print edition: march 2014

Upload: dhaka-tribune

Post on 02-Mar-2016

238 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

Check out our print edition today. The epaper is also available on the site: http://www.dhakatribune.com/epaper

TRANSCRIPT

  • 20 pages plus 16-page T-Mag tabloid | Price: Tk10

    Falgun 20, 1420Jamadiul Awal 2, 1435Regd. No. DA 6238Vol 1 No 340

    13 | SRI LANKA CRUISE TO FINALTMAG | MANLIER THAN MOST MEN? 8 | RUSSIA CEMENTS GRIP ON CRIMEA

    TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

    7 | NAZRULS SOJOURNS IN CHITTAGONG

    Gun ghts on the rise 46 killed in rst 47 days this year, 208 last yearn Mohammad Jamil Khan Despite massive criticisms, the inci-dents of extrajudicial killings in the name of gun ghts or cross re is on the rise with 46 people reportedly killed at the hands of law enforcers in the last one and a half months.

    According to rights watchdog Ain O Salish Kendra, at least 46 people were killed in gun ghts from January 1 to February 16. Of them, 15 were killed by RAB, 22 by police, one by RAB and po-lice, one by BGB and 16 others by the joint forces.

    Such killings rst surfaced in 2004, after the formation of the elite crime ghting force RAB (Rapid Action Bat-talion). In 2005 and 2006, at least 739 people were killed in such incidents.

    At that time, then opposition party Awami League criticised the BNP-Ja-maat government and asserted that they would stop cross re incidents by law enforcers if assumed power. But in 2009, at least 229 people were killed this way.

    The incidents of cross re or extraju-dicial killings were on the decline after

    2006 and it came down to 91 in 2012.According to ASK, 210 people were

    killed in 2004; 377 in 2005; 362 in 2006; 180 in 2007; 175 in 2008; 133 in 2010; 100 in 2011.

    However, last year, cross re got a new name, gun ght, when around 208 people were killed.

    Over the last 10 years, a good num-ber of people were allegedly picked up by law enforcement agencies and were never found again.

    Rights activists say the incidents of cross re suddenly increased centring on the 10th national election held on January 5.

    Prof Mizanur Rahman, chairman of the National Human Rights Commis-sion, has said that the incidents have risen alarmingly in recent times. These go against the rule of law and democra-cy, and are in no way acceptable.

    Those responsible for such crimi-nal acts must be given capital punish-ment to stop this practice, he said.

    However, police chief Hassan Mahmood Khandker claimed that forced disappearance and killings were

    Report: Most fth graders lack competence in Bangla, math n Mushfi que Wadud Nearly 75% of fth graders do not have adequate competence for grade V Bangla while 67% lack that in math-ematics, a World Bank report revealed yesterday.

    Although these students are at the end of the primary education cycle, they are still performing at a level lower than what is typical of fth grade com-

    petence, World Banks Bangladesh: Education Sector Review noted.

    The report said data and gures were collected from a survey of the Directorate of Primary Education. It was unveiled at a consultation meet-ing organised by Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) at a city hotel yes-terday.

    The learning level, according to the report, is low at the beginnings of

    primary education, with 50% of third graders failing to meet the competency target for Mathematics, 33% failed to do so in Bangla.

    The survey found competence is worse among children from econom-ically disadvantaged backgrounds. Children from poor families were found to be at least three-fourths of a school year behind in Bangla compared to their richer counterparts and half a

    school year behind in Mathematics. However, in Primary School Cer-

    ti cate examinations in 2013, 98.58% passed the exam while a total of 2,40,961 students secured GPA-5.

    The pass rate was 92.34% in 2010, 97.26% in 2011, 97.35% in 2012 and 98.58% in 2013.

    Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, CAMPE executive director Rasheda

    PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

    3 killed in gun ghts with RAB, policen Kailash SarkarAt least two members of an alleged gang of kidnappers were killed in a gun ght with a RAB team at Jurain in the capital yesterday.

    In another incident, a member of an alleged gang of robbers was killed when police red returned gun re when attacked with bombs in the early hours of yesterday at Savar, on the out-skirts of the capital.

    According to RAB 10 o cials and police, four RAB members and four po-licemen sustained injuries during the

    incidents while the elite force recov-ered two pistols from the spot.

    Police also recovered a machete, a homemade long sharp weapon, a bomb and a torch.

    The persons killed in RAB shootout were identi ed as Sangram Chowdhury, 42, and Mahmudul Wasim, 62, of 129 Madina Masjid Road in Alambagh un-der Kadomtoli police station, while the identity of the 28-year-old alleged rob-ber could not be known immediately.

    The injured RAB 10 members were Sub-Inspectors Taiyebur Rahman, 38, and Sanjay, 35, and constable Rajeeb,

    30, while one of the four injured police-men was Sub-Inspector Ra qul Islam.

    Ra qul was admitted to Enam Medi-cal College and Hospital and three con-stables were given rst aid.

    RAB o cials said they also rescued four persons abducted and tortured in a house on Madina Masjid Road of Alambagh in Jurain.

    Of them, Mohammad Rana, 18, was kidnapped from Ashulia, Jahang-ir Miah, 30, from ZiRABo, Hridoy Mahmud, 32, from Sign Board, and Akhter Hossain, 40, from Sanarpar.

    PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

    Police killed him for publishing corruption news, alleges family n Mohammad Jamil Khan Family members of journalist Shah Alam Sarkar, who worked at local magazines, yesterday alleged that he had been killed by o cials of Uttara west police station for publishing a news report on corrup-tion by an in uential person.

    They also brushed aside the polices claim that Shah Alam had died on Sun-day evening falling from the rooftop of the police station as he wanted to ee from the police custody.

    Shah Alam had no cases against him, so why would he want to escape? This is nothing but a pre-planned kill-ing of police, the victims elder brother Kamal Mollah said yesterday.

    PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

    Criminals buy time to stay in jail,says minister n Mohosinul KarimDetained high-pro le criminals have been extending their stay in jails by de-laying cases pending in courts and car-rying out misdeeds, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said.

    Commenting on the two escaped JMB militants now on the run, he said there was no need for panic. We have taken all necessary measures so that they cannot leave the country. Red alerts have been issued along the bor-der. They will be arrested...

    He made the remarks at his o ce yesterday while talking about the home ministry probe report on the as-sisted escaping of three convicted JMB militants from a prison van. The report, submitted on Sunday, held the police and the jail authorities responsible for the incident.

    The state minister said: A number of dangerous criminals and militants are in jails as cases led against them are pending in the courts. The number of such cases is also increasing. Law

    PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

    Around46 people were killed

    in cross re from January to February 16 this year

    SOURCE:

    Ain o Shalish Kendra(ASK)

    KILLED IN CROSSFIRE

    2013201220112010200920082007200620052004

    210

    377362

    180 175

    229

    133

    100 91

    208

    S LAT

    IF/DT

    INFO

    GRAP

    HIC

    PHO

    TO: R

    AJIB

    DHA

    R/DT

  • News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, March 4, 2014

    Picnic bus had no tness certi caten Our Correspondent, Jessore The picnic bus that plunged into a roadside ditch in Jessore on January 15 killing eight primary schoolstudents, did not have a tness certi cate, one of the three probe bodies, formed in con-nection with the accident, has found.

    The probe body formed by the district administration, headed by additional district magistrate Sabina Yeasmin, has already submitted its report.

    The two other bodies have not yet submitted their reports.

    Mosta zur Rahman, deputy com-missioner of Jessore, said he was yet to read the report.

    Ashraqur Rahman, BRTA assistant director, said the tenure of the tness certi cate for the vehicle bearing plate number Rajshahi Metra-Ja-11-0080 ex-pired on September 25, 2013. l

    UPAZILA POLLS

    AL ignores allies proposal n Emran Hossain ShaikhLeaders of the 14-party alliance allege that the ruling Awami League ignored their proposal for jointly contesting the upazila parishad polls.

    Pointing at the BNP and its ally Ja-maat-e-Islami, the 14-party leaders say the BNP-Jamaat alliance is doing better because of their strong unity and that the results could have been di erent had the AL acted in a similar fashion.

    Out of a total of 466 upazilas, polls in 211 have ended in two phases where most of the AL-backed candidates were defeated by the BNP and Ja-maat-backed candidates.

    In the two phases, BNP and Jamaat candidates won 119 chairman seats while their AL rivals secured only 78. Results of vice-chairman and female vice-chairman contestants of the AL are very poor as well.

    The 14-party alliance leaders, whose aim was to join the upazila polls joint-ly, say if the AL, after securing three-fourths majority in the national elec-tion, did accordingly, they would not have faced this asco.

    The alliance leaders claim that they urged the AL to extend the 14-parties activities to upazila level and to contest the polls jointly; but were turned down.

    Although the national election and the upazila polls are not the same, the AL now sees the result of rejecting the proposal, alliance leaders observe.

    At the last meeting of 14-partiy alli-ance on January 21 in the run-up to the rst phase of upazila polls, the 14-par-

    ty alliance leaders raised the proposal urging the AL to take part in the polls together. The AL then rejected it and asked allies to contest polls separately.

    When asked, Anisur Rahman Mallik, secretary of Workers Party of Bangla-desh, an associate of the 14-party alli-ance, said the AL had rejected their pro-posal for contesting upazila polls jointly.

    Our proposal was turned down and we were asked to participate in the polls separately. Now we can see the result of the denial, Anisur told the Dhaka Tribune. His party won only one vice-chairman seat.

    He said they had requested the AL several times to extend the alliances activities to the grassroots but their re-quests were not taken into account.

    We think if we were able to contest the polls together like the BNP and Ja-maat, the results would have been dif-ferent, he observed.

