print edition: 18 may 2014

5/25/2018 Print Edition: 18 May 2014

1/21

New record in pass rate, GPA 5 scoresnMushfique Wadud

A record percentage of students have

passed this years Secondary School Cer-

tificate and its equivalent examinations,

while the number of GPA 5 scorers has

also increased than the previous years.

This year, the pass rate was 91.34%,

a 2.31 percentage point increase than

the previous year, and 142,276 students

got GPA 5, which was 51,050 more than

the previous year.

Explaining the reasons behind the

better success rate, Education Minister

Nurul Islam Nahid said the results were

achieved because of the introduction of

creative question system and properlytraining the teachers on the new system.

This year, students faced creative

question system on 21 subjects, while

Nahid said some five lakh teachers

were trained on the new system.

Pointing out another government

initiative, Nahid said: After analysing

results of previous years, we have found

that students are mainly weak in English

and Mathematics. So we had arranged

additional classes on the two subjects

and the initiative proved successful.

The SSC results also reflected Nahids

claim, with 98.88% students passing

in English and 98% in Mathematics in

Dhaka Education Board, while in Jes-

sore Board, 99.43% passed in Englishand 97.22% in Mathematics.

The education minister furtherclaimed that multimedia class rooms,

regular classes and timely distribution

of textbooks also contributed to the

good results.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

nAshif Islam Shaon andAhmedZayeef, back from Narayanganj

A Narayanganj court yesterday granted

five-day remand for the two ex-RAB

offi cers who were arrest ed in the early

hours yesterday for their alleged in-

volvement in the abduction and killing

of seven people, including Narayanganj

city panel mayor Nazrul Islam.

However, the whereabouts of the

third RAB suspect Lt Commander

Masud Rana are still not clear and

none of the poli ce offi cials con cernedadmitted failure in the arrest of the for-

mer Navy offi cer.

But, Senior Home Secretary CQK Mush-

taq said they suspected Rana had es-

caped offi cials in Dhak a Cantonment as

well as the police.After the arrest of the two, it seems

that the police could not trace the other

accused, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Around 11 hours into their arrest,

police produced Lt Col Tarek Sayeed

Mohammad and Major Arif Hossain

before the court of Senior Judicial Mag-

istrate Chandi Rupam around 2:00 pm,

seeking 10-day remand.

Court Sub-Inspector Ashrafuzzam-

an said the two o ffi cers were s hown

arrested under Section 54 as they

were not named in the two cases filed

in connection with the abduction and

murder. Police appealed to the court toshow them arrested in the cases.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

20 pages |Price: Tk10

News4 The countrys health sector

continues to suffer setbacks as over

23,000 posts remain vacant, while

the recruitment process continues

to be delayed as disgruntled

candidates are filing writs accusing

rampant corruption and nepotism in

the process.

Nation6 Many indigenous species of

fish are on the verge of extinction

in the natural water bodies of

Netrokona district due to variousreasons including widespread use of

pesticides and chemical fertilizers in

the cropland and adverse impact of

climate change.

Career7A pessim ist sees the diffi culty in

every opportunity; an optimist sees

the oppor tunity in ever y diffi culty.

INSIDE

SUNDAY, MAY 18, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com SECOND EDITION

9| PAPERS URGE MODI TO REACH MUSLIMSB1| TRICK TO EXPAND CONSUMER LOANS

Joishthya 4, 1421

Rajab 18, 1435

Regd. No. DA 6238

Vol 2, No 48

PASS RATE: A BOON OR BANE?P16

ANOTHER RAB ABDUCTION?P3

NBR to bring tax-evadinghouse-owners under radarnSyed Samiul Basher Anik

For those house-owners, who have

been evading tax for decades, things

may turn out to be diffi cult if the prim e

minister approves the revenue author-

itys budgetary proposal to go toughagainst them.

According to an offi cial, the Nati onal

Board of Revenue (NBR) has planned

to strengthen monitoring against thetax-evading house-owners. This, in

fact, is one of the major proposals f rom

the NBR to boost revenue collection in

the upcoming fiscal.

Another budgetary revenue-boost-

er, subject to the premiers approval,

could be raising the tax imposed on the

import of gold in baggage.

Today, the NBR in a key meeting

with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is

likely to place these issues before fi-

nalising its draft budget outline for the

FY2014-15, offi cials said.

The revenue part of the annual

budget is generally prepared by the

NBR. The Finance Division of the Min-

istry of Finance prepares the expendi-

ture part.

The tax authority is likely to set a

revenue target of Tk1,49,000 crore inthe upcoming budget alongside plans

to expand the tax net by bringing nec-

essary changes to the tax and duty

structure.

We have prepared a plan to bind the

house-owners to collect rents through

banks, an offi cial said.

He also said because owners do not

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Two ex-RAB offi cers remandedWhereabouts of the third RAB suspect still wrapped in mystery

Police escort ex-RAB offi cers Lt Col Tarek Syed Mohammad (left) and Maj Arif Hossain (right) to the Narayanganj district court yesterday

afternoon MAHMUD HOSSAIN APU

Launch capsize deathtoll climbs to 55 asrescue operations endnMohammad Jamil Khan with our

correspondent in Munshiganj

The death toll from the launch capsize

in Munshiganj has climbed to 55, with

27 more bodies being recovered yester-

day before the rescue operations were

called off.

Out of the bodies that had been re-

covered from the MV Miraj 4 launch,

53 have been handed over to their fam-

ily members. Of the deceased, 11 arechildren, 13 are women, while the rest

are men.

We have already handed over 53

bodies to the families after verifica-

tion, while two bodies recovered on

Saturday evening are yet to be identi-

fied. The Shariatpur authority has been

asked to take action regarding it, ATMMahbubul Karim, the upazila nirbahi

offi cer (UNO) of Gaja ria, told the Dha ka

Tribune.

Meanwhile, some register books

and a draft of the passengers list have

reportedly been recovered from inside

the vessel after it was brought to the

riverbank.

Without confirming the authenticity

of the documents, which read that 335

passengers boarded the launch on the

day of the accident, the UNO said: I

have been waiting for it to dry and we

would give it to the DC offi ce and probe

body to investigate.

However, employees from differentlaunches told the Dhaka Tribune that

the number was unlikely to be valid, as

the vessels only estimated passenger

figures once the launch had reached its

destination.On the other hand, from a press

conference onboard salvage vessel

Prottoy in the afternoon, Bangladesh

Inland Water Transport Authority (BI-

WTA) Chairperson Shamsuddhoha

Khandaker declared the offi cial end

of the rescue operation. He said the

launch sank very quickly as its thin

lower part could not withstand theheavy blow of wind gust.

Asked about the delay in the rescue

process, the BIWTA chief said the

added time was needed as they had

launched salvage operations using Pro-

ttoy for the first time.

Earlier, protests by relatives of the

missing people forced the BIWTA to re-

sume rescue efforts, despite announc-

ing its end in the morning.

Claiming that authorities concernedhave received a list of seven missing

persons, Munshiganj Deputy Com-missioner Saiful Hassan said local

PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Following the conclusionof rescue efforts, therelatives of the missingpeople have startedleaving the banks ofriver Meghna

Man who saw abductions testifiesnAshif Islam Shaon and

Ahmed Zayeef

A Narayanganj businessman yester-

day told the government investigation

team probing seven murders that hehad witnessed the April 27 abduction

conducted by around seven RAB per-

sonnel and another in plainclothes.I saw a RAB pickup van and at

least six or seven of its members on

the spot, said Md Shahidul Islam, whogave deposition at the rest house of

Shiddhirganj Power Station. The probe

body earlier held public hearings on

May 12 and 15.

The witness said he had been pass-

ing the spot along with his HSC exami-

nee daughter on a motorcycle.

On that day, my daughter had anexamination at Narayanganj Mohila

College. She came out of the exam cen-

tre at 1:05pm. We took rest for at least

15 minutes there. Then we started for

home on my motorcycle.

It was around 1:45pm when I was

passed the garbage dumping yard

(situated on Dhaka-Narayanganj Link

Road). I saw a RAB vehicle and few pri-

vate cars parked on the road in queue.

I thought the RAB men were searchingthe cars to capture hoodlums. From

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

2013 2014PASSRATE

91.34%

89.03%

GPA 5 1,42,276

91,226

PASS RATEAMONG 8 BOARDS

LOWEST SYLHET 89.23%HIGHEST RAJSHAHI 96.34%

SSC RESULTS 2014

11| A SPACE TO PLAY 13| EMILY CARRIES MSC PAST CTG ABAHANI


2/21

News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, May 18, 2014

Man who saw abductions testifiesPAGE 1 COLUMN 4

that interest, I slowed down my motor-

cycle and stopped.

Shahidul said he had enquired a

RAB man about the matter.

The RAB personnel was rude with

me to say Ja beta ja, aage bar [leave

this place, move ahead].

This made him curious, Shahidul

said: If he did something usual, he

would have answered me normally.

