence and I picked up another title. I feel really good about my game now. It’s been a � tness test and a mental test.”

– AFP

QUICK BYTES

Terry new coach of BCB’s high performance unitn Mazhar Uddin

Former English cricketer Paul Terry has been appointed the new coach of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s high-performance unit.

The 55-year old Terry, who played two Tests for England, scored 16427 runs in 292 � rst-class matches. He was also the head coach of county side Hampshire for six years.

“Terry reached Dhaka last Sunday and we have o� cially talked with him today (yes-terday). We have initially agreed a 100-day contract. He will be available during the re-portings and the training sessions,” said Abu Imam Ahmed, manager of the BCB’s game de-velopment committee, yesterday.

The upcoming training camp of the BCB’s high-performance unit will get underway from the � rst week of next month. The camp will comprise cricketers from the Under-19 team, the BCB Academy and the national side. l

Rubel ruled out of second Testn Mazhar Uddin

Bangladesh fast bowler Rubel Hossain was ruled out of the second and � nal Test against Pakistan after incurring a side-strain injury dur-ing the � rst Test in Khulna. Seamer-allrounder Abul Hasan was drafted in as his replacement.

Rubel su� ered the injury during the third day of the � rst Test and according to Bang-ladesh physiotherapist Bayjedul Islam Khan, the right-arm fast bowler will take at least two-three weeks to recover fully.

“Rubel is su� ering from a Grade 1 side-strain injury and it will take him two-three weeks to recuperate. He will begin his recov-ery programme in � ve days’ time,” Bayjedul told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Hasan played the last of his three Tests against Sri Lanka in 2013 and recently fea-tured in the � rst ODI against Pakistan. Unable to exhibit any impressive performance, he was dropped for the remaining two ODIs.

The second Test will get underway tomor-row at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. l

Asian Tour all set for Bangladesh chaptern Shishir Hoque

The � rst ever Asian Tour event in Bangladesh titled “Bashundhara Bangladesh Open” will charm the greens of Kurmitola Golf Club later this month with the participation of 150 golf-ers from across the continent.

The logo unveiling and agreement signing ceremony of the mega event, set to tee o� on May 27, was held at a convention centre in the capital yesterday.

A three-year deal was signed betw-een Asian Tour and Bangladesh Golf Federa-tion.

Bangladesh gol� ng icon Siddikur Rahman, who was present at yesterday’s ceremony,

will battle for the maiden title of the $300,000 event along with 149 other golfers, including 10 from Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and 110 from the Asian Tour.

Twenty-� ve professional and � ve amateur golfers from Bangladesh can take part in the main event but they will all have to qualify with the exception of Siddikur. The organis-ers believe the four-day event will enable the local golfers to enhance and develop their game.

BGF secretary general Brigadier Gener-al Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah and Asian Tour representative Fritz Katzengruber signed the agreement on behalf of their re-spective organisations. l

Farashganj, Ctg Abahani share spoilsn Shishir Hoque

Farashganj MFS and Chittagong Abahani played out a 2-2 draw in the bottom-of-the-table clash of the Manyavar Bangladesh Premier League at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Mohammad Hemu put the port-city out� t ahead with just two minutes into the clock be-fore Nigerian mid� elder Uche Felix equalised the margin in the 13th minute.

The Old Dhaka out� t then took the lead in the 24th minute through Nazmul Islam Rus-sel but Chittagong Abahani restored parity in the second half, thanks to Mohammad Hanif’s strike 20 minutes from the � nal whistle.

Farashganj are now second bottom of the 11-team table with two points from six match-es while Chittagong Abahani are a spot ahead in ninth with four points from the same num-ber of games. l

Pakistan paceman Bilawal Bhatti arrives at the team hotel yesterday as the replacement of fellow pace bowler Rahat Ali MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

India to arrive in Bangladesh June 7 for a Test, three ODIsn Minhaz Uddin Khan

Cricket powerhouse India are all set to tour Bangladesh in June this year. The two-time ICC World Cup champions will reach Dhaka on June 7 and during their 20-day stay, the tourists will play one Test and three ODIs.

The lone Test will be played from June 10-14 in Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Sta-dium. The three one-day internationals will be played in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on June 18, 21 and 24 respectively.

The last time India visited Bangladesh was back in June last year. The short three-ODI series, however, disappointed the cricket lovers of Bangladesh as the Board of Control for Cricket in India sent a second-string side

with Suresh Raina as the captain. This time though, India will send a full-strength side. It was learnt that the Tigers’ heroic performanc-es in the 2015 ICC World Cup forced the BCCI to treat the series seriously.

