14 April 2014

Boishakh 1, 1421 Jamadius Sani 13, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 16

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

20 pages | Price: Tk10

WISHING YOU ALL SHUBHO NOBOBORSHO 1421

Taskforce to track militant financing Government admits success has not been remarkable n Rabiul Islam The government has initiated a move to constitute a taskforce to intensify and coordinate its activities in tracking the financial sources of militant outfits.

Officials at the home ministry said a draft for a proposed taskforce has been prepared.

Following the approval of the state minister for home affairs and senior secretary of the home ministry, the draft would be sent to the Cabinet Division for the final approval of the Prime Minister.

On April 10, a letter signed by Cabinet Division Assistant Secretary Joynal Abedin was sent to the home ministry on the taskforce formation.

According to the draft, the taskforce will be headed by a senior minister and have around 20 members. The taskforce includes the finance minister, the information minister, the religious affairs minister and a number of top-level bureaucrats.

The taskforce would work to track the financial sources of militant organisations and find out those responsible.

INSIDE Nation

6 Ruling party men are allegedly lifting stones illegally from the Dharla, Saniyazan and Singimari rivers under the nose of administration at Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat.

Op-Ed

11 Once more, the premises of higher education have witnessed the murder of students – this time, one in Rajshahi University, and another in Bangladesh Agricultural University.

HOLIDAY NOTICE Monday, April 14, is a national and newspaper holiday on the occasion of Bangla New Year. Therefore, the Dhaka Tribune will be not published tomorrow.

It would also recommend actions to be taken against those who finance militant activities.

Following the incident of snatching three militants at Trishal in Mymensingh on February 23 this year and many other incidents in the past, the government initiated the move to locate the source of finance of militant organisations.

On February 27, during a meeting of cabinet committee on law and order, Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker made the proposal to constitute a taskforce to find out the sources of militant financings.

“I cannot comment [on the issue] right now as the draft is yet to come to me,” State Minister for Home Assaduzzaman Khan told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“We have identified and arrested the planners and financers of the snatching of militants in Mymensingh,” he said.

However, Criminal Investigation Department Additional Deputy Inspector General Md Shah Alam said: “We have worked on terrorist and militant  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

An artist works on a traditional mask on the Fine Arts Institute premises of Dhaka University on the eve of the Bangla New Year Pahela Boishakh

Daffodil student killed in road crash n Kailash Sarkar A private university student was killed when run over by a speeding microbus in front the university on Mirpur road in the capital’s Sobhanbagh area, yesterday afternoon.

The deceased was Shahin Ferdous, a 4th semester student of the Computer Science and Engineering Department

13 YEARS OF RAMNA BLASTS

Murder case verdict in fresh legal tangles n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu With the 13-year old murder case filed in connection with the Ramna Botomul bomb blasts getting trapped in a fresh legal tangle, the wait for a verdict may get longer.

The trial proceedings in the case were almost complete as both prosecution and defence were done with placing arguments after the last of the 67 witnesses finished testifying before the court earlier this year.

However, on March 25, the prosecution filed a petition with the trial court requesting recall of CID Inspector Abu Hena Md Yusuf, investigation officer of the murder case.

According to prosecution, the recall was needed because one of the sketch maps prepared by Yusuf was “mistakenly” not included with the documents submitted to the court.

However, after the court issued an order allowing the recall, a defence  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

of Daffodil International University.

Following his death, hundreds of fellow students took to the streets to protest the accident.

The angry students started vandalising passing vehicles, bringing the traffic to a halt on Mirpur road for some time.

At least 50 vehicles were vandalised and a severe traffic jam followed.

Panic seized the commuters, some

of whom descended from the buses and began to walk down the street.

The university students also went on a rampage inside Square Hospital in Panthapath where the accident victim had been undergoing treatment.

They also engaged in a clash with the hospital security as the latter attempted to bar them from entering the

A head-on collision between Lalmoni Express and Ekota Express at Ullahpara rail station in Ullahpara Sadar upazila of the district, killed two people and left at least 30 others injured, including the driver of the Lalmoni Express, at 03:00am yesterday.

The two were identified as Altaf Hossain, 35, of Harishpur in Natore, and Mojibur Rahman, 50, son of late Hossain Ali of Ekshunnyapara, Lalmonirhat. The injured were admitted to Sirajganj Sadar Hospital, Bogra Medical

Indian ‘gambler’ arrested again in Mirpur n Kailash Sarkar

College Hospital and other local clinics.

Driver of Ekota Express, his assistant and Ullahpara station master have also been temporarily suspended for negligence of duty. Four separate probe committees were formed in connection with the accident.

The accident led to a nine-hour suspension of train communication between the north and the south and Dhaka. At around 12pm yesterday, communication was temporarily resumed on a single line.

Secretary of the Ministry of Rail

Indian national Atanu Datta has been arrested again, this time by the police, for his alleged connection with gambling during the T20 World Cup. But a mystery shrouded the arrest of the 40-year-old, who is now out on bail, since none of the police officials concerned agreed to talk about the issue.

Imtiyaz Ahmed, deputy commissioner of Mirpur Division, confirmed the arrest of the Indian national in Mirpur in the morning, but declined to disclose anything further.

Additional DC Jasim Uddin said he was not aware of it and referred assistant commissioner of police Shakhawat Hossain as the go-to, instead.

Duty officer Abdul Mannan of Mirpur police station told that Dhaka Tribune in the afternoon that he was not aware of such a situation. He suggested contacting the OC. Inspector Salauddin Ahmed, OC of Mirpur police station, could not be reached for comments.

But sources in the police said Atanu, the son of Manindra Datta from Dinesh Palli Municiple Park in 24-Pargana,

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Two dead, 30 hurt in Sirajganj train collision n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

RAJIB DHAR

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, April 14, 2014

Climate panel warns emissions rising Lalbagh Fort: Now secretary n AP, Berlin The UN’s expert panel on climate change on Sunday highlighted the disconnect between international goals to fight global warming and what is being done to attain them.

Emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases must drop by 40-70 percent by 2050 to keep the global temperature rise below the 2-degree C (3.6-degree F) cap set in U.N. climate talks, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said.

The opposite is happening now. On average global emissions rose by 2.2 percent — or 1 gigaton — a year between 2000 and 2010, outpacing growth in previous decades to reach “unprecedented levels” despite some efforts to contain them, the IPCC said.

“There is a clear message from science: To avoid dangerous interference with the climate system, we need to move away from business as usual,” said OttmarEdenhofer, one of three cochairs of the IPCC working group looking at ways to fight climate change.

The panel didn’t get into who should do what in the 33-page summary meant

to serve as a scientific guide to governments negotiating a new climate agreement, which is supposed to be adopted next year.

Leaked drafts of that document showed the biggest reason for the rising emissions is the higher energy needs resulting from population growth and expanding economies in the developing world, mainly in China and other large countries. However, diagrams that illustrated that were deleted by governments in the final version that was adopted at a weeklong IPCC session in Berlin.

“The problem for the governments was that they felt that these different perspectives can cause harm for them because they can be made at different scales responsible for the emissions,” Edenhofer told The Associated Press.

The graphics divided the world into four categories — low, lower-middle, upper-middle and high income countries.

Participants in the closed-door session said many developing countries objected to using such income categories.

In U.N. climate negotiations only two categories are used — developed and developing countries. The former want to scrap that firewall, saying Chi-

na and other fast-growing economies can’t be compared to the least developed nations and must face stricter emissions cuts, while most developing countries want to keep it. It’s a major sticking point in the U.N. talks, and it spilled over into the IPCC session, participants said.

Counting all emissions since the industrialized revolution in the 18th century, the U.S. is the top carbon polluter.

China’s current emissions are greater than those of the U.S. and rising quickly. China’s historical emissions are expected to overtake those of the U.S. in the next decade.

There is plenty of material analyzing emissions from those and other perspectives in a larger scientific report that the IPCC will release this week, but it was kept out of the summary for policy-makers.

Another IPCC report, released last month, warned that flooding, droughts and other climate impacts could have devastating effects on economies, agriculture and human health, particularly in developing countries.

Global temperatures have already risen about 0.8 C since record-keeping

started in the 19th century. The IPCC said the goal of keeping the warming below 2 C by 2100 would require a significant shift in the energy system, away from oil and coal, which generate the highest emissions. That would mean a near-quadrupling of energy from zero- or low-carbon sources such as solar and wind power.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called it a global economic opportunity.

“So many of the technologies that will help us fight climate change are far cheaper, more readily available, and better performing than they were when the last IPCC assessment was released less than a decade ago,” Kerry said Sunday.

Turning to the costs of that transition, IPCC projected that it would reduce consumption growth only by about 0.06 percentage points per year, adding that that didn’t take into account the economic benefits of reduced climate change.

“The cost is not something that’s going to bring about a major disruption of economic systems. It’s well within our reach,” IPCC chief Rajendra Pachauri told AP. Delaying climate action would make it more costly, he added. l

faces contempt rule n Tribune Report The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking why the cultural affairs secretary and the director general of archaeology department should not be punished for their failure to implement its previous verdict to protect the historical Lalbagh Fort in Old Dhaka.

The bench of Justice Md Ashfaqul Islam and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal gave them two weeks to submit explanation.

The move came following a contempt of court plea lodged by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh.

The same bench on April 6 issued a contempt rule against local MP Haji Selim for obstructing the law enforcers from evicting the illegal establishments in and around the Mughal structure.

The law enforcers are working to protect beauty, character and heritage of the structure in line with a historic High Court verdict of October 26, 2011.

Tourist attraction Lalbagh Kellah (fort), also known as Fort Aurangabad,

is an incomplete Mughal palace fortress on an area of 18 acres.

The place was inaugurated with some added facilities in early February to attract more tourists and visitors.

Its construction began in 1678 by Mughal Subedar Prince Muhammad Azam Shah, son of Emperor Aurangzeb. Azam Shah later became the emperor himself, but his successor Shaista Khan did not continue the work. His daughter Bibi Pari (Lady Fairy) died here in 1684 and this led him to consider the fort to be ominous, according to Banglapedia.

For long the fort was considered to be a combination of three buildings (the mosque, the tomb of Bibi Pari and the Diwan-i-Aam), two gateways and a portion of the partly damaged fortification wall.

But excavations carried out by the Department of Archaeology revealed the existence of 26-27 structures with elaborate arrangements for water supply, sewerage, roof gardens and fountains. l

Iran Embassy’s note on news on migrants in Iran n Tribune Report The Iranian Embassy in Dhaka has sent a note on the reports titled “Migrants in Iran forced into ‘slavery’” and “108 Bangladeshis trapped in Iran” published in the Dhaka Tribune on April 12, saying “…it is a sharp assessment to claim migrants in Iran forced into slavery.”

However, the note says: “Needless to mention, illegal immigration and forcing labour force into slavery are not only emerged new issues but also

international problems. Therefore, in order to control illegal immigrants and combating with modern slavery, having close cooperation among different countries is needed.

“To achieve this aim, the government of Islamic Republic of Iran has showed its readiness and interest to the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh…We believe regarding the unique role of Medias in shaping of the public opinion, it is a sharp assessment to claim migrants in Iran forced into slavery.” l

CEC to return today n Mohammad Zakaria

Chief election commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad is expected to return home today from an overseas trip of more than a month.

Sources said Rakibuddin, along with his wife, had gone to the USA on a personal visit.

The CEC went on leave on March 3 amid speculations that he had resigned from his post in the middle of conduct-

ing local government elections.

The CEC’s personal secretary, AKM Mazharul Islam, said the couple was scheduled to arrive in Dhaka early this morning on a Turkish Airlines flight.

“We are happy that the CEC is returning to the country,” said election commissioner Md Shah Newaz, yesterday.

EC officials said they had sent a letter to the airport authorities asking for the use of the VIP lounge for the CEC and his wife today. l

Workers give finishing touches to a colourful float inside the Fine Arts Institute compound on the eve of the Bangla New Year Pahela Boishakh yesterday

Two dead, 30 hurt in Sirajganj  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

ways, senior officials of the Railway Division and administrative officials working in the district and upazila levels rushed to the scene after the accident took place. Police, RAB, firefighters, railway security forces and other railway officials joined the rescue operation.

How the accident happened

The Lalmonirhat-bound Lalmoni Express was waiting on line one of Ullahpara rail station when it was hit by Ekota Express, which was travelling to Dhaka from Dinajpur. The wreck left the engines of both trains badly damaged and at least four compartments of each of the vehicles got derailed.

As soon as the trains collided, panic-stricken passengers attempted to get out through the windows.

AZM Tajul Huda, officer-in-charge of Ullahpara Model police station, said the accident happened because the Ekota Express was travelling on the same track as the Lalmoni Express and therefore collided with the latter head-on.

“Altaf Hossain and Mojibur died on the spot and 30 people, including the guard of the Lalmonirhat train, Shopon Kumar, were injured in the accident,” he added.

Salvage operation

Four firefighting units from Pabna and Sirajganj, RAB, rail police, railway security officials and Ullahpara police went to attempt a rescue right after the incident.

Pakshi divisional engineer (west zone) Masudur Rahman boarded a rescue train and took it to the spot.

Sirajganj deputy commissioner Md Billal Hossain, police super S Imran Hossain, general manager of the Rajshahi Railway Division (west zone) Abdul Awal Bhuiyan, Railways Ministry secretary Abul Kalam Azad, Railway director general Tafajjal Hossain and the Ullahpara Upazila Nirbahi officer visited the scene. They monitored the rescue operation and asked rescuers to speed up the operation. The Dhaka-bound Nilsagar Express from Syed-

pur crossed the station at around 12pm in the presence of the officials.

Haque, was brought under surveillance in connection with the accident.

Four separate probe teams

Witness account

Four separate investigation teams were formed by the Ministry of Railways, office of the Railway director general, Sirajganj District Administration and the West Zone Rail Division after the accident.

Railways Ministry secretary Abul Kalam Azad said a four-member team led by the additional director general (infrastructure) Amjad Hossain was formed from the ministry and office of the Railway director general. Other members of the committee included additional director general Shah Zahurul Islam, Khalilur Rahman and Abdul Awal Bhuiyan. The committee was asked to submit a report within four working days.

General manager of Rajshahi Railway Division (west zone) Abdul Awal Bhuiyan was directed to form another four-member committee with Chief Traffic and Operation superintendent of the same division Mia Jahan as the head and asked them to submit a report within three working days.

A five-member committee led by traffic authority Shafiqur Rahman was formed by the Pakshi divisional office.

The committee was told to submit its report within 24 hours.

The fourth probe committee was formed by Sirajganj District Administration. According to the directive of deputy commissioner Md Billal Hossain, additional district magistrate Shafiqul Islam was made chief of the committee which is expected to come up with its report within three days.

Three suspended for duty negligence

Station master of Ullahpara rail station Khan Moniruzzaman, driver of Ekota Express Bankim Chandra Roy and assistant driver Abdus Shafi have been temporarily suspended on charges of negligence of duty. Railways Ministry secretary Abul Kalam Azad and Railway director general Tofajjel Hossain ordered their suspension.

Director of the Ekota Express, Azizul

Morjina Begum, who was travelling by the Lalmoni Express, said the collision between the trains produced a sound like a big explosion and the passengers of the compartment she was in fell on the floor instantly and were injured. Many also jumped out of the window.

Eyewitness Abdur Razzak, an inhabitant of the nearby Shyampur village, said there was a loud ruckus from the passengers when the vehicles collided.

Ironically, the station master and other railway officials began fleeing from their offices, rather than coming forward to rescue the passengers trapped beneath the wreckage, he said.

What rescue workers and officials say

Assistant director of the Pabna Fire Service Saiful Islam said negligence of duty by the signalman, railway security police, station master and other officials was the main cause for the accident. Officer-in-charge of Ullahpara police station Tajul Huda placed the blame on the absence of the lineman.

Pakshi divisional engineer (west zone) Masudur Rahman said the station master, lineman and drivers of Ektoa Express were supposedly responsible for the accident. General manager of the Rajshahi Railway Division (west zone) Abdul Awal Bhuiyan said there is no scope to dodge the probe about to be carried out by the Railway Division.

The Railway secretary and the Railway director general also reiterated that the probe teams would pinpoint the exact reason behind the accident.

“The computers in the station have the records on signals. That’s why none will be able to deny the allegation of negligence of duty against them. The two engines and four compartments that were wrecked are worth around Tk20-22 crore.

Moreover, the worth of the lives that were lost is, of course, immeasurable,” note Railway secretary Abul Kalam Azad. l

Murder case verdict in fresh legal tangles  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

attorney filed a petition with the High Court on April 1 challenging the legality of the order.

The sketch map, which the investigation officer showed to court during deposition, detailed the house in the capital’s Mohammadpur where the bomb attack had been planned.

The investigation officer generally prepares the map on the basis of the confessional statements given by the accused and it is considered a crucial evidence in a case.

As the High Court is yet to respond to the petition, Judge Ruhul Amin of the Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court of Dhaka – the court dealing with the case – on Thursday fixed April 22 for defence to submit any High Court order regarding the matter.

Defence lawyer Faruk Ahmed said not filing the sketch map was a mistake on the part of the prosecution.

Confessing the mistake that he made by not submitting the sketch map, Additional Public Prosecutor Sarder Md Zahid Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that: “The court may recall any witness no matter what stage the case might be at. So, we have not broken any rule by requesting the recall.”

He, however, hoped to complete the trial proceedings within a short time because he said he was confident that the High Court would scrap the defence petition.

Zahid also accused the defence of trying to kill time by filing the petition with the High Court.

Law professionals said if the High Court scrapped the defence petition, then there were chances that the verdict, expected this month, could get further delayed.

However, if the HC upholds the petition, the sessions judge’s court would have to drop the recall.

The blasts, for which banned Islamist militant outfit Harkat-ulJihad al Islami (HuJI) has been largely blamed, killed 10 and injured scores others, who had gathered to watch Chhayanaut’s programme welcoming the Bangla Year at the Ramna Batmul on April 14, 2001.

An explosives case, filed in connection with the deadly blasts, is currently pending with a speedy trial tribunal.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) pressed charges against 14 top leaders of banned Huji on December 30, 2008, in both the cases. Of the accused, six are still at large. l

Daffodil student killed  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.

Police resorted to baton charges in an attempt to disperse the rioting students and detained several of them, said witnesses.

The clash left around 15 students and security guards injured.

Police said the deceased was from Dinajpur and had been residing in the capital’s Shyamoli.

According to witness Shaila Begun, a tea vendor in front of the university, a Noah Microbus from the Sangsad Bhaban area first hit Shahin while he

was crossing the road in front of the university at around 3:30pm.

“On being hit, the student fell on the road and the microbus stopped there, but sped away, running over the youth when other students and pedestrians chased it,” she said.

Sub-inspector Abdul Momen of Sher-e-Banglanagar police station said locals took the student to the nearby Square Hospital where the on-duty doctors declared him dead in the evening.

Police said they detained several students for creating anarchy inside the hospital. l

RAJIB DHAR

Taskforce  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

financing but we have no remarkable success.”

“We have some limitations and there is a lack of coordination among different intelligence agencies,” he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday over phone.

On August 17, 2005, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) exploded nearly 500 bombs simultaneously across the country, aimed at frightening the authorities.

JMB operatives also carried out several suicide attacks on various courthouses killing at least 25 people, including judges, lawyers and policemen, and injuring many others.

Six leaders of the Islamist militant group were hanged after being convicted of killing two judges in 2005. Among them was JMB Chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman.

Indian ‘gambler’  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

West Bengal, was arrested at Grand Prince Hotel in Mirpur by a team from the Mirpur police station.

The same person was arrested by the elite force at Gabtoli on April 6 for suspected involvement in gambling centring the ICC T20 cricket and by the Benapole Immigration Police on April 3 for staying in Bangladesh illegally.

Later, officials from RAB and other agencies took him into their custody for interrogation.

RAB also filed a case with the Mirpur police station under the ICT Act and handed him over to the police. Atanu was brought before a Dhaka court seeking a remand for seven days, but the court denied the request and gave him bail instead.

Another source said Atanu had also been arrested on March 21 during the matches between India and Pakistan at the Mirpur stadium for his alleged links to match fixing and betting. But somehow, he managed to avoid prosecution.

Atanu came to Bangladesh on March 15 with a business passport and has been staying at the Grand Prince Hotel in Mirpur. His visa expired on March 31. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Monday, April 14, 2014

Land development tax likely to go up n Mohosinul Karim

Of the direct taxes, around 87.5%come from income tax and 9.8%from non-judicial stamps while only 2.6% come from land revenue, gift tax and other direct taxes.

Before the independence of Bangladesh, the total revenue demand of the government for agricultural land was Tk6.47 per acre, Tk3.75 as land revenue and Tk2.72 as other taxes like development and relief tax, and local rates.

In 1972, the government exempted all owners of rural areas having land up to 25 bighas (8.33 acres) from paying land revenue by a presidential order. It will remain as it is according to the order.

The revenue from landholders having from over 25 bighas to 10 acres will be increased to TK1per decimal from TK0.50. But the owners having agriculture land of above 10 acres will have to pay Tk2per decimal.

Owners of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Narayanganj and Gazipur area have to pay more as land development tax.

In those areas owners of industrial plot have to pay Tk300 in place of the existing TK125 and TK60 in place of Tk22 for a decimal residential plot.

But in Keraniganj, Savar, Dhamrai municipalities, RupganjSadar under Narayanganj, Siatkunda and Rangunia under Chittagong district the new tax will be TK250 from that of Tk125 for industrial plot and TK50 from that of Tk22for residential plot per decimal.

As per the proposal, the owners of district headquarters municipality areas have to pay TK22 for industrial plot and TK7for residential plot per decimal while it is TK17 and TK6for the municipalities out of district headquarters.

It is only TK15 and TK5 for the areas that are not declared as municipalities.

In 1976 the Land Development Tax Ordinance was issued by which land revenue and other taxes were merged together knows as land development tax.

In 1972-73 the land revenue was only Tk2.5 crore (1.5% of the total tax) and since then it has continued to increase over the years. The collection of land development tax is now around Tk500 crore (0.8% of the total tax) while government expenditure in the land sector is around TK625 crore.

The government wants to reduce the deficit in revenue collection from the sector, the ministry sources said. l

Khaleda challenges indictment in graft cases

NU rules out question paper leak n UNB

The government is likely to hike land development taxes given the increasing land price and the expenditures in the land sector.

The land ministry, to this end, has taken an initiative for a 100% to 200% hike in land tax. A draft proposal was sent to the divisional commissioners who were supposed to give their opinion by March 15 but until Tuesday they have not sent any reply.

The last increase in the land development tax came into effect in 1995.

Land Ministry’s Senior Secretary Mohammad SafiulAlam on Thursday said: “The move to increase the land tax has been taken but it will take some more time as the government is taking people’s reaction into account.”