Then I started to drive my motorcycle

and stopped few metres ahead. Four to

five RAB men in arms kept the vehicles

cordoned while two others standingwith another person who was wearing

a white T-shirt and black pant.The person [in plainclothes] had a

black pistol [smaller than those used by

police personnel] in his hand. He was

pulling out several men from one pri-

vate car and pushing them into a white

microbus [HIACE].

The man was hitting those who did

not want to enter the microbus with

the pistol. Later it started for Signboard

area. I saw the incident for two to three

minutes.

Shahidul told the probe body that hecould not figure out the actual number

of RAB men, but it could be six-seven.

He also did not notice the nameplate of

the RAB member he spoke to.

I came to know about the incident

through the media after the bodies

of the seven abduction victims wererecovered. I have become mentally

disturbed since the incident, and was

eager to share it with somebody who

can take action, the businessman said

to justify why he gave deposition in the

case.l

NBR to bring tax-evading house-owners under radarPAGE 1 COLUMN 3

give formal money receipts to the ten-

ants while collecting rents, they man-

aged to conceal the actual amounts

they had collected and thus evaded tax.

After introducing the rule, the NBR

would collect relevant information

from the banks, the offi cial said.

He also said Finance Minister AMA

Muhith in a meeting last week gave

consent to th e NBR offi cials reg arding

the unique new rule.

According to Chairman Ghulam Hus-

sain, the NBR has identified a staggering

total of 1.62 lakh owners in only a fewselected areas in the capital, who have

been concealing their incomes fromhouse rents while submitting returns.

An NBR survey, conducted from De-

cember 2012-November 2013, shows

that out of the tax evading owners,

70% were businessmen by profession,

25% just owners and 5% shop owners.

Gold import tax

in the wake of the recent hike in gold

smuggling, another proposed reve-

nue-boosting plan is to increase the

existing Tk150 tax to Tk3,300 on every

tola of gold imported in baggage.

However, the assumption is that the

authorities concerned would strength-

en monitoring at the airports to curb

gold smuggling. In that case, people

would be forced to bring in gold in their

luggage and the government can bene-

fit from it, the NBR offi cial said.

Under the existing baggage rule, apassenger can carry gold or silver or-

naments weighing less than 200 gramwithout paying any taxes.

Curtailing corporate tax

In todays meeting, the tax authority is

also likely to place a proposal for cur-

tailing corporate tax.

A high-ran ked offi cial sa id the NBR

would propose cutting tax for banks

and financial institutions from the ex-

isting 42.5% to 40.5%.

He however could not shed any light

when asked whether or not the oth-

er corporate firms would be given the

same facility.

In forums and pre-budget discus-

sions, trade bodies such as the FBCCI

have been asking for lowering of corpo-

rate taxes terming them too high.

Many of the chiefs of the trade bodies

are owners of major commercial banks.

Other proposals

some of the other proposals that the

NBR is likely to place before the prime

minister are: raising tax on products

hazardous for health and the environ-

mental such as cigarettes; tax-free in-

come ceiling of Tk2.25 lakh for individ-

ual payers; schemes for protecting local

industries; continuing tax holiday for

sectors including the agriculture, dairy

and poultry.l

Two ex-RAB offi cers remandedPAGE 1 COLUMN 1

The court fixed May 18 for hearing in

the case filed by the son-in-law of slainlawyer Chandan Sarker, he said.

No lawyer stood on behalf of the two

offi cers .

Two of the three Rapid Action Bat-

talion offi cers, who were sent on forced

retirement, were arrested from Dhaka

Cantonment early yesterday. Later, they

were taken to Narayanganj Police Lines.

Lt Col Tarek was the commanding

offi cer of RAB 11 when the grue somemurder took place. Maj Arif and Lt

Commander Rana were also posted at

the RAB unit.

The thre e RAB o ffi cers were fired

after Shahidul Islam, father-in-law of

slain councillor Nazrul Islam, claimed

that some RA B offi cers kill ed the sev-

en in exchange for Tk6 crore from Nur

Hossain, the prime accused.

The trio was not accused in the case

filed by Nazruls widow, but the High

Court on May 11 ordered the Inspector

General of Police to immediately ar-

rest them as suspects.

On April 27, Nazrul and his four

aides and Chandan and his driver werekidnapped from the Dhaka-Narayan-

ganj link road around the same time in

broad daylight.

Six bodies, including those of Nazrul

and Chandan, were found floating in

the Shitalakkhya River on April 30 and

another was found the following day.

The other victims were Moniruzzaman

Swapan, Tajul Islam, Liton, Jahangir

and Ibrahim.

Police nabbed 21 other suspects so

far.

The court premisesA large number of people gathered

outside the court as the news spread

that the arrestees would be produced

before it. A huge number of uniformed

police and plainclothesmen were also

deployed there.

Ten minutes before arrival of six ve-hicles, including three police vans, po-

licemen built two human chains there

to make way for the arrestees.

Three police pickup vans and three

microbuses reached the court premises

around 2:00 pm. Tarek wearing helmet

and bulletproof jacket was sitting in-

side a pickup vans cabin between two

policemen while Arif was inside an-

other. Four policemen escorting them

were also wearing helmets and bullet-

proof jackets.

As soon as the law enforcers brought

Tarek, wearing white striped shirt and

Arif wearing orange-colour shirt, locals

chanted slogan demanding their death

sentence.

After 40-minute hearing when theywere being taken back to the vans, the

same situation was created there. Many

of the onlookers recorded video in their

cell phones to grab that moment.

Meanwhile, lawyers staged demon-

strations on the court premises as the

court granted only five-day remand for

the arrestees. They also reproached

that the duo was not handcuffed when

they were produced before the court.

The court roomThe Invest igation Offi cer of the two

cases Mamunur Rashid Mandal sought

10-day remand for each of the two of-

ficers.

On behalf of the District Lawyers As-

sociation, its president Shakhawat Hos-

sain Khan, secretary Zakir Hossain andex-president Abdul Bari Bhuiyan placed

argument explaining as to why the arres-

tees should be put on 10-day remand.

Referring to the inquest report of

the victims bodies, they said each of

the victims was strangled and hit in

the head. The killers also made hole in

the abdomens before dumping them in

the Shitalakkhya River. They also used

bricks which proved that well-trained

people committed the offence.

The lawyers cited the ropes and

sacks used to tie up the bodies, claim-

ing that those were meant for RAB.

Lawyer Chandan was innocent. He

recorded the whole incident in his cell

phone, said a lawyer.

They also referred mass hearingwhere all of the witnesses said Nur

Hossain used RAB to kill seven peo-

ple. The lawyers said the state spends

huge amount of money to train an of-

ficer. Money comes from peoples tax.

The offi cers, who were supp osed to

serve the nation, used their authority

and power for personal interest, they

alleged.

We do not have complaint against

RAB as a force. But these people have

tarnished the image of RAB, Army and

Navy. They should be punished, said a

lawyer.

They know where Nur and his as-

sociates are hiding now. They know

who are behind the killing, the senior

lawyer said.

They alleged that Tarek, Arif andRana were also involved with some

other incidents of abductions and mur-ders in Narayanganj. They committed

such crimes in other places they were

deployed earlier. An interrogation

could reveal those incidents.

We think some powerful men were

behind all of these incidents. These in-

cidents should be revealed, he said.

Tarek blamed media

As Tarek had no lawyers, the court

asked him to defend himself.

He told the court, I do not have ob-

jection if the court p laces me on more

than 10-day remand. We also want that

the truth be revealed after fair inves-

tigation. But on the basis of the state-

ment of Nazruls father-in-law Sha-

hidul, media are publishing false and

fabricated reports against me.

Media have blamed me for the inci-

dents. They are liable for all , he told

the court. l

New record in pass rate, GPA 5PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Although many school teachers agreed

with the governments claims, they

also gave a different set of reasons forthe record pass rates and GPA 5 scorers.

Seeking anonymity, several examin-

ers from top-rated schools in the capi-

tals Bailey Road Dhanmondi, and Mir-

pur areas told the Dhaka Tribune that

they were instructed to check scripts

liberally.

We were asked to check the script

as liberally as we c an, said an examin-

er and teacher of a leading school in the

capital.However, Fahima Khatun, director

general of the Directorate of S econdary

and Higher Education, denied the alle-

gation.

Normally, if a student has one or two

marks short of the pass marks, we tell

teachers to consider so that the student

does not fail. This is nothing new. It has

always been a norm. No other instruc-

tion was given except that, she said.

Dhaka Board Chairperson Taslima

Begum also denied giving any such in-

struction.

Teachers from the rural areas, on

the other hand, said they were toldthat their schools Monthly Pay Order

scheme would be cancelled if a large

number of their students failed in the

SSC exams.

Some teachers and guardians also

claimed that incidents of questions

being leaked might also have given

unscrupulous students a wrongful ad-

vantage, contributing to the improved

results.