The last time Bangladesh played India, home or away, in the white out� t was back in 2010. l

Date Match VenueJune 10-14 Only Test Fatullah

June 18 First ODI Mirpur

June 21 Second ODI Mirpur

June 24 Third ODI Mirpur

Sport28DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

The clock struck, and the player of the year inevitably scored to carry the most deserving club of England to their rightful throne. Chelsea FC are the champions of the Barclays English Premier League 2014/2015 season with uncontested professionalism, passion and brutality. A team who had cemented their position on top of the premier league since the start of the season. And, to celebrate their enthralling victory, more than 80 Chelsea FC fans congregated in Co� ee Republic, Gulshan last Sunday and cheered for the Blues non-stop COURTESY

Costa, Fabregas turn Blues into championsn Reuters, London

It could be argued that Chelsea e� ectively won the title before a ball was kicked in anger this season.

The fail-safe signings of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas provided the upgrade required to return Chelsea to the kind of dominance they enjoyed in Jose Mourinho’s � rst spell in charge.

While other managers procrastinated, Mourinho calmly identi� ed his targets and struck. 1-0 to Chelsea.

Liverpool, who � nished above Chelsea last season, spent 50 million pounds on a trio of players from Southampton and plenty more elsewhere in a frenzy of deals.

Mourinho, on the other hand, produced two masterstrokes for a combined 60 million pounds that now looks like small change, and both before the dust had even settled on the World Cup.

Costa has become the spearhead for Chel-sea while Fabregas is the man to join up the lines of communication between mid� eld and attack, providing the silver service for the for-mer Atletico Madrid player and the dazzling Eden Hazard.

Though Costa has struggled with injuries in the closing months, the Brazil-born Span-iard’s devastating start to the campaign set the tone for Chelsea’s season.

He needed only 17 minutes of his Premier League debut at Burnley to open his account and notched seven goals in his � rst four league appearances, erasing any doubts about his ability to transform his stunning La Liga form to the Premier League.

Not that Mourinho was the least bit sur-prised.

If ever there was a player equipped for the demands of English football it is the imposing Costa. He delivers everything Fernando Tor-res failed to do.

His work rate is exemplary, his poaching in-stincts lethal, is deceptively fast and his brut-

ish strength can unsettle even the toughest defenders. A lot like a certain Didier Drogba.

“The team was built in a way where we were waiting for a certain type of striker,” Mourinho said earlier this season.

“Costa has the concept of ‘the team � rst, and me second; the team needs me and I am ready to go for the team’.

“He is a leader of himself. He knows exact-ly what the team needs and is ready to give to

the team.”Chelsea’s title campaign has been built on

a spine of steel.Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, re-

called from a loan spell at Atletico Madrid, behind the impeccable John Terry and Gary Cahill with Nemanja Matic providing a shield.

Willian and Ramires are the legs and Haz-ard the creative inspiration, but the vastly ex-perienced Fabregas is the brains of the out� t,

keeping Chelsea’s cogs turning without grab-bing the headlines.

“To play with Fabregas is the dream of every striker,” Mourinho said this season.

It remains a mystery as to why Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger did not try harder to re-sign Fabregas when it was clear his time at Barcelona was coming to a close.

Had he done so Arsenal may have won the title, rather than Chelsea. l

Pellegrini taunts Mourinho in style warn AFP, London

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has stepped up his war of words with Jose Mourinho by claiming he would never be sat-is� ed to win the Premier League playing in the cautious style of newly crowned champi-ons Chelsea.

Pellegrini’s side saw their reign as champi-ons o� cially ended on Sunday when Chelsea beat Crystal Palace to secure the points they needed to take the title away from Eastlands.

But, in the latest verbal jousting between two old rivals, Pellegrini refused to accept that Chelsea’s achievement was worthy of much praise because of the ultra-conserva-tive tactics adopted by Blues boss Mourinho in the second half of the season.

Pellegrini had already accused Mourinho’s men of playing with the negativity of a “small team” after their 1-1 draw at Eastlands earlier in the campaign.

And, speaking after his team’s 1-0 win at

Tottenham on Sunday, he was quick to high-light the more swashbuckling style in which City won the league last season.

“Chelsea won the Premier League and they won the League Cup. We did exactly the same last year, scoring more goals in another style,” Pellegrini said.

“It is important for the Premier League and it is important for the fans to play attractive football. That’s why I just said we won playing another style.