“The step was taken last year. A sub-committee of the ministry led by Ibrahim Khan prepared a draft proposal for the tax increase,” Land Ministry’s Additional Secretary Ibrahim Hossain Khan said on Wednesday.

The ministry, however, did not finalise the draft taking into consideration the national election. After the government resumed the office, the initiative was revived. Probably the draft will be placed before the inter-ministerial meeting soon, he said.

Ibrahim said the ministry would discuss the matter with the stakeholders to seek their suggestion once it receives the opinions of divisional commissioners.

The decision will be finalised with the consent of the government high-ups.

When asked about the proposal, the additional secretary said: “The proposal should not be disclosed before it is placed

n Tribune Report BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday lodged two separate pleas with the High Court for annulment of the lower court’s orders that indicted her in two corruption cases.

The bench of Justice Borhanuddin and Justice KM Kamrul Kader set April 16 for the hearing of the petitions filed under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

She also sought stay orders on the indictments until the disposal of the petitions, said Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Khaleda’s lawyer.

Khaleda claimed that the cases were

at the formal meeting of the ministry.”

But he said the tax hike would be much more than the existing figure as the present rate is too poor.

According to the ministry, country’s present tax structure consists of both direct– such as income tax, gift tax, land development tax, non-judicial stamp, registration and immovable property taxes and indirect taxes –such as customs duty, excise duty, motor vehicle tax, narcotics and liquor duties, VAT, SD, foreign travel tax, electricity duty and advertisement tax.

The direct tax accounts for only about 27.9%of the total tax. The tax-structure is heavily dependent on indirect taxes which are usually of regressive nature.

The tax hike would be much more than the existing figure as the present rate is too poor

filed only to harass her politically.

On March 19, Judge Basudev Roy of the Dhaka’s Third Special Judge’s Court passed the indictment order and also fixed April 21 for the start of the trials with depositions of prosecution witnesses.

The judge framed the charges against six people including Khaleda and Tarique in the Zia Orphanage Trust case for embezzling over Tk2.1 crore by forming the “fake” trust in 1991.

In the case of Zia Charitable Trust, four people including the BNP chief were indicted for raising funds by abusing the power of the PMO during 2001-06. l

The national University yesterday ruled out media reports on question paper leaks of the second year English Honours examinations saying that there was no scope for such a breach.

“Formulation of the question paper, printing them in security press and their distribution are done amid foolproof security. There is no chance of question leak in this regard. University authorities believe that a vested quarter is intentionally publishing fabricated reports on the question paper leak.

“However, anyone with a copy of the leaked question paper has been requested to send those to the NU authorities,” the statement says. l

SAYEDEE APPEAL CASE

Defence starts rebutting government arguments

n Tribune Report The defence yesterday began rebutting the arguments of the government in the war crimes appeals case of Delawar Hossain Sayedee.

SM Shahjahan, lawyer of the death row convict, put forward his counter arguments before the apex court’s five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain. Later, the Appellate Division adjourned hearing until April 15.

The defence lawyer yesterday said the government could not produce a single document in support of their claim that Delawar Shikdar took the name Sayedee after the Liberation War. The attorney general on Thursday completed his arguments on behalf of the government pleading for upholding the death penalty for Sayedee handed down to him by the International Crimes Tribunal.

Placing arguments in the appeal case began on January 28. The International Crimes Tribunal on February 28 last year gave death sentence to Sayedee for committing crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War. Both Sayedee and government appealed against the judgement. l

Locals gather at the Ullapara Railway Station in Sirajganj after a Lalmonirhat-bound train rammed into another train at the station yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

PM shoulders responsibility for pending files n Mohosinul Karim The civil servants have been instructed to send files directly to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the absence of ministers, state ministers or deputy ministers concerned.

An official letter containing the instruction was sent to all secretaries of the civil bureaucracy yesterday. It was signed by Cabinet Secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan.

In the letter, it was said the decision had been made to accelerate routine tasks of the ministries and divisions and to complete those with efficiency.

It was also said that in case of emergency, issues expected to be dealt with ministers, state ministers or deputy ministers would have to be presented before the premier in absence of the designated officials. The bureaucrats were requested to follow the instruction accordingly.

The letter was sent to the principal secretary to the prime minister, all the secretaries, personal secretaries of all

the ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and advisers to the premier.

According to Cabinet Division officials, the government has taken the decision to reduce the unnecessary delays in disposing of the files of the ministries and divisions that remain pending due to the absence of ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers.

Most of the ministers visit different countries for government purposes.

Many important issues related to the ministries and divisions thus remain unattended due to the absence of officials concerned, resulting in unwanted difficulties.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants to eliminate the difficulties and that is why she accepted the responsibility, the letter read.

The cabinet division issued the letter with the consent of the premier. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, April 14, 2014

Renewable energy sector to get subsidy n Aminur Rahman Rasel State Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said the government was planning to offer subsidies to help the country’s renewable energy sector to flourish, yesterday.

“The subsidies will be provided in two separate schemes for the urban and rural areas and a guideline will be made for using land for the installation of solar power plants,” he added while addressing a roundtable discussion for stakeholders on the “Revised Renewable Energy Policy,” in the capital.

The roundtable was jointly organised by state-owned Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), fortnightly magazine Energy & Power and German International Cooperation Agency.

“The renewable energy policy did not match the present context, and that made it unpopular in the urban areas, but the rural people had adopted it,” he said.

He further assured stakeholders that the ministry will soon ensure the implementation of SREDA. Power Division joint secretary Siddique Zobair, said in his keynote speech that it was necessary to revise the existing renewable energy policy in order to create a positive attitude towards renewable energy.

“The government has been emphasising on renewable energy for power generation. For this, it will mark some places in coastal areas and the hill tracts to use them for the projects,” Power Division secretary Monowar Islam said.

“The government has been working

closely with Nepal and Bhutan to import hydroelectricity,” he added.

“No country would be able to develop its renewable energy sector without subsidies. So, our government has to provide subsidies in this regard and power purchase agreements with the stakeholders should be set on a long term basis,” said former chief advisor’s special assistant Prof M Tamim.

“There should not be a set target for renewable power production like 5% or 10%. The target should be set like the conventional power sector for its development,” Power Cell director general Mohammad Hossain said.

With a vision to provide affordable and reliable electricity to all by 2021, the government set an ambitious goal to generate 5% of total power generation in the country from renewable sources by 2015, and rising to 10% by

2020, by passing the Renewable Energy Policy 2008.

The government also plans to revise the Renewable Energy Policy to allow waiving of income taxes of foreign and local investors for 15 years. The draft revised policy also suggested foreign companies to form joint ventures.

According to the draft, a foreign investor in the renewable energy sector will also enjoy a waive of taxes on the earnings from technical know-how, technical assistance, royalty, and the tax on the interest on foreign loans.

They would also be able to transfer investment, income and profit to other countries.

The draft also said entrepreneurs would be waived from taking licenses from the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission for installation and operation of a renewable power plant

with less than 5MW capacity.

It also said the price of renewable energy will be set by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission.

A renewable energy producer, however, will be able to decide whether to sell their output to the Power Development Board or the power distribution companies or a consumer, the draft said.

Moderated by Energy & Power editor Mollah Amzad Hossain, the roundtable was also addressed by Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission chairman A R Khan, Power Division additional secretary Tapos Kumar Roy, Rural Electrification Board chairman Brigadier General Moin Uddin, IDCOL chief executive officer Mahmood Malik and Prof Saiful Haque from the Institute of Renewable Energy Department, Dhaka University, among others. l

Another shoe factory fire victim dies n Kailash Sarkar Another victim of the shoe factory fire succumbed to his injuries last night at the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

The dead Montu Miah, 40, along with three other workers, had sustained burns when a shoe factory at Alinagar in Kamrangirchar caught fire from an electric short circuit on April 10.

He died around 10pm while undergoing treatment, leaving behind his wife Nazma Begum and three children.

The death toll in workplace fire incidents in Dhaka rose to eight in the last 10 days: four workers died in a fire at Tejturibazar on April 10; three workers had earlier died in a fire at a perfume factory warehouse at Chawkbazar on April 2. l

Cansa calls for rapid, sustained cuts to carbon pollution n Tribune Report Climate Action Network South Asia yesterday applauded the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which showed that it was still possible to avoid catastrophic climate changes only with rapid and sustained cuts to carbon pollution.

“This report shows that we have the solutions to the climate crisis, but with the high levels of carbon pollution which is still on the rise, it is evident that a lot needs to be done, and faster, to accelerate the transition from dirty energy to clean, renewable power,” said Climate Action Network South Asia Director Sanjay Vashist, in a press release.

The report points to the benefits of increasing the use of pollution-free renewable power and phasing out dirty fossil fuels in the long term.

Bangladeshi scientist and International Institute for Environment and Development Climate Change Group Senior Fellow Dr Saleemul Huq said: “The IPCC Working Group III report reinforces the message of Working Group

II that there is very little time left to bend the curve of emissions and temperatures towards 2 degrees instead of the 4 degrees we are currently headed towards.”

For the world to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, the report points out that the use of zero and low carbon energy sources needs to be tripled by 2050.

To fund the transition, the IPCC said at least USD30 billion per year would be needed to be divested from dirty energy over the coming decades, while investments in renewable power would need to doubled.

South Asia more specifically would be susceptible to climate extremities, especially weather events such as flood and drought, and its impact would only be aggravated as the region houses some of the world’s most impoverished in countries namely Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

Cansa is a coalition of 116 civil society organisations from seven countries of South Asia, demanding all countries ratify the second commitment period of Kyoto protocol by 2015. l

A passenger is seen using the newly introduced free Wi-Fi service inside a BRTC bus in the capital yesterday

Tk50 lakh demanded from ex-JaPa MP JU BCL blocks highway to n free leader from custody Kailash Sarkar

Unidentified miscreants have demanded Tk50 lakh from former Jatiya Party lawmaker from Satkhira and former whip in the House Golam Reza by sending him a shroud and a crude bomb.

The former lawmaker yesterday filed a general diary (GD) with Kafrul police station in the capital after he had received the objects at his residence in Senpara Parbota on Saturday night.

Sub-inspector Prem Das Roy of Kafrul police station said police visited Re-

za’s residence and talked to him after the GD had been filed.

Quoting the GD, the SI said the criminals had sent the shroud and the bomb

The letter asked the MP not to disclose the matter to police in a packet of sweetx around 9:30pm on Saturday. The box also contained a letter.

“In the letter, the senders identified themselves as the men of one Shahar

Ali and asked the former legislator to pay them Tk50 lakh. They said four of their brothers had been languishing in jail for long but none was helping them in this regard,” said Prem Das, adding: “The letter also asked Reza not to disclose the matter to police, threatening that he would face the worst consequence otherwise.”

Golam Reza told police that two people, identifying themselves as Dolan and Shahid, had also made separate phone calls to tell him about the box of sweet. l

Ershad: JaPa to do better under Bablu n Tribune Report Jatiya Party (JaPa) chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad said the party would be able to better contest the next general election to be held in 2019 under the leadership of its new secretary general, yesterday.

Bablu will prepare the party to make it happen, he said, welcoming in the

new secretary general Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu with a bouquet of flowers at a function at the party’s central office at Kakrail, Dhaka.

On April 10, Bablu was appointed as the party’s new secretary general, relieving Ruhul Amin Howlader of the post he had held for 14 years.

Howlader was not present at the function.

Regarding Howlader, Ershad said, “I am like his father.

He has assured me that he will stay with me until death.” Howlader will also help the new secretary general, he added.

Senior party leader Anisul Islam Mahmud and presidium members GM Quader and Kazi Firoz Rashid, were present. l

n JU Correspondent Activists of Bangladesh Chattra League, ruling party’s student wing, of Jahangirnagar University unit put barricade on Dhaka-Aricha highway yesterday protesting against the arrest of one of its leaders by the police.

Sources said Mithun Kundu, a joint secretary of the unit, beat up an employee of a shoe store, Avanti Shoes, at Savar City Center market.

Being informed, a team of Savar police led by Assistant Police Superintendent Shafiqul Islam rushed to the spot and tried to settle the matter amicably.

However, the police detained Mithun as he had engaged in an altercation with them and took him to the police station.

The activists of Rafiq-Zabbar hall loyal to Kundu put the barricade on the highway around 2:40pm causing a huge traffic jam on the important road.

They men also stopped Dhaka-bound army vehicles of the Savar

Cantonment.

The barricade was withdrawn after Mithun had been released following the intervention of the JU proctorial team in the afternoon.

The Chhatra League leader was arrested for beating up a shoe shop staff and arguing with the police who went to the shop at Savar The owner of the shop, Jalal Uddin, said: “There was some misunderstanding. We have settled the issue.” He was absent at the time of the incident.

The ASP said: “We went to the shop as the owner asked for help. Later, the matter was solved through negotiation with the police and the university authorities.” l

Easybike driver found dead in capital n Tribune Report

Visitors watch pictures on display at an exhibition organised by the Bangladesh Photojournalist Association at the National Press Club yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM

An easybike driver was found dead a day after he had gone missing in Turag, Dhaka, yesterday morning. Locals found the body on the slope of Beribadh and notified the police.

The vicitim was identified as Mafizul Alam, 30, a resident of Uttara, Dhaka.

Police said he was slaughtered and his body bore severe injuries.

Quoting the victim’s family, sub-inspector Rahmatullah of Turag police station said Mafizul left home with his rented easybike on Saturday morning, but he did not return home. His mobile phone was also unreachable.

In the morning, the police received a tip-off and recovered the body, which was later sent to Dhaka Medical College for a post mortem.

Police also said they could not find the easybike.

“We suspect the criminals killed Mafiz for the auto bike.

His family members could not name any suspect either,” said Rahmatullah. l

SYED ZAKIR HUSSAIN

Azhar’s defence accuses witness of giving false statement n Udisa Islam The counsel of Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam yesterday alleged that a witness had given false statement before the war crimes tribunal after being told to do so by the prosecution.

On Thursday, the first International Crimes Tribunal recorded the deposition of Ratan Chandra Das, 61, the 10th prosecution witness. Ratan, who used to cook for Rangpur Carmichael College teachers Sunil and Ram Krisna, described how some of the other teachers had been abducted by the accused and the Pakistani soldiers in 1971.

After cross examining Ratan, the defence counsel suggested that Ratan had not been present at the scene. The witness was asked whether he had recognised Azhar on that night. Ratan said the person looked familiar.

The court adjourned hearing in the case until April 27. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, April 14, 2014

5

2 more sales representatives stabbed at Sabujbagh, Turag n Kailash Sarkar A gang of criminals made off with Tk 8 lakh by stabbing a sales representative of Bkash at the capital’s Basabo under Sabujbagh Police Station while another gang of muggers took away Tk 2 lakh by stabbing another sales agent of the Biksh in Turag area.

Identified as Enamul Huq, 40, the sales representative of Bikas was an employee of Green International located near Sabujbagh playgrpund, the critically stab wounded Bkas employee was admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

Police and witnesses said a gang of criminals intercepted Enamul at Kadomtoli WASA Road in Basabo of Sabujbagh at around 2:00pm while he had been passing through the area on foot after collecting money from different spots.

Injured enamul told reporters that a gang of five to six criminals took at-

BCL activist vandalises door of female hall at CU n CU Correspondent An activist of the Bangladesh Chhatra League kicked and damaged the door of a women’s dormitory at Chittagong University, yesterday.

Witnesses said Arafat, a third year student from the history department, had an altercation with some female classmates in front of Pritilata hall.

Then, Arafat allegedly kicked and shattered the glass on a wooden doorframe of the visitors’ room on the ground floor of the dormitory.

He then fled the scene before the hall provost and house tutors arrived.

No one was hurt in the incident.

CU proctor Siraj Ud Dowla said the argument reportedly took place over a personal matter as Arafat allegedly had an affair with a student living in the dormitory. l

tempt of snatching a bag containing money from him.

“As I had tried to resist the criminals, they stabbed me indiscriminately and ran away with the money leaving me stabbed”, he said.

Local people rescued him and rushed to a local clinic from where he was shifted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Doctors at DMCH said the condition of the victim was stated to be critical.

Inspector Babul MIah, officer-in-charge of Sabujbagh Police Station, said they heard of such an incident, but the OC claimed they were not sure of whether it was an incident of mugging of Tk 8 lakh.

“We are looking into the matter”, the OC said.

Meanwhile, another sales representative was also stabbed and Tk 2 lakh was snatched away from him at the capital’s Turag in the afternoon.

Identified as Mohammad Rana, 22,

was also admitted to Criscent Hospital in Uttara.

Inspector Abeer Mohammad Hossain, OC of Turag Police Station, said a gang of four criminals riding two motorcycles attacked Rana at Nolbhog and snatched Tk 2 lakh away from him by stabbing him indiscriminately at around 12:30pm.

The OC said injured Rana was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Uttara with stab wounds at his back and hands.

Earlier on April 7, another gang of armed criminals snatched Tk 10 lakh away from another sales agent of the Bkash in a filmy style at the capital’s Kazipara of Mirpur by shooting the Bikash sales agent and another person.

The motorcycle riding armed muggers had intercepted sales agent Abul Kalam Mollah, 28, of AID Distributors, on his way to a branch of Brac bank to deposit the amount. l

Nilkhet book market remains closed n DU Correspondent Nilkhet book market in the capital remained closed yesterday in the aftermath of a clash between the students of Dhaka University and traders of the market on Saturday that left 25 students injured.

During a visit to the market, this correspondent found that except a very, few most of the book shops remained closed as DU authorities and Traders Malik Samity could not be able to reach in a solution.

Acting Proctor of Dhaka University Amzad Ali said, “We have said to the Book Sellers Malik Samity not to open the market until a meeting was held between ourselves. Till today, traders’ leaders did not get suitable chance to meet and solve the issue, but we will sit together soon for a permanent solution

soon.” He said the university authorities have urged traders not to open the market in a bid to avoid further clash.

When asked about filing any case over the clash incidence, the proctor said, “We do not want to file any case against traders; rather, we want to solve our problems through negotiation”.

Yasir Arafat, officer-in-charge of Nilkhetpolice station, said “We have deployed enough forces to avoid any unpleasant situation in this area.”

The students of the DU clashed with the book traders at Nilkhetin New Market area in the city on Saturday afternoon.

Campus sources said a group of students fought with a shopkeeper over price.

At one stage, the students returned to the campus and grouped themselves and started for the book shops when the traders chased them. l

Special FFW allocation for women MPs n Mohosinul Karim Reserved seats for women MPs have been specially allocated under the Food for Works (FFW) programme.

They were each allotted Tk16, 87,500, instead of 75 metric tonnes of rice for uplifting rural infrastructure yesterday.

A week before, 267 MPs (general) were each given Tk50,62,500 by the Department of Disaster Management under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.

The women MPs (reserved) have, meanwhile, been asked for submitting their projects to the district committees against their allocation so that they can have their fund released early.

WEATHER

SUNNY WITH POSSIBLE DRIZZLE MONDAY, APRIL 14 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:20PM SUN RISES 5:38AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

38

25

Chittagong

36

24

Rajshahi

39

24

Rangpur

38

23

Khulna

39

24

Barisal

38

23

Sylhet

37

23

Cox’s Bazar

35

25

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

38.4ºC Rangamati

18.6ºC Sylhet

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:20am 5:38am 11:59am 4:31pm 6:20pm 7:38pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

Sources said the fund would be released only after the deputy commissioners (DCs) approved development projects on which it will be spent.

Newly-elected Upazila Parishad chairmen will also get special allocation as per the decision of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.

Among them Tk100 crore will be disbursed based on the need for rural development work at their Upazilas.

The government has decided to disburse around Tk314 crore among public representatives under the FFW programme for road development work at their constituencies.

Director of the Department of Disaster Management Nepur Ahmed earlier

told the Dhaka Tribune: “The fund would be used for various projects.”

“The projects include repairing or construction of roads, small bridges and culverts, dams; digging canals and ponds; earth-filling for social welfare organisations, and educational and religious institutions.”

Each project would have a separate chairman who would look after its implementation under upazila project implementation officers and the upazila nirbahi officers, he said.

Ahmed said the project implementation officers and the upazila nirbahi officers would report directly to the DCs. The local MPs and Upazila Parishad chairmen would recommend projects. l

Pahela Boishakh – a reminder of loss n Our Correspondent, Barisal Since 2001, Pahela Boishakh has been a dreadful reminder of loss and pain for the residents of Gazi Bari in Kachhipara village, 40km away from Patuakhali town.

Thirteen years after they lost three family members in the heinous grenade attack at the Bangla New Year’s celebration in Ramna Botomool in Dhaka, the Gazi family’s grieving is now lined with outrage at the delay of justice.

The three victims were: Al Mamun, 13, son of Kashem Gazi and a seventh-grader at Kachhipara Secondary School; Zannatul Ferdous Shilpi, 20, daughter of Hashem Gazi and a firstyear student at Kachhipara Degree College; and Riazul, 22, son of Shamsul Haq Gazi and a medicine trader near Suhrawardy Hospital, Dhaka.

While talking to journalists yesterday, the Gazi family demanded for speedy trials and exemplary punishment to the perpetrators of the attack.

Remembering the tragedy

According to the family members, Mamun, Shilpi and Riazul were visiting Masud, Mamun’s elder brother and an employee at a community centre at Shyamoli ahead of April 14 in 2001. The three cousins wanted to experience the traditional celebration of the country’s biggest cultural festival, so they went to Ramna Botomool that day.

Masud’s wife Parvin reminisced:

“We used to live in Dhaka back then.

The cousins came to visit us and also to celebrate Pahela Boishakh in Dhaka. On April 14 morning, they went to Ramna Botomool. When we came to know about the blast, we rushed to the scene. It was in vain, though, as the doctors at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital had already declared all the three dead.”

A teary-eyed Shamsul, Riazul’s father, said: “I had forbidden my son to attend any crowded event. But he ignored my instruction. Perhaps it was the call of Death.”

“No one cares to meet us, except for a few journalists who visit us every year on the anniversary and give us worthless consolation. None of them can give us the answers to our questions: Why were our children killed at a non-political, social event? Why have the plotters and killers not been arrested yet?” said Kashem, Mamun’s father.

Suja Begum, Shilpi’s mother, died on February 12, 2006 without seeing the trial and punishment of the culprits who killed the youngest of her seven children.

Ershad Gazi, Mamun’s younger brother, said: “My cousin Dulu, Riazul’s younger brother, lost mental balance after the deaths. Now we only want a trial and punishment of the killers.”

They also said they had arranged for special prayers and cleaning and visiting the graves with the family to remember the departed, as usual. l

Law enforcers sweep the Ramna Botoomul area with metal detectors yesterday to ensure security during the Pahela Boiskhak celebrations at the venue MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Cox’s Bazar ready to greet New Year n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Thousands of tourists have swarmed Cox’s Bazar sea beach as Pahela Boishakh, the first day of Begali New Year 1421, begins today.