Prior to the exams of some subjects

this year, their questions allegedly be-

came available on facebook and other

social media sites.

When asked about the allegations of

question leak, the education minister,

however, denied it.

Nurul Islam Nahid handed over the

result to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

in the morning, before formally an-

nouncing the result at the secretariat inthe afternoon. Students crowded their

respective schools following the formal

announcement.Rasheda K Choudhury, executive

director of Campaign for Popular Ed-

ucation, also agreed with the govern-

ments claim that creative question

papers played the leading role in better

pass rate, adding that school facilities

had also improved.

Among the eight general education

boards, Sylhet Board had the lowest

pass rate of 89.23%, while the highest

pass rate was 96.34% in Rajshahi.

The pass rate was better in gener-

al education system than madrasa or

vocational education system. It was

92.67% in general system, 89.25% in

madrasa, and 81.97% in vocational ed-

ucation.

Male students fared better than fe-

males; the pass rate among males was

91.84% and 77,551 got GPA 5, while pass

rate among females was 90.81% and

64,725 got GPA 5.

This years examinations were held

between February 9 and March 20.l

Launch capsizePAGE 1 COLUMN 6

administration would continue to look

for the missing people even though the

BIWTA had concluded the rescue oper-

ation.

He added that if any family member

provided legal identification and proof

of any missing person, then their de-

tails would be registered in the missingpersons list.

Following the conclusion of rescue

efforts by the BIWTA, the relatives of

the missing people have started leaving

the banks of river Meghna.On Thursday, MV Miraj 4 capsized

during a storm on the Meghna with

around 200 passengers on board. l

Teenager commits suicide forfailing to achieve GPA 5nTarek Mahmud, Chittagong

A youth committed suicide yesterday

reportedly after failing to achieve a

GPA 5 score in his Secondary School

Certificate examinations.

Mohammad Sowrov, 17, was found

hanging with the ceiling fan by a rope

in the neck at his residence at Karna-

phuli Bhaban in Chittagong citys Gol-

pahar area.Sowrov appeared for the SSC exam-

ination from Al Hera Academy at Bera

in Pabna, while living with his grand-

parents.

He was expecting a GPA 5, howev-

er, he found out that he had scored GPA

4.30, said Md Shahnewaz, a next door

neighbor.

After finding the result, he come

and informed me of his result and took

a long breathe and went back to his

house, he added.

The victims mother, Firoza Begum,

a senior staff nurse at Chittagong Medi-

cal College Hospital, said Sowrov got toknow his SSC results at around 2:00pm

when she and her husband, Sakhawat

Hossain, a businessman, were at their

workplaces.

At around 3:00pm, the victims

mother returned home and found that

Sawrov had committed suicide.

Hearing her screams, I went to their

house and she and I rushed Sowrov to

CMCH, Shahnewaz added.

On-duty doctors at CMCH pro-

nounced the boy dead at around

3:55pm, said Nayek Jahangir Alam of

CMCH Police Outpost.

The dead body was sent to CMCHmorgue for autopsy, he said and added

that the victim might have committed

suicide after becoming mentally de-

pressed over his expected result. l

nTribune Report

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yester-

day said military dictator General Ziaur

Rahman wanted to erase the name of

Awami League after the brutal assas-

sination of Bangabandhu as he (Zia)

considered the party his main enemy.

She said General Zia was appointed

army chief by Khandakar Moshtaque

and he was made the president and

army chief simultaneously as he forced

the then president Justice ASM Sayem

to step down at gunpoint.

"After becoming president, Gener-

al Zia wanted to destroy the signs and

spirit of the War of Liberation side by

side with erasing the name of Awami

League," she said, adding the anti-liber-

ation forces emerged during his misrule.

Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League

president, told leaders of Awami

League and its associate bodies who

came to her Ganobhaban residence

here this morning on the occasion of

her 33rd Homecoming Day.

Senior Awami League leaders in-

cluding Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury,

Begum Matia Chowdhury, Obaidul

Quader, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Ad-

vocate Sahara Khatun, Syed Ashraful

Islam and PM's Advisor HT Imam were

present, among others.

On this day in 1981, Sheikh Hasina

returned home after six years in exile

following the brutal assassination of

the architect of independent Bangla-

desh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman and most of his family mem-

bers on August 15 in 1975.

Sheikh Hasina and her younger sis-

ter Sheikh Rehana escaped the c arnage

as they were in Germany at that time.The Prime Minister said General Zia

grabbed the state power by violating theconstitution. "The country witnessed

frequent coups during his rule and he

killed sector commanders of the War of

Liberation one after another," she said.

Earlier, the leaders of Bangladesh

Awami League and its associate bodies

greeted the Prime Minister by present-ing bouquets and chanting slogans on

the occasion of the Homecoming Day.

In an emotion-charged voice, the

Prime Minister said after the assassination

of Bangabandhu, four national leaders

were brutally killed and numerous lead-

ers and workers of the party were thrown

into jail to eliminate Awami League.

Recalling her Homecoming Day on

May 17 in 1981, Sheikh Hasina said she

returned home on a rainy and stormy

day when thousands of people braving

the inclement weather assembled at

the airport to welcome her.

"When I returned home I didn't have

any asset except the courage and inspi-

ration of the Awami League leaders and

workers," she said.

"When I returned home, there was

a flood of millions of people and there

was love for me. But my most beloved

persons whose love I expected most

were not there," she said referring to

the killing of Bangabandhu and others

who were assassinated on the fateful

night of August 15.While recalling her tragic and ter-

rible days, the Prime Minister became

emotional and tears rolled down her

cheek.

Sheikh Hasina said General Zia ran

the country by imposing curfew at

night. "Rehana and I were not allowed

to enter our historic Dhanmondi 32 res-

idence. We were even barred to hold

milad at our house," she said.

The Prime Minister said they used to

spend time on the bank of Dhanmon-

di Lake. "The sufferers could only say

what frightful days we passed at that

time," she said.

After my coming back home, my

number one thought was to put the

country back on the path of democra-

cy along with materializing the dream

of Bangabandhu and strengthening the

party. "I could not think where we would

stay and what we would eat," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said when she re-

turned home she saw that the countrywent against the War of Liberation andthe anti-liberation forces were running

Bangladesh under the patronization of

General Zia.l

PM: Zia considered AL his main enemy

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina breaks into tears yesterday at Ganabhaban during a programme arranged on the occasion of her

homecoming day BSS

JU BCL leader beatsup canteen owner

nJU Correspondent

A leader of Jahangirnagar University

unit Chhatra League assaulted a can-

teen owner of Mir Mosharrof Hossain

Hall yesterday for serving lunch with a

plastic plate.

Sources at the campus said Faisal

Hossain Dipu, organising secretary of

JU unit BCL, sent an employee of the

dormitory to fetch his lunch from a hall

canteen around 2:15pm and its owner

Kamal Hossain provided the meal with

a plastic plate which was seemed of-

fensive to the leader.

Being angered by the incident, Dipu

beat up Kamal Hossain with a cricket

stump indiscriminately, leaving him

injured.

Later, employees of the canteen

whisked off him to JU medical centre

where he was given first aid.

Kamal Hossain said there was no

other plate to him to serve meals to the

leader.

Contacted, Dipu said: Despite

warning him (Kamal) several times ear-lier not serving me with plastic plate,

he did so. Being failed to control rage,

I beat him up him.

However, Prof Dr Md Obaidur

Rahman, provost of Mir MosharrofHossain hall said they had discussed

the matter with the university author-

ities that would certainly take proper

action.l

Nahid: Noproblem in collegeadmissionnMushfique Wadud

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahidsaid yesterday there will not be any

problems for students to get admitted

into the colleges though a record num-

ber of students have passed and scored

GPA 5 this year.

There are plenty of seats and so

students will not have to face any prob-

lems in getting admitted into the col-

leges, he said at a press briefing at the

secretariat yesterday.As the pass rate has been increas-

ing over the years, guardians are con-

cerned whether their children can get

admitted into the colleges.l

'After my coming backhome, my number onethought was to put thecountry back on thepath of democracy'


3/21

3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, May 18, 2014

Police mum on ex-Navy offi cernKailash Sarkar

Former offi cial o f elite forc e RAB 11 Lt

Commander SM Masud Rana, who was

dismissed from Bangladesh Navy over

Narayanganj murder allegation, has

gone into hiding apparently taking ad-

vantage of delay in executing the High

Courts order for his arrest.

None of t he polic e offi cials c on-cerned admitted failure in the arrest of

Rana. They also did not make it clear

why they had to wait six days to exe-

cute the order.

Accused in the seven murders after

abduction in Narayanganj, former com-

manding offi cer of Rab 11 Lt Col TarekSayeed Moham mad and offi cial Maj

Arif Hossain were arrested early yester-

day, a week into a High Court order.