“I am not thinking about the (13-point) gap (between the clubs). We scored 102 goals in the Premier League last season.

“This team continues as the top scoring team. That side is important, to continue win-ning in that sense.”

Mourinho’s team have scored 69 goals in the league, two fewer than City, and Pel-legrini’s swipe was clearly intended to irritate the Portuguese coach, who has been angered at continued accusations that Chelsea are bor-ing to watch. l

Sport 29D

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Ibrahimovic sparks PSG title thrustn AFP, Paris

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, fresh from a three-match ban, sparked Paris Saint Germain’s 2-0 win at Nantes in Ligue 1 on Sunday, moving them a step closer to third straight French title.

The Swede had a hand in both goals, notably playing the ball between Nantes’ captain Oswal-do Vizcarrondo’s legs to set up Blaise Matuidi’s clincher on the half-hour. The 2-0 win puts PSG on 74 points at the top with Lyon three points behind with three games to play. l

Valencia take charge of Champions League chasen AFP, Madrid

Valencia moved three points clear of Sevilla in the � ght for the fourth Champions League place in La Liga with a comfortable 3-1 win over Eibar on Sunday.

Nicolas Otamendi headed the hosts in

front from Jose Gaya’s cross midway through the � rst-half.

Captain Dani Parejo then made the points safe for Valencia with a de� ected e� ort just before the hour mark.

Paco Alcacer tapped home the third into an empty net after Xabi Irureta had made a � ne save from Parejo’s free-kick before Mikel Ar-ruabarrena pulled a goal back for the visitors late on.

Valencia could still catch Atletico Madrid for the � nal automatic Champions League place in third. Atletico are just four points ahead.

However, they face a daunting trip to play Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu next weekend in a game that could also have seri-ous repurcussions in the title race.

A 14th defeat in 16 games leaves Eibar just one point above the relegation zone with three games remaining. l

Roma back to second, Napoli thrash demoralised Milann Reuters, Milan

Alessandro Florenzi ran more than half the length of the � eld to score and cap a 2-0 win for AS Roma over Genoa which took them back into second place in Serie A on Sunday.

Roma went above their bitter city rivals Lazio, who came from behind to draw 1-1 at lowly Atalanta thanks to a spectacular e� ort by Marco Parolo.

Napoli stayed in the race for a Champions League place with a 3-0 home win over a de-moralised AC Milan, whose troubles contin-ued when Mattia De Sciglio was sent o� in the � rst minute and gave away a penalty in the process.

Inter Milan were jeered o� at San Siro again after a 0-0 draw with Chievo and evergreen Antonio Di Natale scored with a backheeled � ick as Udinese won 1-0 at nine-man Verona.

The hosts had Jacopo Sala and veteran Mexico defender Rafael Marquez dismissed in the last half hour.

With Juventus having clinched a fourth successive Serie A title on Saturday, the action was all about the race for European places.

Roma have 64 points from 34 games in second, which earns a spot in next season’s Champions League group stage, and Lazio have 63 in third, which earns a place in the playo� round. Napoli are a further four points behind in fourth. l

Channel 94:45PMBangladesh Premier LeagueAbahani v MuktijoddhaSony Six8:30PM Indian Premier League 2015Mumbai v Delhi Ten Action12:45PM UEFA Champions League SF, Leg 1: Juventus v Real Madrid Star Sports 110:30PM Italian Serie A Torino v Empoli Star Sports 22:30PM AFC Champions League Suwon Samsung Bluewings v Beijing Guoan

DAY’S WATCH

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

SERIE ARoma 2-0 GenoaDoumbia 35, Florenzi 90+3

Inter Milan 0-0 Chievo

Fiorentina 3-1 CesenaIlicic 31-pen, 35, Rodriguez 59Gilardino 56

Atalanta 1-1 LazioBiava 49 Parolo 77

Verona 0-1 Udinese Di Natale 62

Napoli 3-0 AC MilanHamsik 70, Higuain 74,Gabbiadini 76

LIGUE 1Nantes 0-2 Paris SG Cavani 3, Matuidi 31

AS Monaco 4-1 ToulouseSilva 9, Martial 45+1-pen, Moutinho 56, Germain 90+2 Braithwaite 26

Lille 3-1 LensBoufal 41-pen, Chavarría 24Sidibe 74, Origi 90+3

LA LIGAEspanyol 1-1 Rayo VallecanoMoreno 80 Insua 29

Getafe 1-2 GranadaPedro Leon 44 El Arabi 13, 58

Valencia 3-1 EibarOtamendi 25, Parejo 56, Alcacer 71 Arruabarrena 84

Malaga 1-2 Elche Javi Guerra 90+4 Jonathas 29, Pasalic 89

Prince makes new call for Fifa changen AFP, Amman

FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al Hussein on Sunday made a new call for Sepp Blatter, the head of football’s governing body, to be kicked out of o� ce.