Cox’s Bazar district administration and Sammilita Sangskritik Jote will organise various events celebrating the day.

All the preparations have already been completed for Pahela Boishakh revelry through various functions at Public Library Shaheed Daulat Maidan from 8am to 11am.

The day will be welcomed with Rabindranath Tagore’s famous song Esho He Boishakh Esho Esho.

Apart from the district administration and Sammilita Sangskritik Jote, various social, cultural and sports organisations will hold various programmes.

As well as amusement programme, Panta Ilish, Shutki Bharta, Ilish Bhuna, Bhuna Khechuri will be available.

Police have taken special measures for ensuring the celebrations without any unpleasant incidents.

All hotels, motels and restaurants have also taken special preparations for treating their customers.

Cox’s Bazar Hotel Motel Owners’ Association’s General Secretary Abul Kashem Sikder said, “All the hotels, motels are being swarmed with tourists from home and abroad.”

“A festive mood has begun at various tourism and recreation sports here well before the New Year begins.”

Cox’s Bazar Sammilita Sangskritik Jote General Secretary Najibul Islam said, “We are celebrating the Pahela Baishakh in coordination with the district administration.”

“Our programme will begin through Mongol Shobhajatra at 8am from the central Shaheed Minar. This will be held in two phases – morning and afternoon.”

A total of 12 social and cultural organisations will hold various programme at the premises of the Shaheed Minar.

PR Officer of five-star hotel Ocean Paradise Sayeed Alamgir said, “We have planned three-day programme, honouring the Bengali culture. We will set up 12 stalls where folklore culture-related products will be available.”

“We will also organise Lalon songs for the tourists from home and abroad.

Other hotels will also organise various programme today.”

Additional Superintendent of Police Tofail Ahmed said, “We have taken strict measures to celebrate the day smoothly.”

“As well as uniformed police, plainclothes police will be on duty all the day.”

Deputy Commissioner Md Ruhul Amin said, “We have taken various programmes to celebrate the day.” l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Monday, April 14, 2014

Illegal stone lifting continues unabated n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat

legal stone lifting from the Dharla River in last two years.

“Many farmers in the village lost Ruling party men are allegedly lifting stones illegally from the Dharla, Sani- their croplands for stone lifting illegalyazan and Singimari rivers under the ly in the last few years,” he said adding nose of administration at Patgram upazila they did not dare to protest the syndiin Lalmonirhat, which might cause land- cates in fear of reprisals.

“My eight bigha croplands were slides in the areas adjacent to the rivers.

The musclemen set up at least 600 eroded for illegal stone lifting by using dredgers in the rivers for lifting stone dredger machines at Kawamari village which is operated round the clock eve- in the upazila in last seven years, but I did protest,” said farmer Nabiur Rahry day. man of Kawamari village.

According to upazila agriculture office sources, about 1,800 bigha croplands were eroded by the three rivers for illegally stone lifting using dredgers since 2001.

About 2000 people in 40 villages were affected and were the worst sufferers of this illegal activity.

“I informed the incident to the upazila nirbahi officer seeking protection of croplands from the clutch of illegally stone lifting,” said Nur Alam ,upazila Rampant stone lifting with the use of agriculture officer.

LGED sources said that at least eight machines started back in 2001 during the then BNP-led government rule, lo- infrastructures including five bridges, cals said, adding that the AL men have three roads might collapse any time been continuing the illegal practice now. due to stone lifting illegally beside the They said as the locally musclemen infrastructures.

“We served several notices to the ilwere politically and economically powerful, the local administration failed to legal stone lifters beside the LGED’s instop them. The administration con- frastructures but the syndicate did not ducted several drives against the lifting respond to the notices,” said Patgram but it did not bring any result, they said upazila LGED engineer Haider Ali. On condition of anonymity, some adding local administration was not workers in Islampur, Kawamari, Sree taking stern action in this regard.

Farmer Sahidar Rahman of Islam- Rampur, Kafirbazar villages of the upapur village in the upazila said his three zila said they were hired at the wage Tk bigha croplands were eroded due to il- 150 to 300 for lifting stones from the

10 injured in Tangail clash

The photo taken yesterday shows that a portion of the Dharla River has been eroded because of unabated sand lifting rivers using dredgers.

The syndicate members did not come to the spot but they controlled the total situation, they said adding BNP-Jamaat men controlled the syn-

dicate during BNP period and now AL men controlled it.

UNO Rafiqul Haque said upazila administration tried to stop illegal stone lifting from the rivers.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Local people urged the government for taking steps to stop stone lifting illegally from the rivers to save the rivers, croplands and environment immediately. l

Health workers allege corruption in Hindu-owned shop Gopalganj Vitamin A Plus campaign looted, owner attacked Allegations of corruption have been made against two senior officials of Gopalganj health administration for misappropriating state funds allocated for the recently held Vitamin A Plus campaign.

Health workers of the district have alleged that although Tk22 lakh was allocated for the government vaccination campaign in Gopalganj, more than Tk12 lakh, reserved for workers’ honorarium, food, additional vaccination centres and public announcements, was gobbled up by Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Chowdhury Shafiqul Alam and EPI Medical Technician Nahid Kamal during the campaign.

“Funds were allocated for making

announcements for the campaign in 21 upazilas of the district twice, but only two loudspeakers were used to make announcements in Gopalganj district and its adjourning areas. The two corrupt officials also presented fake vouchers, worth Tk75,000, for each village,” said Assistant Health Inspector Mossadek Hossain Musa.

Health workers also alleged that there were 504 vaccination centres in the Sadar upazila, but 46 fake centres were shown by the respective officials to siphon some Tk3 lakh out of the fund.

They also said after submitting a written complaint against these two officials, a vested quarter involved with the corruption have been pressuring and threatening them to withdraw

their statement.

When asked, EPI Medical Technician Nahid Kamal said: “The honorariums were paid after receiving double signatures of the health workers and the payment was made in two phases.

The allocation for food may have varied a bit, but there was no irregularity in any other sector.”

Meanwhile, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Chowdhury Shafiqul Alam brushed off the allegation saying that no corruption took place during the campaign.

Urging the administration to probe the allegations against me, he also claimed that he personally never pressurised or tried to negotiate with the protesters to drop the allegations. l

n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat A sweetmeat shop Sunil Mishtanno Bhandar was vandalised by a group of miscreants at Railway Bazar area in Lalmonirhat town around 9:30pm on Saturday night. The culprits also robbed the shop and took Tk4 lakh.

Sunil Chandra, owner of the shop, was hospitalised after receiving critical injuries in the attack, which started because Sunil asked Kazi Rana, leader of the gang, to pay the bills.

“When I requested Kazi Rana and his 10-12 gang members to pay their bills, they attacked me and beat me mercilessly. They also looted my shop and took cash money,” Sunil said.

Police rushed to the scene immedi-

National flag hawker hacked, mugged n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah A national flag seller was hacked and mugged while he was selling flags near Madam Mohanpara in the Jhenaidah town Saturday night. The victim, Sabuj, 20, is the son of Aktaruzzaman of Dakkhin Joynagar, Bhola.

Jhenaidah police station officer-incharge Iqbal Bahar Chodhury said that Sabuj was selling the national flags at the Madan Mohan Mandir premises for the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year, when a gang of youths attacked him near the temple at about 10pm. They looted his cash and mobile phones and hacked at him severely.

The police later rescued the hawker and sent him to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital.

He was referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in a critical state. l

ately, but no one was arrested. The locals alleged that police did not make any arrest for unknown reasons, adding that local activists of the ruling Awami Leauge were involved in the attacks on Hindus.

Sunil said his family was now living in fear of further attacks by the gang.

“We did not file a complaint with the police station about the incident because we fear we would be attacked again,” said Alok Chandra, Sunil’s son, at the family’s residence in Thanapara.

Gopal Chandra Barman, general secretary of Lalmonirhat Puja Udjapon Parisad, said the attack was premeditated and the attacker planned to loot the Hindu-owned shops in town.

Police said they must take stern action in this regard. l

Robi launches 3G in Khagrachhari n Our Correspondent, Khagrachhari

Students of Unail Darul Ulum Islamia Ali Madrasa take a procession at Ashulia yesterday, demanding punishment of the killer of Aklima Akter Akhi DHAKA TRIBUNE

The country’s private mobile operator Robi launched “3G services” for their users in the hilly district for the first time yesterday. Khagrachhari DC Md Masud Karim, as chief guest, inaugurated the programme in the district town.

DC Masud thanked Robi for launching the sophisticated technology and meeting the demands of the people living here.

“This will help speed up the activities of both government and non-government offices,” the DC stated.

Khagrachhari Municipality mayor Mohammad Rafiqul Alam and area manager of Robi SM Jahedul Islam also made speeches at the function, among others.

Afterwards, a colourful rally was paraded through the town. l

2 burnt to death 7 killed in road accidents across country n in Jamalpur Tribune Report

n Our Correspondent, Jamalpur A sexagenarian woman and her granddaughter burnt to death in a fire that broke out at a house in Tilakpur village under Dewanganj upazila, Jamalpur district yesterday.

The deceased were identified as Jarina Begum, 60, and her granddaughter Sabina Yasmin,10.

Locals said Jarina and Sabina were sleeping when the fire broke out.

Dewanganj Circle assistant superintendent of police Abdul Hannan said, “The fire originated in Jhoru Sheikh’s kitchen at around12:30am and soon engulfed the entire house, leaving his mother and daughter dead and four others injured.”

Around five houses and one cow shed were burnt to ashes. Five goats and three cattle also died in the incident.

Jhoru Sheikh and his relatives Afsar Ali, Suruj Ali and Abdus Salam who were injured but alive, were admitted to the local hospital, said police. l

60,000 yaba seized in Cox’s Bazar The BGB seized 60,000 pieces of the banned narcotic, yaba tablets, estimated to be worth around Tk3 crore from the Naf River near Keruntali of Teknaf upazila in the district yesterday.

Lieutenant Kazi Harunur Rashid, station commander of the coast guard in Teknaf said: “Acting on a tip-off, coast guard personnel raided the riverbanks. Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the peddlers threw the yaba packets into the river. Later, the coast guard recovered the packets from underwater.”

– Our Correspondent

We served several notices to the illegal stone lifters beside the LGED’s infrastructures but the syndicate did not respond to the notices

n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

NEWS IN BRIEF

At least seven people were killed in separate road accidents that took place in Noakhali, Chapainawabganj, Chittagong, Faridpur and Satkhira yesterday.

Three persons have been killed and four others injured as a tractor rammed an auto-rickshaw in Charkakra union of Companiganj upazila in the early hours of the day.

The deceased were identified as auto rickshaw driver Habib, 38, passengers Alamgir Hossain Mirza, 30 and Harun, 25.

Companiganj police station Officerin-Charge Sajedur Rahman confirmed the Dhaka Tribune about the deaths.

He said a tractor rammed an auto rickshaw in the area around 1am that left three dead on the spot and four others injured.

The injured were admitted to Com-

paniganj Health Complex, Noakhali Medical College Hospital.

Meanwhile, a minor boy was killed in a road accident on the ShobganjSonamoshjid Highway in Chapainawabganj, yesterday morning.

Local people said at about 11:30am, when Oliullah, 9, son of Ramzan Ali of Boliadighi Montu Member Para area of the district, had been crossing the road, a Shonamoshjid-bound truck had hit him.

The locals rescued him in critical condition. He died later, on the way to Shibganj Upazila Health Complex.

The body was sent to Chapainawabganj Sadar Hospital morgue for a postmortem examination.

A case was filed, but no one was arrested.

In Chittagong, a man was killed when a bus hit a covered van at Barabkunda in Sitakunda upazila on Sunday.

The deceased was identified as Mohammad Shahidullah Manik, 40, son of late Rowshonuzzaman at Mandaritala village in the upazila.

In Faridpur, a retired army official, Nasiruddin Sikder, 50, was killed and 20 people were injured when a Dhakabound bus of ‘Bikash Paribahan’ from Faridpur hit a roadside tree after colliding with a motorcycle at Basantapur on Dhaka-Khulna highway on Sunday noon.

Nasiruddin hailed from Danga Durgapur in Gopalganj.

In Satkhira, an elderly man was killed when he fell from a human hauler on Satkhira-Khulna road at Benerpota on Sunday.

The deceased was identified as Biswanath Roy, 70, a resident of Parkhukrali in Satkhira municipality area.

Separate cases were filed in this connection. l

At least 10 people including a police constable were injured in a fierce clash between the inhabitants of two villages centering Baishakhi fair stall at Gopalpur upazila in the district yesterday morning. Gopalpur police station Officer-inCharge Md Shahidullah said a group of Sandarpara village beat Kabir, 9, son of Momtaz uddin of Nandanpur village in brawl to have a stall of Baishakhi fair in the Gopalpur upazila. Later, inhabitants of the two villages locked into a clash with local weapons, he added.

Meanwhile, five shops were vandalised.

Police opened 30 rounds of rubber bullets and propelled 10 teargas shells to disperse the clash, the OC said. The injured were rushed to Gopalpur upazila health complex.

– Our Correspondent

Body recovered in Chuadanga Police yesterday morning recovered the body of a 25-year-old man from a mango grove near Ghoramara bridge on Chudanga-Alamdanga road in the district. The deceased was identified as Nazmul Haque, son of Nur Alam of Kedarganj village in Chuadanga city.

He was an accused in several lawsuits, including the sensational college student Tutul killing case. Second officer of Chuadanga Sadar police station SI Khalilur Rahman said police recovered Nazmul’s body from the mango grove upon being informed by locals. His body bore wounds and he might have been beaten and strangled to death, said Khalilur, adding the autopsy was carried out yesterday noon at Chuadanga Sadar Hospital. According to the SI, Nazmul, who was sent behind bars following his arrest on November 21 last year, was an accused in a motorbike snatching case.

He, however, was released on bail 17 days later. The 25-year-old went out of his house Saturday evening and did not return at night. Family members yesterday morning came to the hospital and identified the body. The murder was a premeditated one, they suspected. No case was filed.– Our Correspondent

Contraband items seized in Chuadanga Members of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized contraband items from different parts of Chuadanga, in separate drives, in the early hours of yesterday. The BGB sources said a BGB team from the Damurhuda outpost conducted a drive in the Harirampur area at about 4:30am and recovered some abandoned items such as 3,000 carbon films of television, 1,000 bulbs and 28 bottles liquor. Earlier, another team of BGB conducted a drive in the Haldarmath area and recovered 24 bottles of liquor and eight bottles of phensidyl, while another team of BGB recovered 2,000 pieces of imitation ear rings and bangles in a separate raid. The BGB members also recovered 2,000 batteries of wrist watches from the Phulbari playground. BGB sources said sensing these drives, smugglers dumped the contrabands to avoid being arrested.

– Our Correspondent

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Partial Afghan election results put Abdullah in lead n AFP, Kabul

Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah is leading his closest rival Ashraf Ghani in the Afghan presidential election, the country’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) said yesterday, with the early results indicating a runoff vote is likely.

The eventual winner will need to lead the fight against a resurgent Taliban as US-led combat troops prepare to leave at the end of the year, and also strengthen an economy reliant on declining aid money.

A run-off election between the two leading candidates will be triggered if no single candidate gains more than 50% of the vote “Today we announce the partial results of 26 provinces with 10% of votes counted, these include (provinces) in the north, south, east, west and Kabul,” said Yousuf Nuristani, the IEC chief.

“With 500,000 votes from 26 provinces Dr Abdullah is leading with 41.9 percent; Dr Ashraf Ghani has 37.6% and is in second; and Zalmai Rassoul has 9.8% in third position.”

A run-off election between the two leading candidates will be triggered if no single candidate gains more than

50% of the vote when the final results are announced in late May. But Nuristani cautioned against reading too much into the early results.

“These results are changeable... today one candidate might be leading but when we announce more results another candidate might be leading,” he said.

Of the eight provinces for which results have not been announced, two are in the north (Badakhshan and Baghlan), two in the east (Nuristan and Paktika), central Daykundi, southern Ghazni and Wardak and western Ghor.

Abdullah, who was born to an ethnic Pashtun father and a Tajik mother, is more associated with the northern Tajiks.

More than seven million people defied bad weather and Taliban threats of violence to vote in the April 5 first round of the election, earning praise from world leaders. Ahead of the vote there were fears that a repeat of the massive fraud which blighted Karzai’s re-election in 2009 would undermine the winner’s legitimacy at a testing time for the war-torn country.

But the Election Complaints Commission announced Sunday that there had been “less fraud” in the current poll.

“We have received 1892 complaints with evidence, 1382 through phone,” said spokesman Nader Mohseni, adding that 870 of the complaints fell into the most serious category.

“We will review all the complaints.

Based on the reviews and numbers provided by the observers there has been less fraud in this election compared to the previous one,” he said. l

World

7

Monday, April 14, 2014

Complaints of Fraud in Afghan election exceed total in 2009 n Reuters, Kabul Afghanistan’s Independent Election Complaints Commission said yesterday that more incidents of serious fraud were reported in an April presidential election than in the previous one in 2009, when more than a million suspect votes were thrown out.

The complaints body hinted it might need more time than expected to investigate all of the complaints though the volume would not affect the overall schedule for electing a leader. Final results are due on May 14.

“There is a possibility, in order to review the high number of complaints accurately, that we may expand the time frame for reviewing complaints in provinces for some days,” said IECC spokesman, Nader Mohseni.

Afghanistan’s allies praised the April 5 vote as a success because of the high turnout, estimated at 60% of 12 million eligible votes, and the failure of Taliban militants to stage high-profile attacks on the day.

But evidence of widespread fraud could undermine the legitimacy of an election meant to usher in Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power, as Western forces prepare to leave.

The three frontrunners have all complained of fraud.

The IECC has recorded a total 870 incidents of fraud classed as “Priority A,” complaints considered serious enough to affect the outcome of the election, higher than the 815 incidents recorded in 2009.

Overall, the IECC has recorded a total 3,724 complaints, exceeding the total of 3,072 in 2009. l

A masked Pro-Russia supporter stands guard outside the headquarters of Ukraine’s security agency building in Lugansk. Separatists demanding a referendum to join Russia seized the building a week ago as a wave of secessionist anger swept eastern Ukraine AFP

Ukraine in bloody battle to oust gunmen n AFP, Slavyansk At least one person was killed yesterday when Ukraine resorted to force to oust pro-Russian gunmen holed up in a police station in the restive east, as Moscow faced calls to defuse the crisis.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said a Ukrainian officer had died both sides had suffered casualties during the offensive in Slavyansk, which threatens to further escalate tensions with Moscow.

Russia has 40,000 troops massed on Ukraine’s eastern border and has warned Kiev against using force.

“There are dead and wounded on

both sides,” Avakov wrote on his Facebook page, as unconfirmed Russian media reports said one protester had been killed.

“The separatists have started to protect themselves using human shields.”

Helicopters hovered low over the poor mining town, where a thick column of black smoke could be seen, an AFP photographer said.

Residents, mostly women, huddled in the cold under light rain in front of barricades protecting the police building. Armed separatists have also set up a checkpoint at the entry to the town.

Avakov earlier announced that units

from “all of the country’s force structures” were taking part in the first stiff response from Kiev to the unrest sweeping the volatile eastern part of the country.

With military precision and dressed in unmarked fatigues, unknown gunmen on Saturday launched a series of attacks against security buildings in the tinderbox eastern rust belt.

This came after a week of soaring tensions as pro-Russians demanding greater autonomy, or to join nearby Russia, stepped up protests in the region ahead of May 25 presidential polls. l

Missing plane’s black box batteries may have died

Four killed in rebel attack in Kashmir

Modi seizes on ‘Sonia Gandhi controlled PM’ book

n AP, Perth, Australia

n AFP, Srinagar

Narendra Modi, tipped to be India’s next prime minister, latched yesterday onto a new tell-all book that alleges current premier Manmohan Singh was a powerless puppet during his years at the top.

The book, written by a former media adviser to Singh, hit the bookstores this weekend and handed ammunition to Modi’s Hindu nationalist opposition.

Sanjaya Baru’s book “The Accidental Prime Minister” portrays Singh as subservient to ruling Congress party president Sonia Gandhi who called the shots although she holds no official government position.

Modi brought up the book while campaigning in the south, calling the government “remote-controlled.”

“I ask you all, people, what type of government do you want in India? Do you want a government in Delhi, a lame government? Do you want remote-controlled government?” he said.

Singh, 81, is retiring at the elections after 10 years at the helm. Gandhi chose Singh to become premier in 2004 when Congress won elections. l

Following four strong underwater signals in the past week, all has gone quiet in the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet, meaning the batteries in the plane’s all-important black boxes may finally have died.

Despite having no new transmissions from the black boxes’ locator beacons to go on, air and sea crews were continuing their search in the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday for debris and any sounds that may still be emanating.

They are desperately trying to pinpoint where the Boeing 777 could be amid an enormous patch of deep ocean.

No new electronic pings have been detected since Tuesday by an Australian ship dragging a US Navy device that listens for flight recorder signals.

Once officials are confident that no more sounds will be heard, a robotic submersible will be sent down to slowly scour for wreckage.

“We’re now into Day 37 of this tragedy,” said aviation expert Geoffrey Thom-

as. “The battery life on the beacons is supposed to last 30 days. We’re hoping it might last 40 days. However, it’s been four or five days since the last strong pings. What they’re hoping for is to get one more, maybe two more pings so they can do a triangulation of the sounds and try and narrow the (search) area.”

Recovering the plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders is essential for investigators to try to figure out what happened to Flight 370, which vanished March 8. It was carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese, while en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing.

Investigators trying to determine what happened to the plane are focusing on four areas — hijacking, sabotage and personal or psychological problems of those on board.

Two sounds heard a week ago by the Australian ship Ocean Shield, which was towing the ping locator, were determined to be consistent with the signals emitted from the black boxes. Two more pings were detected in the same general area Tuesday, but no new ones

PALM SUNDAY EASTER

have been picked up since then.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has expressed confidence that the pings picked up by the Ocean Shield were coming from the plane’s two black boxes, but he cautioned that finding the actual aircraft could take a long time.

Searchers want to pinpoint the exact location of the source of the sounds — or as close as they can get — before sending the Bluefin 21 submersible down. It will not be deployed until officials are confident that no other electronic signals will come, and that they have narrowed the search area as much as possible.

The underwater search zone is currently a 1,300-square-kilometer (500-square-mile) patch of the seabed, about the size of Los Angeles. The sub takes six times longer to cover the same area as the ping locator, and will need about six weeks to two months to canvass the current underwater zone.