The High Court on May 11 directed

the government to arrest the RAB of-

ficials alongside asking the elite force

not to interfere in the arrest or investi-

gation. The police on May 12 sent a let-

ter to the Defence Ministry for its opin-

ion and got a reply on May 15. Sources

said the communication was made

only to delay the arrest procedure and

pave way for the accused to flee.

Sources in the Home Ministry, po-

lice and intelligence confirmed to the

Dhaka Tribune yesterday that Rana

had gone into hiding.

However, Senior Home Secretary

CQK Mustaq said they suspected

that Rana had escaped offi cials in Dha-

ka Cantonment as well as the police.

After the arrest of the two, it seems

that the police could not trace the other

accused, he said. But police will haveto submit their progress report before

the court as well as the ministry.

Mustaq said the Defence Ministry in

response to a letter of the police did not

mention names of the three former RAB

offi cials, rather just a llowed the police

to carry out the criminal procedures.

When contacted, Khandakar Ma-

hid Uddin, superintendent of police in

Narayanganj, said: As we have arrest-

ed two among the three former RAB

offi cials, we also wa nt to arrest the

other. We have been giving our highest

efforts to this end.

About the arrest procedure, he said:

We have many other responsibilities

as well as some limitations. Therefore,

we have to work keeping a balance

with both the things.

He, however, did not explain why

and how the former Navy personnel

had gone missing.Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, In-

spector General of Police Hassan Mah-mood Khandker said the police had to

take six days to complete some formal-

ities and legal procedures. He did not

elaborate the issues.

When asked about the arrest of Rana,

the IGP said everything was going on as

per the High Court directives.l

RAB 11 blamed for anotherabductionnTribune Report

The family members and friends of an

abducted Awami League activist Mo-

hammad Ismail formed a human chain

in front of the Siddhirganj Power Station

in Narayanganj yesterday, demanding

immediate release of the victim.

The protesters alleged that before the

abduction and murder of seven peoplein Narayanganj, the 42-year old victim

was abducted by members of the Rapid

Action Battalion (RAB) 11, who placed a

demand for Tk2 crore as ransom.

Ismails wife Josna Begum said they re-

ceived a letter demanding Tk2 crore from

the family soon after Ismail went missing.

The letter also mentioned that if she want-

ed to see her husband again, they have to

pay Tk 2 crore to Lt Col Tarek Sayeed Mo-

hammad, who was the then commanding

offi cer of RAB 11 in Narayanganj.

Ismail, a contractor by profession

and resident of Kanchpur area, has

been missing since February 7.

Josna further claimed that they had

managed Tk1 crore for the ransom, butTarek refused to accept that amount.

He [Tarek] was pressuring us topay the full amount, she added.

She also claimed that they did not

approach other law enforcement agen-

cies or the media in this regard follow-

ings threats from RAB members. l

Inflation ratetargeted at 6 %

nAsif Showkat Kallol

The government is planning to place

an ambitious budget, possibly of

Tk2,49,000 crore for the next fiscal

year, focusing on investment with a

target of 6% inflation rate.

The next fiscal years GDP growth

has been targeted at 7.3%.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yes-

terday at a meeting presented thebroad outline of the next years mac-

ro-economic target and budget outlay

to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,

said a number of senior oficers who at-

tended the meeting.

The finance minister will place the

budget on June 5 in the Jatiya Sangsad.

Sources at the meeting said the

prime minister asked the finance min-ister to prepare the budget in such a

people-friendly way that media and

political parties cannot not make any

negative criticism on it.

The meeting also planned to reduce

the bank borrowing. The outgoing year

saw a bank borrowing of Tk30,000

crore . The government wants to bring

it down to Tk27,000 crore in the next

fiscal year.

Muhith told the meeting that he was

planning to keep the budget deficit

within 5% of the GDP.

The total amount of budget deficit

will cross Tk66,000 crore. l

Nazruls aide testifies in NarayanganjnAshif Islam Shaon and AhmedZayeef

Md Shohidul Islam, a close associate

of slain Narayanganj ward councillor

Nazrul Islam, yesterday said they had

caught a plainclothes RAB member at

the court on April 27 for following Naz-

rul. But the police released him.

Shohidul told this to the probe

body on the third day of public hearing

held at Shiddhirganj Power Station in

Narayanganj. After giving deposition,

he spoke to reporters. He is also an ac-

cused in the case filed over the seven

murders.

The witness said: We were at the

court to give attendance in a case. We

sat on the corridor of the court. At one

point, Tajul Islam [one of the seven

victims] came to me and said a man

wearing pagri and kabuli is following

Nazrul. Then we started to follow thatman.

When we were sure that the per-

son was following Nazrul, we grabbed

his hand and stopped him. He had a

pistol on his waist.

As we took him outside, the court

police took him from us and talked to

him. At that time, another RAB mem-

ber with long beard came and spoke

to the police members. The man was

released subsequently, Shohidul said.When we asked the police why

they had released him, they said theman was a RAB special force member,

the witness claimed.

Like Shohidul, several hundred

people gathered at the power station

to testify on the incident. The sev-

en-member investigation body started

to record depositions around 10am.

Jafor, who was registering names of

witnesses, told the Dhaka tribune last

night: A total of 314 people have reg-

istered their names so far to give depo-

sition in the case. Of them, 198 people,mostly neighbours and relatives of the

victims, submitted their depositions

before the probe body by 5pm [yester-

day].

Shahjahan Hossain Molla, head of

the investigation team, told reporters:

We will record depositions of the civil

society members from 3pm tomorrow

[today] and of the rest who have reg-

istered their names today [yesterday].

Replying to a query, member of the

probe body Mustafizur Rahman said:

We will record depositions of every-one we need. We will also take deposi-

tions of the RAB members, if needed. l

Nurs gangseized 500

auto-rickshawsnAshif Islam Shaon and AhmedZayeefFurther stories of criminal activities

by Nur Hossain were brought to the

attention of an ongoing mass hearing

yesterday, when more victims of the

Narayanganj ward councillors reign

of terror came to give depositions in

connection with the seven murders in

the district.

Owners and drivers of auto-

rickshaws described to the mass

hearing, being held by the government-formed probe committee, about how

the gang of Nur Hossain the prime

suspect in the gruesome murders

had seized at least 500 battery-run

auto rickshaws from the road ahead of

Pohela Boishakh, and pocketed at least

Tk10,000 for releasing each vehicle.

Without the consent of the owners,

the associates of Nur also reportedly

sold the auto-rickshaws that were

comparatively newer than the rest.

Five such victims talked to

the Dhaka Tribune in front of the

Shiddhirganj Power House, where the

mass hearing was taking place.

One of the victims, Jahangir Alom,

said: They seized at least 500 auto-

rickshaws that day from Mouchak,

Shanarpara, Chittagong Road,Shimrail, Shiddhirgonj and Adamji

areas, and gathered them in Shimrail

Eidgah grounds near Nur Hossains

home.

They took two of mine. It was very

tough for me to manage the money.

Still I am paying the interest of the

money, Jahangir claimed.

Md Nazim Uddin, another victim,

said: I bought an auto rickshaw for

Tk45,000 on instalments. Within 10

days, some associates of Nur Hossain

seized it from the Chittagong Road bus

stand.

I went to them with the money but

they gave me another auto rickshaw

which was old. When I told them that

it was not mine, they replied that if I

wanted an auto-rickshaw then I would

have to take it or get lost. I left the place

without the auto-rickshaw.

Md Nasir Uddin, who also testified

before the mass hearing, said: They

took two of my auto-rickshaws. I went

to Yasin Miah, general secretary ofShiddhirganj Thana Awami League, toask for a favour. But he said he could

do nothing. Then I went to them [Nurs

gang] with Tk20,000 and recovered my

auto-rickshaws.

Md Guljar Hossain, another victim,

said: On that day, I was driving my

auto rickshaw. When I was in Mouchak

area, two people hired me to take

them to Shanarpara near Nur Hossains

home. When I reached the place

the two passengers seized my auto-

rickshaw and said if I wanted it back

I would have to pay Tk10,000. After

giving the money the next day, I got my

auto-rickshaw back. But I sold it within

a few days fearing they would seize it

again.

Guljar has now switched his

profession to become a vegetable

trader.

Another of Nurs victims, Alomgir

Hossain said: I had to pay Tk30,000 for

getting back my three auto-rickshaws.I had to manage the money within a

very short time on high interest.l

CPD: Politicalparties deviatefrom ideologies

nMohammad Al-Masum Molla

Speakers at a discussion yesterday

stressed the need for democratic prac-

tice and transparency within political

parties to establish mutual respect andgood governance.

We are concerned about the polit-

ical parties, Rounaq Jahan, a political

watcher, said while presenting a keynote

paper at a dialogue on Political Parties

and Democracy in Bangladesh, organ-

ised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue in

the capital. Rehman Sobhan, chairman

of the CPD, chaired the programme.

Citing the many positive contribu-

tions of political parties, the professorobserved that whenever a party comes

to power through elections, the system

of democratic governance fumbles.