The Jordanian royal said that FIFA has to be “more open, more transparent” as he sought votes for an election on May 30.

The prince, 39, said too much power is concentrated in committees which meet in Zurich and there should be more discussion in the regions.

“Football is a di� cult sport to maintain, you always need help. FIFA can help go for-ward if we re-look at how we do things. We have to be more open, more transparent in how we do things,” he said at the start of the Soccerex Asia exhibition in Jordan. l

Jamaicans double up in relays as US men drop batonn Reuters

Jamaica won the showcase 4x200 metres relay without Usain Bolt as their American rivals dropped the baton at the IAAF World Relays in Nassau, Bahamas on Sunday.

Nickel Ashmeade, Rasheed Dwyer, Jason Livermore and Warren Weir survived a shaky second exchange baton pass to claim the fea-ture race in one minute, 20.97 seconds.

But at least the Jamaicans, in winning their � rst race of the two-day meeting, got the baton around. The Americans were not so fortunate. A mu� ed passed between Isiah Young and Cur-tis Mitchell on the second exchange sent the baton � ying, leading to their disquali� cation.

Bolt did not run as a precaution, his man-ager said, after the world’s fastest man felt tightness in his hamstring warming up.

Second place went to France and Germany claimed third. The U.S., with Gatlin running a strong second leg, had beaten a Bolt-anchored team in the men’s 4x100 on Saturday. l Jamaica’s 4x200 relay team strike a pose on the medal podium after winning the event at the IAAF World Relays Championships in Nassau on Sunday REUTERS

DOWNTIME30DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

DILBERT

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

CODE-CRACKER

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 21 represents F so � ll F every time the � gure 21 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.As you get the letters, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORD

ACROSS1 Melt, as snow (4)3 Card game (5)8 Notion (4)9 Satellite (4)11 Hex (5)12 Drink (4)14 Everyone (3)15 Even (5)18 Make merry (5)19 Before (poet) (3)21 Periods of time (4)24 Puzzling question (5)26 Part of a church (4)27 Leave out (4)28 Freshwater � sh (5)29 Agitate (4)

DOWN1 Docile (4)2 Declare (4)4 Part of the body (3)5 Perfect (5)6 Vend (4)7 Score (5)10 African river (4)11 Cut o� (5)13 At no time (5)16 Dash (4)17 Storehouse (5)18 Plant secretion (5)20 Eternal city (4)22 Old sailor (4)23 Sco� (4)25 And so forth (abb) (3)

SUDOKU

n Showtime desk

Fans of everyone’s favourite sleuth are celebrating her 80th anniversary throughout the world.

The 18 year old detective started her journey as the main character of an adored book series on April 28th, 1930.

In honour of this special day, the original publisher Grosset & Dunlap are set to release an anniversary edition of “The Secret of the Old Clock”, which was the � rst book in the series.

Even though fans of Nancy Drew hold their collections close to their hearts, there is so much more to it than the books these days. The people behind the video games have remastered “Secrets Can Kill”, added new challenges and tweaked the graphics. This will de� nitely be great news for people who like to put themselves in Drew’s shoes and solve mysteries and puzzles.

Here is an interesting fact: Throughout the years, di� erent writers have penned the novels, but they have always been published with the name Carolyn Keene as the author.l

SHOWTIME 31D

TTUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

Orsha’s new six-episode TV venture

WHAT TO WATCH

Friends with bene� ts CHBO 5:32pmWhile trying to avoid the clichés of Hollywood romantic comedies, Dylan Harper and Jamie Rellis soon discover however that adding the act of sex to their friendship does lead to complications.Cast: Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis, Patricia Clarkson

Resident Evil: Retribution C+Star Movies 6pmAlice � ghts alongside a resistance movement to regain her freedom from an Umbrella Corporation testing facility.Cast: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Michelle Rodriguez, Aryana Engineer,

S.W.A.T B+Z Studio 9:30pmAn imprisoned drug kingpin o� ers a huge cash reward to anyone that can break him out of police custody and only the LAPD’s Special Weapons and Tactics team can prevent it.Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez

CELEBS ON SOCIAL

Ed Sheeran @edsheeran Gonna eat my body weight in wings now. send help.