    Nurur Rahman Selim, secretary of Ganatantri Party which is another asso-ciate of the 14-party alliance, made the same observation. He said there was much to learn from the unity of BNP and Jamaat.

    National Awami Partys Secretary Enamul Haque said the polls results would have been di erent if single can-didates for each of the upazilas were chosen and if the polls were contested jointly.

    Earlier, Co-Chairman of ALs Elec-tion Steering Committee HT Imam said like the BNP and Jamaat, the AL was considering contesting the next phases of polls along with their allies. l

    Junior minister suspends one, transfers two land o cials n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong State Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed suspended a land ministry o cial and transferred two oth-ers for alleged corruption and irregulari-ties during a surprise visit to a land o ce in Chittagong yesterday afternoon.

    While visiting the Kattali land o ce, the state minister ordered the suspen-sion of Sa q Uddin, a deputy assistant land o cial, as he was reportedly tak-ing his time to clear some cases.

    He also ordered the transfers of as-sistant land o cial Akkas Uddin and deputy assistant land o cial ABM Masum for allegedly taking additional money as revenue and not depositing

    the revenue collected in the govern-ment co ers on time.

    The two o cials were also asked to explain the charges against them.

    Saifuzzaman also visited Sadar and Chandgaon circle land o ces yesterday.

    The state minister later directed SM Abdul Quader, additional deputy com-missioner (revenue) of Chittagong dis-trict administration, to conduct mobile courts in the land o ces to wipe out all kinds of irregularities.

    Saifuzzaman told journalists that no kind of irregularity would be tolerated in the land o ces and such sudden vis-its would continue to take place. He also said the government had a plan to create a land bank with state-owned land. l

    11 Bangladeshi migrants arrested for gambling in KSAn Rabiul IslamSaudi police arrested 11 Bangladeshi migrant workers on charges of gam-bling in Taif and recovered SR 21,388.

    We received the news and sent our o cials to get detailed informa-tion, Md Mokammal Hossain, labour counsellor of Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

    The security patrol forces raided the site after receiving a tip-o and arrest-ed 11 people involved in gambling with

    a net sum of SR 21,388, reported Saudi Arabia-based English daily Arab News yesterday quoting a police statement.

    Dr. Athe Al-Quraishi, police spokes-person for Makkah region, said the Bangladeshis were referred to the Bu-reau of Investigation and Prosecution.

    Bangladesh labour counsellor Mokammal said if the Bangladeshis were found guilty of gambling, they would have to face imprisonment for a minimum of six months that could be extended to a year and would also be ned SR 1000 to 2000. l

    Rajshahi University reopens March 10 n RU correspondentAfter remaining closed for more than a month, the Rajshahi University will re-open on March 10. The residential stu-dents will be able to get back to the halls on March 9, said a press statement.

    The decision came at an emergency syndicate meeting held at the vice-cha-cellors lounge. The press release also said the syndicate had imposed an em-bargo on holding processions and ral-lies on the campus until further notice.

    The syndicate also asked a probe body to investigate into the February 2 incident.

    The university authorities have asked students to carry their identity cards on campus and sought coopera-tion from di erent quarters. l

    Relatives wail after seeing the body of journalist Shah Alam Sarker at the DMCH yesterday. Story on Page 1 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

    Gun ghts on the rise PAGE 1 COLUMN 2nothing but an old criminal practice and that it continues to happen.

    The law enforcers are on alert about such practice and they have suc-cessfully solved such cases by arresting the criminals, he said.

    About the involvement of law en-forcers in the extrajudicial killings in the name of gun ghts, he said action would follow investigation if any alle-gations were proved based on evidence.

    According to allegations, most cross- re incidents are nothing but a plot and are one-sided. The police versions of these incidents follow a standard pattern leading to questions about their veracity.

    In most cases, individuals identify-ing themselves as police, RAB or DB of- cials pick up people. Students, politi-cians, businesspersons and opposition leaders are on the list of missing.

    Sometimes their bodies are found and sometimes they disappear com-pletely. The law enforcers issue press statements claiming that the deceased person had been a criminal, a proposi-tion found to be false in certain cases.

    The law enforcers also claim that they have to open re in self-defence since the detainees cohorts launch armed attacks on them.

    During an investigation, the Dhaka

    Tribune found that one person, who had no criminal record, was killed in a gun ght with law enforcers in Jatrabari on February 15.

    Salauddin, 29, and Jewel, 28, were killed on the spot. Although Salaud-din was accused in eight murder cas-es, Jewel had no charges against him. He was a businessman in Kaptanbazar area and used to sell lter instruments.

    The Jatrabari police could not show any cases against Jewel, or even a gen-eral diary. Con rming the fact, Mohi-uddin Ahmed, senior assistant com-missioner of police (Demra division), told the Dhaka Tribune that although Jewel was not accused in any case, Sa-lauddin mentioned his name while giv-ing three separate confessional state-ments before a magistrate.

    Asked about Jewel, Shanir Akhra resident Ashraful Haq said they had heard about Salauddin as a criminal but nothing about Jewel. I do not know any criminal by this name.

    The Dhaka Tribune also contacted the investigation o cer of the case, Prodip Kumar Kundu, who is a sub-inspector of Jatrabari police. He also failed to show any legal documents against Jewel.

    In this regard, Elina Khan, chief ex-ecutive of Bangladesh Human Rights Foundation, said: Complaints are led

    by families with local police stations after a person goes missing and most of these complaints are led against the law enforcers. If they did not do anything, then why are the complaints led against them repeatedly?

    She observed that political will and cooperation of the government was needed to stop these incidents of dis-appearance and killings.

    On January 28, Tanvir Hassan An-jan, organising secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Leagues Bhatara unit, went missing. The members of police, Rab and DB failed to make any progress or trace him even though several com-plaints were lodged about the matter.

    On December 4 last year, Asaduzzaman Rana, Mazaharul Islam and Al-Amin for-mer leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dals Jagannath University unit went missing from Baridhara in the capital.

    Ranas sister Minara Begum led a general diary with Mugda police sta-tion soon after incident, but police are yet to nd him.

    The Dhaka Tribune found no com-plaint or case led with Kotwali police station against the three.

    Campus sources said they knew the three as Chhatra Dal leaders but had not heard about their involvement in violence or crimes in the area. l

    Report: Most fth graders lack PAGE 1 COLUMN 5K Choudhury said these ndings called the countrys examination system into question. She said at all levels of educa-tion, it was quality that su ered.

    Manzoor Ahmed, senior adviser at Brac Universitys Institute of Education and Development, said low budgetary allocation was one of the obstacles to ensuring quality education.

    He said budgetary allocation in Bangladesh was the lowest among South Asian countries and should be increased.

    Taking part in the discussion, teachers representative Kazi Faruque Ahmed said teachers should be given training to ensure quality education.

    Power and Participation Research Center executive director Hossain Zillur Rahman said the government should rethink the Monthly Pay Order System, as there were irregularities in it. He said school managing commit-

    tees running non-government schools was a major problem and there should be a policy on that.

    Zillur Rahman added the govern-ment should establish more public sec-ondary schools.

    Jesko Hentschel, World Banks Hu-man Development director of South Asia region, said: By improving qual-ity of education and also skill devel-opment, Bangladesh can link its youth to productive employment in local or overseas job markets.

    Speaking at the programme, Educa-tion Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said he himself was not satis ed with the qual-ity of education, though it had been improving over the years.

    Now the main challenge of our ed-ucation system is ensuring quality. We are working on it, he said.

    The minister admitted that the ex-amination system was bad and said they were working to improve it. l

    Criminals buy time to stay in jail PAGE 1 COLUMN 6yers of the criminals are delaying trial intentionally by seeking time for hear-ings.

    He said it was a major problem for the government, which is trying to con-clude the cases swiftly as high-pro le criminals are living comfortably in jail.

    If they are found guilty, they will be punished. Otherwise, they will be released.

    Regarding the probe report, Kamal said: We are examining the report and the recommendations made by the committee. We will inform the prime minister about the ndings and recom-mendations.

    He said steps would be taken against those responsible, conforming to sug-gestions by higher authorities in gov-ernment.

    The logical recommendations would be implemented shortly. We must consider the logical suggestions of the committee. If [government]

    o cials are found involved with the incident, action will be taken against them. We will also nd out the reasons behind their getting involved in such activities.

    The probe body headed by its addi-tional secretary Nazim Uddin Chowd-hury was formed on February 23, im-mediately after the incident happened at Trishal, Mymensingh. The report also named the suspects behind the incident.

    Informing the reporters about a plan to release innocents who have been in jail for a long time, the state minister said: Many people are in prison without any reason. There is no case against them. The jail authorities do not have any documents against them.

    The government is preparing to set them free.

    They would be freed shortly after examining the related documents and reports, he added. l

    3 killed in gun ghts with RAB, police PAGE 1 COLUMN 5Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Execu-tive Magistrate Farid Mohammad Far-had Hossain said the rescued persons had been under the RAB custody.

    RAB o cials said all victims bore di erent injury marks.

    Gun ght between RAB and abduc-tors

    Wing Commander ATM Habibur Rahman, director of Legal and Media Wing of RAB, told the Dhaka Tribune the gun ght between the RAB 10 mem-bers and the kidnappers took place when the elite force had been on a drive to rescue some abducted persons from a house on Madina Masjid Road in Alambagh under Kadomtoli police sta-tion area.

    Acting on a tip-o that a gang of criminals kidnapped some people and had been torturing them by taking them hostage in the house, we went into action, said Wing Commander Habibur Rahman.

    He said immediately after the RAB personnel rushed to the spot, the crim-inals opened re on them, prompting the crime-busters to retaliate with gun-shots, triggering a gun battle.