They could not do much in estab-

lishing democracy, she said.

Regarding the challenges faced by

the political parties, she said they were

losing touch with the ordinary people

and increasingly becoming dependent

on people with money and muscle.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed

described how the countrys political

culture and practices had graduallychanged over the years.

Recalling how he had become a par-

ty leader through a long process, the

veteran Awami League politician said

politics was no longer in the hands of

the politicians and the parties had de-

viated from their ideologies.

We lost our political culture; we

have to work on it to improve the situa-

tion, Tofail said.

Moudud Ahmed, a standing com-

mittee member of the BNP, said immo-

rality and falsehood were dominatingpolitics, and proper leadership and

changes in attitude were needed to es-

tablish democracy.

Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of interna-

tional relations at University of Dhaka,

said two types of nexuses were cre-

ating problems for democracy and pol-

itics and they needed to be broken up.

One is a nexus between bureaucra-

cy, business and politics. Another nex-

us, what I call A, B, C A and B standfor Awami League and BNP and C is

cantonment. l

They took two of mine.It was very tough forme to manage themoney. Still I am payingthe interest of themoney

Rounaq Jahan, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue, presents her keynote speech on Political Parties and Democracy

in Bangladesh at Brac Centre in the capital yesterday RAJIB DHAR

We will recorddepositions of everyonewe need. We will alsotake depositions ofthe RAB members, ifneeded


4/21

4 NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, May 18, 2014

Milestone College achieved4th place in Dhaka board

Milestone College achieved 4th place

in SSC examination in Dhaka board.

In this year total of 908 students

(Bangla medium and English version)

appeared SSC examination from

Milestone college and 866 students

have scored GPA-5 and 42 students

have got A grade. GPA-5 got 95.37%.

Total of 613 students appeared from

science group and 605 students have

scored GPA-5 and 8 students scored

A grade. Total of 295 students ap-

peared from commerce group and

261 students have scored GPA-5 and

34 students scored A grade.

Principal of Milestone college

Prof Md Shahidul Islam and Vice

principal L. Colonel M Kamaluddin

Bhuiyan (Retd) said, Milestone is

committed to ensure quality edu-

cation that can help a student be an

ideal person, create humane char-

acter, see dream and implement

the dream. They are said, sincerity

of the teachers as well as students

and guardians was behind the high-

est success rate. They are also Said,

Milestone ensures the optimum use

of its resources to facilitate academ-

ic excellence.

Literary conclave concludes at ULABnTribune Report

The two-day international event titled

Bengal Lights Literary Conclave ended

on the main campus of University of Lib-

eral Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) yesterday.

The ULAB arranged the programme.

The conclave brought a distinguished

panel of writers, scholars and critics

from around the world to explore this

years theme, Beyond Identity Narra-

tives: Defining a New World Fiction.

On the final day, three panel-discus-

sion boards concentrated on different

aspects of the theme.

The first panel, exploring NewLines, New Letters, was moderated

by Maya Jaggi, critic for UKs Guardian

Review, with Indian author Chandra-

has Choudhury, British poet Alev Adil

and Nick Richardson, an editor for the

London Review of Books, as panellists.

The second panel scrutinized

Post-post-colonials, with poet Ah-

san Akbar moderating, and author Far-

rukh Dhondy, poet Sadaf Saaz and Nick

Richardson as panellists.

The last panel, moderated by Bengal

Lights publisher and author of The World

in My Hands Kazi Anis Ahmed, explored

The Speculative Sphere of Fiction,

with panellists Chandrahas Choudhury,

Maya Jaggi and eminent writer andscholar Syed Manzoorul Islam.

Authors Chandrahas Choudhury,Maria Chaudhuri, and Syed Manzoorul

Islamalso read from their works during

the last day of the conclave.

The two-day event was attended by

300 guests while more than 250 peo-

ple watched the live webcast at http://

litcon.bengallights.com.

The conclave is a first-of-its kind

event in Bangladesh aiming to capturethe essence of the conclaves discus-

sions in essays to be later published

in the Bengal Lights journal as well as

partner publications.

Bengal Lights

Bengal Lights is a semi-annual literary

journal founded in 2012 at ULAB, which

already made literary circles in the region.

Bengal Lights later established itsown imprint, Bengal Lights Books

(BLB), to promote quality writing from

Bangladesh.l

Canadian International school helping poor childrennTribune Report

Canadian International School has ex-

tended its activities to help the under-

privileged children in Dhaka city.

Its senior students will teach the

poverty-stricken children in its evening

school programme scheduled to begin

this year, according to a press releaseyesterday.

On this purpose, a group of ten stu-

dents and two teachers from the United

World College South East Asia, Singa-

pore paid a visit to the Canadian Inter-

national School.

They hope to maintain a close work-

ing relationship with the Canadian In- ternational school students, with the goal of participating in a meaningful

way in a service project that will provide

some long term benefits to some of theyoung and vulnerable youths in the city.

Along with the Canadian Inter-

national School students, they later

visited Jaago Foundation, Brac and

Gazipur Shishu Polli Plus. They close-

ly observed how the organisations are

helping poor children through educat-

ing them, and spent quality time with

them by painting, teaching and playing.

Canadian International School Princi-

pal Frank Marisco said students of his

school have a responsibility to help the

less fortunate in the society.l

Last phase upazilaelection tomorrownMohammad Zakaria

The last and sixth phase election to 13

Upazila Parishads will be held tomor-

row amid fears of rigging and attacks at

polling centres.

The campaign was wrapped up

yesterday midnight and movement of

all types of vehicles will be restricted

from today.

A total of 196 candidates, includingrebels, from Awami League and BNP,

Jamaat-e-Islami and Jatiya Party are

contesting the elections.

Of them, 69 chairman candidates,

75 vice chairman aspirants and 52

women vice chairman hopefuls.

Election Commissioner Abdul Mo-

barak said yesterday they have takenall-out preparations for holding the

elections smoothly. The returning of-

ficers have also been asked to deploy

an increased number of lawmen at thevulnerable polling centres.

The polling will be postponed at the

centres immediately after untoward

incidents take place there, he said.

Allegations of aiding and abetting

the ruling party candidates in winning

the elections have been submitted to

the Election Commission against local

administrations.

Offi cials at the Election Commission

say mainly BNP candidates came up

with such allegations.

Violence, rigging, snatching of bal-

lot papers had also taken place in the

last phases of the elections, despite the

Election Commissions strong warningagainst such unpleasant acts. l

No climate fund to support fossil fuels, activists warnnTribune Report

Civil society observers of the United

Nations Green Climate Fund noted

with alarm that like other internation-

al financial institutions, the GCF may

rationalise funding climate-polluting

projects because of lower carbon en-

ergy or because they switch to lower

emissions fuels rather than truly sus-

tainable options.

More than 250 organisations, move-

ments and communities from devel-

oping countries have called on the UN

to ban the use of its funds for fossil fuel

and other harmful energy projects and

programmes as its seventh board meet-

ing begins in Songdo, Republic of Korea

today. The meeting will continue until

May 21. The preparatory meetings of the

Board and informal consultations among

registered observers were held yesterday.Formally launched in 2010, the GCF

is under pressure to open for business

in 2015.

The 19th session of the Conference

of Parties (COP) finalised the structure

and functions of the GCF in Warsaw,

Poland last year. But there had been

no money in the Fund which would

support projects and other activities in

developing nations to adapt with the

adverse impact of climate change and

promote renewable energy. After 2020,

the developed countries are pledge-

bound to release $100bn every year.

To use climate funds to finance fos-

sil fuel and other harmful energy proj-

ects is totally unacceptable, said LidyNacpil, coordinator of Jubilee South

Asia/Pacific Movement on Debt and

Development a member of the Global

Campaign to Demand Climate Justicethat helped coordinate worldwide re-

sponse.

We are organisations, movements

and communities from developing

countries whose citizens bear the brunt

of the most harmful consequences

of climate change. All efforts must be

made to ensure that climate finance isprovided adequately, allocated equita-

bly and used effectively, Nacpil said,

according to a press release.

For the Green Climate Fund to have

transformational impact, as it says it

wants, it should not promote busi-

ness-as-usual energy solutions. It has

to step away from the failed corporate

model of energy services and open up

real, people-controlled, community

power solutions, Nacpil concluded.

Financing any fossil fuels and

harmful energy through the Green Cli-mate Fund is fundamentally in conflict

with what people around the world

over are demanding, what the mandate

of the founding document of Green Cli-

mate Fund actually says, and with cli-

mate science and common sense, Asad

Rehman, head of International Climate

at Friends of the Earth EWNI, said.