Gary Barlow@GaryBarlow‘May the 4th be with you’ and ‘watch your mouth son or you’ll � nd yourself � oating home’ #starwarsbant

James Franco @JamesFrancoTV The Long Home.(Image is gonna be leaked anyway, so here it is � rst. EXCLUSIVE)

n Showtime Desk

Nazia Haque Orsha recently worked with Mosharraf Karim on a six-episode TV play, expected to be aired on Maasranga TV during upcoming Eid holidays. Titled Khayesh, the play is written by Kazi Shahidul Islam and directed by Shakal Ahmed.

In the play Mosharraf will be playing the role of a man named Ekram whom Orsha falls head over heels in love with, despite him having many negative characteristics. As the story progresses, the audience are able to appreciate the brighter side of Ekram’s character.

Talking about her latest venture Orsha said: “The experience of working with the

versatile Mosharraf Karim is somehow di� erent from my previous experiences. As my previous ventures with him have been praised by the audience, I hope this too will achieve the same level of success.”

The TV play went on the shooting � oor from May 3 in Pubail, on the outskirts of the capital. The cast also includes Fazlur Rahman Babu, Shirin Alam and Arfan Ahmed in supporting roles.

Famous for her claim to fame with the beauty pageant Lux Channel i Superstar’s 2009 edition, Orsha previously worked with Mosharraf in a few TV plays including “Similar To,” “Cha Othoba Co� ee” and “Sei Rakom Cha Khor.” l

Nancy Drew turns 80

n Mahmood Hossain

We’ve seen plenty of crime thrillers and detective dramas that are award winning master strokes. Then there’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It’s a complete and total humorous take on the cops of New York City in Brooklyn at the 99th Precinct. Well into its second season, this is de� nitely binge worthy. The main character, Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), is an immature yet very talented NYPD detective. The hilarious contrast is Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher), who runs the precinct in stern fashion. There isn’t a single episode that will leave you unsatis� ed, as

the crazy antics of the supporting cast take funny to a new level.

There are no dramatic sequences or tear-jerking scenes. It’s a pure, laugh out loud comedy. With the addition of Terry Crews (playing Sergeant Terry Je� ords), Stephanie Beatriz, Melissa Fumero, and Joe Lo Truglio there’s no worry of dead weight or bland performances. And the snarky assistant Gina Linetti, portrayed by Chelsea Peretti, adds the right amount of spice in a clever comedic recipe. As the second season comes to a close in about three episodes, stick around a couple of weeks before you binge on both seasons. l

Not your average cop show

BACK PAGE32DT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2015

JUVE EYEING FIRST CL FINAL IN 12 YEARS PAGE 25

NOT YOUR AVERAGE COP SHOW PAGE 31

ACCORD FINDS MODEST CRACKS IN 3 RMG FACTORIES PAGE 15

Sense of the sacred being used to put an end to public urination n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla and

Asif Islam

A two minute video circulating on social me-dia sites has captured a novel and e� ective way to get public urination, the scourge of Dhaka city, to stop.

Using an intervention that relies on psy-chology, illiteracy and religious devotion, the Ministry of Religious A� airs is using a sense of the sacred to get people to stop dirtying the streets and footpaths.

By simply replacing Bangla script with Ar-abic lettering on signs prohibiting public uri-nation, young men are being deterred from soiling public spaces – because of their fear the Arabic lettering may be of religious texts.

Being a largely Muslim nation, Arabic is a sacred language for most people even though few actually understand it.

As the video’s narrator puts it: “Same mes-sage, holier language.”

The video captures the e� ect, on men about to relieve themselves against a wall, of seeing Arabic letters painted on it. Every one of them is shamed into zipping up and zipping o� .

The ministry’s programme is predicated on the idea that in a city of 10,000 mosques – each equipped with toilet facilities – there is no justi� cation for urination or defecation in

public spaces. Matiur Rahman, the religious a� airs min-

ister, is recorded on the video as saying: “I am thinking of urging every mosque to open its toi-lets half an hour before namaz.”

Despite initial successes with the Arabic signage on six Dhaka city walls, some walls

were defaced after locals realised the writing was not sacred verse.

Nevertheless, more walls will be adorned with the Arabic public service announcements, o� cials said.