The signals are also coming from 4,500 meters (15,000 feet) below the surface, which is the deepest the sub can dive. l

Climate: EU throws down Modi most followed gauntlet to big emitters on Twitter, Kejriwal n AFP, Brussels

A young boy holds palm branches during the Palm Sunday Easter procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City. The ceremony is a landmark in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphant return of Christ to Jerusalem the week before his death, when a cheering crowd greeted him waving palm leaves AFP

Militants killed two policemen guarding the home of a pro-India politician in Indian Kashmir yesterday, in the first such attack in the restive region since national elections got underway.

Two rebels sprayed the home of a National Conference politician with bullets in the town of Khrew, 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the main city of Srinagar.

The attack sparked a gunbattle that also left both militants dead, police said.

Yawar Masoodi, a youth leader of the National Conference party which rules at state level in Kashmir, was home at the time but was unharmed. “The two policemen died before reaching hospital,” a police officer at the scene told AFP. The militants fled into nearby mustard fields after snatching the police officers’ weapons. Government forces on patrol in the area chased the attackers, sparking the gunbattle as reinforcements from a nearby army camp also moved in, the officer said on condition of anonymity.

“Both the attackers were later neutralised and the snatched weapons also recovered,” Inspector General Nalin Prabhat from the federal Central Reserve Police Force said.

It is unclear why Masoodi, who is not an elected member of parliament nor standing at the polls, was singled out for attack. But pro-India politicians have been targeted in the past by rebels fighting for independence or for merger of the disputed Himalayan territory with Pakistan.

The district in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley where the attack took place will go to the polls on April 24 as part of India’s mammoth elections that are staggered nationally over six weeks.

The Hindu nationalist opposition, led by hardliner Narendra Modi, is expected to sweep to power when results are announced on May 16, ending the Congress party’s decade-long national rule.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947 but each claim the territory in full. l

n AFP, New Delhi

European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard yesterday threw down the gauntlet to major carbon emitters after a UN panel pointed to options to brake surging greenhouse gases in line with global ambitions.

“The report is clear: there really is no plan B for climate change. There is only plan A: collective action to reduce emissions now,” Hedegaard said on her website.

“Now the question is: when will YOU, the big emitters, do the same?

The more you wait, the more it will cost. The more you wait, the more difficult it will become,” Hedegaard said.

The report, issued in Berlin by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said the UN goal of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels was attainable.

But it would require a major switch in energy sourcing and consumption.

Negotiations to forge a global pact on greenhouse gases that drive warming are due to climax in Paris at the end of 2015, but have made little progress.

Big emitters are being cautious about showing their hands.

In its new report, the IPCC said there was a “likely” chance of meeting the 2 C target if the world cuts annual greenhouse gas emissions 40-70%

by 2050 from 2010.

This would entail a “tripling to nearly a quadrupling” in the share of energy from renewable and nuclear sources and from traditional fossil or new biofuel sources whose emissions are captured rather than spewed into the atmosphere.

The European Union (EU) accounted for just over 11% of global emissions of greenhouse gases in 2010, according to the US thinktank the World Resources Institute (WRI). The United States contributed 15.6% and China 23.6 percent. Other big emitters are Russia, India, Brazil and Indonesia.

Under its current plan, EU emissions will fall by 2020 compared by 1990 levels and renewables will account for a 20-percent share of the European energy market.

By the end of 2012, the EU had cut emissions by 18% over the 1990 benchmark, while renewables had a share of 12.4% in 2010, according to the latest official figures.

In January, the European Commission, the 28-nation bloc’s executive, proposed a binding reduction in greenhouse gases of 40% by 2030 over 1990 levels.

Renewables should account for at least 27% of the total energy mix by 2030, the Commission said. This overall goal would be binding on the EU but not national governments. l

biggest gainer n Agencies BJP’s Narendra Modi remains the ‘most-followed’ Indian politician on Twitter by a wide margin of over 15 lakh followers, but it’s AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal who has gained the most with about 6.3 lakh new followers in just over last three months.

With Twitter emerging as a major campaign-ground for the first time for Lok Sabha elections, all major parties and leaders are using this platform and other social networks to reach out to the people, especially the young population which is present on these online forums in a big way.

According to latest data compiled by Twitter India, the Indian unit of US-based microblogging giant, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate has now close to 3.7 million followers — the highest for any Indian politician.

Modi has a lead of more than 1.5 million over second-ranked Shashi Tharoor, a Congress leader with 2.13 million followers.

Kejriwal (1.62 million) comes third, followed by Manmohan Singh (1.17 million) at fourth, BJP’s Sushma Swaraj in the fifth spot (1.03 million) and beauty queen-turned-politician Gul Panag at sixth (0.83 million), Twitter data shows.

Subramaniam Swamy of BJP is at seventh (0.49 million), J&K chief minister

Omar Abdullah is ranked eighth (0.48 million), Ajay Maken of Congress at ninth (0.27 million) and Kumar Vishwas of AAP at 10th (0.25 million).

The top 20 club also includes Smriti Irani, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Derek O’Brien, Varun Gandhi and Meenkashi Lekhi, among others, shows the data as on April 12, 2014.

Neither Sonia Gandhi nor her son Rahul is present on Twitter However, when it comes to the rise in number of followers since January 1, 2014 — a period also marked with increased political activities — Kejriwal, who headed Delhi government for 49 days after his AAP rewrote history in assembly polls last year, has seen over 6.29 lakh additional followers. Modi comes a close second with 6.28 lakh new followers in the same period.

Interestingly, both Modi and Kejriwal — pitted against each other from Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency — haven’t crossed the 5,000 tweet mark. Neither Congress chief Sonia Gandhi nor her son Rahul, the party vice president, is present on Twitter. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Spotlight

Monday, April 14, 2014

As the Bangla year 1421 rolls around, many of us will celebrate the first day of Boishakh in vivid colours. The heart of these celebrations in Dhaka is Charukala, the Institute of Fine Arts in Shahbagh, where art students have worked tirelessly to transform the area into a festival of creative self-expression. Masks and floats made by them adorn the Mongol Shobhajatra, a parade through the area that affirms the new year with a promise of renewal and rejuvenation. Though it is Bangla New Year to Bangalis, it is also celebrated by indigenous people around the country in their own traditions and languages

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Spotlight

Monday, April 14, 2014

9

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Pahela Boishakh’s message of inclusion

M

any will be rising early today in Dhaka to mark the start of Pahela Boishakh festivities at Ramna.

All across the world, Bangalees will join them in spirit to celebrate the nation’s cultural heritage at the start of the Bangla New Year.

Boishakh’s arrival is an invaluable opportunity to celebrate our roots and look to the future. Even as more of us move to big towns, the majority of people live their lives on the land and most city dwellers still have ties to villages.

Historically, the Bangla calendar arose out of the desire of imperial rulers to harmonise their fiscal years with the productive cycles of farmers. That it has stood the test of time is a tribute to the inclusive way in which the calendar was designed.

Not only did it limit the burden on farmers by helping to synchronise taxes with harvests, but it was devised to have no bias so that it might be acceptable to all communities in multi-religious Bengal. Hence, it reflects diversity by being based on the Islamic hejira calendar from which it diverged, and using a mixture of Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit words for years, dates, months and days of the week.

Political leaders should use the occasion of this annual celebration to reflect on the importance of unity and inclusiveness as they look to the year ahead. The country needs constructive political dialogue and co-operation to secure a stable platform for economic growth.

We hope all readers have an enjoyable and relaxing day. Shubho Nobo Borsho.

An opportunity to celebrate our roots and look to the future

Government’s duty to help RMG factory improvements

T

hree further RMG units employing 3000 people have been asked to suspend production for 15 days, after inspections found structural flaws in their buildings at Mirpur.

Since February 20, over 11,000 workers are reported to have lost their jobs following safety inspection-related suspensions.

As government safety inspections and those conducted by the two brand–led stakeholder safety initiatives, the Accord and Alliance, continue, all stakeholders have a duty to alleviate hardships caused to factory owners and workers affected by safety improvements and renovations.

Brands must work closely with the BGMEA and stakeholder initiatives to ensure a consistent and transparent approach to factory inspections, so that suspensions and layoffs are kept to a minimum and funds for remediation are directed to locations where there is most need to improve safety.

With 4 million people employed by the sector, and around four fifths of export income dependant on RMG, it is vital for the government to assist the sector with the costs of safety improvements.

Providing support for relocations to new, compliant buildings and backing loans for improvements must be a top national priority for the government.

Tax incentives and duty reductions for safety equipment are one way to help factories which need retrofitting to meet standards.

However, it can help even more by making more land available on which new modern, compliant buildings can be built. The government must take the initiative to set up new EPZs on stateowned and controlled lands. Helping the industry to modernise is the most sustainable way for it to secure workers’ livelihoods.

Monday, April 14, 2014

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Complacent Bangladesh Railways April 12 Bangladesh Railways is totally ignoring the road transport’s inroads, which has led to its progressive decay day by day. And railway management seems to have taken “an easy approach to their business,” having a monopoly on railway transportation, and all of it in the public sector.

A possible solution then may be to divide BR up into two different and independent railway organisations, one based in Dhaka and another in Chittagong, each with its own independent administration, finance, and marketing. Though this may be a huge task, I feel that to improve the system, having all-out competition may turn these complacent organisations into effective management entities. Return on assets (investment) should be the sole criteria of the evaluation of their performance.

Only under competition, and with the government strictly reviewing and following their financial performance, might there be a turn-around, maybe in the next few years, so that the railways could be profitable once again.

Engr SA Mansoor

Why didn’t we take a stand?

April 6

Bangladesh The BRICs are growing economies and trade with them will be as important as it is with USA pretty soon. Russia is an important strategic partner for arms and nuclear energy. Lest we forget, Russia supported Bangladesh while USA supported Pakistan in 1971.

Bangladesh took a balanced decision which was diplomatically the best at the moment.

Sam Bangladesh: In case you didn’t realise, this is 2014, not 1971, and time invariably moves forward, not back. Unfortunately, ideologues like yourself seem to be patently unable to understand that.

And if you think that BRICs are ever going to replace the US and EU in the next 100 years, your grasp of socio-economic dynamics is poor. deep purple blue “The countries that objected to the UN resolution are considered to be long-term Russian allies and countries under its spheres of influence and mostly governed by authoritarian rulers or elected dictators. It was crystal clear why they supported Russia.” It is for the same reasons that Hasina supported, or at least did not, oppose Russia.

Sam deep purple blue: Shhhh ... suggesting that the Hasina-Wajed regime is “authoritarian” is a quick way to get you labeled a razakar.

Rashid The fact is the author has no idea about Bangladesh and Bangladesh’s foreign policy.

Have you ever heard about the Non-Aligned Movement or that Bangladesh is also a G77

country? Have you ever heard Bangladesh attending votes for G77 meetings?

Curious reader What was the Non-Alligned Movement? I have never heard about it. How did a govt which cheated the people with 153 elected uncontested seats, allegedly rigged votes, and manipulated statistics of turnout save the country?

The American president, Nixon, had to resign after the Watergate affair. Do our diplomats correctly follow policy and act properly when it comes to serving Bangladeshis? The country only looks fantastic to someone who rules it according to their own will.

Zman7 Remember every government has a foreign policy.

So let the government (not the author) decide what is good for the nation. Bangladesh has already taken a position and that position is abstaining from voting. And this position is well-known, well-established, and well-accepted in the UN convention.

Curious reader Zman7: Is it about foreign policy of a country or a regime? Is it meant for national interest or the regime’s interest? Do you think a government which has a deficiency in legitimacy and popular support is safe for the nation? And do the people have no right to raise questions about its actions, including foreign policy decisions? Of course abstaining from voting is an option but does it serve the national interest best? As you referred to the UN convention, let me ask you whether it will guarantee this nation’s interest if its diplomats sit idle and the government does not take the required initiatives?

Tourist dead as speed boat hits

April 6 No surprise to me! Such an accident had to happen sooner or later. Security is absolutely zero at Cox’s Bazar beach and the authorities turn a blind eye! Speed boats and jet skis are racing between tourists, including small children bathing and playing in the water.

On the beach, tourists have to take care they’re not robbed by thieves, illegal hawkers, and beggars are disturbing the tourists all the time, and people have to be wary of being hit by horses or bikes, racing over the beach for money. It’s all about corruption, carelessness, and greed.

Vikram Khan

Imran ‘expelled’ from Ganajagaran Mancha

April 5 Nice. It was started as was expected. Sad demise of a movement that has seen enormous success and still had so much potential. Such things cannot sustain long at this time of decadence. The dawn has turned into dusk, for such is the way of things.

Shaquib Quoreshi

Pakistani couple sentenced to death for blasphemy

April 5 What on earth makes people do that in this world of individual freedom?

Romzanul Islam

Be Heard Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

CALVIN AND HOBBES

With four fifths of export income dependant on RMG, it is vital for the government to assist the sector

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Social standing (6) 5 Prevent from speaking (3) 7 Bucolic (5) 8 Immerse (6) 10 Arch (3) 12 Falsehoods (4) 13 Conclude (3) 14 Slender support (4) 16 Dumb (4) 17 Vegetable (3) 18 Neckwear (4) 20 Loud noise (3) 23 Receipts from rent (6) 24 Souvenir (5) 25 Early freshness (3) 26 Repaired (6)

DOWN 1 Undermines (4) 2 Talisman (6) 3 Advised strongly (5) 4 Prosecutes (4) 5 Fuel (3) 6 Everyone (3) 9 Numeral (4) 11 Sweet potato (3) 14 Observed (4) 15 Sampled (6) 16 Insane (3) 17 Portion (5) 18 Make neat (4) 19 Pleased (4) 21 Wrath (3) 22 Fresh (3)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

How to solve Sudoku: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Monday, April 14, 2014

Victims on campus

O

n MAB Siddique nce more, the premises of higher education have witnessed the murder of students – this time, one in Rajshahi University, and another in Bangladesh Agricultural University. Of the two latest cases, those who perpetrated the first one have not been traced yet. However, some were arrested and some are facing disciplinary consequences from the university.

If we had sensible people throughout our campuses, our country could perhaps have been different Both the latest victims were involved in the pro-ruling party student organisation. These pathetic incidents take us back once more to the killings in our educational institutions that have occurred frequently, reminding us of the impunity these perpetrators have enjoyed much too often. It is clear that the university, our society, and our government have failed to effectively do anything about them.

Let’s take a deeper look into what is going on: To my understanding, the power-practice which is still prevalent in the universities is not supposed to exist in a democratic regime. There could be true student representation from among the students through a formal or institutionalised democratic process.

These two enormously saddening incidents take me back to my uni-

R

A

M

versity days. When I first went to the university in the beginning of the first decade of the new millennium as a freshman, what struck me the most – which can offer a clue behind the recurrence of these incidents – was the unwritten rule that the newcomers learn from their seniors. This is not a “rule,” but rather a culture embedded in student politics.

New students have to prioritise on political activities over academics, or they will be driven away from the halls. They might also fall victim to organised beatings by political cadres.

People who champion politics always say that it is not academics that make you prosper, rather, it is politics that gives you certain privileges.

I came to see that some students who were involved in politics were even older than many of our professors. They remained on campus throughout the years, not to study but to get into positions of power.

For junior students, this meant being forced into participation.

It is a crude power race that may award you some control over certain underground business activities in and around the university by means of muscle. There are widespread allegations of extortion, manipulation of tenders, and drug-peddling on the campuses. And yes, murders.

Over the years, student politics has been conditioning students with ideas that are contrary to those of a true education. People who get involved in student politics enjoy something that the “common” students don’t, as the political ones keep gaining patronage from political parties, muscle, arms, impunity, and privileged treatment from the administration.

These players are not formally chosen or institutionally elected leaders.

They maintain supremacy throughout their stay by maintaining the hegemo-

B

L

E

The future leaders of our country?

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

ny in the small territory that they have snatched for themselves as an excuse to justify their practice. They draw on the glorious history of student politics as an excuse to go on doing what they do, but all that is merely rhetoric.

Real student politics is something else altogether.

Within the organisation, there is the usual hierarchy – the man on top gives orders to those below. The ones taking orders have to carry out their

O

N

instructions by hook or by crook. The group has to be kept intact, powerful, and intimidating. Sometimes, external threats to the group will emerge, and in such cases, those external elements will be hit hard. Control must be established over what should really just be a piece of public property, using political clout gained through student politics. The students all have to abide by the arbitrary doctrines of the small gangs.

S

E

R

P

E

If we had sensible people throughout our campuses, our country could perhaps have been different from what it currently is. These aspects, of course, contain within themselves the legacy of undemocratic phases of history. The culture remains, causing longstanding impacts on the educational institutions.

No institution has counted the overall impact of these grim games, including the loss of human capital that

N

T

I

N

has come to be expected. It is now necessary for all who are so badly affected by this practice of arms, muscle, and crime in the universities, to fight back effectively, devise plans for resistance, and save lives. These lives have always had the potential to contribute positively to our educational institutions as well as our nation as a whole. l MAB Siddique is a staff writer at the Dhaka Tribune.

E

Sums of human happiness

Cupid and con pair up

n Niaz Alam

n Towheed Feroze

“F

acts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.”

So said Mark Twain in one of his less quoted, but surely most self-evident aphorisms.

How happy are you, for instance?

The World Happiness Report produced independently for the UN last year, ranks Bangladesh at a lowly, but perhaps unsurprising 108th out of 148 states surveyed.

On the other hand, the Happy Planet Index, produced by the green orientated think tank New Economics Foundation, ranked Bangladesh in a much better 11th place. This was also not surprising as NEF’s score is weighted by such factors as a country’s global ecological footprint and life expectancy.

The trend for policy-makers to seek alternative indicators of economic progress to purely financial measures such as GDP, is a worthy one. It should not too readily be dismissed as a response to a so-called “first-world problem.”

Purely economic activity everywhere, as recorded by the gross domestic product’s measure of the market value for all officially recognised goods and services produced within a country, does not take account of negative social and environmental impacts. For example, a fatal road accident in the United States boosts economic output, by increasing activity and providing employment for ambulance drivers, hospitals, insurance companies, and lawyers. Whereas the increasing number of commuters in Dhaka taking to their bicycles, which is clearly good for the environment and individuals’ health and happiness, may not register as an increase in GDP if it reduces the amount spent on cars and rickshaws.

There are sound reasons for policy makers to look to alternative measures of progress than just GDP. The Millennium Development Goals, against which Bangladesh has performed quite well, are perhaps the best and most useful example along with the UN Human Development Index.

By measuring absolute indicators for health, education, and welfare, these have proved increasingly useful in providing pointers for progress.

For a start, they can less easily be manipulated. Governments around

the world are all too prone to adjusting GDP measures in their own interest.

Nigeria has recently managed to virtually double the size of its economy to $510bn, by rebasing the statistics it uses to measure GDP. Ghana did something similar in 2010 and just last week, the UK government has been talking about how it could dramatically improve statistics for personal savings rates, by “fast forwarding” the

‘While money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery’

accrual of pension entitlements.

As plenty of people have been pointing out in the case of Nigeria, its doubling of GDP makes little difference to the lives of ordinary citizens. Decades of misspent oil income have skewed wealth towards elites, leaving the majority of the population languishing with an average life expectancy of just 52 (as against over 70 for Bangladeshis last year). Hence, though it may now be Africa’s largest economy, per capita it remains three times poorer than South Africa.

We cannot get too far ahead of ourselves here. As home to the world’s eighth largest population, Bangladesh’s $127bn economy has huge potential to grow from its current ranking of 57th biggest GDP in the world. But the challenge, according to World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, is also that Bangladesh is one of just ten countries that are home to over 80% of the “extreme poor” of the world. (The others being China, Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Tanzania.)

So perhaps the concept of “happiness economics” popularised by Bhutan’s former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the 1970s, via Bhutan prioritising the pursuit of “gross national happiness” over GDP, is inherently more attractive to people in wealthier nations whose basic needs are already met.

These types of rankings may per-

haps be caricatured as a sort of pseudoscience. But then mainstream economics itself is hardly free of similar vagaries. If it wasn’t economists could make everyone rich, no? The paradox is that even though we can’t just suddenly flick a switch to turn off human contributions to climate change, statistics and supercomputers do allow humans to forecast the weather better and better every week. Economic forecasts however are far less reliable, despite the fact governments have plenty more levers available to change policy and improve the economic climate.

Ironically, just as happiness measures gain traction in wealthier countries, Bhutan itself is changing fast.

Nepali and religious minorities sometimes disagree that they were ever that happy of course, but now that Bhutan has allowed in television and joined the ranks of countries with regular multi-party elections, one can only suspect everyone’s “unhappiness ratings” may also rise as its economy grows.

Such perhaps is human nature, and the conundrum of providing material needs in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.

But I still believe there is mileage in the idea, as it has long been established that while there is some correlation between money and happiness, this tails off rapidly as incomes rise.

There is still much to be said for the aspiration of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” proclaimed by the United States Declaration of Independence. An idea directly emulated

by Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam’s 1945 Declaration of Independence, (although to little avail in deterring B52s), and directly inserted into Article 13 of the 1947 Constitution of Japan.

Of course, with so many millions of poor people, Bangladeshi policy-makers have a moral and practical duty to increase national wealth by growing GDP per head. But this is no reason to lose sight of other indicators for sustainability, well-being, and progress.

There is a middle ground between “Money can’t buy you love” and the Marxist (Groucho) view that “while money can’t buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery.” l Niaz Alam has worked on ethical business issues since 1992 and is a former vice-chair of War on Want.

D

ola Akther, reportedly detained by detectives, is the talk of the town since her arrest. Several people have come forward to identify her as a “love fraud” – a person who had used a veil of innocence to entrap and swindle.

Dola has confessed to being part of an organised group whose main target was to lure in men looking for romantic liaisons to an apparently empty apartment. Secret cameras recorded intimate moments in the flat, which were later used for extortion. In cases of unmarried men, money was demanded to secure release.

Not trying to demonise women alone, we turn our attention to one Sharifur Rahman Sharif, a bespectacled young man with innocence written all over his face.

Sharif developed a relationship with a university-going girl, married her with promises of a future together, and at one point, demanded Tk10 lakh from his wife with the threat that if she failed to bring the money he would release videos of intimate moments between them.

The girl failed to provide the cash, and realising the true nature of Sharif (ironically, meaning decent), filed for divorce. In retaliation, the video was made public, much to the torment of the girl and her family.

So, instead of pointing fingers at either males or females, we see that when it comes to fraud, members of both the genders wilfully take up such unlawful acts.

These two incidents only add to a series of scams that have been unearthed in the recent past. A few years ago, several out of work film actresses were found to be engaged in elaborate sex-selling businesses, where, discreet services were not the main motive.

In the name of providing physical pleasure, the objective was to record clients with hidden cameras for securing long-term financial bondage.