    According to the o cial, at one

    stage of the gun ght, two members of the gang and four RAB members also sustained injuries while the other members of the gang ed.

    Wing Commander Habibur Rahman added that the gang members who re-ceived bullet wounds succumbed to their injuries to the Mitford Hospital while the injured RAB men were un-dergoing treatment.

    While talking to journalists at the hospital, Sayema Chowdhury, wife of deceased Sangram Chowdhury, said her husband had gone out of the house Sunday night, but he did not return home till noon.

    In the afternoon, I came to know my husband died along with another man in a so-called gun ght with RAB, she said.

    Inspector Mosta zur Rahman, of- cer-in-charge of Kadomtoli police station, said: RAB o cials told them about the gun ght that took place be-tween a team of RAB 10 and a gang of criminals leaving two of the alleged criminals dead and three RAB mem-bers injured.

    He added that two pistols were also recovered from the possession of in-jured members of the gang.

    But neither RAB nor Police could de-tail the cause of abduction of the four and anything more about the incident.

    Shootout by policeIn Savar, an alleged member of a

    gang of robbers was killed when police opened re at them in return for an at-tack with bombs at the lawmen early in the morning on Dhaka-Aricha Highway in Harannagar area in Rajfulbaria under Savar police station.

    Inspector Mostofa Kamal, o -cer-in-charge of Savar police station, said during the gun ght that took place around 3am, four policemen also sustained injuries when the robbers hurled bombs at them.

    Acting on a tip-o that a gang of robbers had been preparing for com-mitting robbery on the highway, a team of police rushed to the spot, Inspector Pradeep said.

    He added that sensing the presence of police, the gang of robbers tried to run away, but the lawmen caught some of them and charged batons.

    Pradeep said at one stage the rob-bers hurled bombs at the lawmen, prompting them to retaliate with gun-shot that left one member of the gang dead. l

    Police killed him PAGE 1 COLUMN 6Shah Alam, 36, used to work at lit-tle-known local magazines and news-papers named Aparadh Daman, Asia Barta and PhotoJatra.

    Talking to the Dhaka Tribune at Dhaka Medical College morgue, Kamal said police were involved in killing his brother as when we went to the police station for ling a case, they not only rejected to take our complaint but also forced us to leave the station.

    Shah Alam published a corruption re-port against Uttara Trust College Principal Bashir Uddin Ahmed recently. Following this, police called him at the station and killed him after torture, Kamal said.

    Contacted, Nisarul Arif, deputy commissioner of police (Uttara divi-sion), told the Dhaka Tribune that fol-lowing the report, Principal Bashir led a general diary with the police station. The investigation o cer of the GD called both of them at the police station on Sunday for enquiry.

    When the IO started interrogating both of them, Shah Alam suspected that he might be arrested. He ran to the rooftop of the building and tried to get down using a pipe. But he fell down and died on the spot, said Nisarul.

    On the other hand, the rst informa-tion report (FIR) of police mentioned that Shah Alam died falling from the sun-shade of the buildings seventh oor as he tried to escape from the police station using the space created for air condition.

    Kamal also said there were marks of injury on the victims knees and hands which clearly means that he was tor-tured by the police.

    Shah Alam also had a grocery shop in Roisnagar area of Jatrabari and lived in Shanir Akhra area with his wife Suma Akter and daughter Shanta Alam Khadiza, a student of class VIII at Ray-erbagh Roisnagar High School.

    This reporter visited Jatrabari area but found no allegation against Shah Alam. The o cials of Uttara west po-lice station too failed to show any doc-ument to prove Shah Alam guilty in any robbery or criminal cases. l

  • 3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, March 4, 2014

    Suu Kyi: Myanmar can learn from Bangladesh n BSSMyanmar Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi has said her country can learn many things from Bangladesh.

    The programmes Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken for the poor, especially women and children, are an inspiration for me, she said.

    Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, also the chairman of the National League for Democracy, made the remarks when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went to meet her at the Myan-marese capital Naypyidaw.

    After the meeting, the premiers Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil briefed reporters.

    Suu Kyi said both she and Sheikh Hasina had come across a long way in the struggle for establishing democra-cy in their respective countries.

    The Myanmar opposition leader highly appreciated Sheikh Hasinas ceaseless strive for development in Bangladesh, especially for women em-powerment.

    In her turn, Sheikh Hasina said her government had emphasised on in-creasing savings of the rural women. We have taken a number of steps to make rural women economically self-reliant.

    Sheikh Hasina is now in Myanmar on a two-day o cial trip to attend the third Bimstec Summit. l

    Alleged snatcher of JMB men remanded n Our Correspondent, Mymensingh A Mymensingh court yesterday granted 10 days remand of Raju Ahmed who al-legedly took part in the attack on a pris-on van in which a policeman was killed and three condemned militants were snatched away.

    Raju, 26, was detained on suspicion of partaking in the incident from Na-tarkandha area of Islampur, Jamalpur around 10:30pm on Sunday. He was pro-duced before the Judicial Magistrates Court of Farzana Islam in Mymensin-gh, O cer-in-Charge of the Detective Branch of police Mazedur Rahman said.

    On February 23, three condemned militants of the banned Islamist out t JMB (Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangla-desh) were snatched away from a prison van in Trishal, Mymensingh. One po-liceman was killed in the raid. Hours af-ter the attack, one of the escapees Rakib Hasan was recaptured. He was killed in what the police said was a gun ght..

    Later, two people were arrested. Po-lice said one of them, Zakaria, was one of the snatchers.

    Two other militants death row convict Salauddin Salehin and life-sen-tence server Mizan are currently on the run with a bounty of Tk5 lakh each on their heads. l

    EC seeks info on cases against reserved seat contenders n Mohammad ZakariaAhead of the election for the reserved parliamentary seats for women scheduled to be held on April 3 the Election Commission has sought in-formation from the home ministry on whether the contenders for the seats had cases led against them.

    The commission has also asked Bangladesh Bank for information on loan defaulters, as well as on bill de-faulters from the BTCL, Wasa and other utility authorities.

    In this regard, the commission has sent letters, signed by EC Joint Secretary Jesmin Tuli, to these institutions. An as-sistant secretary of the commission said contenders for the reserved seats for women would have to submit eight types of documentation with their a davits, which would later be made public.

    If any wrong or incorrect informa-tion is included in the candidates af- davit, the commission would cancel the nomination of the candidate as per

    the law, the senior o cial said.EC o cials said the commission

    has asked the authorities concerned whether any bill defaulter was partici-pating in the polls.

    According to the rescheduled dates for the election of the reserved seats, the last date of ling nomination papers is March 9 and the nominations will be scrutinised on March 11. The last day to withdraw nominations is March 18.

    The Awami League-led alliance will get 41 seats, opposition Jatiya Party will get six, and the independent alli-ance will get three seats. If a party or an alliance submits the same number of candidates they were allotted, the candidates will be elected unopposed.

    In the January 5 national poll, Awa-mi League won 234 seats out of 300 constituencies, Jatiya Party won 34, Workers party six, JSD (Inu) ve, Tari-qat Fedaration two, Jatiya Party-Manju two and Bangladesh Nationalist Front (BNF) won a single seat, while inde-pendent candidates won 16 seats.l

    Former railway GM Mridha sent to jailn Tarek Mahmud, ChittagongA Chittagong court yesterday sent Yousuf Ali Mridha, former general manager (GM) of Bangladesh Railway (BR) East Zone, to jail in relation to ve cases led in connection with irregu-larities in recruitment.

    Chittagong Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mojibur Rahman passed the order when Mridha surrendered before the court after absconding for more than one and a half years, said Omar Fuad, bench assistant of the court.

    Mahmudul Haque Mahmud, prose-cutor of the Anti-Corruption Commis-

    sion, said Mridha was accused in 13 cases which were lodged in September, 2012, and February, 2013, regarding ir-regularities in the recruitment process for various posts at BR (East).

    The court issued a warrant for his arrest in relation to ve cases, charge-sheets for which have been submitted, he said.

    Mridha surrendered before the court in the cases related to irregulari-ties in the recruitment for the positions of fuel checker, assistant chemist, train number checker, tool keeper and ticket issuer posts. He pleaded for bail, which was rejected by the court, he added.

    Sources at BR said the east zone put out seven advertisements in October and November 2010 to ll 3,419 vacant posts in 38 categories.

    Border Guard Bangladesh person-nel seized Tk70 lakh from the car of Omar Faruk, the former assistant per-sonal secretary of the then railways minister Suranjit Sengupta, on April 9, 2012. Mridha and Railway Nirapatta Bahini Dhaka Divisional Commandant Enamul Haque were in the car.

    Suranjit Sengupta resigned follow-ing the incident and Omar Faruk was suspended. Mridha and Enamul were also suspended temporarily. l

    A child holds a placard at a human chain fromed by Sex Workers Network in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding proper education facilities MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

    HC questions law ministers candidacy in January 5 pollsn Tribune Report The High Court yesterday issued a show cause notice to Law Minister Anisul Huq for contesting the January 5 polls while allegedly holding o ce of pro t.

    An HC bench of Justice Soumendra Sarker passed the order after hearing on a petition, Deputy Attorney General Runa Nahrin told the Dhaka Tribune.

    Khandaker Hebzur Rahman, a can-didate of Manju-led Jatiya Party, led the petition on February 11, alleging that Advocate Anisul Haque had con-tested the polls while holding the post of chief law o cer at the Anti-Corrup-tion Commission, violating the Rep-resentation of the People Order, 1972. Anisul Haque has been asked to explain to the notice within three weeks.