In the context of sustainable devel-

opment, the Fund will promote the

paradigm shift towards low-emission

and climate-resilient development

pathways by providing support to de-

veloping countries to limit or reduce

their greenhouse gas emissions and to

adapt to the impacts of climate change,

taking into account the needs of those

developing countries particularly vul-

nerable to the adverse effects of cli-

mate change.l

Manpower shortagerestrains progressin health sectorWrit petitions delay recruitmentin over 10,000 posts

nMoniruzzman Uzzal

The countrys health sector continues

to suffer setbacks as over 23,000 posts

remain vacant, while the recruitment

process continues to be delayed as

disgruntled candidates are filing writs

accusing rampant corruption and nep-

otism in the process.

According to the Directorate General

of Health Services (DGHS), 23,127 out of

the total 100,501 regular posts are cur-rently vacant in different health estab-

lishments.

Although separate processes for re-

cruiting ov er 10,000 health offi cials

including doctors, technologists, third

and fourth class employees began

more than a year ago, the process was

yet to be completed.

The entire recruitment process hasreportedly been plagued with a flood

of recommendations from cabinet

members, top bureaucrats, politicians

and leaders of doctors organisations.

The initiative to fill the empty posts

had also created opportunities for an

unscrupulous section of offi cials to

pocket large amounts of cash from job

seekers.

Asked about the large number of

existing vacancies, DGHS Director (ad-

ministration) Dr Md Shah Newaz told

the Dhaka Tribune that even though

the offi cial figu res put the numb er of

vacancies at more than 23,000, the

process of recruiting 10,000 health of-

ficials was ongoing.According to the existing rules, at

least 10% of the total available posts

have to be kept vacant as reserved

posts, the director said.

On the other hand, several senior

health sector offi cials, seeking ano-

nymity, said authorities were unable

to move forward with the recruitment

process because of different writs and

cases being filed on charges of rules-vi-

olation and corruption.

A writ petition had reportedly

caused delay in the recruitment of 915

posts for third and fourth class em-

ployees in nine districts, for which over

60,000 candidates appeared in writ-

ten tests in April last year. The Health

Ministry is now going for a fresh re-

cruitment process after the ruling went

against the government.

Following a different writ, the re-

cruitment process of 1,057 medicaltechnologists which began around six

months ago has been left hanging.The DGHS was defeated in a writ pe-

tition that challenged the recruitment of

177 third and fourth class employees in

Sirajganj more than two years ago. The

Health Ministry has reportedly decided

to fight the ruling at the court again.

The recruitment of 1,808 third and

fourth class employees in 25 districts

resumed a few months ago, following

the dismissal of a writ that had delayed

the process for long.

The pressure of manpower shortage

is expected to be lessened once the re-

cruitment of 6,221 doctors through the

33rd BCS exam is completed.

Sources said the DGHS has also re-

ceived permission to recruit 186 third

and fourth class employees in five dis-

trict sadar and district hospitals. But the

advertisement was yet to be served. l

Residents of Uttara hold a demostration in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding exemplary punishment for the killers of Sharmin Akter Sumi SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Speakers at the concluding session of the two-day Bengal Lights Literary Conclave yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNEAdversement

Facebook urgedto open offi cein Bangladesh

nMuhammad Zahidul Islam

Facebook authorities have been urged to

set up a research, development and train-

ing centre in Bangladesh at the USBan-

gladesh Tech Investment Summit 2014. A

Bangladeshi delegation, led by the State

Minister for Information and Communi-

cation Technology, proposed the idea.

Shameem Ahsan, president of Ban-

gladesh Association of Software andInformation Services posted a message

on Facebook on Friday (Bangladesh

time Saturday) following a meeting

with the social media giant authori-

ties at the companys headquarters in

Silicon Valley. The delegation was led

by State Minister for Information and

Communication Technology Division

Zunaid Ahmed Palak. BASIS SecretaryGeneral Russell T Ahmed and several

others attended the meeting.

Fruitful meeting with Facebook

Senior Directors at their Head Quarter

and urged them to set up Research &

Development and Training center in

Bangladesh for our youth! the post

read.

Similar posts containing pictures

were also shared by Palak and Russell

on their Facebook profiles.

According to a release yesterday,

Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS)

said, the Bangladesh Delegation also de-

manded Facebook with Bangla language

in addition to establishing a regional of-

fice here in Dhaka. BASIS president Sha-meem Ahsan and BCS president AHM

Mahfuzul Arif placed the demand from

Bangladeshi delegation.

In the meeting, state minister Zu-

naid Ahmed Palak said, currently Ban-

gladesh has around 35 million internet

users which will increase to around 100million by 2021 so it will be more lucra-

tive for Facebook authority to establish

offi ce in Banglad esh. l


5/21

Dhanmondi childrens park awaits public openingnAbu Hayat Mahmud

Russel Sishutosh Angan, a mini

childrens park in the citys

Dhanmondi lakeshore area, has not

been opened to public even after

completion of construction as the

authorities concerned are considering

privatisation of it.

Antisocial activities have become

commonplace in the park area as peo-

ple prefer not to visit either side of the

lake when the sun sets, said locals and

army offi cials who imp lemented beau-

tification work of the lake.

Seeking anonymit y, an offi cial of

the 16 Engineering Construction Bat-

talion of Bangladesh Army said beauti-

fication of Dhanmondi Lake had com-

pleted almost a month ago.

He said they had already asked

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC)

offi cials to reestab lish authori ty on the

lake.

However, the city corporation au-

thorities are delaying to take back re-

sponsibility of the lake, he added.DSCC authorities have been trying

to lease the park to a private company

for maintenance since the parks inau-

guration , said the arm y offi cial, a dd-

ing: Everyone should pay to enter thepark erected on eastern part of Dhan-

mondi Lake.

He alleged many objects were sto-

len during and after the beautification

process.

Water taps, a big water tank of

public toilet, beautification lamps and

some parts of those have been stolen

twice from the lake area but the secu-

rity guards are turning a blind eye to

this, he said.

We stay at the site from morn-

ing to evening but miscreants usually

steal the objects at night. Some guards

might be involved in this, he added.

The army offi cer said the la keshore

areas, meant for recreation of the gen-

eral people, had become a sanctuary

for sex workers and drug addicts at

night.Residents of Dhanmondi also said

the lake is virtually ruled by drug ad-

dicts and peddlers, floating sex work-

ers, brokers and clients at night.Imtiaz Ahmed, a local resident,

said: Sex workers operate in the lake

area when night descends. The securi-

ty guards take money from them regu-

larly and help them carry on with their

acts.

Another local resident Fahim

echoed the same view, saying: Some-

times when I walk in the lake area at

night on my way back to home, I see

antisocial activities here and there is

also the fear of being hijacked.

Security guards in the area, howev-

er, refused to talk about this issue.

DSCC Chie f Execut ive Offi cer Mo-hammad Ansar Ali Khan told the Dha-

ka Tribune that they would take back

the full control of the lake from the

army soon.

The project is still under army

maintenance. We will be responsible

about the criminal activities in the

area when we establish our authority,

he said.

Speaking of privatisation of the

childrens park, Ansar Ali said: We are

trying to lease this to a private firm to

ensure proper maintenance.

The park is to be opened to pub-

lic immediately and Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina will inaugurate it, he

added.

Meanwhile, army offi cials sa id un-

der the beautification project, they

had set up an orchid garden, the park

beside the Kalabagan playground, and

also planted almost 50,000 trees along

the lakeshore.

The project also included construc-

tion of a two-kilometre walkway, a

1.5-kilometre drainage system, foot-

bridges o n Kalabagan and Dhanomn-

di Road 8, installation of 10 drinking

water points and construction of fourpublic toilets.

In 2011, the government took on the

development project covering approxi-mately 39.2 hectares of land of the lake

area from Dhanmondi Road 32 to Road

6 in order to give a facelift to the green-

ery and make the area more attractive

to a wider range of city dwellers.

The initiative was undertaken by

the Local Government Division and

the DSCC.Ninety percent of the funding for

the Tk245.3m project came from the

LGD, with the rest coming from the

city corporation.The project was given to the 16 En-

gineering Construction Battalion un-

der the Special Works Organisation of

the Bangladesh Army for implementa-

tion while Vitti Sthapati Brindo worked

as the projects consultant.l

WEATHER

PARTLY

CLOUDY

5NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, May 18, 2014

PRAYER TIMES

Fajar 3:51am

Sunrise 5:15am

Zohr 11:55am

Asr 3:18pm

Magrib 6:35pm

Esha 7:59pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Source: Accuweather/UNB

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A Y

Dhaka

Chittagong

Rajshahi

Rangpur

Khulna

Barisal

Sylhet

Coxs Bazar

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:35PM SUN RISES 5:15AM

YESTER DAYS HIGH AN D LOW42.2C 20.8CJessore Teknaf

SUNDAY, MAY 18

18 Jamaat-Shibirmen held inChittagongnTarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Police in special drive yesterday arrest-

ed 30 people, including 18 activists of

Jamaat-e-Islami and its student front

Islami Chhatra Shibir, from different

areas in Satkania and Lohagara upazi-

las of Chittagong.