But the recent discovery of Dola, a seemingly pleasant girl from a middle class background, only exposes a murky mercenary philosophy overtaking all notions of ethical livelihood.

For Dola, the job was to talk to men on the phone, create a situation where

they would fall for her, and, in the name of a romantic date, bring them to the specified apartment. The rest of the work was done by others.

Coming back to Sharif, his work pattern was almost similar – using his charm to create trust. Once someone’s confidence was ensured, technology was used to keep records of private moments.

The problem is, we only know of such fraudsters after they are caught.

What eventually happens to them is vague. Do they serve a term, or do they wriggle out of punishment by using loopholes of the law? We also need to ask if men who release secretly recorded videos of women are ever caught. People like Dola and Sharif form a new layer of the sketchy social underbelly of a reckless consumerist culture.

Here, in this domain, the line between lies and truth are constantly being realigned. All moral principles are overshadowed by a single-minded determination to make money.

I once had the chance interact with the moll of a top political goon in the city. With an SSC degree as her highest academic achievement, the girl, in her early twenties, had a clinically clear vision of what she wanted in life – power, wealth, and the ability to buy whatever she wanted.

D

E

N

The girl is also a die hard disciple of a well-known holy man, paying monthly visits, carrying expensive gifts. Naturally, the “pir” will secure peace for her here and in the life after.

There was a time when youth idealism was dominated by desires to reform society for the better, whereas now, by their mid-twenties, a large number of young men and women show a tendency to dump morality for a quick buck.

Viciously, a ruthless profit-driven philosophy has entered our lives, where Dola and Sharif are simply following an overpowering belief.

Add the killer drug Yaba to this vulture ideology and we have a deadly mixture. Today, many Yaba peddlers are young women involved in an assortment of dodgy trades. A penetrating social probe will possibly reveal that at the heart is the relentless desire to get rich quick.

From a philosophical angle, we possibly can’t blame the young, because growing up in a tainted society, they understand pretty fast that money, irrespective of its genesis, has its own unassailable force.

Let’s be blunt here: Dola or Sharif’s arrest won’t work as a deterrent; it will not jolt con artists, instead of reforming they will simply alter their tactics.

Of all the ways to make money, aiming to exploit human emotions possibly has the highest success rates

While the money coming to her via her mobster boyfriend was mainly from extortion, she never felt a pang of guilt. “What matters is money; how one gets it is hardly significant,” was her unabashed observation. “Look at politicians who have made millions misusing their positions, and are still respectable people with sporadic complaints against them hardly denting their social status,” the girl said.

Despite rapacity dominating almost her entire existence, the truth in that line can hardly be ignored.

More ingenious ways of tricking people will emerge, new men and women will realise that ethics are never as flashy as a car, and not remotely effective in sending the message of “success.”

Of all the ways to make money, aiming to exploit human emotions possibly has the highest success rates; so blend con with Cupid and let the arrows be doused in avarice and evil. l Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Monday, April 14, 2014

Jonakir Alo hits both big and small screens today n Entertainment Desk

Iffat Ara Dewan’s solo art exhibition begins In which medium your orientation occurred first, singing or painting?

The singing orientation was ensued first in my early childhood. I started to learn Indian classical music and then took music lessons in Chayanaut.

My first record of two Tagore Songs Rupe Tomay Bholabo Na and Probhu Bolo Bolo released from Dhaka and Kolkata in 1970 with world famous label EMI. Although art was one of my core interests from childhood, I started painting seriously from 1990 and my first solo exhibition was held in 1992.

What sort of paintings is featured in your latest solo exhibition titled Last summer?

Jonakir Alo, a film by director-artist Khalid Mahmud Mithu, is releasing today in three cinemas— Shyamoli Complex Cinema, Star Cineplex (Bashundhara City) and Blockbuster Cinemas( Jamuna Future Park) in Dhaka.

The film will also have its world TV premiere today on Channel i at 3:05pm. A premiere show was organised on April 12 at Shyamoli Complex Cinema Hall with the presence of the cast and crew of the film.

About the nationwide distribution of the film, the director said that the film will gradually hit the cinemas across the country if they get positive response from the distributors and hall owners.

Produced by Impress Telefilm, the big budget film features Imon, Bidya Sinha Saha Mim, Kalyan Corraya, Diti, Tarik Anam Khan, Mita Chowdhury, Masud Ali Khan, Anis, Shams Sumon,Putul, Gazi Rakayet, Mrinal Dutta and many others.

The plot develops with a triangular love story. Kobita dreams of working for children’s welfare and is torn between adopting a child and her responsibility as a daughter-

n

Iffat Ara Dewan’s solo art exhibition titled Last Summer has begun yesterday at the Bengal Art Lounge in Gulshan. The prominent Tagore singer began her artistic ventures around two decades ago and this is her 11th solo show. Recently Iffat Ara talked to the Dhaka Tribune about her artistic career.

Given the choice between music and art, which one would you pick?

Without a doubt I would pick music, as this is the medium through which I express myself with the utmost comfort and passion. My music reflects my inner thoughts. In my leisure period usually I focus on painting. l

Dhaka Padatik to stage Tagore’s Apod today n Entertainment Desk Dhaka Padatik will stage Apod this evening at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy today at 6:30pm. The play is an adaptation of nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s literary work with the same title and has been directed by Masum Aziz.

The story of the play is about a woman named Kiran. She is ill and the doctor suggests her to go to the countryside for rehabilitation of her health. Kiran respects the doctor’s advice and rents a bungalow in the countryside and starts living there. One stormy night, a stranger with the name Neelkhantha appears at her doorstep and from there on, strange occurrences starts to take place which disrupts the usual peace of country living. l

Gazi Rakayet has enacted the role of SM Sultan and Bidya Sinha Saha Mim is the lead female actor of the movie. Imon and Kalyan play the two love interests of the heroine. l

BCS Bangla Prothom O Ditiyo Potro

A drama titled BCS Bangla Prothom O Ditiyo Potro will be aired at 9:05pm tonight on Banglavision. Written and directed by Masud Sejan, the drama features Tisha, Marjuk Rasel and many others. The interesting drama features two personalities poles apart. Marjuk is a modern Bangalee who has adopted western culture as his own, and is a rock star. On the other hand, Tisha is very much biased towards her own culture and prefers Tagore songs over western ones. She is also critical about Bangalees who has taken western culture in their stride. In a twist of faith, Marjuk falls in love with Tisha and tries his best to prove himself a genuine Bangalee who loves his own culture.

Opekkha

Opekkha will air at 9pm on NTV tonight. The drama is written and directed by Imraul Rafat and the cast includes Tisha, Tahsan, Ognila, Rasheda Chowdhury, Bhabna, Keya and many others. The story of the drama revolves around a girl named Priyota who finds her first love Nahiyan after 7 years through a Facebook post. At that time, when she finds him, Nahiyan is admitted in a hospital with severe wounds. Priyota dissolves into helpless tears at the lobby of the hospital when a girl named Nishita steps forward and introduces herself as Nahiyan’s girlfriend. She then reveals that Nahiyan never really got over his feelings for Priyota and he wishes to be with her, then Nishita will gladly hand him over to Priyota. Both of them waits by Nahiyan’s bedside for him to gain consciousness.

Dhaka FM90.4 will broadcast a special segment based on this drama, with its lead cast Tahsan and Tisha at 1pm today.

As a Tagore singer are you inspired by Tagore’s frequent use of the names of flowers in songs and poems?

Hasan Mansoor Chatak

in-law of a conservative family. Most interestingly, the protagonist meets the legendary artist SM Sultan and becomes inspired with his philosophy.

Pahela Boishakh special on TV

Mostly flowers done in pastel colours and some works of acrylic on canvas. The Last Summer features blooming flowers and landscapes.

In 2011, I displayed some paintings of flowers done in acrylic, in synchronisation with Tagore songs, marking the 150th birth anniversary of the Nobel Laureate poet.

In my very personal approach to the genre of “still life,” I like to do paintings of flowers. Also, many prominent artists in the world painted beautiful flowers that inspired me to pick it up as the subject of my paintings.

Imon and Mim in a scene of Jonakir Alo

Subornorekhar Banshiwala

A special drama tilted Subornorekhar Banshiwala will be aired on Maasranga TV at 8pm tonight. Written and directed by Gautom Koiri, the drama casts Shatabdi Wadud, Bhabna, Jhuna Chowdhury, Wahida Mallik Jolly and many others. The story of the drama revolves around a peddler named Binod. One day he stumbles upon a beautiful girl named Subornarekha standing infront of his house, she is homeless and has nowhere to go. Taken in by her beauty, Binod gives her shelter in his house and his life suddenly becomes complex. Miscreants of the village break his behala and ektara and he returns home crying. The story of the drama moves forward from this point.

Cholo Bodle Jai

Kangalini Sufia will perform this evening at the festival titled Shatkahon Rongeela Mela, an initiative by Jatra at its Dhanmondi outlet in road 27. Today is the concluding day of the five-day festival which earlier had performances of Rob Fakir, Bahok, Shayan and Joler Gaan. The programme will also feature traditional food, local crafts, products of our cottage industry and performances by Shadhona's Dance Company

Single episode drama Cholo Bodle Jai will air on SATV at 8:30pm. Written and directed by Ezaz Munna, the drama features popular soap actors Urmila Srabonty, Shoshi, Shahdat Hossain, Khalikuzzaman and many others.

Story of the drama revolves around two college friends named Shayla and Raiza. Raiza leaves for higher studies in Australia and Shayla gets admitted in a public university. After completing her studies, Raiza comes back to Bangladesh. She finds Shayla’s home to meet with her after a long time.

The reunited friends find each other's life to be very interesting and colourful. They decide to swap with one another for a while. Shayla starts living Raiza’s life and vice versa.

Students of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University busy with last-minute touch ups for Mongol Shobhajatra celebrating the first day of the Bangla New Year, the most popular festival among Bangalees SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Did you know?

Liverpool have scored more goals this season than in any other previous top flight campaign

Sport

Monday, April 14, 2014

14 Lethargic Barca

slump to shock defeat at Granada

14 Fabianski stars

as Arsenal reach final

Muktar storms Rajshahi tail-enders continue make records into record book to n with 16 sixes n Rajshahi’s Muktar Ali yesterday became the first Bangladeshi to clobber 16 sixes in a first-class innings and he equaled the worldwide record joining Australian Andrew Symonds, English Graham Napier and New Zealand’s Jesse Ryder. The sixes were hit during his 148-ball 168 hurricane innings against Chittagong Division on day two in the Walton 15th National Cricket League in BKSP. However, the record is more significant as it came from a No. 9 batsman compared to the genuine batsmen holding the record.

Muktar went in the middle after a 347-run stand between Farhad Reza and Sanjamul Islam for the eighth wicket. The 24-year-old added 224 runs with Farhad and in the process registered his maiden first-class hundred.

It was New Zealand’s John Reid who held the record for more than 30 years, after smashing 15 sixes in his 296 for Wellington against Northern Districts at the Basin Reserve in 1962-63. But the mark was eclipsed in 1995, when Symonds hit 16 in his unbeaten 254 for Gloucestershire against Glamorgan at the Pen-y-Pound ground in Abergavenny Muktar, who is better known for his accurate medium fast bowling, has been a handy batsmen to his team over the time and he was also in consideration for the Bangladesh squad in the World T20.

Chittagong’s national opener Ta-

mim Iqbal, who bowled eight overs and got smashed for 68 runs, was a mere spectator when Muktar was towering the sixes to all corners of the park. Known for a hard-hitting batsman himself, Tamim praised Muktar’s approach and said, “Muktar went to bat after a big partnership by Sanjamul and Farhad, who was at the other end and was in a very good position, and in these situations a new batsman tends to score quickly and eventually throws his wicket.

“But Muktar paced his innings very well and he has played all the cricketing shots to smash those sixteen sixes.

As an opponent I should never feel good, but I really enjoyed his innings and I must say he played really well,” said Tamim to Dhaka Tribune over phone. l

Rajshahi allrounder Farhad Reza became the third batsman to register a double hundred in the ongoing season of National Cricket League yesterday.

The right-handed converted his first century of the campaign to 259 while along the way partnered with Muktar Ali, who also scored an impressive 168, to add a record 224 runs for the eighth wicket to help Rajshahi pile 675 for nine on day two at BKSP-3.

On the previous day it was No. 7 Farhad who paired with his next batsman Sanjamul Islam (172) to rescue Rajshahi with a record 347-run partnership after the side slumped to 77 for 6. Farhad resumed the day on 182 and added a further 77 smashing a total 35 fours and five sixes. On the other end Muktar clobbered eight fours and towered a record equaling 16 sixes in a 148-ball blitz that made the Chittagong bowlers look clueless of the run fiesta.

Ali Akbar removed both the centurions but by then Rajshahi had already cruised to the massive total. In reply, Muktar carried his batting momentum and dismissed the top three port city side batsmen in quick succession to leave them reeling on 11 for 4. Veteran Faisal Hossain made 54 to stop the wreckage for a brief session before they eventually ended the day on 165 for 7 with Irfan Shukkur and Mehedi Hasan Rana at the crease with a 55-run partnership. They trail by 510 runs.

Meanwhile at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium table toppers Dhaka Division rode on Taibur Parvez’s 102 and two fifties from Abdul Majid and Shuvagata Hom to cruise past bottom table Barisal’s first innings total and take a slender 13-run lead before the day ended with six wickets in hand.

Majid made 86 and the opener was involved in a 160-run second wicket partnership with Taibur who smashed 13 fours. Shuvagata was unbeaten on 65 with Nadif Chowdhury on 32 as they added 91 runs together as Dhaka made 336 for 4.

TOP INDIVIDUAL SCORES (CURRENT SEASON) Player Farhad Reza Taibur Rahman Asif Ahmed Abdul Majid Marshall Ayub

Runs 259 207 200 182 173

Balls 334 351 327 306 209

Team v Opp Rajshahi v Ctg Dhaka v Rajshahi Dhaka Metro v Barisal Dhaka v Rajshahi Dhaka Metro v Dhaka

Ground Savar (3) Savar (4) Fatullah Savar (4) Bogra

Match Date 12 Apr 2014 20 Feb 2014 13 Feb 2014 20 Feb 2014 27 Feb 2014

Rangpur’s Tanvir Ahmed added another century on the second day of the sixth round games at Fatullah Outer Stadium. The right-handed batsman scored 111 and was ably supported by his skipper Sohrawardi Shuvo, who made 72 coming in to bat at No. 9, to steer the division to 391 runs despite the damage done by Sylhet’s rookie left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed. Nasum claimed seven wickets for 97 runs.

In reply lack of partnerships in the innings saw Sylhet end the day on 132 for 7. It was only opener Shanaj’s 72 that kept the side moving slowly before his dismissal was followed by a double blow, Rajin Saleh and Saker Ahmed, that pushed them in danger of following on.

At Cox’s Bazar stadium, Khulna resumed the day on 46 for 1 and ended their first inning son 213 with a lead of 41 runs. Tushar Imran and Nizamuddin Ripon made fifties, but there were no other major contribution as Khulna lost their last five wickets for just 22 runs. Mahmudullah claimed four wickets for Dhaka Metro who came on to bat and posted 104 for 3 at stumps.

They now lead by 63 runs with Shamsur Rahman not out on 69. National left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, who bagged four wickets in the first innings, once again proved to be the threat to Metro as all three dismissals in their second innings were scooped by the Khulna captain. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Viola, Inter tighten

Europa grip, Higuain hits treble

Rajshahi’s Farhad Reza scored 259 runs in their 1st inns

BRIEF SCORE (DAY 2) Khulna v Dhaka Metro Metro (1st inns): 172 all out in 70.5 overs Khulna (1st inns): 213 all out in 81.4 overs (Ripon 61, Tushar 55, Mahmudullah 4/45) Metro (2nd inns): 104/3 in 29 overs (Shamsur 69*, Saykat 22Razzak 3/25) Dhaka Metro lead by 63 Runs

Dhaka Div v Barisal Barisal (1st inns): 323 all out in 79.2 overs Dhaka (1st inns): 336/4 in 98 overs (Parvez 102, Majid 86, Hom 65, Monir 2/97) Dhaka Division leads by 13 runs

Chittagong v Rajshahi Rajshahi (1st inns): 675/9 dec in 135.3 overs (Farhad 259, Sanjamul 172, Muktar 168, Ali 4/157) Chittagong (1st inns): 165/7 in 41 overs (Faisal 54, Irfan 39*, Muktar 3/10) Chittagong trail by 510 runs

Sylhet v Rangpur Rangpur (1st inns): 391 all out in 132.4 overs (Naeem 144, Tanvir 111, Sohrawardi 72, Naum 7/97) Sylhet (1st inns): 132/7 in 45 overs (Shahnaj 71, Shuvashish 3/40, Sohrawardi 2/28) Sylhet trail by 259 runs

HIGHEST NO. OF SIXES IN A FIRST-CLASS INNINGS Sixes 16 16 16 16 15 15

Runs 168 254* 196 175 296 152*

Player Muktar Ali A Symonds GR Napier JD Ryder JR Reid Ziaur Rahman

Match Rajshahi v Chittagong Gloucestershire v Glamorgan Essex v Surrey New Zealanders v Australia A Wellington v Northern Districts South Zone v Central Zone

Venue BKSP 3 Abergavenny Croydon Brisbane Wellington Mirpur

Year 2014 1995 2011 2011-12 1962-63 2012-13

Armanitola, Sunnydale reach semis n Armanitola Govt. High School, St. Joseph, Ahmed Bawani Academy School and College and Scholastica (Mirpur branch) reached the boy’s team semi-finals in the Walton Metropolis School Table Tennis at the Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium yesterday.

The girl’s team semi-finals saw Suede Ramna, Azimpur School and College, Prayash Dhaka Cantonment

and Sunnydale completing the line up.

Meanwhile, Zunayed of Lalbagh Model School, Amit of Ahmed Bawani Academy, Akash of Armanitola reached the second round of the boy’s singles.

Fatin Ishraq of Azimpur Girls, Nure-Ferdous of Sunnydale Tamanna Kabir of Summerfield and Fouzia of DPS cruised through to the girl’s singles second round.

There will no matches today and the meet will resume tomorrow. l

An action from the match between Scholastica and Azimpur Girls during the Walton Metropolis School Table Tennis tournament at the Shahid Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium yesterday COURTESY

Bangladesh cricket turmoil – high time to restructure n The ICC FTP (Future Tour Programs) has often been blamed for ‘slow’ development in performance of the Bangladesh national cricket team as the Tigers do not get to play enough international matches in a year. But gone

are the days when the Bangladesh cricketers could use the ICC FTP as a shield whenever their performance is questioned.

But the developments in the recent ICC board meeting suggested that Bangladesh cricket will have to ‘help itself’ – which is to better their on-field per-

formance in order to survive with and among the top ranked teams.

The approval of ‘Meritocratic pathway for Test cricket’ had opened doors for the Associate sides to try out their luck in the Test circuit – a good leap in order to turn the game global.

But at the same time it also meant

Bangladesh, the bottom ranked Test team – 10th, will have to improve their ranking in next two years to avoid any odds of losing the status they obtained 14 years back.

Bangladesh’s poor showings in the longer-format have often brought their Test status in the line of fire and often those with stance against Bangladesh having the status, were hushed by pressure groups. But with the approval of an ICC Test Challenge, which will take place every four years between the lowest ranked Test team and the winner of the ICC Intercontinental Cup, have left Bangladesh, who are consistent in holding the bottom place, with no option but to buckle up and improve.

Top ranked sides like Australia, England, South Africa and India have often turned down BCB’s offer for a bilateral series as it would be a “financial loss” venture. However, according to the BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the “big teams” have shown interest of bilateral tours, both home and away, but with the condition of Bangladesh improving their performance on-field. In this

way the matches will become interesting and fetch more attention which will bring along – of course the money.

Now, at a point where performance has become the key, Bangladesh cricket is in need to rethink of the loop holes. In the first quarter of this year Bangladesh team played as much games that they play perhaps in a whole season. Accordingly the Tigers ended on the wrongside of some close finishes that only extended the frustration level of the cricketers – results of which were reflected in the World T20.

As said by the cricketers themselves it was because of five to six key players going off-form that had put the side in the ordeal. The cricketers are to be blamed but some of it should also be shared by the structure.

A developed cricket structure would have never allowed so to happen. The pipeline would have been filled with options and with efficient replacements. But the harsh truth is even those who should be concerned at times puts the blame on the empty pipeline. Existence of long term plans

is of no doubt but how efficient it is – can easily be determined.

‘A’ team, the second string Bangladeshi side, a place where a cricketer lands after being axed from the national squad should be the concentrating point, but the team is often seen at leisure. The last time Bangladesh A were engaged in full series was in 2013 touring England and their next assignment will be a tour to West Indies this August.

A proper or more like ‘preset’ domestic calendar will also have its charisma. Holding major leagues like Dhaka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 – minus the controversies and encouraging regional based tournaments to produce cricketers should come in real rather being on the papers.

Options are in plenty. Bangladesh cricket now stands at a point where they have to prove and perform for survival. The early the concerned, the board, the organisers and the cricketers, parties understand the better can be the coming days for Bangladesh cricket. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Adriano leaves Paranaense

Sport

Monday, April 14, 2014

Marquez takes pole in Texas

Former Inter Milan and Brazil striker Adriano has parted company with Atletico Paranaense after just three games, the southern Brazilian club said on Saturday. The decision was a mutual one and was taken after the team were knocked out the Libertadores Cup at the group stage last week. “The striker Adriano is no longer an employee of Club Atletico Paranaense,” they said in a short statement.

Adriano, 32, was once one of Brazil’s most prolific strikers and helped his country win the Copa America in 2004 and the Confederations Cup in 2005.

–Reuters

Kipchoge wins Rotterdam Marathon

World champion Marc Marquez set a new lap record on his way to securing pole position for the second race in succession on Saturday at the Grand Prix of the Americas. The Spaniard, who took pole in the season-opener in Qatar and then went on to win the race under the desert floodlights, clocked a record 2min 02.886sec on the factory Honda at the circuit where he celebrated his maiden MotoGP win last season. Marquez’s Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa was secondfastest.

–AFP

Pre-race favorite Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya won the Rotterdam Marathon on Sunday, but failed in his bid to break the course record on a windy day in the port city. Kipchoge ran the final seven kilometers on his own through the streets of Rotterdam to finish in exactly 2 hours, five minutes. Fellow Kenyan Bernard Koech was second in 2:06.07. Organizers had hoped to break the course record of 2:04.27 set in 2009 by the Kenyans Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai, but pacemakers dropped out regularly as wind hindered the runners.

–AP

Lethargic Barca slump to shock defeat at Granada n Barcelona’s nightmare week hit a new low when they followed up their Champions League exit with a shock 1-0 defeat at Granada on Saturday that left their bid for a fifth La Liga title in six years in serious jeopardy.