    On January 5 polls, Awami League backed Advocate Anisul Haque was elected unopposed from the Brahman-baria-4 constituency. l

    HC stays move to demolish Buddhist temple, cemeteryn Nazmus Sakib The High Court yesterday suspended for 6 months the governments order to remove the 18th century Buddhist temple and cemetery from Koroldenga village of Boalkhali in Chittagong.

    It also ordered the government not to demolish the monastery or take any further actions regarding the eviction for six months. The bench of Jus-tice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the order in response to a writ petition. It was lodged on February 20 by Supreme

    Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua on be-half of two persons who represent the governing body of the cemetery.

    On February 12, the Chittagong dep-uty commissioner issued a notice to re-move the temple and cemetery within seven days, or face eviction.

    The court yesterday also issued a rule giving the government 4 weeks to provide an explanation as to why the notice should not be declared illegal.

    BM Elias Kachee represented the pe-titioners while Deputy Attorney Gener-al Al-Amin Sarker represented the gov-ernment during the hearing.

    Jyotirmoy alleged that the notice had been issued because local MP Mainuddin Khan Badal wanted to build a bungalow on the site and the police authorities wanted to build a training centre. l

    Witness identi es Mir Kashem as al-Badr commandern Udisa IslamTwo new prosecution witnesses against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Kashem Ali yesterday said the accused had been a commander of al-Badr force in Chit-tagong during the 1971 Liberation War who used to torture the pro-liberation people at Daleem Hotel in the city.

    They told the International Crimes Tribunal 2 about the abduction of Sai-fuddin Khan and torture of many oth-ers.

    Fourteenth prosecution witness Fayez Ahmed Siddiqui, 66, from Ban-shkhali of Chittagong, said he had heard about the abduction of his broth-

    er-in-law Saifuddin on November 24, 1971 from his sister.

    He was taken to Daleem Hotel. When I went there, Absar Uddin, lead-er of Islami Chhatra Sangha [formerly Jamaats student wing], asked me not to worry. Then I left Chittagong for Pa-tia and stayed there with our guerrilla unit, the witness said.

    Then a banker, Fayez had been the member of the guerrilla force formed with activists of National Awami party, Communist Party and Students Union.

    He said he had gone to the Daleem Hotel again on December 16 but failed to nd his brother-in-law. He then saw many people con ned there including

    Jahangir Chowdhury and Emran from Kadamtali, and Sunil Kanti Bardhan and Eskander Ali from Hazari Lane.

    Fayez said he had met Saifuddin af-ter December 17 and came to know that he was sent to jail on December 2/3. Sai-fuddin told him that after torturing the con ned people, the al-Badr members used to throw the bodies to River Kar-naphuli.

    Before Fayez, 13th prosecution witness Md Hasan from Sadarghat of Chittagong told the tribunal about the abduction and torture of Habibur Rah-man, Ilias Sawdagar and Sanaullah Chowdhury.

    He said some masked people had

    abducted them in late November. Ha-bibur returned home after 10 days and Sanaullah after 14 days. They both had sustained injuries in torture at the Dal-eem Hotel.

    After their deposition, defence counsel Mizanul Islam cross examined them and the tribunal adjourned the hearing until today.

    Meanwhile, the tribunal 2 yesterday asked Mir Kashem to be gentle in the dock as he was sitting on a chair cross-ing his legs.

    The Jamaat executive council mem-ber, also the treasurer, Kashem is fac-ing 14 charges of crimes against hu-manity. l

    ASK demands fair probe into attacks on minoritiesn Tribune Report Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) has demand-ed a fair investigation and trial of the perpetrators responsible for recent at-tacks on minority communities across the country.

    The leaders of the legal rights organ-isation also called for initiatives from local governments to ensure the secu-rity of minority communities.

    In a press release issued by execu-tive director Nur Khan yesterday, ASK termed the attacks and torture on mi-norities as violation of human rights.

    ASK also expressed concerns over the governments apparent reluctance in taking necessary steps to overcome the situation.

    If the situation continues, it would seriously hamper the democratic pro-cess of the country, it said.

    The ASK leaders also condemned Fridays attack on a Hindu temple in Ka-chua upazila of Chandpur and the torch-ing of houses belonging to minorities in upazila election-related violence at Patia upazila of Chittagong on Thursday. l

    Eviction drive near public hospitals next weekn Moniruzzaman UzzalThe Ministry of Health and Family Wel-fare has decided that a special drive against illegal establishments near public hospitals in the capital will be conducted by next week. The ministry has also decided that Ansar members will be posted at the recovered areas for the next seven days.

    The decision was taken during a meeting of the ministry at the confer-ence room of the Secretariat in the cap-ital yesterday.

    Health Minister Mohammed Nasim, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, State Minister for Health Zahid Malek, Dhaka Metropolitan Commis-sioner Benzir Ahmed, Health Secretary MM Niazuddin, Director General of Health Services Professor Dr Din Md NurulHaque, Chief Executive O cer of Dhaka (North) City Corporation BM Enamul Haque, Commissioner of Dha-ka division and directors from di er-ent public hospitals, including Dhaka Medical College hospital and Sir Sal-imullah Midford hospital, were present at the meeting.

    The meeting also formed a com-mittee headed by an additional secre-tary from the administration to lead the eviction drive. Other members of the committee include high o cials from di erent public hospitals, Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Dhaka City Cor-porations and the Dhaka Division Com-missioners O ce. The committee is expected to sit for a discussion within the next few days to decide when they the drive would be conducted.

    During the meeting, Nasim said: The overall environment of public hospitals are being spoiled by illegal

    establishments in and around its com-pound. Many illegal businesses have originated in these illegal establish-ments. Even the medicine from public hospital are being sold there.

    Saying that some illegal establish-ments, including shops and other busi-nesses, in few places were being run under political shelter, Nasim said: As the prime minister does not entertain any sort of political interference, I will not interfere with the eviction drive once it starts. Footpaths are public property, not someones asset.

    He also added that it would be the duty of the hospital authorities to pre-serve the areas once the eviction drive cleans out the illegal establishments, adding that action will be taken if any-one fails to comply.

    DMCH Director Brigadier General Dr.Musta zur Rahman told the Dha-ka Tribune that the meeting was very fruitful.

    Health minister is determined to conduct the drive and make the public hospital completely free from illegal establishments, he added.

    It is learnt that primarily the evic-tion drive would start at medical col-lege hospitals. After T-20 world cup, the drive will be conduct at Mohakhali areas public hospitals.

    The special drive will target the eviction of illegal establishments, such as slums, permanent or temporary houses, shops and business, near pub-lic hospitals in the capital.

    In a recent assessment by the Min-istry of Land, these illegally occupied lands were valued at nearly Tk35 bil-lion. Sources said, the real price of these grabbed lands could be three to four times higher than estimated. l

    HC also issued a rule on why the notice should not be declared illegal

    JU proctor resigns n JU CorrespondentJahangirnagar University Proctor Pro-fessor Muzibur Rahman resigned from his position yesterday evening.

    Muzibur told the Dhaka Tribune that he felt uncomfortable working with the new authorities, adding that factional clashes by the university unit of Chha-tra League had prompted him to resign from o ce.

    Dr Tapan Kumar Saha of the chemis-try department has been appointed as the new proctor of the university.

    Registrar of the university Abu Bakar Siddique said: The university authorities have removed ve assistant proctors from the previous proctorial body and appointed chemistry depart-ment Professor Dr Tapan Kumar Saha as the new proctor along with ten new assistants.

    The new assistant proctors are Nazmul Hasan Talukder, Sikder Md Zulkarnaine, Humayun Kabir, Nigar Sultana, Enamul Haque, Mehedi Iqbal, Tanzinul Haque Molla, Salina Akter, Mahmudul Hasan and Sheikh Adnan Fahad. l

  • News4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, March 4, 2014

    City High Low

    PRAYER TIMESFajar 5:02am

    Sunrise 6:17amZohr 12:10am

    Asr 4:24pmMagrib 6:03pm

    Esha 7:18pmSource: IslamicFinder.org

    WEATHER

    Slight rise in temperature n UNBWeather may remain mainly dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

    Day temperature might rise slightly and night temperature might remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met O ce said. The sun sets in the capital at 6:03pm today and rises at 6:17am tomorrow.

    Countrys highest temperature 32.2 degree Celsius was recorded in Sita-kunda and lowest 13.1 degrees in Sri-mangal yesterday. Highest and lowest temperatures recorded in some major cities yesterday were:

    Dhaka 29.4 18.5 Chittagong 30.0 19.8Rajshahi 29.4 15.2 Rangpur 27.8 16.5 Khulna 29.2 17.0Barisal 29.4 16.7Sylhet 30.2 13.5 Coxs Bazar 31.0 21.0

    ACC to quiz Khulna Jamaat chief Parwarn Tribune ReportThe Anti Corruption Commission will soon question detained Khulna Jamaat-e-Islami chief and the partys assistant secretary general Mia Golam Parwar at Khulna jail gate, on charges of amassing illegal wealth.

    ACC Deputy Director Farid Uddin Pat-wary, who is the investigation o cer of the case, told the Dhaka Tribune that the commission, on Sunday, approved his plea to question the former lawmak-er and had already served a notice to the concerned court in Khulna for approval.

    Earlier, o cials from the anti-graft body conducted drives in Khulna city, collected necessary documents and questioned many individuals in con-nection with the allegations against the Jamaat leader.

    Sources at the ACC said the inquiry o cer has almost completed his inquiry report of the case and needed the state-ment of the Jamaat leader before sub-mitting the report to the commission.

    As soon as the court approves the plea, the ACC o cials will question Par-war at Khulna jail gate, sources added.

    In August last year, the Detective Branch of Police arrested Professor Mia Golam Parwar from the Khulna jail gate area immediate after he was released from prison. Parwar was sent to jail earlier on charges of vandalism and ob-structing police work.