Produced by advertising � rm Grey, the vid-eo was launched on May 1. l

Bad news for Dhaka water supplyThird phase of Saidabad water treatment plant expected to miss July deadlinen Asif Showkat Kallol

The third phase of the Saidabad water treat-ment plant that could have done a world of good to Dhaka’s acute summer water crisis is likely to miss the July deadline for a start be-cause a Danish fund is not yet available.

There are also fears that the water of Shita-lakkhya, the prime source of Dhaka’s water supply, may no longer be treatable because of heavy industrial contamination.

These alarming facts were revealed at a recent meeting of the evaluation committee of the Saidabad phase three water treatment plant project, sources said.

Around 40% or $200m of the $500m pro-ject cost is supposed to come from the Danish International Development Agency (Danida).

But, with less than two months to go before the scheduled start of the project, the govern-ment’s Economic Relations Division is not yet clear whether the money will come as a grant or a project loan, an o� cial of the Local Gov-ernment Division told the Dhaka Tribune.

Apart from Danida, the French Develop-

ment Agency and the European Investment Bank have pledged $130m and $70m respec-tively.

When contacted, Taqsem A Khan, manag-ing director of Dhaka Water Supply and Sew-erage Authority (Wasa), admitted that it will not be possible to kick o� the construction of the project by July.

On the basis of a feasibility study conduct-ed recently, the evaluation committee said that the water of Shitalakkhya will cease to be usable in near future.

Hence, the use of Meghna River water has been recommended, but the river’s geograph-ical distance with Dhaka is not as convenient as that with Shitalakkhya.

The water of Buriganga, the other major river in the capital city, has never been used by the treatment plants, also because of se-vere contamination, Md Sirajuddin, deputy managing director of Dhaka Wasa, was quot-ed as saying in the meeting.

In fact, all the water treatment plants in Dhaka might be using Meghna waters in fu-ture, meeting sources said.

Dhaka Wasa serves around 12.5 million people in a 360 sq-km area using the water of Shitalakkhya at a pre-treatment plant and then at the Saidabad treatment plants. The river wa-ter, which is a form of surface water, meets up 22% of the total demand in Dhaka. Wasa meets the remaining 78% by extracting groundwater.

Ensuring a sustainable source of safe sur-face water is imperative because according to an estimate of Dhaka Wasa, the groundwater table has been depleting by around three me-tres every year, with roughly 1.5 metres of an-nual recharge.

According to a master plan to be imple-mented by the year 2035, the authorities should be ideally using 30% groundwater and 70% surface water to meet the residents’ de-mand which would be e� ectively reversing the current practice.

Md Khairul Islam, country representative of WaterAid Bangladesh, thinks that the water crisis in the capital city is a major politically sensitive issue.

“The media do not care if a woman in the remote areas of the country has to walk 10

miles to fetch fresh water. But if there is a wa-ter crisis in Dhaka, it never skips the media’s attention.”

Buet Professor Dr Mujibur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune that carrying water from Meghna River without addressing the sewer-age system in Dhaka will prove to be expen-sive for the government.

He also argued that there is enough water in Shitalakkhya to operate the three water treatments plants at Saidabad.

“The water in the rivers in and around Dhaka is being polluted for a long time be-cause of poor sewerage system. Most of the human waste of Dhaka goes into Balu River. Since Shitalakkhya and Balu are connected, the former is continuously getting polluted,” the professor said.

Local Government Secretary Abdul Malek told the Dhaka Tribune that the project pro-posal for the third water treatment plant is likely to be placed before the Executive Com-mittee on National Economic on May 5. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the meeting. l

A wall carrying an anti-urination message written in Arabic, part of an e� ort to combat public urination, has been defaced. The photo was taken yesterday at Karwan Bazar SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Royal baby named Charlotte Elizabeth Dianan Tribune Report

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have named their daughter Charlotte Elizabeth Di-ana, Kensington Palace said.

The fourth in line to the throne will be known as Her Royal Highness Princess Char-lotte of Cambridge.

She was born on Saturday in the Lindo Wing of London’s St Mary’s Hospital weighing 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg).

Charlotte, the feminine form of Charles, has a long royal pedigree and became popular in the 18th century when it was the name of George III’s queen.

The King bought Buckingham House in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte to use as a family home close to St James’s Palace - it be-came known as the Queen’s House and is now Buckingham Palace.

Earlier in the day gun salutes took place in London to mark the birth.

Soldiers from The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery rode out in a procession from Wellington Barracks, near Buckingham Pal-ace, to sound 41 shots in Hyde Park.

At the same time, the Honourable Artillery Company left their Armoury House barracks in the City of London to � re a 62-gun salute at the Tower of London. l

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