After Atletico Madrid dumped them out of Europe’s elite club competition on Wednesday, Barca sought a moraleboosting domestic win that would have put them two points clear at the top ahead of Atletico, who play at Getafe on Sunday.

However, the Spanish champions again looked lethargic and short on ideas against a club with a fraction of their resources and surrendered second place to arch rivals Real Madrid, who thumped struggling Almeria 4-0 at the Bernabeu to draw level on 79 points with Atletico.

“The league is not in our own hands anymore,” Barca coach Gerardo Martino told a news conference.

“There is no reason to criticise the team, they gave it everything they had,” added the Argentine, who is in his first season in charge at the Nou Camp and now needs to lift his play-

ers for Wednesday’s King’s Cup final against Real.

“The ball did not want to go in and that’s that. We just weren’t up to scratch in taking our chances.”

Barca fell behind at Granada’s Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium when Alex Song lost possession in midfield in the 16th minute and Yacine Brahimi raced clear and fired past goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.

RESULTS Celta Vigo

2 2

Real Sociedad

1 0

Levante

1 0

Barcelona

4 0

Almeria

Nolito 37-pen, Mina 82

Villarreal Perbet 90+4

Granada Brahimi 16

Real Madrid Di Maria 28, Bale 52, Isco 55, Morata 84

Canales 8, Griezmann 43

They dominated the rest of the match but Granada, who are fighting to avoid relegation, held firm against waves of attacks and the Catalan giants’ second consecutive defeat will do little to dispel the impression of a club in crisis.

Angel Di Maria fired Real ahead in the 28th minute against strugglers Almeria when he cut into the penalty

area from the right and curled a shot into the far corner.

Gareth Bale made it 2-0 eight minutes into the second half with a low strike that ricocheted into the net off Almeria keeper Esteban and Isco added a third three minutes later when he clipped a low shot into the corner.

Substitute Alvaro Morata ran onto Asier Illarramendi’s scooped pass to complete the rout five minutes from time.

“We are just focusing on ourselves as always, we knew that the league would have its ups and downs,” Di Maria told Canal Plus.

Earlier, Jeremy Perbet headed a lastgasp goal for Villarreal to secure a 1-0 victory at home to regional rivals Levante that lifted them above Real Sociedad into sixth.

Sociedad twice surrendered the lead at Celta Vigo, who had defender Jon Aurtenetxe sent off two minutes after halftime, in a 2-2 draw at the Balaidos stadium.

Villarreal have 52 points, one ahead of Sociedad and one behind fifthplaced Sevilla, who visit city rivals Real Betis on Sunday. Granada’s win lifted them six points clear of the relegation places into 13th on 37 points, while Almeria are 19th with 30 points. l

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi reacts as he walks next to his teammates during their Spanish First Division match against Granada at Nuevo Los Carmenes stadium in Granada on Saturday REUTERS

Atletico, former cricketers among owners of new Indian league n Leading Spanish club Atletico Madrid and former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are among the owners of eight franchises of a new Indian soccer league set to kick off later this year, organisers said on Sunday.

La Liga leaders Atletico and former India captain Ganguly were part of the consortium that won the bid for the Kolkata team in the Indian Super League (ISL), proposed to start in mid-September and run till the end of November.

The ISL is bank-rolled by India’s Reliance Industries, controlled by the

country’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, Rupert Murdoch’s Star India and sports management group IMG. “I am very excited to have won the Kolkata Franchise of the ISL and being the first international team to be directly owning a club in India we along with our Indian Partners and IMG-Reliance aim to revolutionise football in the country,” Miguel Angel Gil Marin, the owner of Atletico, said in a statement. Former batting great Tendulkar bagged the Kochi team with PVP Ventures, a company which has interests in real estate, media and also finances film projects.

“I will always remain a sportsman at

heart who is keen to positively impact the sporting fabric of the nation,” Tendulkar said.

“The Indian Super League presents a great opportunity to develop a platform for the youngsters to learn and enhance their talent to develop into outstanding players. With the Kochi club, we will strive to ‘score our goals’ and play a part in developing the game of football across the country.”

The league, styled on cricket’s cashrich Indian Premier League and backed by the country’s soccer governing body (AIFF), will also have a fair presence of the film industry.

Leading Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and John Abraham are co-owners of the Pune, Mumbai and Guwahati franchises respectively.

Chennai-based Sun Group, which also owns the IPL’s Hyderabad franchise, bagged the Bangalore team, cable TV distribution company DEN Networks won the bid for Delhi while the Goa team went to a consortium including Indian conglomerate Videocon Industries.

Local media have reported that the ISL will see some big-name international players and coaches take the field though the organisers were yet to announce any signings. l

Monaco edge Rennes n

Monaco’s 1-0 win at Rennes on Saturday means Paris Saint-Germain will have to wait a little longer before securing a second straight Ligue 1 title.

Monaco are now 10 points adrift of PSG with five matches remaining, although they are more interested in keeping Lille in third at arm’s length.

Lille won 1-0 at home to local rivals Valenciennes earlier thanks to a second-half Divock Origi goal, a result that put them eight points clear of fourth-placed SaintEtienne, who go to Reims on Sunday.

Only the top two teams go straight

RESULTS Lille Origi 70

AC Ajaccio Mostefa 86

Evian TG Benezet 35, Wass 48 Nice 12 Lorient Kolodziejczak 30

Rennes Sochaux Ayew 15, Contout 49

1 0

Valenciennes

1 1

Bordeaux

2 1

Jussie 62

SC Bastia Raspentino 30

Sunu 19, Aboubakar 90+2

0 1 2 0

Monaco Riviere 55

Toulouse

into next season’s Champions League group stage, with the third-placed side having to go through two qualifying rounds. l

Dortmund dazzle to crush Bayern n

Arsenal's players celebrate as teammate Santi Cazorla (unseen) scores the winning goal of a penalty shoot-out during their English FA Cup semi-final match against Wigan Athletic at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday REUTERS

Fabianski stars as Arsenal reach final n

Lukasz Fabianski saved two penalties as Arsenal beat holders Wigan Athletic 4-2 in a shootout at Wembley on Saturday to reach their first FA Cup final for nine years.

Having stunned Manchester City in last season’s final, before being relegated from the Premier League, Wigan looked set for another famous Wembley day when Jordi Gomez put them ahead with a 63rd-minute penalty.

But Per Mertesacker made amends for conceding the penalty by heading in an 82nd-minute equaliser and with the score still 1-1 at the end of extra time, Fabianski took centre stage in the shootout.

The Pole, usually a deputy to compatriot Wojciech Szczesny, saved Wigan’s first two attempts, from Gary Caldwell and Jack Collison, before Santi Cazorla dispatched the decisive spotkick to send Arsenal through.

Victory took Wenger’s team into their first FA Cup final since 2005, when they last won a trophy, and helped ease the pain of being knocked out of the Premier League’s top four by Everton earlier in the day.

They will play the winners of Sunday’s second semi-final between Hull City and third-tier Sheffield United.

Uwe Rosler’s Wigan, meanwhile, must turn their attentions back to the Championship promotion chase, having been thwarted in their attempt to become only the seventh club to retain the FA Cup. Wenger’s side continued to monop-

olise possession early in the second period, but with just under half an hour remaining, Wigan went ahead.

After a weaving run into the box from the right, McManaman was felled by the sliding Mertesacker, and although Fabianski correctly guessed the direction of Gomez’s subsequent penalty, the Spaniard’s shot eluded him.

Arsenal piled forward, Sagna hitting the post with a header and Carson saving brilliantly from Gibbs, before Mertesacker atoned for his earlier error by steaming in to head home a crossshot from Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Wenger’s men continued to force the issue in extra time, with Sanogo drawing a parry from Carson and Oxlade-Chamberlain rattling the crossbar, but it was their goalkeeper who finally saw them home. l

Borussia Dortmund reclaimed some of the Bundesliga’s bragging rights after crushing champions Bayern Munich 3-0 on Saturday with a stellar performance to claim victory in the league’s showcase encounter.

Just three days after they beat Real Madrid 2-0 but were eliminated in the Champions League last eight 3-2 on aggregate, Dortmund confirmed their battling spirit by inflicting the heaviest defeat in coach Pep Guardiola’s career.

For the Bavarians, already crowned German champions, the defeat was their second in a row in the league after a record 53-game unbeaten run in former Barcelona coach Guardiola’s first

season in charge.

Bayern also had Brazilian Rafinha sent off for slapping Henrikh Mkhitaryan in stoppage time.

The visitors took a 21st minute lead when Mkhitaryan slotted home after some good play, the Armenian making up for a string of missed chances in the defeat against Real. The midfielder, who apologised to team mates and fans for his midweek lapses, kept his cool after Marco Reus sent him through with a fine pass.

With the title sewn up and in the Champions League last four, Bayern face second division Kaiserslautern in the semi-finals of the German Cup next week and are still on track to repeat their unprecedented trophy treble of last season.

Dortmund, in second place, kept their three-point lead over Schalke 04, who beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 on

Friday, with four games left.

At the other end of the table, former Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart conceded an 89th minute goal to draw 1-1 at Borussia Moenchengladbach and remain deep in the relegation battle.

Gladbach dropped to fifth with VfL Wolfsburg making the most of their draw to crush Nuremberg 4-1 and leapfrog into fourth place a point above, and in contention for a spot in the Champions League next season.

Werder Bremen also joined the relegation fray when they lost 3-0 at Mainz 05 to drop to 12th on 33 points, five ahead of Hamburg.

Freiburg moved up to 32 points after beating bottom-placed Eintracht Braunschweig 2-0 with an own goal and a second deflected effort to boost their own chances of staying up. l

Del Piero sets up Sydney win to reach play-offs n Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero laid on both goals as Sydney FC defeated Perth Glory 2-1 to clinch a play-off spot in Australia’s A-League on Sunday.

Del Piero, who may be playing in his last season with the Sydneysiders, provided the assists for both goals to Terry Antonis and Richard Garcia.

Garcia’s stoppage-time winner after being put into the clear by Del Piero’s defence-splitting pass lifted the Sky Blues to fifth spot and a knockout match against Melbourne Victory in Melbourne on Good Friday. Central Coast Mariners will host Adelaide United in the other play-off next Saturday. l

Dortmund forward Aubameyang and midfielder Marco Reus celebrate after the second goal against Bayern Munich during their Bundesliga match in Munich on Saturday AFP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Monday, April 14, 2014

Leverkusen go back into Champions League spots n

QUICK BYTES

Liverpool tribute to Hillsborough disaster Liverpool marked the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster with a solemn minute’s silence before their Premier League home game with Manchester City on Sunday.

Shortly before kick-off on a sun-soaked afternoon, players and fans stood with their heads bowed in memory of the 96 Liverpool supporters killed in a crush during an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium on April 15, 1989. A mosaic bearing the words ‘96, 25 YEARS’ was held up by fans in Anfield’s iconic Kop stand. The silence was broken only by the drone of planes passing overhead and the clicks of fans’ smartphone camera shutters.

The match, was also preceded by a rendition of the Liverpool anthem, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, while former Liverpool and Manchester City players exchanged wreaths on the pitch.

–AFP

POINTS TABLE Team 1 Liverpool 2 Chelsea 3 Man City 4 Everton 5 Arsenal

Verdasco, Almagro to meet in Houston final Fourth seeded Fernando Verdasco beat Santiago Giraldo in straight sets to reach his first final of 2014, where an all-Spanish battle awaits. Verdasco eased past Giraldo 6-4, 7-5 in the first semi-final match at the US men’s clay court championship. Former world number seven Verdasco will try to earn his first title since 2010 against third seed Spanish compatriot Nicolas Almagro, who advanced when American Sam Querrey was cut down by a back injury. “He’s really dangerous on clay,” Almagro said of Verdasco. “He’s serving well. It will be a nice final. We are going to do our best.” Almagro lost in last year’s Houston final to American John Isner. Verdasco, who advanced to his 19th final on the Tour, is seeking to snap a six-match losing streak in finals since hoisting his fifth trophy on the clay of Barcelona in 2010.

–AFP

Red Bull look to overturn penalty World champions Red Bull believe they can overturn Daniel Ricciardo’s Australian Grand Prix disqualification on Monday and reinvigorate their 2014 challenge. The FIA’s International Court of Appeal will meet in Paris to decide whether or not to reinstate Ricciardo’s second-place finish in Melbourne. He was stripped of his place after the team were found guilty of breaching fuel flow regulations. A reinstatement would be worth 18 points which would lift the driver into third spot in the championship, albeit 31 points behind leader Nico Rosberg and 20 back from the German’s Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton.

They would also propel the team into second place in the constructors championship where they would be 38 points behind runaway leaders Mercedes, ahead of next weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai. “Those points are vital.

–AFP

GP 34 34 32 33 33

W D 24 5 23 6 22 4 19 9 19 7

L 5 5 6 5 7

GD PTS 51 77 42 75 54 70 22 66 16 64

Liverpool's Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel (L) celebrates with midfielder Steven Gerrard after scoring the second goal during their English Premier League match against Manchester City at Anfield in Liverpool yesterday AFP

Inter tighten Europa grip, Liverpool beat Man City Viola, Higuain scores hat-trick n in crunch title clash RESULTS

n Philippe Coutinho’s 78th-minute winner gave Liverpool a crucial 3-2 victory over Premier League title rivals Manchester City on a day of raw emotion at Anfield on Sunday.

City fought back from 2-0 down to level the scores, but a mistake by captain Vincent Kompany let Coutinho slam home a first-time shot that leaves Liverpool within sight of their first league title since 1990.

It was a 10th successive win for Brendan Rodgers’s side, who scored first-half goals through Raheem Sterling and Martin Skrtel, and means that they will be crowned champions if they win their remaining four games.

City responded impressively in the second half to draw level. David Silva scored and then forced an own goal by Glen Johnson, but their destiny is no longer in their hands.

It was to prove a costly encounter for both teams, however, with City midfielder Yaya Toure and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge limping off, while Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson was shown a straight red card for an injurytime lunge on Samir Nasri.

RESULTS Liverpool Sterling 6, Skrtel 26, Coutinho 78

Swansea

3 2

Man City Silva 57, Johnson 62-og

0 1

Chelsea Ba 68

Luis Suarez freed Sterling with a fine, incisive pass and the 19-year-old exhibited superb composure to send Kompany and goalkeeper Joe Hart one way and then the other before shooting into an unguarded net.

Gerrard swept the resulting corner towards the near post and Skrtel outmuscled Kompany before glancing a header past Hart to claim his fifth goal in 10 games.

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 2 Italian Serie A 12:45AM Udinese v Juventus Star Sports 4 La Liga 2:00AM Athletic Bilbao v Malaga Sony Six 7:00AM NBA 2013-14 Portland v Golden State

Suddenly the visitors had their tails up, with Silva to the fore, and after drilling in a cross that narrowly eluded Dzeko, he forced the equaliser with a centre that was diverted into the net

by Johnson. To make matters worse for Liverpool, Sturridge limped off injured in the aftermath of the goal, with Joe Allen coming on.

It was to prove a telling moment.

Minutes later, Kompany’s sliced clearance fell straight to Coutinho and the Brazilian slammed home a first-time shot to leave Anfield dreaming of glory again.

Second-placed Chelsea won 1-0 at Swansea City on Sunday, taking advantage of playing against 10 men for most of the match to keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool.

That left Chelsea two points behind Liverpool after 34 games each with Jose Mourinho’s team due to travel to Anfield for a potential title decider in two weeks time.

Fiorentina dominated 10man Verona in an eight-goal thriller while Inter Milan stunned 10-man Sampdoria 4-0 in Genoa as both sides tightened their grip on Serie A’s two Europa League places on Sunday.

Elsewhere Napoli resisted a fightback from 10-man Lazio to prevail 4-2 thanks to an injury-time goal from Gonzalo Higuain which gave the Argentine striker a hat-trick.

Ciro Immobile, meanwhile, launched the fightback for Torino after Alberto Gilardino’s 85th minute opener for Genoa with an injury-time leveller that took the striker top of the league scoring charts with 19 goals. With all three Champions League spots virtually tied up with five games remaining, the battle is raging in Serie A for places in Europe’s second-tier club competition.

Fiorentina suffered a blow on the quarter hour when Jacopo Sala sent a flying header past Neto after the ‘keeper had pushed Juan Iturbe’s angled drive into the path of the midfielder.

Bologna

Cherubin 44

Verona

1 1

3 5

Parma

Palladino 79

Fiorentina

Sala 14, Toni 73-pen, Cuadrado 31, Aquilani 44, Iturbe 90+1 86, Valero 63, Matri 83-pen

Livorno Siligardi 6, Paulinho 33-pen

Napoli

2 4 4 2

Mertens 41, Higuain 49-pen, 67, 90+4

Sampdoria

0 4

Chievo Paloschi 9, 45+2, 56-pen, Thereau 23

Lazio Lulic 21, Onzai 82

Inter

Icardi 13, 63, Samuel 60, Palacio 79

Torino Immobile 90+2, Cerci 90+3

2 1

Genoa Gilardino 85

Midfielder Marco Donadel saw red for hauling down Cuadrado but Verona reduced arrears five minutes later through Luca Toni when a foul

by Davide Pizarro in the area allowed the striker to claim his 17th goal of the campaign. Fiorentina restored their two-goal cushion when Alessandro Matri beat Rafael from the penalty spot after Domenico Maietta handled the striker’s shot. l

BPL second phase starts tomorrow Strugglers focus on strengthening squad n

Watson set for Masters duel with Spieth Bubba Watson squandered an early five-stroke advantage and was caught by 20-year-old Jordan Spieth as the youngster tied him for the lead at the end of a pressure-packed third round of the Masters on Saturday. Spieth, playing with patience and discipline belying his years, posted a solid two-under-par 70 to join Watson on five-under 211 on a warm, sunny day at Augusta National that baked the famed greens to lightning speeds. “Patience,” Spieth said about the key to his round. “We could tell early on the greens were ridiculous. You had to put the ball on the right spots and not let your focus stray for one moment.” Spieth, who began the day four behind overnight leader Watson, put himself in position to make Masters history on Sunday as victory would make him Augusta’s youngest champion, putting him ahead of Tiger Woods who was 21 when he triumphed in 1997. Watson, the 2012 champion, needed to curl in a four-foot par-saving putt at the last to retain a share of the lead on a day when he struggled on the heavily contoured greens.

–Reuters

Bayer Leverkusen forced their way back into the Champions League places with Sunday’s 2-1 win at home to Hertha Berlin in their first Bundesliga match since sacking Sami Hyypia.

The former Liverpool captain, who took charge as head coach in August, was sacked after his side’s defeat at Hamburg saw them slip out of the Bundesliga’s top four - the Champions League places - and was replaced by his former co-coach Sascha Lewandowski.

Leverkusen took a first-minute lead at home to Hertha when striker Stefan Kiessling headed home and doubled their lead on 24 minutes as 17-year-old Julian Brandt deftly chipped home his second goal in as many matches.

Hertha striker Sandro Wagner headed Berlin back into contention just before the break, but Leverkusen held on for the points which sees them regain fourth place from VfL Wolfsburg, who had romped to a 4-1 win over Nuremberg 24 hours before. l

Prime Asia University batsman drives the ball during their game against Brac University in the Clemon Indoor Uni Cricket at Shaheed Sohrawardi Stadium yesterday COURTESY

Clemon Indoor Uni cricket n 12 matches were held on the fourth day of the Clemon Indoor University cricket tournament at Shaheed Sohrawardi Stadium yesterday.

Midway through the tournament Bangladesh University of Business & Technology bagged a six-wicket win over Islamic University Kushtia in the first game of the day before Northern University picked a win by 11 runs in a nail biting game against Ahsanullah University.

In the third game of the day, Noakhali Sci & Tech University defeated Southeast University by five wickets. Shanto Mariam University picked their second win in the tournament by 57 runs against Independent University Bangladesh.

Prime University convincingly beat Stamford University Bangladesh by five wickets while Military Institute of Science and Technology were beaten by Gono Bissobiddaloy by 32 runs.

In the other matches - Brac University picked a 15-run win against Prime Asia University, Daffodil International University bagged a dominating sevenwicket win against UITS Chittagong, Jagannath University beat Green University by 56 runs while Sylhet Metropolitan University defeated European University by 65 runs. In the second last game of the day, East West University picked 5 wickets victory against Bangladesh University of Textiles.

40 universities, both private and public, are participating in the eight-day long tournament. l

Hull beat Sheffield to reach first FA Cup final n Hull City twice came from behind to beat obstinate third tier side Sheffield United 5-3 in an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday to reach the final for the first time.

In a frantic opening half, Jose Baxter gave Sheffield United a shock lead on 19 minutes. Yannick Sagbo equalised for Hull on 42 minutes, but Stefan Scougall

restored the League One side’s advantage just before halftime.

Hull fought back at the start of the second period with substitute Matty Fryatt and Tom Huddlestone scoring in quick succession, before Stephen Quinn’s header effectively wrapped up victory for the Premier League side. Jamie Murphy snatched a late consolation for United in injury time, before Hull added a fifth through David Meyler. l

The teams struggling at the end of the first phase in the Bangladesh Premier League have focused to re-strengthen their squads ahead of the second phase that starts from Tuesday. The bottom lurkers in the point table - Feni Soccer, Uttar Baridhara, Chittagong Abahani and Brothers Union - are all set to change their whole foreign personnel’s with a vision to save them from relegating.

Feni, who finished runners-up in the just concluded Independence Cup - their highest achievement till date, has applied for six new registrations including Landing Darboe and Chuka Charles who led their attack during the country’s independence commemorative tournament. Abdullah al Mamun, the promising midfielder is also set to make his debut in the top flight football league.

Uttar Baridhara has applied for five

new recruitments with three Nigerian, one Kenyan and one local player. In the first phase they had two foreign players and now they look to fill their full quota of seven players. Chittagong Abahani, another struggler has applied for the registration of five new players.

POINTS TABLE Teams 1 Sk Jamal 2 Abahani 3 Muktijoddha 4 Mohammedan 5 BJMC 6 Sk Russell 7 Brothers 8 Baridhara 9 Ctg Abahani 10 Feni Soccer

P 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

W 6 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 0

D 3 4 3 5 3 3 4 3 2 4

L GD Pts 0 17 21 0 7 19 2 6 15 1 5 14 3 5 12 3 4 12 3 -3 10 5 -25 6 6 -8 5 5 -8 4

Brothers Union has applied for nine players and they hinted for a wholesale change. They penned five players in the first phase, but looking to replace them all.

Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club

Ltd also look to change their fortune with three new players including Ossuseni Zongo of Burkina Faso and tall Nigerian defender Obun Henry - both of who fared well in the Independence Cup and helped the club to lift the title.