    Meanwhile, the ACC yesterday served notices to three Awami League leaders, including two former ministers, and members of their families, asking them to submit their wealth statements before the commission within next seven days.

    The commission, in a notice, asked former health and family welfare minis-ter Ruhal Haque, his wife Ila Haque and son Ziaul Haque for their wealth state-ments. It also served similar notices to former state minister for water resources Mahbubur Rahman, his wife Preeti Rah-man and their son, Enamul Haque, who is also the lawmaker from Rajshahi 4 con-stituency, and his wife Tahura Haque. l

    BCL activists con ne PUST teachers, o cials n Our Correspondent, Pabna Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League at the Pabna University of Science and Technology (PUST), allegedly angered at not being invited to an informal opening of a new administrative build-ing, yesterday con ned teachers and o cials of the university inside the new building for two hours.

    According to university sources, ad-ministrative work kicked o yesterday in the newly built administrative PUST

    building in Rajapur. An informal programme was held

    to mark the start of work at the new building, but no political leader was in-vited as it was an informal program, the sources said.

    Chhatra League activists, angry at not being invited, reportedly con ned o cials and teachers inside the admin-istrative building for two hours, as well as vandalising rooms in the academic unit of university.

    He said angry students locked the

    building when university o cials mis-behaved with the students after being asked why student leaders were not in-vited to the programme.

    University Proctor Md Kamruz-zaman said Chhatra League activists unlocked the building after an under-standing was reached.

    Asked why the Chhatra League lead-ers were not invited, the proctor said there was no need to invite political lead-ers as the programme was an informal and internal event of the university. l

    HC asks government for update on RU ring probe n Nazmus Sakib The High Court yesterday asked the government to inform the court wheth-er any case was lodged against the po-litical activists who were seen bran-dishing rearms during the February 2 violence at Rajshahi University (RU).

    On February 2, over 100 RU students were injured as police and Bangladesh Chhatra League activists red rubber bullets at students, who were demon-strating demanding the cancellation of fee hikes and evening masters programs.

    The HC also asked the deputy attor-ney general to inform the court as to whether any committee was formed to investigate the incident.

    Deputy Attorney General Al Amin

    Sarkar has been asked to provide the information on behalf of the govern-ment within a week to the HC bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Jus-tice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar.

    After passing the order, the bench adjourned the hearing on the writ peti-tion for a week, said BM Elias Kachee, the lawyer for the petitioner.

    Challenging the legality of ring on the RU students, Supreme Court Lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua, on behalf of a group of human rights activists and public university teachers, led the pe-tition with the HC on February 19.

    The petition was led after the gov-ernment authorities failed to respond to a legal notice served on February 11 seek-ing an explanation for police actions. l

    Hearing on Mahbubs contempt deferredn Udisa IslamThe war crimes tribunal yesterday de-ferred the hearing on contempt notice against Supreme Court lawyer Khanda-ker Mahbub Hossain until April 10 upon an adjournment plea of the defence.

    The tribunal 1 on October 6 of 2013 issued the notice asking Mahbub, also an adviser to the BNP chairperson, as to why contempt proceeding would not be initiated against him for his com-ments on the death penalty against war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury on October 1 last year.

    Yesterday was set for holding a hearing on the matter. But defence counsel Tajul Islam placed an oral submission pleading eight weeks adjournment. He cited that the defence lawyers could not turn up for the hearing due to personal di culties. The tribunal then set the new date amid opposition from the prosecution.

    Shortly after the conviction of Sa-lauddin Quader, Mahbub told the media that each and every person involved in the trial process would be tried if the BNP assumed power. l

    'No more load-shedding in Bangladesh'n Aminur Rahman RaselState Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said there will be no load shedding in the upcoming summer season.

    At present, there is no load shed-ding in the country as the government has successfully been able to generate more than 10,000MW and the situation will be the same during the summer, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

    According to government estima-tions, the demand for electricity peaks during the Boro irrigation and summer seasons,which take place between March and May. They estimate the demand dur-ing this period to be around 7,500MW.

    We are capable of producing the required demand of electricity in the

    country. Oil and gas based power plants will be used at its highest capacity to meet the demand, said Hamid, adding that We have taken special prepara-tion to provide uninterrupted electric-ity supply to the rural areas for irriga-tion during the summer season.

    There will be no such word as load shedding in the country anymore, he claimed.

    The state minister also said the min-istry has been working to eradicate bribery and corruption in the power and energy sector, especially regarding new electricity connections.

    We have plans to provide electricity connections to every household within the next ve years. Distribution compa-nies, including the Rural Electri cation Board, have been working on it.

    We have received complaints from consumers that they had to paybribesto get connections. To prevent such, we will make the entire system technolo-gy-based as early as possible, he said.

    An information wing will be formed under the ministry who will work to create awareness among the consum-ers against irregularities. They will also advertise the achievements of the pow-er sector, he added.

    Admitting that there is a shortage of primary fuel needed to generate elec-tricity, he said the ministry was trying to minimise the crisis. Accordingly, two compressor stations will be set up to maximise gas pressure within two months.

    The Hydrocarbon Unit under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division

    will be reformed so that it can work as the power cells think tank. It will help in the Hydrocarbon sectors develop-ment and decision making processes, the minister said.

    According to Hamid, the countrys rst oating storage and re-gasi cation unit (FSRU) will be set up in due time, within one and a half years of a deal be-ing signed with a contractor.

    The FSRU, commonly known as a Lique ed Natural Gas terminal, will facilitate the import of 500 million cu-bic feet of gas per day at Moheskhali in Coxs Bazar.

    On January 29, 2012, the govern-ment inked a deal with India for the installation of a coal-based 1,320MW power plant at Rampal in Bagherhat. The plant will start production within

    the next ve years.In Habiganj, the construction of the

    Bibiyana Southpower plant, a 400MW gas-based combined cycle power plant project, will be completed within ve years.

    Meanwhile, the government will also keep a close watch on private coal-based power plants to ensure they start production on time.

    We have decided to bring all con-sumers under the prepaid electric-ity meters, scrapping the conventional meters by 2021, he added.

    Meanwhile, the state-own Dhaka Power Distribution Company, under a pilot project, will install 10,000 single-phase prepaid meters under the Azim-pur Network Operation and Customer Services division soon. l

    Defamation suit against Prothom Alo journos n Md Sanaul Islam TipuA Tk200 crore defamation suit was led with a Dhaka court yesterday against the Bangla daily, Prothom Alos Editor Matiur Rahman and its two other jour-nalists for allegedly publishing false and baseless reports.

    The two other defendants are chief news editor/news editor and Comilla correspondent of the daily.

    Engineer MA Rashid, director of South Point School and College, Dhaka, also owner of Karnaphuli Ship Builders Limited, lodged the defamation suit with the fourth Joint District Judge Mu-hammad Abu Tahers court of Dhaka seeking Tk200 crore in compensation.

    Plainti s lawyer Md Moniruzzaman Hawlader said the court xed March 10 to pass an order on the acceptance of the case.

    According to the case statement, the plainti alleged that the daily published news and editorials regarding railway and the government-owned land and South Point School and College.

    These news and editorials had de-famed the educational institution and business organisation run by plainti , Rashid, as per the case.

    Rashid also alleged that the three defendants tarnished the image of him and his institution in public by publish-ing untrue and baseless reports. l

    Ferdousi Haque diesn Tribune Report Ferdousi Haque, mother of Dhaka Tri-bunes Senior Brand Executive Yasser Tamim Haque, died on Sunday at the age of 65.

    The deceased was buried at the Ba-nani Military graveyard in the capital yesterday. She has left her husband, two sons, four daughters, and several well wishers.

    The well wishers of the deceased are requested to join the Qulkhani to be held today after Asar prayers at their residence: House no137, Road-S.E.(E)-3, Gulshan-1, Dhaka. l

    Swiss cooperation for local government development in strategic planning n Tribune ReportSwitzerland yesterday launched a new programme aimed at developing the lo-cal government system in Bangladesh.

    The third phase of the Sharique project was launched with a focus on strategic planning and scal autonomy of local governments, as well as pover-ty reduction and social inclusiveness, according to a press release from the Swiss Embassy in Dhaka.

    The project area includes 207 union

    parishads in the districts of Rajshahi, Su-namganj, Chapainawabganj and Khulna. The third phase of the local governance project will end in 2016 and bene t over 50,000 citizens in the target areas.

    Since 2006, Sharique has been addressing the issue of poverty allevia-tion in Bangladesh by facilitating im-proved local governance services.

    In the rst two phases, signi cant milestones in improving local gover-nance were achieved, particularly in increased transparency, accountability

    and participation of communities. Under the programme, 130 targeted

    union parishads are now formulating their annual plans and budgets through the open participation of citizens.

    At present, Switzerlands coopera-tion strategy for Bangladesh focuses on three thematic areas- local governance, skills development and market devel-opment.

    Annual Swiss development assistance to Bangladesh amounts to around US$34million. l

    Traders allege forced toll collection by 'regional scout camp' n Our Correspondent, Barisal A number of businessmen in Barisal say they have been forced to pay money collected in the name of a scout camp.

    Wishing to remain anonymous, one of the men showed this correspondent a copy of a letter he received asking him to pay money for a regional cub camp scheduled to be held at Barisal Regional Scout Training Centre from March 2 to 7. The letter was signed by Barisal divisional commissioner and was sent from his o ce (memo no. 05.10.0000.102.06.001.14.10(20) dated January 12, 2014).

    In the letter, it was said that 800 cub scouts, 130 unit leaders and nearly 70 o cials from 130 schools in 41 upazilas

    in the region would join the camp and Tk12 lakh was needed to bear the cost of the programme which was beyond the capacity of the regional scout fund.