Of the arrestees, 12 were accused in

different cases lodged with Satkania

and Lohagara police stations.

AKM Emran Bhuiyan, assistant su-

perintendent of police of Satkania cir-

cle, said acting on a tip-off, they picked

up 18 people, including six Jamaat-Shi-

bir men, f rom different areas in Satka-

nia upazila.

Meanwhile, 12 other Jamaat-Shibir

men were arrested from nine unions in

Lohagara upazila, he said, adding that the

arrestees were produced before the court.

The police offi cer said their special

drive would continue. The law enforce-

ment agencies in separate drives nabbed

a total of 135 Jamaat-Shibir activists from

the city and district in last 17 days.The arrested were allegedly involved

with the violence in the upazilas before

and after the January 5 national elec-

tion, police said, adding that they werealso planning further sabotage in the

areas ahead of the conviction of Delwar

Hossain Sayedee.l

Mayor Jhantu:RCC to stand bydistressed peoplenBSS

Mayor of Rangpur City Corporation

(RCC) Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu yester-

day said RCC will always stand besidethe distressed people to assist in over-

coming losses from natural disasters.

He said this while distributing Taka

30,000 among two fire-incident vic-

tim families as grants at a ceremony

arranged in Chak Eshobpur area in the

city as the chief guest.

The mayor extended the financial

assistance to the two victim families to

recoup the losses as their all propertieswere gutted into ashes in a devastating

fire that broke out on Friday last.

RCC Councilor Sultan Mahmud Pra-

manik of Ward No-12 presided over the

ceremony attended by the local people

and elite.l

BSF held BangladeshinationalnBSS

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) ar-

rested a Bangladeshi national named Mo-

hammad Hossain, 12, from Jogdol border

under Ranisankail upazila here yesterday.

Intellige nce Offi cer of BGB-30 Majo r

Towhid said a petrol team of BSF-121

from Tingaon camp arrested Moham-

mad for lack of valid documents at 7 am

while he was returning back to Bangla-

desh from India.The BGB personnel sent a letter to

BSF asking to arrange Company Com-

mander level flag meeting to return the

Bangladeshi national. l

MV Bangali to be

fixed soonnAbu Hayat Mahmud

MV Bangali, the first passenger

steamer made in Bangladesh, will

soon go und er repai r, offi cials of

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport

Corporation (BIWTC) told the Dhaka

Tribune.

The steamer, which made its

maiden voyage on April 10 this year,

was put out of service on April 27 due

to structural problems reported by

passengers.

Mojibor Rahman, chairman of BI-

WTC, said many passengers had com-

plained about the lack of facilities in

the steamer.

Passengers travelling with sec-

ond-class tickets complained about

congested accommodation. There

are other structural problems in the

steamer too. That is why we withdrew

it from service, he said.

Other structural problems in MV

Bangali include narrow balcony space

and lack of outside view from the cab-

ins, accordi ng to BIWTC offi cials .

Taking the complaints into consid-

eration, the Shipping Ministry decided

to change parts of the steamers de-

sign, the said.

Mojibor said the repair work would

start in a couple days in Narayanganj.

Hopefully we will be able to get thesteamer back on water in a week, he

added.

The steamer, which was launched

on the Dhaka-Barisal route, was built

by Western Marines and cost Tk26.8

crore.

It is 75.5-metre long and 12.5-metre

wide with passenger capacity of 750

and cargo capacity of 100 tonnes, ac-

cording to BIWTC. l

Alleged drug peddler dies inpolice custodynOur Correspondent, Rajshahi

An alleged drug dealer died in police

custody early yesterday in Rajshahi

Boalia Metropolitan police station.

Family members of the arrestee,

Ruhul Amin, claimed that he was killed

by the police as they refused to paythe bribe for his release the police had

demanded. However, police claimed

Ruhul had committed suicide.

According to witnesses, Ruhul was

arrested by a team of Boalia police

around 5:30pm on Friday from Vadrarail-crossing area of the c ity.

He was beaten on the spot by the

police and later taken to the police sta-

tion.

When asked about the arrest, police

said he was a local drug dealer and 250

grams of marijuana (ganja) was found

in his possession.

Around 12:30am yesterday, police

informed reporters that an arrestee

had committed suicide in custody by

strangulating himself with a yarn of a

blanket. But no b lanket was found in

the cell when the police station wasvisited.

Family members of Ruhul claimed that

the police had demanded Tk10,000

from them for his release. Rafikul Islam

said his brother was killed because

they had refused to pay the amount. He

claimed that his brother had protested

drug vending in the locality and for

that reason Ruhul developed bitter

relations with local drug vendors.

Rafikul said the vendors had paid

the police to kill his brother.

The allegations brought by the fam-

ily were however denied by police.

Offi cer-in-C harge Sayedur Ra hman of

Boalia police station claimed the ar-

restee had killed himself.Meanwhile the family members

submitted a complaint to the commis-

sioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police,

demanding pu nishment of the offi cers

who were involved with the alleged

murder.

RMP Commissioner Mahbubur

Rahman said: A three-member probe

body has been formed to investigate

the matter and would be headed by

Deputy Commissioner Proloy Chi-

chim.

Proloy Chichim said a probe report

would be submitted within seven days.

The body was sent to Rajshahi Medical

College Hospital morgue for post mor-tem examination.l

World TelecommunicationDay observednBSS

World Telecommunication and Infor-

mation Society Day (WTISD)-2014 was

observed yesterday in the country as

elsewhere in the globe with the theme

Broadband for Sustainable Develop-

ment.

To mark the day, the ministry of

posts, telecommunications and in-formati on technol ogy and its a ffi liat-

ed organizations chalked out various

programmes including online essay

competition, prize giving ceremony,

discussion meeting and colorful rally.This year the government chose

Khulna division for central pro-

grammes to observe the day. Earlier

the central programmes were taken in

Chittagong division.

Posts, Telecommunications and In-

formation Technology Ministry in asso-

ciation with the Khulna district adminis-

tration organized day-long programmes

in Khulna city to observe the day.

Inaugurating the days programmes

in a city hotel, Posts, Telecommuni-

cations and Information Technology

Minister Abdul Latif Siddique, MP, said

the government is giving utmost prior-ity to the development of telecom and

ICT sectors to ensure free flow of infor-

mation for building a knowledge-based

democratic society.

Telecommunication and ICT have

now become one of the main tools of

socio-economic development global-ly, he said.

The minister also urged the busi-

nessmen to invest in the countrys ICT

sector to make successful the campaign

for building a Digital Bangladesh by

2021 as well as turning Bangladesh into

a developed country by 2041.

He hoped proper implementation

of the Vision-2021 announced by the

government will play a significant role

in strengthening the countrys economy.

Latif said the government has for-

mulated the ICT Act and ICT policy in

2009 declaring the information tech-

nology as the thrust sector to achieve

its electoral pledge to build the Digital

Bangladesh.l

DSCC yet to open Dhanmondi childrens park to public despite completion of construction ABU HAYAT MAHMUD

39 28

34 27

43 29

39 26

40 26

38 27

38 24

34 27

MV Bangali, the first passenger steamer made in Bangladesh, which started its journey on April 10, will go under repair as it has been put

out of service due to structural problems SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

A three-member

probe body has beenformed to investigatethe matter and wouldbe headed by DeputyCommissioner ProloyChichim


6/21

6 NationDHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, May 18, 2014

Girl killed after rape

nOur Correspondent, Kishoreganj

A 4-year-old girl was killed after rape at

Gaital area in Kishoreganj on Saturday

night.

Police arrested Shah Alam in

Kashurarchar area during a raid in con-

nection with the incident.

Police and witness said Shah Alamkidnapped the girl while sleeping at

around 11.30pm. Later, locals foundher body near a mosque in Gaital area.

Kishoreganj Police Super Anwar Hos-

sain Khan said: Upon receiving infor-

mation, police rushed to the spot and

arrested Shah Alam conducting a raid in

the area.

Shah Alam admitted about the rape

in primary interrogation, he added.

Nayan Mia, father of the child, filed

a case against Shah Alam in this con-

nection.l

3,000 bottles phensedyl seizednOur Correspondent, Jessore

Border Guard Bangladesh in separate

drives early yesterdayrecoveredeight

crude bombs, a pistoland a round of

bullets, and also seized 3,000 bottles

of Phensedyl from Putkhali frontier

under Benapole port police station and

Malanchi under Jessore sadar upazila.

Two suspected smugglers were also

arrested during one of the drives.

Lieutenant Colonel Mostafizur Rah-

man, co mmanding offi cer of 2 3 Bor-

der Guard Battalion,said the BGB men

had recovered the bombs and weapon

abandoned from a place at Putkhali af-

ter receiving a tip-off.However, no one

was arrested in this regard.