Defending champions Sheikh Russell applied to register for Serbian duo Savanovic and Kurtusic along with a Czech player named Strihavka David.

Abahani Ltd, currently placed second after Sheikh Jamal, has applied for Portuguese forward Suares and Umaru Mustafa of Sierra Leon.

Table topper Sheikh Jamal DC applied for three new players while Muktijoddha hinted just one change. Team BJMC was the only side not to have applied for a player. Despite the last date of registration expiring yesterday the teams will get a chance to complete the formalities today.

The second phase of the top flight kicks-off with the match between with last season treble winner Sheikh Russell and Uttar Baridhara tomorrow. l

PDB win services zone title n Power Development Board, Bangladesh, beat Titas Club by 3-1 sets to emerge as the champions of Services Zone in the National Volleyball Championship qualifiers at the Volleyball Stadium yesterday.

However, both the finalists earned the tickets to the final round that will be held in Dhaka from April 25.

AFM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn, the additional director of Walton, distributed the prizes as the chief guest. Advocate Fazley Rabbi Babul, the tournament secretary, and other volleyball federation officials were also present during the occasion. l

Power Development Board, Bangladesh pose for a photo after emerging as the champions of Services Zone in the National Volleyball Championship qualifiers at the Volleyball Stadium yesterday COURTESY

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, April 14, 2014

Expensive radiotherapy machine to be scrapped at DMCH The Brachytherapy machine, bought 18 years ago for crores, has allegedly never been used for treatment

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal Back in 1996, a Brachytherapy machine – worth tens of millions of taka – was installed at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital for giving radiotherapy treatment to cancer patients.

Now, after all these years – 18 to be specific – it has worn out beyond usage because not a single cancer patient has been allegedly given radiotherapy with the expensive machine.

After having remained locked away in one of the rooms of the hospitals for the most part of its life, it is now waiting to get scrapped.

The striking case of negligence has been recently revealed in an inspection report placed by a four-member committee of experts from the National Electro-Medical Equipment Maintenance (NEMEW) department of the government’s health directorate.

The panel also recommended removing the machine from the hospital because it was a source of radioactivity that might eventually be the result of further cases of cancer if anyone gets exposed to it.

Sources said the current market price of the machine was between Tk2.5 crore to Tk3 crore. They also said

since the machine was latest when it was bought in 1996, it must have cost the government around Tk5 crore, although the Dhaka Tribune reporter could not confirm how much the equipment was bought for.

Brachytherapy – also known as internal radiotherapy – allows the use of a higher dose of radiation to treat a smaller area than an external beam radiation treatment can do for cervical cancer patients.

Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer among Bangladeshi women. Radiotherapy is the most important modality of treatment at the

later stages of the disease.

Cancer specialists said Brachytherapy could also be used for the treatment of prostate, head and neck, breast, gallbladder, uterus, vagina, lung, rectum and eye cancers.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that at present, there are four other Brachytherapy machines in the country. The National Cancer Institute is the only government facility to have it. The other three machines are all installed at various private hospitals – United, Delta and Khaja Yunus.

Each round of Brachytherapy costs around Tk2,000 at the government

hospital. At the private facilities, the same treatment would cost Tk10,000Tk12,000.

The NEMEW Report According to a copy of the NEMEW report that the Dhaka Tribune has accessed, the China-made machine was supplied by a company named MRS Mardel Agency.

Since being installed, the machine remained out of order for many years.

In the report, the committee recommended scrapping the machine as it could not be repaired now because it was an old model and therefore none of its spare parts were available anymore.

The authority says DMCH Director Brig Gen Dr Mustafizur Rahman said he had heard that the machine had been lying idle in the hospital for many years.

He also said a new Brachytherapy machine had already been purchased but it could not be installed until the old machine was removed.

Prof Dr Moarrof Hossain, head of radiotherapy at DMCH, told the Dhaka Tribune that: “We are waiting for the Atomic Energy Commission’s decision about taking away the [old] machine and destroying the radioactive source inside it.” l

A man sitting on an elephant is collecting tolls on the Beribandh highway in Ashulia yesterday, causing immense trouble and risk to commuters SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Masum’s employer held n Tribune Report Police yesterday arrested the employer of minor boy Masum from her residence in the capital’s Mohammadpur.

After the arrest Khurshida Haque of Shia Masjid area was produced before a Dhaka Court, confirmed Aminul Islam, sub-inspector of Mohammadpur police station.

Masum’s cousin Yeasmin filed a case in connection with inhuman torture on 10-year-old boy Masum for the last two and a half months.

The child is undergoing treatment at Ward-210 in the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH). Assistant Registrar Shamima Sultana of the DMCH said the boy was suffering from malnutrition and anaemia.

“We have sent him to the surgery ward for treatment. He is better now.

We are providing him with healthy diet,” she said.

Masum now can stand on his feet.

But he was unable to even move till Saturday.

The minor house help has been fighting for his life in DMCH after being beaten by his house master

and mistress.

The victim came to Dhaka from Kishoreganj in search of food and was placed in Mohammadia Housing area two and a half months ago. His employers used to confine him to the bathroom at night and often kicked me in the abdomen. He hardly got food to eat.

Khurshida also used to hit him in the hand with spoons and Iron road for little mistakes.

Abdur Rahim – a farmer by profession – sent Masum to the capital with his cousin Yeasmin to earn livelihood. Asked about how Masum was placed in the house, Yeasmin on Saturday said she had contact with some Kishoreganj women who worked in the capital.

“I got my brother the employment in the house through those women,” added Yeasmin.

Last Thursday she went to the house to see her brother but failed and later she came to know about the torture on her brother whom she rescued with the help of the landlord of the building. They admitted the boy into the DMCH. l

BCL leader held in failed robbery bid n Ashif Islam Shaon An angry mob caught an armed Chhatra League leader while he was allegedly trying to mug a person at the capital’s Moghbazar intersection in broad daylight yesterday. Having caught him, the mob then proceeded to beat him.

He was then handed over to the police.

Police said the incident took place in front of a Pubali Bank branch in the area at around 11:45am.

The arrested was Masud Parvez – general secretary of Rampura unit BCL. He is an honors student of Abujar Gifari College.

Locals said Masud was stalking an auto spare parts dealer, Belal, who had just withdrawn Tk5 lakh from the bank.

When Masud was trying to forcibly snatch the bag of money from his hand, the businessman shouted for help.

Maruf Hossain Sardar, deputy commissioner of police, Ramna Division confirmed that the police seized a firearm from the accused.

Masud who was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment for his head injuries claimed that the firearm belonged to his friend Sourav. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 Sick industry owners want interest waiver

B4 Lagarde: IMF no longer

forces ‘structural adjustment’

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Technical glitch disrupts DSE trading again Thimpu wants PTA It delays release of company announcements with Dhaka n Kayes Sohel

n Tribune Report

Trading on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) was disrupted for nearly three hours yesterday by a technical glitch, causing also delays in releasing many of the company announcements.

The outage, which affected the network system just after first three minutes of trading, came as stock prices of the prime bourse were staging positive.

The DSE in a statement said the technicians found that brokers failed to link with the main trading server of the bourse in the morning. “Immediately after identifying the technical problems, we are able to re-link trading network between DSE and brokers,” said its chief technology officer ASM Khairuzzaman.

The halt caused 42 minutes trading losses, as the DSE has extended closing hour of trade to 3:15 pm instead of usual 2:30 pm after resuming trade at 1:15pm.

An executive of a leading brokerage firm said traders had executed buy and sell orders that had piled up once the platform was up and running again.

Other traders complained about a lack of disclosure from DSE about the glitch, but no one reported any losses.

“The halt may not have impacted volumes much, but it does dent the DSE’s image,” said Shajahan Chowdhury, a trader at a brokerage in Dhaka.

“We face similar disruption on the exchange again and again.”

Following the shutdown on the day, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has directed the DSE to form a probe body to get into causes of technical glitches.

“I asked the DSE verbally to submit probe report on technical problem as early as possible,” Saifur Rahman, a

Bangladesh and Bhutan have decided to sign a preferential trade agreement (PTA) to enhance trade volume between the two neighboring countries.

Bhutan is now interested to sign the PTA deal with Bangladesh and both sides discussed other issues relating to transit and import of hydroelectricity from Bhutan, senior secretary of the ministry of commerce Mahbub Ahmed told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The secretary returned home after attending a two-day commerce secretary level meeting held in the Bhutanese capital on April 9-10 He also said “We will examine the matter what are benefits we can gain from signing a PTA between Bhutan and Bangladesh”.

Bhutan will allow duty-free access of Bangladeshi juice of Mango, lichi, and apple especially from Pran, said officials who also attended the meeting.

Bhutan will give its final opinion on the proposed transit facilities between Bangladesh and Bhutan, according to an official of commerce said.

During the meeting, representatives from the Bhutan wanted to renew the previous transit agreement, which, has already been expired, he also said.

The Bhutanese delegation had earlier proposed Bangladesh to allow its roads, airports and seaports for transit facilities during the last meeting held in Dhaka last year.

“Bhutan proposed to us to allow them for using our roads, seaports and airports to carry their goods to their country through India. Bangladesh could earn revenue by providing such a facility to Bhutan. This would help reduce trade gap with Bhutan,” the se-

Photo shows investors gathered round to trade stocks at a broker house in Dhaka BSEC spokesperson, told the Dhaka Tribune.

In mid-last year, the regulator had directed the DSE to replace its trading software after an investigation team found that the glitches were a result of negligence on the part of the software vendor as well as the bourse.

It suggested replacing the faulty MSA Plus platform, acquired from UKbased software vendor Xchanging for around $600,000.

In line with the instruction from the regulator, the DSE last month finalised the deal with two US-based vendors to

replace existing trading engine TESA and online trading terminal MSA Plus.

NASDAQ OMX, the world’s largest exchange company based in the US, that earlier submitted a design on trading terminal and FlexTrade Systems, the global leader in broker-neutral algorithmic trading platforms and execution systems for equities, foreign exchange and listed derivatives, will implement the system.

“It is expected to start with new trading platform it by October,” a DSE official said earlier.

Last time the DSE had the technical

Realtors want refinance fund for flat buyers n Kayes Sohel The real estate sector has proposed raising a fund worth Tk1,500 crore in the upcoming budget to refinance the apartment and plot buyers at low interest rates.

They said it will help boost sales as political unrest last year hit the sector.

The realtors want to keep opportunity of whitening black money (untaxed money) continue more five years as the opportunity given in the current fiscal was of no use due to political turmoil.

“As last year political chaos battered the flat and plot sales, some opportunities should be given to the sector in the new budget,” Liakat Ali Bhuiyan, vice president of Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB), told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said if the government wants to help the industry recover colossal losses and the state boost its revenue income, the sector’s budget proposals should be taken into account.

He said last year apartment and plot sales slumped 60% from the previous year mainly due to political unrest and high lending rates. “The sale is, however, now recovering though at a slow pace as political situation has become calm,” Liakat Ali Bhuiyan said.

REHAB said it builds 1,500 flats and apartments every year and onethird of them are bought by the Bangladeshi expatriates.”

The sector earns Tk8,000 crore in foreign exchange every year, contributing around 13% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Around 1 lakh skilled people are employed in the real estate sector directly while another 35 lakh are engaged in the backward linkage industries, REHAB sources said.

REHAB vice president said fund worth Tk1,500 crore should be formed to refinance buyers at low interest rate considering slowdown of the world economy, declining stock market and decline in flat sales.

He said people who reside at the

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

adjacent areas of Dhaka or other municipalities should be given loans from the refinance fund at 8-9% interest rate for buying flat of 1,500 square feet.

The fund will be distributed through Delta Brac Housing Finance Corp (DBH), IDLC Finance Ltd, National Housing Finance and Investments Ltd and other financial institutions, REHAB vice president said.

REHAB sought reduction of income tax for developers since the last year’s political unrest “pushed them into a deep crisis.”

“Income tax on us should be reduced to a rational level as the abnormally rising prices of land and construction materials hit the profit earnings of developers,” said Bhuiyan.

At present, income tax is collected from realtors on the basis of areas.

For residential areas, the association has proposed to reduce the tax to Tk1,000 from Tk1,600 for class-1 area, Tk800 from Tk1,500 for class-2 area, Tk500 from Tk600 for class-3 area.

For non-residential areas, it proposed to reduce to Tk5,000 from Tk6,500 for class-1 area, Tk3,000 from Tk5,000 for class-2 area, Tk1,000 from Tk1,600 for class-3 area.

Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Motijheel areas of Dhaka cityare considered as class-1 while Dhanmondi, Lalmatia, Uttara, DOHS, Karwan Bazar of Dhaka and Khulshi, Agrabad, Nasirabad areas of Chittagong are under class-2.

All other areas fall in class-3.

For rapid urbanistion,the Association demanded extension of tax holiday facility at the district level, metropolitans, cantonment areas and areas beyond pourashava.

In the current fiscal’s budget, people residing in the district towns are enjoying tax holiday.

Other proposals included not re-introducing tax at source for common buyers for their purchasing first flat, cutting import duty to 1% from 2% on capital machineries and other machineries to help decrease the construction cost. l

NASHIRUL ISLAM

glitch on March 20 last year during first trading day of Orion Pharma following succession of technical glitches over the years.

“The performance of the present trading platform was faulty as it had to halt trading on a number of occasions particularly when a new company made debut,” said a trader.

The DSE blamed “technical issues” for the failure and was not able to say exactly how many announcements had been delayed. Yesterday, the most important announcements were corporate declarations by two companies. l

nior commerce secretary said.

Bhutan is interested to use seaports and airports in Bangladesh along with five additional land customs (LC) stations under the proposed protocol on transit.

“We discussed bilateral issues such as import of electricity from Bhutan and cooperation in tourism sector,” he said.

We discussed bilateral issues such as import of electricity from Bhutan and cooperation in tourism sector

The Secretary-level meeting takes place annually between the two countries. The last meeting was held in Dhaka in March 2013.

Bangladesh and Bhutan had signed a temporary transit deal in 1980, which expired in 2000. Bhutan has requested Bangladesh to renew the deal.

Earlier on February 11, 2013 an inter-ministerial meeting had approved the draft recommendation on allowing transit to Bhutan to boost regional trade in South Asia.

The bilateral trade agreement between the two countries was first signed in 1988 and renewed in November 2009 which will expire in November 2014. l

It’s high time for real estate investment, experts say

Families of 53 Rana Plaza victims to receive PM fund assistance tomorrow n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Speakers at a seminar yesterday stressed the need for further investment in the real estate sector as the developers could supply only half the demand in the urban areas.

“It’s the peak time for investing in the sector,” the seminar was told.

Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) organised the seminar titled “Secure and Prospective Investment: Real Estate Industry of Bangladesh” in Dhaka.

The experts said there is huge scope of business in the sector as demand of urban housing is rising rapidly.

At present, annual demand for housing in urban areas is around 30,000 units and within the next 5 years it is expected to cross 60,000 units.

On the other hand, the private real estate developers are currently building barley 17,000 to 18,000 units annually. “So, currently the realtors can provide maximum 50% of the total demand.”

Different statistics show some 4 million houses would be built to meet the housing demands in next 20 years, said a press release.

The experts referred to the US and

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will provide financial assistance to the family members of 53 Rana Plaza victims recently identified through DNA tests.

The assistance will be given from prime minister’s relief fund, said an official of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

He could not say about the amounts to be given. When contacted, the labour ministry officials said they were also unaware about the details of the assistance.

They said prime minister would decide regarding the matter. So far, an amount of Tk23 crore has been disbursed to 813 workers from the fund.

Of them, families of 36 victims received Tk10-15 lakh each and others got Tk1-2 lakh each.

A source at the BGMEA said banks, insurance companies, individuals and garment owners have donated about Tk127 crore so far to the fund.

Of them, Bangladesh Association of Banks provided Tk80 crore and BGMEA gave Tk2 crore.

On April 24 last year, Rana Plaza, an eight-story building that housed garment factories, collapsed in Savar, outskirts of Dhaka city, killing over 1,100 workers and injuring 2,500. The victims were mostly women.

As many bodies remained unidentified, the government decided to carry out DNA tests.

In the first phase, the tests identified 157 victims – 116 women and 41 men.

The second-phase tests identified 43 more bodies – 33 women and 10 men while seven were identified in the third phase. The DNA tests used bone and teeth as samples. l

n Tribune Report

Dubai real estate market and said those markets boomed again following the economic recession that hit globally.

They also termed the real estate business as the safest mode of investment as the investment offers physical position of the assets.

The speakers further said private real estate developers are contributing around 12% to the country’s total GDP. Proper policy and financing support from the government could help the real estate developers to double their contribution to GDP. More than 200 backward linkage industries related to the real estate sector are surviving as almost 70% of their products are being consumed by real estate developers.

Commercial banks’ total investment counts some Tk50,000 crore in real estate relevant industries like steel mills, cement, sanitary, tiles and so on.

Chaired by REHAB Acting President Mukarram Hussain Khan, Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr. Mashiur Rahman, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor SK Sur Chowdhury and FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed took part in the discussion, among others. l

Campaign for ITU council election begins n Muhammad Zahidul Islam Bangladesh has launched massive campaign activities to retain membership of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council.

The specialised agency of United Nations will hold its council election in the first week of November in Busan, South Korea as the incumbent council expires this year.

Post and Telecommunications Division (PTD) held a campaign preparation meeting in Dhaka yesterday with officials from foreign ministry, ICT division and telecom regulator BTRC.

Telecom Minister Abdul Latif Siddique chaired the meeting. PTD has formulated a primary campaign plan to gather supports from ITU member states.  B 3 COLUMN 5

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

2,242.84 34,114,926

Number of Contract

for two hours), the bourse ended negative.

“Despite the prevailing offbeat sentiment, dominance of selective heavyweight scrips persisted.”

Multi-national companies continued showing robust performance with six of them emerging in the top ten gainers’ list.

During the shutdown, trading of shares listed on Chittagong Stock Exchange continued, but transactions could not be executed on the DSE platform, said Lanka Bangla Securities.

“This outage resulted in flood of enormous orders in trading floor just after the trading resumed. However, market turnover slowed down as trading proceed with 46.70% fall in turnover value at the end.”

Losers took a marginal lead over the gainers as out of 282 issues traded, 186 declined, 68 advanced and 28 issues closed unchanged on the DSE. Among the major sectors, telecommunications gained the most 1.6%, followed by pharmaceuticals 0.7% and fuel and power 0.6%.

Banks performed the worst as the largest sector lost 1.6%. Non-banking financial institutions and, food and allied sectors edged lower. l

Stocks finished lower yesterday with low volume of trade amid trading disruption due to technical glitches.

The trading was halted after first three minutes of trading due to technical glitches and later was resumed at 1:15 pm and continued till 3:15 pm instead of usual 2:30pm.

After continued flat sessions, the benchmark DSEX was down 19 points 0r 0.5% to close at 4,573.

However, the blue chips index DS30 continued to witness fractional gain of 0.8 points to 1,021. The Shariah index DSES rose marginally 2 points or 0.2 points to 1,677.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange’s Selective Category Index, CSCX, dropped 34 points to 8,866.

The DSE will remain closed today to mark Pahela Boishakh, first day of Bangla New Year.

Since Dhaka Stock Exchange lost 42 minutes trading hour, volume of trade in value came down below Tk300 crore and stood at Tk224 crore, down more than 46% over the previous session.

IDLC Investments said coupled with the slump in turnover due to trading halt (trading session lasted

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

45,181

Traded Issues

283

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

63

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

216

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,341.51

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.38

CSE key features April 13, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

297.84

Turnover (Volume)

Daily capital market highlights

5,188,744

Number of Contract

9,928

DSE Broad Index :

4573.56740

(-) 0.42%

▼

Traded Issues

201

DSE Shariah Index :

1020.96988

(+) 0.07%

▲

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

57

DSE - 30 Index :

1677.68896

(+) 0.12%

▲

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

138

CSE All Share Index:

14128.7991

(-) 0.40%

▼

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

CSE - 30 Index :

11884.3123

(-) 0.30%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,243.41

8866.0296

(-) 0.39%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.19

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

Rupali InsurA United Insur -A Desh Garments -B Usmania Glass -A AB Bank - A 5th ICB M F-A Standard Ceramic -A Beach Hatchery -A

-9.69 -7.55 -7.06 -6.59 -6.42 -6.21 -6.16 -5.52

Average (% change) -8.87 -4.92 -7.09 -6.69 -1.84 -6.21 -5.85 -4.24

Sonargaon Tex -A Matin Spinning-N

-5.16 -5.02

-5.04 -3.90

Company

Closing (% change)

CSE LOSERS

Rupali InsurA National Housing Fin.-B Argon Denims Limited-A Aziz PipesZ Eastern Cables-A B I F C -A Trust Bank-A First Lease- A

-11.19 -7.03 -5.98 -5.66 -5.20 -5.07 -5.06 -4.61

Average (% change) -10.61 -1.21 -5.92 -5.94 -5.40 -5.55 -5.05 -6.25

SonarBangla Insu. -A Fine Foods A

-4.35 -4.26

-4.35 -4.00

Company

Closing (% change)

ANALYST

Closing average

Closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 160.75 69.38 35.21 133.86 156.36 375.02 1.21 217.87 219.39 0.42 39.11 52.29 12.48 288.33 13.18 24.25 55.71 277.02 20.39 88.04 2.58

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

26.50 35.39 95.21 182.77 28.76 187.30 38.29 28.20

26.10 34.30 93.40 179.90 27.70 187.30 38.10 27.40

28.00 37.50 99.00 189.40 30.50 187.30 38.30 29.30

25.90 34.10 91.30 177.00 26.90 187.30 37.60 26.50

1.354 1.005 2.047 13.479 41.107 0.019 0.134 5.907

1.98 2.77 1.18 5.10 2.06 21.32 1.06 1.14

13.4 12.8 80.7 35.8 14.0 8.8 36.1 24.7

14.89 40.38

14.70 39.70

15.20 42.00

14.40 39.60

0.536 28.206

-0.69 2.64

-ve 15.3

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Northern Jute -Z Prime Insur -A Bata Shoe Ltd. -A Linde (BD) Ltd. -A Reckitt Benckiser -A Northern G Insur-A Pragati Gen. I -A Renata Ltd. -A Berger Paints-A Marico BD Ltd-A

26.20 29.10 51.90 20.00 153.00 13.10 15.00 20.70

27.30 30.10 52.80 20.00 171.00 13.10 15.10 20.70

26.00 29.00 49.90 19.90 153.00 13.10 15.00 20.70

0.269 0.339 1.492 0.013 0.479 0.026 0.023 0.010

1.98 1.39 2.74 0.59 1.40 0.68 0.76 1.20

13.4 21.2 18.9 33.8 110.5 19.3 19.8 17.3

22.00 18.01

22.00 18.00

22.00 18.30

22.00 17.80

0.011 0.126

1.85 -0.98

11.9 -ve

Coupled with the slump in turnover due to trading halt (trading session lasted for two hours), the bourse ended negative