    Mentioning a shortage of funds, the letter from the divisional commissioners o ce asked several businessmen and business institutions to deposit at minimum of Tk5,000- in the form of a demand draft or pay order- in the account of Bangladesh Scouts Barisal region at Prime Banks Barisal branch.

    Recipients of the letter said it would be considered an o cial toll collection form and none of them had courage to ignore the letter in fear of administra-tive harassment which could include facing the mobile court.

    Touhiduddin Ahmed, regional di-rector and secretary of Bangladesh Scouts in Barisal, said the letter was issued by the divisional commissioner as president of the First Regional Cub Camp Organizing Committee.

    Denying the allegation of forcibly collecting money, the regional scout o cial said businessmen were humbly asked for money in the form of dona-tions. He said they were not compelled to pay any money, adding that many businesspeople often volunteer to help arrange di erent scout activities.

    The money would be adjusted as advertisement charges for the busi-nesses for their advertisements on the event souvenir to be produced for the occasion, he added. l

    Sunday Times shortlists Tahmima Anam for literary awardn Tribune Report Bangladeshi-British writer Tahmima Anam has been shortlisted for this years Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award for her work, Anwar Gets Everything.

    In the shortlist announced on Fri-day, Tahmima will vie for the literary prize with Pulitzer prize-winners Eliza-beth Strout and Adam Johnson, British writers Anna Metcalfe and Jonathan Tel and Canadian-American author Marjorie Celona, a press release said yesterday.

    The winner will be named at a gala dinner at Stationers Hall in London on April 4. The prize comes with 30,000 (about Tk38 lakh), sponsored by EFG Private Bank.

    Tahmimas short story evokes the voice of a Bangladeshi migrant worker in Dubai.

    Tahmima, who was born in Dhaka, is also the author of The Good Muslim and A Golden Age, winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book. l

    the ACC also served notices to three AL leaders asking them to submit their wealth statements

    A viewer takes picture of a stu ed tiger during an exposition organised by the Forest Department at the National Press Club yesterday, on the occasion of World Wildlife Day RAJIB DHAR

  • 5NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, March 4, 2014

    n Abu Hayat MahmudThe countrys rst escalator, a moving staircase driven by motor, on the Air-port road from Sainik Club to Road 11 of Banani in the capital, is likely to be opened to public this month.

    Installation and other beauti cation works of the project are in the nal stage. There will be a stairway and an escalator on both sides of the structure to help people easily move to the desti-nation. Pedestrians will use the escala-tor for going up and the stairway could be used to walk down when they reach the other side.

    Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) is implementing the project while MAQ Engineering Bangladesh is constructing the footbridge as part of an experimental Clean Air and Sustain-able Environment Project that start-ed in June 2009. Construction of the structure will cost Tk 1.5 crore.

    If the project succeeds in meeting its objective, the city corporation will con-struct another seven in seven di erent places in the city.

    Speaking of the footbridge, Md Ratan, site supervisor of MAQ Engi-neering said: Installation of the esca-lator is likely to be nished soon and it will also be possible to inaugurate it by this month.

    It is likely to be inaugurated on March 26, the countrys Independence Day, he added.

    In reply to a question, Ratan said the DNCC has to nish the project be-fore March 16, which is also the ICC T20 World Cup inauguration day.

    Although we will be able to com-

    plete installation of escalators, but construction of shed roof over the esca-lators cannot be nished before March 16, he said.

    Project director Shihab Ullah said two escalators had been imported from Malaysia, each costing Tk 75,40,000.

    Security guards will be appointed to ensure proper maintenance of the escalators, he added.

    Shihab Ullah observed the purpose of attaching escalators to footbridge was to encourage people to use pedes-trian bridge. Moreover, it would reduce the risk of accidents while crossing the road and older people would also bene- t from it, he said.

    During a visit yesterday, this corre-spondent noticed installation of halo-gen lights on the shed had been com-pleted. Workers were also seen cleaning and painting parts of the bridge.

    Pedestrians, while speaking to this correspondent, said they were happy to see such a structure in the capital.

    Shahin Mhmud, a resident of Banani said: Many aged people, especially women and children, nd it hard to use footbridge. I think they, along with other city pedestrians, will now feel en-couraged to use it.

    Besides, it will largely helppeople having problem in their legs, he added.

    Another pedestrian Na sa Chowd-hury echoed the same but said mainte-nance of the escalator would have to be prioritized.

    After building the footbridge, drug addicts may occupy this. The authori-ties have to keep an eye on that, she added. l

    Foot-over-bridge escalator to ease pedestrians woes

    Workers set up parts of the escalator on the foot over-bridge in the capitals Banani area yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM

    40 shantiescatch ren Tribune ReportAt least 40 shanties and a warehouse caught re in di erent incidents in the capital yesterday.

    According to sources, the re broke out at the warehouse of RAK Paints (Pvt.), a paint producer, at Jasimuddin Road, close to the Aarongs showroom at 11:40am.

    On information, six re ghting units from Biman Bandar, Baridhara and Tongi re stations rushed in and doused the ames around 12:25pm.

    O cer-in-charge of Uttara west po-lice station Ra qul Islam con rmed the incident.

    He said the warehouse was full of ammable liquid.

    We are not sure about the source of the re. We suspected that electric short circuit is liable, said Md Zakir Hossain, a senior station o cer of re service.

    On the otherhand , 40 shanties were damaged as a re broke out at MilkVita slum at Mirpur section-10 in the morning.

    Shahjadi Sultana, a re brigade sta-tion o cer at the headquarters, said the re originated from a stove of the slum around 11:50am and it soon raged through the area, damaging 40 shan-ties of the slum.

    On information, re ghting units from di erent re stations of the city, including Mirpur re station, rushed to the spot and doused the ame around 12:40pm.

    The re perhaps originatedfrom a stove in the slum, said Mo-hammad Ali, station o cer of the reservice.

    Meanwhile, another re gutted some shanties around noon at Gendaria of Doyaganj around 11am.

    Fire ghters doused the re within an hour. l

    BCL expels 4 JU unit leaders over clash n JU Correspondent The central committee of Bangladesh Chhatra League yesterday suspended four leaders of its Jahangirnagar Uni-versity unit following a factional clash at the campus that left at least 15 stu-dents injured on Sunday.

    The suspended BCL leaders are JU unit general secretary Rajib Ahmed Rasel, organising secretary Faisal Hos-sain Dipu, sports secretary M M Niamul Hasan Taaj and deputy social welfare secretary Bashirul Haque.

    Four Chhatra League leaders of Ja-hangirnagar University unit have been expelled on temporary basis for break-ing the discipline of the organisation, Siddique Nazmul Alam, central general secretary of the ruling partys student wing, told the Dhaka Tribune yester-day.

    Meanwhile, Rashedul Hasan Rasel, joint secretary of the organisations JU

    unit, has been made the acting gen-eral secretary, central o ce secretary Sheikh Russel said.

    At least 15 students were injured on Sunday as two rival groups of BCL, led by Rajib and Faisal respective-ly, clashed on the JU campus over non-payment of food bills. The leaders and activists from both sides also trad-ed several rounds of gun re, leaving one victim with bullet wounds.

    Source said after hearing of the clash, the organisations central com-mittee president HM Bodiuzzaman Shohagh and general secretary Sid-dique visited the campus on Sunday night and met with the leaders and ac-tivists of its JU unit.

    At the meeting held at the cafeteria, they decided to temporarily expel the rival leaders, the sources added.

    Both Rajib and Faisal could not be reached for comments as they were un-available over their mobile phones. l

    Clash over kitchen market lease injures eight in Barisal n Our Correspondent, BarisalAt least eight activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Awami Jubo League, the student and youth fronts of the ruling Awami League respec-tively, were injured in a clash between followers of the organisations over the leasing of a kitchen market at Gournadi upazila in Barisal yesterday afternoon.

    Witnesses said upazila BCL and Jubo League men at Gournadi Palli Bidyut o ce compound engaged had an al-tercation over the leasing of Chandshi

    Bazaar at about 11:30am.At one stage of the altercation,

    Rakibul Islam Barkat, upazila BCL convening committee member, was assaulted by upazila Jubo Leugue con-vening committee member Md Mithu.

    Zakaria Akand, another upazilaJubo Leugue convening committee member, was severely injured by the BCL activists.

    Jubo League activists led by Rezaul Karim Titu, municipal councilor, placed the issue before Upazila Chair-man Shah Alam Khan for arbitration.

    When they were exiting the o ce, BCL activists swooped on them, trig-gering a erce clash that left eight peo-ple from both groups injured.

    Police rushed to the spot and con-trolled the situation by charging batons on the clashing groups.

    Of the injured, Zakaria was admitted to Gournadi Upazila Health Complex.

    O cer-in-Charge of Gournadi po-lice station Abul Kalam said police had conducted raids in di erent parts of the city and arrested four BCL activists- Rubel, Barkat, Selim and Rumman. l

    POLICE CONSTABLE SIDDHARTHO MURDER

    Five BNP-Jamaat men sent to jailn Our Corresondent, RajshahiA Rajshahi court yesterday rejected the bail petitions of 5 BNP-Jamaat men and sent them to jail in connection with the police constable Siddhartha Sarker murder case.

    The convicts are district unit BNP advisor Shaheen Showkot, its vice-president Tofazzol Hossain Topu, Juba Dal convener Anowar Hossain Ujjol, activist Jamil and Jamaat city unit acting secretary-general Moham-mod Jahangir.

    Judge Ashraful Islam of Metropoli-tan Daira Judge Court, passed the order after they surrendered before the court in the afternoon and sought bail.

    Earlier, on February 24, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court

    rejected the bail petitions of 36 BNP leaders and activists and sent them to jail in relation to the same case.