In another drive, 26 Border Guard

Battalion seized a total of 3,000 bottles

of Phensedyl and arrested suspected

smugglers Yanur and Akherulfrom a

goods laden truck coming from Bena-

pole around 5am, said Lieutenant

Colonel Matiur Rahman, director of the

battalion.l

10, including OC, SI,injured in Gazipur clashnOur Correspondent, Gazipur

At least ten people, including two po-

lice offi cials, were in jured in spora dic

clashes between supporters of a local

AL leader and a suspended AL leader

over establishing supremacy in Puratan

bus stand area of Kapasia upazila here

yesterday.

The policemen are Kapasia police sta-

tion Offi cer-in-Charge (OC) Ahsan Ull ah

and Sub-Inspector (SI) M Abu Siddique.

Both of them were given first aid, said

Kapasia circle Assistant Superintendent

of Police (ASP) Shahriar Al-Mamun.Witnesses said Anisur Rahman Arif,

who was recently suspended from the

general secretary post of Kapasia upazila

unit AL for running in the fray of upazila

vice chairman election defying party

decision, took out a procession around

10:30am from Kapasia Bazar marking

the homecoming day of Prime Minister

and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina.

Later, they held a rally in front of

Arif s offi ce at Bhuiyan Ma rket Goli of

the Bazar.

Being informed of it, a group, led by

Kapasia upazila unit president Moham-

mad Shahidulla and the units Jubo

League president Shakawat Hossain

Prodhan , went to Ari fs offi ce and a

brawl ensued there.They also vandalised about seven

motorcycles parked there, prompting

Arifs supporters to retaliate. Shakawat

was injured in the reprisal attack.

Meanwhile, Shahidullas supporters,

equipped with local weapons, chased

Arifs followers to the bus stand area

where a clash ensued between them, in

which at least eight people were injured.

On information, Kapasia police

rushed to the scene and the OC and SI

were injured while bringing the situa-

tion under control.

Around 1:00pm, police arrested Arif

and his nine followers from the market.

During the clash, some front-side

glass sheets of the nearby branch of

Southeast Bank were also vandalised,

said Muhibur Rahman, vice president

of the bank.

Kapasia Circle ASP Shahriar blamed

Arif for the clash.

In this regard, Arif said his opponent

group swooped on his peaceful rally

without any provocation. l

Indigenous species of fish face extinctionnOur Correspondent, Netrokona

Many indigenous species of fish are

on the verge of extinction in the natu-

ral water bodies of Netrokona district

due to various reasons including wide-

spread use of pesticides and chemical

fertilizers in the cropland and adverseimpact of climate change.

According to local sources, the local

water-bodies like rivers, lake, canals

and the swamps have been affected

by the toxins of the pesticides and

chemical fertilizers harming the ideal

environment for the aquatic life in the

district.

Elderly people and fishermen in the

district said the native fishes were in

abundance in all the rivers including

Sumeswari, Kangso, Dhano and Mogra

and in Mohonganj, Halizuri and Modan

haors, canals, beels and other natural

water-bodies.

All the water-bodies were full of dif-

ferent varieties of fishes like Mohas-

hoal, Ruhi, Katla, Chitol, Khoi, Shorpu-

ti, Gozar, Ayir, Bowal, Taki, Golsey,Talapia, Baim, Bedory, Kholsey, Kaik-

kia and Tengra.

The district was known as granary

and fish resourceful are of the country,

but now facing an acute shortage of in-

digenous fishes.

These fishes were even used to be

supplied to many places of the country

including capital city Dhaka after ful-

filling the needs of the district.

Even huge quantities of these fishes

remained surplus in the down-stream

areas and were stored in all the houses

there after drying.

But, in course of time, the scenario

changed and the district lost its past

glory as a "fish-rich" area as all the tra-

ditional fishes including the Mohashoal

fish have now disappeared from thenatural open water bodies.

Many old-aged fishermen and local

people said they could catch the na-

tive fishes by casting simple nets from

the river Sumeswari, Kangso , Dhano,

Mogra and all the natural water bodies

including haors, canals and beels.

But, now a days, not a single Ayir,Gozar, Kholsey, Talapia, Vedory, Chi-

tol, and other native fishes would be

found easily in the rivers, canals and

other natural water bodies by putting a

branch of tree or casting a simple net",

they lamented.

Sources of district fishery depart-

ment said the production of the native

fishes in the natural open water bodies

had come down due to many reasons

including unprecedented fall of water-levels in the rivers and others water

bodies.

Besides, catching of fish-fries and

pollution of waters in the water-bodies

due to excessive use of fertilizers in the

crop fields, they said.

Many fishermen are now earning

their living by pulling rickshaw or do-

ing other toiling work.

Fisherman Jasim said: Catch of fish

is not satisfactory nowadays. It has

become hard fo r me to lead my fam-

ily with the money I earn from sale of

the fish caught in the river. Despite the

situation, I go to river for fishing as I do

not have any other sources of income.

Another fisherman Srikantha said:

Catch of fish is not satisfactory nowa-

days. It has become hard for me to leadmy family with the money I earn from

sale of the fish caught in the river. De-

spite the situation, I go to river for fish-

ing as I do not have any other sources

of income.

Distric t fishery offi cer Nurul Is lam

said that the government had taken a

package of programme entitled "Pis-

ciculture and fish management pro-

gramme" in the haor areas for increas-

ing production of the native fishes.l

Kidnapped boy rescued; 1 heldnOur Correspondent, Pirojpur

Police rescued a boy in Sadar upazila of

Bagerhat district Saturday 6 hours after

his kidnap from Pirojpur on Friday.

The rescued boy is Rashedul Islam,

15, a Secondary School Certificate ex-aminee and son of Dulal Mia of Shikar-

para area in Pirojpur town.

Sources said miscreants had picked up

Rashed from a bridge near Janata Cinema

Hall in the town at 6pm. Later the kid-

nappers demanded Tk5 lakh as ransom

from the family members of Rashed.

As per the demand of the kidnap-pers, Rasheds mother sent Tk1.98

lakh to three mobile phone numbers

through bKash.

After tracking the mobile phones of the

kidnappers, police conducted a drive inBagerhat and rescued Rashed from a field

of Bagerhat District Education Offi ce.

The police also arrested one Asaduz-

zaman Meraj of Kaukhali upazila of the

district in connection with alleged in-

volvement in the kidnap. l

Three UPDF menheld with firearms

nOur Correspondent,Khagrachhari

A team of joint forces arrested three

United Peoples Democratic Front

(UPDF) men early yesterday in Moratila

area of Khagrachharis Panchhari upa-

zila with firearms.

The three UPDF men were identified

as Surendra Tripura, 27, son of Nobo

Kumar Tripura, Mohendra Tripura, 32,son of Milon Bhusan Tripura both from

Moratila and Sunil Tripura alias Katang

36, son of Sukendra Tripura of Sorendra

Headman Para of Matiranga upazila.

Offi cer-in-Charge Abdus Samad Moral

of Panchhari police station said the team

of joint forces led by Maj Mehedi Hasan

of Khagrachhari Sadar Army Zone made

the arrests acting on a tip-off. The team

had conducted the drive at Moratila area

around 4am and arrested the UPDF trio

with one pistol, one point 22 (.22) borerifle and one SLRAK 22 pistol, 50 rounds

of bullet, two cartridges, two cell phones

and many subscription books.

In the primary interrogation, the

three arrestees admitted that they were

UPDF activists and was engaged in toll

collection activities in the areas.

The OC said a case was being pro-

cessed in this connection. l

NO WEATHER FORECASTING

60,000 fishermen take life riskseveryday in LakshmipurnOur Correspondent, Lakshmipur

Around 60,000 fishermen have been

fishing in the Meghna river, taking the

risk of being caught unawares in the

rough weather in the absence of a func-tional weathe r offi ce in Lakshmipu r.

Even tho ugh a weat her offi ce was

set up at the districts Ramgati upa-

zila six years ago, it has yet not been

brought into operation.

Since this offi ce has not been

opened, the fishermen still have to go

fishing in the river by observing forma-

tion of clouds in the sky.

Their weather guess often goes

wrong, leaving them to be caught una-

wares in the rough weather.

Earlier on Thursday, they were tak-

en by a storm completely unawares,

when at least 50 boats had sunken in

the river while fishermen managed to

swim to safety.

According to the local fisheries de-partment, the weather forecasting

offi ce was set up in 20 08 by the gov-

ernment upon the fishermens long-

standing demand. The government

had spent Tk 1 crore while building this

offi ce on one and a hal f acres of l and atChar Sekander of the upazila.

A storm-hit boatman and fisher-

man says, These boats would not have

been sunken in the river if the weather

offi ce was brought into o peration so on

after it was set up here.

Despi te the weather offi ce having

been set up here, we have to go fish-

ing by observing, moon, stars, after all

clouds, in the sky. What is the use of

setting up the weath er offi ce here if it isnot brought into operation, he asked,

venting anger on the authority for not

opening the weat her offi ce.

The fishermen are incurring loss

due to natural calamities in t

print edition: 18 may 2014

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