    On December 26, 2013, Siddhartha died after he, along with eight others, was wounded after miscreants hurled several crude bombs at a police car in Rajshahi city while the BNP-led alli-ance was holding a procession.

    Siddhartha succumbed to his inju-ries at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka after being own from Ra-jshahi to the capital.

    The police led two separate cases against Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul, BNP joint secretary general Mizanur Rah-man Minu, Jamaat city unit secretary general Mohammod Jahangir and 485 others on the charge of killing the po-lice constable. l

    Activists slate Rajuks development plansn Tribune ReportThe Rajuk deviated from its role of pro-moting development plans and mon-itoring their implementation, said a press release yesterday.

    Instead of playing the role, the city development authority was engaged in implementing development works.

    The environmental activists came up with the observation at a human chain organised by pro-liberation or-ganisations including social, political, cultural and environmental groups in front of the National Press Club yes-

    terday, said a press release of Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Save the Environ-ment Movement).

    The speakers said the Rajuk began an eviction drive to demolish the Zin-da Park, a natural wonder, located at Rupganj upazila in Narayanganj, is un-derways as the organisation took the initiative to establish a housing project Purbachal Town by destroying the park.

    Many people have lost their homes and became poor. More than 10,000 trees of 250 species were planted there and many people were earning money through maintenance of the park. l

    A re broke out at a slun in Gandaria of the city yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

    JNU HALL RECOVERY DEMO ENTERS 19TH DAY

    Education Ministry forms body to recover halls n Mohammad Jamil Khan Education Ministry, on the nineteenth day of ongoing students movement demanding hall recovery of Jagan-nath University (JnU), formed an eight-member probe body yesterday.

    The committee headed by local par-liamentary member Kazi Firoz Rashid was formed in a meeting held at the ministry with Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid in the chair.

    The body will submit its report over the status of recovering the halls within 30 days.

    JnU Registrar Engineer Ohiduz-zaman will be the member secretary of the committee.

    Education Secretary Mohammad Sadik, JnU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mi-zanur Rahman and Additional Secre-tary Kazi Salahuddin Akbar were pres-ent at the meeting.

    Speaking at the meeting, Nahid asked university authority to form another committee with university treasurer to buy new land nearby the

    university to extend the campus and started construction work of Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib hall.

    He later urged teachers to continue their professional duty to keep conge-nial atmosphere on the campus.

    On the other hands, students of the

    university staged demonstration like the previous 18 days.

    They brought out a procession on the campus around 10am which parad-ed main points of the campus.

    They later put up barricade on En-glish road, Rayshaheb Bazar intersec-tion, Bangla Bazar intersection, Lux-mibazar intersection and in Bahadur Shah Park area.

    The road blockade continued till 2pm and created huge tra c jam in the areas.

    During agitation, the students set re to tires in several spots which spread panic among neighboring people.

    The tra c movement on the Gulistan and Sadarghat route resumed around 2pm after the students with-draw their blockade, says Harun-or-Rashid, deputy commissioner of police of Lalbagh.

    Bangladesh Chhatra League Presi-dent JnU unit Shariful Islam said they

    would besiege the Bangladesh Bank of Sadarghat Branch today as a part of on-going demonstration.

    Meanwhile, JnU teachers associa-tion held a protest rally in front of uni-versity Shaheed Ra q building to press home their demands, including hall re-covery and withdrawal of deputy com-missioner of police of Lalbagh and o -cer-in-charge of Kotowali police station

    The ongoing teachers demo would continue until the demands are meet, said Prof Dr Sarkar Ali Akkas, president of JnU teachers association.

    Students of the university have been staging demonstration since February 12 demanding recovery of 10 halls from land grabbers.

    On February 23, a bloody clash took place between the students and police, leaving at least 200 people injured in-cluding teachers and sta s of the uni-versity. l

    Students of the university have been staging demonstration since February 12 demanding recovery of 10 halls from land grabbers

  • Cotton a boon for char farmersn Our correspondent, Jamalpur Cultivation of cotton is gaining ground in the barren char areas of Jamalpur.

    It has brought prosperity to a number of farmers, including women, in the char (river island) areas of Jamuna and Brahmaputra this year.

    Leaving behind the cultivation of paddies, jute and mustard, a number of farmers took up cot-ton cultivation during the Bangla months of Magh and Chaitra.

    Over 3500 hectares of unculti-vated land was used for the culti-vation of cotton this year.

    Previously it was tough for farmers to recoup their expenses in cultivation of other crops in the barren char areas. However, this

    year they are gaining substantial pro ts from producing cotton, said sources at the Jamalpur Cotton De-velopment Board.

    They said this year cotton was cultivated on 225 hectares of land through which farmers could pro-duce over 450 metric tonnes, sig-ni cantly higher than the amount of cotton produced last year.

    The board o cials hoped that the farmers would get a handsome price selling the outputs.

    They have xed the price of cot-ton at Tk2,520 per mound.

    Farmers in the area said if the government could allocate khas land (government-owned land) to the farmers on the char so more farmers could take up cotton cul-tivation.

    Cotton farmer Abul Hossain of

    Naobhanga char said he had culti-vated cotton on 10 bighas of land and had earned Tk1 lach in pro t after recouping the expenses.

    Lokman, Mukul, Aiyub Ali and other farmers said previously it was di cult to get back the expenses for the cultivation of jute, paddies and mustard. But, for the last three years, they have been earning good pro ts from cotton.

    Cotton cultivation also increas-es fertility of land, they said.

    Acting Unit Cotton O cer of the board Md Abdul Goni said the board had assisted farmers in every phase, from the cultivation to the marketing of the cotton.

    If other uncultivated lands could be brought under cotton cul-tivation then it would help farmers to increase production, he added. l

    6 NationDHAKA TRIBUNE Tuesday, March 4, 2014Election fever hits Bholahatn Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

    Campaigns for the third phase of the upazila polls at Bholahat upazila in Chapainababaganj have gained mo-mentum.

    The candidates aspiring to be chair-men and vice-chairmen from both Awami Leugue and the BNP are doing dawn-to-dusk canvassing so that vot-ers would cast their votes in their fa-vour.

    Voters are seen debating amongst themselves about candidates, rival candidates, their strategy and also na-tional politics in hotels, restaurants, lo-cal markets and tea stalls.

    During the 10th national parliamen-tary election, many voters were seen apathetic as the BNP-led 19-party al-liance did not participate in that elec-tion.

    But, the upazila poll is an exception.

    Both voters and candidates are enthu-siastic about the polls scheduled for March 15.

    On that day, election would be held in Chapainawabganj Sadar, Shibganj and Bholarhat upazilas.

    During a visit to Bholarhat upazila, this correspondent found that make-shift campaign o ces were established which are covered with candidate post-ers.

    Supporters of the candidates have also been doing election campaigning from 2pm to 8pm using sound systems.

    The roads and streets were seen lled with digital banners and black and white posters.

    Bholarhat upazila Nirbahi O cer and Assistant Returning O cer Kazi Zi-aul Baset said: Election campaign has been going on in full swing. We are yet to get any complaints against any can-didates regarding violation of electoral law.

    We will take legal actions if we re-ceive any complaint.

    He added, a total of 66,024 voters would cast votes in 211 booths of 30 polling centres.

    Upazila Awami League have nal-ised single candidates for each post while three candidates, including two rival candidates, have been contesting from the BNP-led 19 party alliance.

    Chapainawabganj district Awami leagues Vice-President Dr Ashraful Haque Chunnu was nominated as sin-gle candidate to contest for the chair-man post at the upazila from the party.

    Chairman candidate of AL Ashraful Haque Chunnu, Anwarul Islam of the BNP-led 19-party alliance and incum-bent chairman Babar Ali Biswas said they would work for the development of the upazila if elected.

    Besides, voters said they would choose honest and capable candidates who would ful ll their demands. l

    Jubo League leader builds structure on public land in Barisaln Our Correspondent, BarisalA Jubo League leader is building a structure on public land in the Gour-nadi area of Barisal, violating a govern-ment order.

    The land-grabber is Sohel Sardar, an in uential leader of Gournadi Munici-pal unit Jubo League convening com-mittee.

    Con rming the incident, local land o ce and police station sources said Sohel occupied 27 decimals out of 56 decimals of government land and be-gan construction work there on Janu-ary 17, 2014.

    The remaining 29 decimals land be-ing used by Gournadi Upazila Health Complex.

    Mo zul Islam, Mahilara union as-sistant land o cer, as the complainant, lodged a case against the land grabber with Gournadi police station.

    Sohel promised in a written bond to return the occupied land.

    However, on Sunday March 2, he resumed construction on the occupied land, violating the bond and the gov-ernment ruling.

    The Jubo League leader claimed that he obtained permission from the authorities concerned and then recom-menced construction on the land.

    Abul Kalam, o cer-in-charge of Gournadi police station, said the case lodged by the land o ce was still val-id and they would should take action against Sohel. l

    Five jewellery shops looted n Our Correspondent, PabnaRobbers looted ve jewellery shops yesterday in Nakalia Bazar, Bera upa-zila, Pabna.

    According to sources, a gang of 30 to 35 armed robbers entered the bazar at 2am and con ned the night guards Muttakim Islam and Nazar Ali.

    The robbers looted 208 tolas of gold-en ornaments, 1,185 tolas of silver and Tk6 lakh in cash.

    Police said the robbers looted orna-ments from ve jewellery shops at the market- Pronob Kormokar, Panushil Kormokar, Ronojit Kundu and Anis Ko-rmokar.

    They also looted the grocery shops of Siddikur Rahman and Sukumar Sen.

    Abu Bakar Siddik, assistant super-intendent of police, said police had visited the spot and tried to catch the criminals. l

    Absconding burglar arrested in Natoren Our correspondent, NatoreAn absconding criminal accused of burglary was detained in Haludghor village under Naldanga police station in Na-tore yesterday.

    The arrestee is Zakir Hossain, 45, who was awarded a two year prison sentence for burglary.

    Monirul Islam, o cer-in-charge of Naldanga police sta-tion, said following an arrest order from Baraigram police station, a team from Naldanga police arrested him around 2pm.

    Anowar Hossain, o cer-in-charge of Baraigram police station, said the arrest order was passed following a magis-trate court order made under Lalpur police station. l

    Farmers demand water supply from Teesta damn Our correspondent, DinajpurHundreds of agitated farmers from the Debiganj area of Chirirbandar upazila in Dinajpur yesterday staged a dem-onstration on the Rangpur Highway, demanding adequate water supply to their farmlands from the Teesta dam.

    There are several canals connected to the Teesta dam that supply water to famers during production seasons, par-ticularly for Boro farming, according to local sources.

    However, despite a 40km long ca-nal from the Dalia point to the dam in Chirirbandar, the farmers do not get su cient water during dry seasons which hamper their cultivation process badly, farmers claimed.

    O cials from the upazila admin-istration said the canal water gets blocked by sluice gates at di erent points before reaching the farmlands and for that reason farmers do not get su cient water.

    The farmers continued the demon-stration for two hours in two phases.

    Farmer alleged that o cials from the upazila administration had earlier promised them that they would ensure water supply immediately, but that lit-tle was done in reality.

    Chirirbandar Upazila Executive O cer Mizanur Rahman said theywould take necessary steps soon after consultation with the concerned au-thorities. l

    Bumper potato yield expected in Khulnan Tribune ReportFarmers and agronomists are expecting a bumper production of Potato in ten south-western districts under Khulna division in this current season.

    The ten districts are Jessore, Narail, Jhenidha, Magura, Kushtia, Chuadan-ga, Meherpur, Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat.

    A section of potato growers said they were interested in potato farming this year to get better prices like as pre-vious years.

    ATM Momtazul Karim, additional director, Department of Agricultural Extention Jessore region said favour-able climate conditions, adequate supply of necessary fertilisers and pesticides are the reasons behind the bumper production of potato.

    DAE Jessore regional o ce sourc-es said the farmers and the o cialshave targeted 260,286 tonnesof quality potato from 13,240 hectares of land in south-western region this season. l

    10 held for entering Bangladesh illegally n Tribune Report Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained 10 people on charge of entering Bangladesh illegally at Kulia road in Debhata upazila yesterday morning.

    The arrested are Nityananda Roy, 25, Sarjit Kabiraj, 18, Sanjit Mallick, 29, Pradip Roy, 30, Prokash Mondal, 24, Mahendra Sarkar, 19, Shibpada Mondal, 27, Kajal Kumar Sarkar, 25, Krishna Mondal, 18, and Chandra Kanta, 52. All of them were said to be from di erent parts of the district, reports UNB.

    BGB-38 Battalion BoP Nayek Subedar Jasim Uddin said the BGB members arrested them around 8:30am as they entered the country from India without valid travelling documents.

    Later, they were handed over to local police and a case was led under the Passport Act. l

    Government of the Peoples of BangladeshLocal Government Engineering Department

    Of ce of the Upazila EngineerUpazila: Rajbari Sadar, District: Rajbari

    Memo No. LGED/UE/Raj/Sadar/2013-14/ 142 Date: 02.03.2014

    INVITATION FOR TENDER (WORKS)Tender Notice. 06/2013-2014

    Sealed Tenders are hereby invited from the eligible tenderers as de ned in the tender documents for the under mentioned works as per Terms & Conditions stated below.

    1. Project Name Construction of Union Parishad Complex Bhaban (2nd Phase)

    2. Source of Funds GOB

    3. Procurement Method Limited Tendering Method (LTM)

    4. List of Works:

    Sl. No.

    Package No Name of Works Estimated Amonunt

    (Tk)

    Amount of Tender

    security (Tk)

    Price of tender

    document (Tk)

    Time of completion

    01 LGED/RAJ/SAD/UCCP/2013-14/01

    Construction of Ramcanta-pur Union Parishad Com-plex Bhaban Under Rajbari Sadar Upazila, District-Rajbari

    97,20,473.00 2,91,700.00 2,000.00 270 Days

    5. Date, Time and Place of Pre-Tender Meeting

    Date: 12/03/2014, Time: 11.00AMPlace: Of ce of the undersigned.

    6. Last date, time and Places of selling tender documents.

    Date: 24/03/2014Time: Up to 5.00 PM.Place: (a) Of ce of the Project Director, UCCP, LGED, Bhaban, Agargaon, Sher-E-Bangla

    Nagar, Dhaka-1207. (b) Of ce of the Deputy Commissioner, Dist, Rajbari. (c) Of ce of the Executive Engineer, LGED, Rajbari. (d) Of ce of the Upazila Engineer, Goalondo, Rajbari. (e) Of ce of the undersigned.

    7. Last date, time and Places of receiving tender.

    Date: 25/03/2014Time: Up to 12.00 PM.Place: (a) Of ce of the Deputy Commissioner, Dist, Rajbari (b) Of ce of the Executive Engineer, LGED, Rajbari. (c) Of ce of the Upazila Engineer, Goalondo, Rajbari. (d) Of ce of the undersigned.

    8 Date, time and places of Opening of tender

    Date: 25/03/2014Time: Up to 3.00 PM.Place: Of ce of the undersigned.

    9. Tender shall be valid for a period of 120 days after tender Opening and must be accompanied by the tender sucurity Speci ed above. Interested tenderers may obtain further information from the Of ce of the undersigned and purchase the tender documents in cash/ treasury chalan/ bank draft from the places mentioned above. The tender or their authorized representatives are allowed to attend the opening of tenders. The authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all the tenders without assigning any reasons whatsoever. The Tender shall be rejected more than 5% Above or more than 5% Less.

    (Md. Jalal Uddin Sheikh) Upazila Engineer Rajbari Sadar, Rajbari,GC-23/14 (6"3) Tel No. 0641-65570

    Farmers thrash mustered oil seeds at Mahadevpur under Godagari upazila. Farmers in the district have witnessed bumper production of the oil seeds this year DHAKA TRIBUNE

    Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh Of ce of the Executive Engineer, RHD

    Naogaon Road Division, Naogaon.: 0741-62593

    E-mail: [email protected]

    LEASE QUOTATION NOTICE OF RHD

    01. Lease Quotation Notice No. : 02-EE/LEASE/NRD/2013-2014.02. Name of Work : Lease of Mohadevpur Iron Bridge for Collection of

    Toll at 1st Km of Mohadevpur-Saraigachi-Porsha Road Under Road Division, Naogaon during the year 2013-2014.

    03. Invitation for Lease Quotation Ref. No. Date

    : Memo No. 546, Date: 02/03/2014.

    04. Time of Completion : 12/06/2014 to 11/06/2015.05. Quotation Price : Highest Quotation Price. 06. Security Money : Earnest Money-10% (Ten Percent) of Quoted

    amount in favour of the Executive Engineer, RHD, Road Division, Naogaon from any Schedule Bank in the form of BD/Pay-Order along with the Quota-tion.

    07. Eligibility of Quotationers : All Quotationers regardless of whether enlisted or not enlisted with the employer ful ll the requirement stated in the Quotation Schedule may submit Quo-tation provided that they are otherwise quali ed. (Bona de rm/Person/Sangstha/Contrators)

    08. Lease Quotation Last Selling date

    : On 18/03/2014. Up to Of ce hours.

    09. Lease Quotation Closing Date & Time

    : On 19/03/2014. at 12.00 Noon.(Tenderer may also submit tender on any day (ex-cept holiday) during Of ce hours before the tender closing date & time)

    10. Lease Quotation Opening Date & Time

    : On 19/03/2014.at 04.00PM. (Tenderers/Authorized representatives are allowed to attend).

    11. Name & address of the Of ce(s) Selling Lease Quotation Docu-ment.

    : a) Divisional Commissioner, Rajshahi.b) Executive Engineer, RHD, Road Division,

    Naogaon/Rajshahi/ Planning Division-01, Tej-gaon Equipment Control Compound, Tejgaon, Dhaka.

    c) Sub-Divisional Engineer, RHD, Road Sub-Di-vision, Naogaon/ Patnitala/1st line Workshop Sub-Division, Naogaon.

    12. Name & address of the Of ce(s) Receiving Lease Quotation Document

    : Primary Location:-(a) Executive Engineer, RHD, Road Division,

    Naogaon.Secondary Location:-(a) Superintending Engineer, RHD, Road Circle

    Rajshahi.(b) Deputy Commissioner, Naogaon.

    13. Name address of the Of ce(s) Opening Lease Quotation Doc-ument.

    : Executive Engineer, RHD, Road Division, Naogaon.

    14 Price of Lease Quotation Schedule (Non refundable)

    : Tk. 1000.00 (Tk. One Thousand) Only.

    N.B.: The highest accepted quotationer shall have to deposit 15% (Fifteen percent) for VAT & 5% (Five percent) or as per Government order for income TAX at a time on the quoted amount in the form of BD/Pay-Order in favour of Executive Engineer, RHD, Naogaon, within 07(Seven) days of Noti cation of Award. Failing which his quotation shall be cancelled with forfeiture of Earnest Money.

    (Md. Arzullah Miah) (Md. Monges Salim) Assistant Engineer, RHD(C.C) Executive Engineer, RHD(C.C) Road Division, Naogaon. Road Division, Naogaon.

    GC-22/14 (10"3)