% change 7.17 3.09 1.57 5.97 6.97 16.72 0.05 9.71 9.78 0.02 1.74 2.33 0.56 12.86 0.59 1.08 2.48 12.35 0.91 3.93 0.12

Million Taka 29.16 6.98 2.49 19.08 18.25 36.50 42.03 24.58 16.92 2.14 19.06 1.84 58.45 1.25 1.47 2.42 42.81 3.45 19.59 0.04

% change 8.37 2.00 0.72 5.47 5.24 10.47 0.00 12.06 7.05 4.85 0.61 5.47 0.53 16.77 0.36 0.42 0.70 12.28 0.99 5.62 0.01

Million Taka 189.90 76.35 37.71 152.94 174.61 411.52 1.21 259.90 243.97 17.33 41.24 71.35 14.32 346.78 14.43 25.72 58.13 319.83 23.84 107.62 2.62

Total

7.33 6.50 5.86 5.30 4.65 4.44 4.09 3.74 3.40 3.07

CSE GAINERS Company Emerald Oil Ind. -N Bata Shoe Ltd. -A MutualTrust Bank-A Zahintex Ind.-N ICB AMCL3rd NRB MF-A Safko Spinning-A Apex SpinningA IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A H.R. Textile -A Marico BD Ltd-A

Closing (% change) 376.30 6.11 5.59 4.91 3.92 3.42 3.39 2.94 2.81 2.50

Average (% change) 7.41 6.37 5.72 4.25 0.18 4.50 (1.37) 3.56 2.89 3.55 Average (% change) 1.09 5.72 5.59 3.06 1.95 3.46 3.13 2.65 2.97 2.50

Closing average 96.67 26.21 1,053.38 1,032.63 1,268.73 37.60 57.05 1,108.99 996.47 1,312.99

Closing average 228.65 1056.85 17.00 23.27 5.22 24.21 94.61 6.98 32.95 1318.00

Closing 96.60 26.20 1,067.90 1,051.00 1,307.50 37.60 58.50 1,119.60 1,000.10 1,321.50

Closing 229.10 1060.60 17.00 23.50 5.30 24.20 94.60 7.00 32.90 1318.00

Daily high 99.00 26.40 1,069.90 1,060.50 1,320.00 37.70 61.00 1,124.00 1,005.00 1,335.00

Daily high 231.90 1062.00 17.00 23.70 5.30 24.90 95.00 7.00 33.00 1318.00

Daily low 92.00 25.00 1,000.00 1,011.00 1,246.10 37.30 55.30 1,075.00 987.00 1,285.00

Daily low 226.20 1050.00 17.00 22.50 5.20 23.50 93.00 6.60 32.90 1318.00

Turnover in million 0.058 0.498 32.760 20.188 7.993 0.094 1.588 64.266 3.388 5.055

Turnover in million 6.974 1.374 0.060 0.372 0.138 0.339 0.132 0.663 0.132 0.066

Latest EPS -10.24 2.23 52.75 48.55 41.12 2.00 4.19 41.39 37.13 46.53

Latest EPS 1.40 52.75 1.86 0.95 0.42 1.04 1.85 0.88 1.56 46.53

Latest PE -ve 11.8 20.0 21.3 30.9 18.8 13.6 26.8 26.8 28.2

Latest PE 163.3 20.0 9.1 24.5 12.4 23.3 51.1 7.9 21.1 28.3

News from trade server STANDBANKL: The Board of Directors has recommended 10% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 18.05.2014, Time: 10:30 AM, Venue: Police Convention Hall (1st floor), Eskaton Garden Road, Ramna, Dhaka. Record Date: 23.04.2014. The Company has also reported profit after provision before tax of Tk. 1,010.98 million, EPS of Tk. 1.77, NAV per share of Tk. 16.29 and NOCFPS of Tk. 1.21 for the year ended on December 31, 2013 as against Tk. 1,333.13 million, Tk. 2.34, Tk. 16.87 and Tk. 20.19 respectively for the year ended on December 31, 2012.

Expire Date: 2014-04-13 IBNSINA: The Board of Directors has recommended 25% cash dividend and 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 07.06.2014, Time: 9:30 AM, Venue: Emmanuelle's Convention Centre, Shimanto Square Market (Rifles Square) 5th floor, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. Record Date: 30.04.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 4.48, NAV per share of Tk. 36.25 and NOCFPS of Tk. 2.60 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

DELTASPINN: (Q3): As per un-audited

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-Z Meghna Petroleum -A HeidelbergCement -A Padma Oil Co. -A Olympic Ind. -A Renata Ltd. -A

CSE

Closing (% change)

quarterly accounts for the 3rd quarter ended on 31st March 2014 (Jan'14 to March'14), the Company has reported consolidated net profit after tax (excluding non-controlling interest) of Tk. 27.65 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.60 as against Tk. 13.29 million and Tk. 0.29 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas consolidated net profit after tax (excluding non-controlling interest) was Tk. 56.75 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.24 for the period of nine months (July'13 to March'14) ended on 31.03.2014 as against Tk. 39.67 million and Tk. 0.86 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

ZAHINTEX: (Q3): As per un-audited quarterly accounts for the 3rd quarter ended on 31st March 2014 (Jan'14 to March'14), the Company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 18.45 million with EPS of Tk. 0.32 as against Tk. 3.39 million and Tk. 0.06 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Whereas net profit after tax was Tk. 40.24 million with EPS of Tk. 0.71 for the period of nine months (July'13 to March'14) ended on 31.03.2014 as against Tk. 63.22 million and Tk. 1.11 respectively for the same period of the

previous year.

KAY&QUE: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on April 13, 2014 at 3:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

From BIASL Desk: Impact after declaration: STANDBANKL price dropped 4.90%, close at taka 13.60 with PE 5.81. IBNSINA price dropped 0.40%, close at taka 123.40 with PE 27.54.

Price Correction after Record Day: ARGONDENIM price correction was 4.63% (taka 2.60) against 6% Cash & 12% stock Dividend (taka 9.03 per share approx.). After record day restated EPS is taka 2.74 and NAV per share is taka 23.53.

RIGHT SHARE: ARAMITCEM: Subscription 23.03.2014 to 17.04.2014. RD for 6entitlement of rights share: 09.01.2014. RUPALILIFE- Subscription 06.04.2014 to 05.05.2014.

RD for entitlement of rights share: 16.01.2014.

BRACBANK: Subscription 20.04.2014 to 15.05.2014. RD for entitlement of rights share: 10.02.2014.

Latest PE

26.61 29.44 51.80 19.96 154.63 13.10 15.03 20.70

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Monday, April 14, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features April 13, 2014

Stocks finish lower amid trade disruption n Tribune Report

Stock

% change 7.33 2.95 1.46 5.90 6.74 15.88 0.05 10.03 9.41 0.67 1.59 2.75 0.55 13.38 0.56 0.99 2.24 12.34 0.92 4.15 0.10

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

Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N BSC-A Jamuna Oil -A

BD Submarine Cable-A Square Pharma -A AB Bank - A Eastern Housing -A Bata Shoe Ltd. -A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company HeidelbergCement -A

Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-Z BD Submarine Cable-A BSC-A Matin Spinning-N Square Pharma -A Padma Oil Co. -A AB Bank - A Golden Son -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Jamuna Oil -A Emerald Oil Ind. -N BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Meghna Petroleum -A

Volume shares 864,000 2,555,500 462,996 216,210 266,102 410,397 57,950 1,127,500 99,820 251,960

254,468 184,704 1,429,367 613,250 31,100

Volume shares

58,050 116,400 351,000 61,126 19,340 286,200 38,880 29,788 351,774 153,100 152,000 31,510 30,500 225,879 20,700

Value in million 224.67 145.20 133.89 128.24 95.91 94.01 64.27 62.58 61.06 58.06

52.35 51.63 41.11 35.79 32.76

Value in million

35.06 30.13 19.72 12.68 11.99 11.75 10.88 10.63 10.39 9.35 8.52 7.25 6.97 6.60 5.94

% of total turnover 10.02 6.47 5.97 5.72 4.28 4.19 2.87 2.79 2.72 2.59

2.33 2.30 1.83 1.60 1.46

% of total turnover

12.12 10.41 6.82 4.38 4.14 4.06 3.76 3.67 3.59 3.23 2.94 2.51 2.41 2.28 2.05

Daily closing 260.70 58.10 290.90 584.90 363.10 228.40 1119.60 54.80 608.75 230.70

205.50 279.40 27.70 58.80 1067.90

Daily closing

595.20 259.70 57.70 206.30 612.30 40.30 280.00 360.30 28.70 59.80 55.40 231.10 229.10 28.70 290.30

Price change 1.84 3.01 2.76 -0.70 2.63 0.66 3.74 -4.03 -2.52 0.70

Daily opening 256.00 56.40 283.10 589.00 353.80 226.90 1079.20 57.10 624.50 229.10

Price change

Daily opening

-1.30 -0.32 -6.42 2.62 5.86

0.90 1.64 -0.86 -1.43 -2.31 -3.59 0.11 1.89 -3.04 -0.50 -3.65 0.65 376.30 -0.69 2.33

208.20 280.30 29.60 57.30 1008.80

589.90 255.50 58.20 209.30 626.80 41.80 279.70 353.60 29.60 60.10 57.50 229.60 48.10 28.90 283.70

Daily high 262.00 58.50 291.90 615.00 368.00 230.50 1124.00 58.90 626.25 232.00

Daily low 257.00 55.50 259.00 575.00 330.00 210.00 1075.00 54.50 605.00 219.00

Daily average 260.04 56.82 289.17 593.12 360.43 229.07 1108.99 55.50 611.68 230.42

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

226.20 282.00 30.50 59.60 1069.90

615.00 261.50 58.70 210.50 634.00 42.00 281.80 363.00 30.30 61.70 58.90 231.80 231.90 30.10 292.00

204.10 275.00 26.90 56.00 1000.0

590.00 255.00 55.90 205.00 607.50 40.10 278.90 353.10 28.30 59.30 55.00 229.30 226.20 28.50 282.50

205.72 279.54 28.76 58.37 1053.38

603.99 258.85 56.20 207.43 620.15 41.05 279.91 356.89 29.53 61.06 56.07 230.18 228.65 29.23 286.91

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Campaign for ITU council election begins  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Political unrest last year threathened to send several industries on the verge of becoming sick industry

Sick industry owners want interest waiver n Tribune Report Leaders of Bangladesh Sick Industry Owner United Forum (BSIOUF) have urged the government to waive the longstanding interests piled up on their bad loans over the years.

They came up with the plea during a meeting with the state minister for finance and planning MA Mannan held yesterday at his secretariat office in the capital.

The leaders demanded for waiving the interest on commercial loans above Tk50 crore taken by the 109 non-textile industries, which have already become sick since long.

It is learned that loans worth Tk23.33 crore were disbursed against 109 non-textile firms but the outstand-

ing dues now stands at Tk.283.21 crore over the years.

The commercial banks did not pay any heed so far for executing the directives of the Bank and Financial Institutional Divisionunder the finance ministry to waive the pending taxes from the listed 109 non-textile sick industries, said BSIOUF President FH Chowdhury after the meeting.

The government had earlier waived interest rate on the bad loans taken by 279 garment and 69 textile industries after a recommendation made by a taskforce. Regarding the demand of sick industry owners, state minister said: The government will resolve the problem of the sick industries shortly, which is still hanging in the balance.

“A summary report will be prepared

DHAKA TRIBUNE

on the demand of the sick industries as soon as the finance minister comes back home from abroad.”

“Although the high-up of the government including the Prime Minister herself want to resolve the longstanding crisis of the sick industries, it is still hanging in the balance due to bureaucratic tangles even after the available funds allocated by the finance ministry,” said BSIOUF President.

He also said banking division announced a package for the sick industries with 8% interest rate while the government decided to provide 3% subsidy.

FH Chowdhury said “We will bear the burden of the full interest rate of loan and the government will save the allocated fund worth Tk225 crore.” l

B3

Monday, April 14, 2014

“This will be a very tough election as our neighbouring and friendly countries will be competing. So, I ask everyone to work seriously,” a meeting source quoted Abdul Latif Siddique as he was telling the officers in the meeting.

The foreign ministry and telecom ministry are organising the campaign activities, said an official who was present at the meeting.

Already, 16 countries have filled up nominations for 13 member posts from Asia-Australia region.

As the deadline to fill up nominations is 22 September, which is still far away, the number of candidates are expected to rise.

China, Indonesia, South Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and India are among the countries which already filled up nominations.

Bangladesh has finalised 12-phase election manifesto including reducing digital divide and standardisation gap and increasing global cyber-security, child online protection and introducing e-waste management etc.

The meeting sources said the government has approved a “Country Position Paper,” which will be sent to different ITU member countries.

According to the concept paper, Bangladesh claimed it as the world’s ninth-largest market with 122m mobile subscribers out of 165m populations.

Telecom Minister Abdul Latif Siddique will also send a letter to the member countries seeking supports.

The minister asked BTRC to send a letter to the telecom regulators in different member countries for their help.

And as a member of Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Bangladesh will request support from the member states, the officials said.

Bangladesh will organise an APT programme inviting 47 member states in May, said additional telecom secretary Feroz Salah Uddin.

A high-powered team will be sent to the Council Meeting-2014, which is scheduled to be held in Geneva next June.

During the meeting, Bangladesh will host a reception for higher officials from member countries in a bid to win their favour.

Brochures and souvenirs will be handed out among the members as part of campaign activities.

The number of ITU member states are 193 and they will cast votes in the election.

The 2010 election was held in Guadalajara, the capital of Mexican state of Jalisco, in a plenipotentiary conference.

In that election Bangladesh secured sixth position with 123 votes. Seventeen candidates competed for the 13seat Asia and Australia regions.

The 48-member council is the highest policy making body of ITU and elected in every four years.

ITU council works to formulate policy and regulation on global telecommunications. l

Beijing rejects IMF’s hard-landing warning for China’s economy n Reuters, Washington A senior Chinese official hit back on Saturday at International Monetary Fund warnings that China’s economy faced the danger of a hard landing due to poor asset quality, saying the government was taking action to deal with financial risk.

Chinese Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao said China worked closely with the IMF but did not agree with all of its analysis.

“In general, we think they are a very professional financial institution, but some of the methodology used and some traditional thinking, they also need reform,” he told a small group of Western journalists on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington. “We hope that their analysis and methodology can really reflect a country’s reality,” he said. “We said not just to the IMF, but also to the World Bank, that not one size fits all. If your policy suggestion is (to be) a valuable suggestion, you must base it on reality.”

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde warned of the risk of what she termed a “hard landing” in China, the world’s second-largest economy, and negative repercussions on other emerging markets in her Global Policy Agenda released at the start of the meetings in Washington on Thursday.

While her report said the risk was small, it urged China to rein in risks in its shadow banking system and liberalize its financial sector to improve the allocation of credit.

Zhu said Chinese President Xi Jinping had publicly recognized that China faced a challenge over the issue of shadow banks. l

Draghi says a stronger euro would trigger looser ECB policy n Reuters, Washington The European Central Bank will ease monetary policy further if the euro keeps strengthening, President Mario Draghi said on Saturday as world finance chiefs ramped up pressure on Europe to ward off deflation.

In the clearest signal yet the ECB was prepared to launch a stimulative asset-purchase program, Draghi said the euro’s exchange rate had become increasingly important to policy and would act as a trigger.

“The strengthening of the exchange rate would require further monetary policy accommodation. If you want policy to remain as accommodative as now, a further strengthening of the exchange rate would require further stimulus,” he told a news conference.

The issue of weak euro zone inflation took center stage at meetings of top finance ministers and central bankers on Saturday, with the International Monetary Fund’s steering committee urging the ECB to consider acting if low inflation became persistent.

“The Fund is recommending more monetary easing to the ECB, and rightly so,” said Guido Mantega, Brazil’s finance minister.

The world’s financial markets are watching closely. Last week, the ECB kept interest rates steady but opened the door to turning on its money-

printing presses to boost the weak euro zone economy and inflation. At that time, Draghi said the ECB had achieved unanimity that asset purchases, or socalled quantitative easing, might be needed.

Over the past 12 months, the euro has strengthened by nearly 5.5% against the dollar and by nearly 10% against the yen. In recent weeks, it has reached levels against the dollar not seen since late 2011. It ended last week at just below $1.39.

Draghi said on Saturday that euro appreciation over the last year was an important factor in bringing inflation in the currency bloc down to its current low levels, accounting for as much as a half percentage point of the decline in the annual rate, which stood at only 0.5% year-on-year in March. The ECB aims to keep inflation close to but under 2%.

“I have always said that the exchange rate is not a policy target, but it is important for price stability and growth,” Draghi said. “What has happened over the last few months is that it has become more and more important for price stability.”

The euro’s recent strength has baffled many players in the global currency market given Europe’s low interest rates, tepid growth prospects and nearzero inflation. In fact, most currency analysts expected an improving out-

President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi and US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen speak before the G20 finance ministers and central bankers family portrait during the IMF/World Bank 2014 Spring Meeting in Washington April 11 REUTERS look for the US economy and the winding down of the US Federal Reserve’s massive stimulus program to drive the dollar up against the euro this year.

Some of the investment flows supporting the euro are reflected in the strong performance of sovereign debt from several of southern Europe’s bailed-out nations, which until recently had featured substantially higher

yields. On Thursday, for instance, an auction for 3bn euros of five-year bonds sold by Greece drew more than 20bn euros in orders.

An orientation, not a level

Quantitative easing was something previously considered highly undesirable by some euro zone central bankers, and only to be considered if prices

Kenny Rogers Roasters International has recently prepared their latest product Spicy Chicken for the Bangla New Year 1421. Advisor of Capita Food and Beverage, Mukarram Husain Khan and managing director Zeeba Ameena Khan along with many other were present at the launching ceremony

were falling outright.

But policymakers in recent weeks publicly broached cutting deposit rates below zero - effectively charging banks that hold excess cash at the ECB - or embarking on bond purchases as have the United States, Japan and Britain, if the threat of deflation became more acute.

Draghi said two things would drive any decision: “One is an unwanted tightening of monetary financial conditions, and the second is deterioration of our medium term outlook.”

“I don’t want to give you a level where we will act or not. I am giving you an orientation,” he said of euro strength.

In July 2008, the currency’s rise to an all-time high of $1.60 did not trigger an ECB response, even though euro zone finance ministers tried to talk down the currency. But inflation was near an alltime high at 4%, serving the ECB’s need to keep price growth in check.

by people start to postpone consumption and investment, leading to further deflationary pressures,” he told the IMF panel.

There are striking parallels between 1990s Japan and the euro zone’s plight now: weak bank lending, fragile economic growth, a rising exchange rate, and the central bank’s insistence that deflation is not on the horizon.

Japan’s painful example

While Japan has been mired in deflation for most of the last 15 years, the price declines in the early years were so mild that the Bank of Japan was slow to acknowledge deflation had set in.

That is why Japanese policymakers warn against complacency even if, as Draghi points out, long-term inflation expectations in the euro area appear to remain “well-anchored.” l

In a rare move for the usually soft-spoken Japanese, Finance Minister Taro Aso - drawing on Japan’s own experience of a protracted period of deflation - directly warned the euro zone about the dangers of falling prices.

“Based on our experience, once a deflationary mindset takes hold, it is easy to fall into a vicious cycle, where-

'I have always said that the exchange rate is not a policy target, but it is important for price stability and growth,' Draghi said

The Dhaka Mercantile Co-operative Bank Ltd has been reallocated its Airport Branch on April 12. Freedom fighter Sarwar Ali and the company’s vice chair Captain Abu Zafar Chowdhury attended the opening ceremony as chief guest

AB Bank Limited, the first private commercial bank of the country celebrated its 32nd founding anniversary on April 12. M Wahidul Haque, the bank’s chair accompanied by the directors attended the programme

Bangladesh Edible Oil Limited has launched a new product, rice bran oil in addition to its current product portfolio. The launching event of the product was held on April 12 in BRAC CDM, Savar where Biprabuddha Chatterjee, head of R&D at Adani Wilmar Ltd unveiled the product

Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited recently held its quarterly business review meeting for the year at the bank’s head office in Dhaka. The bank’s CEO and managing director, Abu Sadek Md Sohel presided over the meeting

A corporate agreement has been signed on April 10 between Union Bank Ltd and Hotel The Cox Today at the head office premises of Union Bank Ltd. Head of PRD, Abdul Kader signed the agreement on behalf of the bank while the hotel’s director (sales & marketing), Mohiuddin Khan Khokon has signed on behalf of the hotel

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, April 14, 2014

Managing knowledge and innovation n Dr Ashikur Rahman The central aim of this article is to explain the emerging complications concerning modern day innovations and innovators.

While in our everyday life we have developed a tendency to take ‘innovation’ as an everyday event, it is worth noting that as a specie we lived for thousands of years with very basic technological progress.

In a paper published in the journal of Nature in March 2011, scientists argue that habitual use of fire wasn’t part of the human (meaning early modern and Neanderthal both) suite of behaviors until ca. 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. And between then and 8000 BC, the only notable innovations were bow, domestication of animals and agriculture. Yet, in the 20th century alone, the US National Academy of Engineering, identified the following as the most important technological developments: l Electrification l Automobile l Airplane l Water supply and Distribution l Electronics l Radio and Television l Mechanized agriculture l Computers l Telephone l Air Conditioning and Refrigeration l Highways l Spacecraft l Internet l Imaging l Household appliances l Health Technologies l Petroleum and Petrochemical Technologies l Laser and Fiber Optics l Nuclear technologies The question that then becomes important for us to scrutinize is: what has aided this quantum shift in our capacity to generate new knowledge that has fueled technological progress over the last century?

To offer some insight on this issue, it is worth noting that human race is distinct from all other species in its capacity to generate, store, and diffuse knowledge. While all species depend on their evolutionary physical capabilities to generate, store and transfer knowledge, human beings over the last 2000 years have developed a

complex organizational framework to manage knowledge.

This in the early days were raw painting in caves, but since the advent of Plato’s Academy – human beings at present store and transfer information through libraries, schools, universities, internet, and research labs – to ensure knowledge that has accumulated to date receives re-examination by each successive generation and new ideas fill in the ever deepening pool of information generated by our intellect.

Moreover, this development of a complex organizational framework to store, transfer and generate new knowledge is itself a hall mark innovation over the last two millennium.

Of course, this quantum shift in innovation means that each generation of innovators has to overcome and accumulate a larger stock of information than their predecessors since no innovator takes birth on the frontier of knowledge. Rather, they must initially undertake significant rigorous education to ensure they know enough to contribute. Yet with the frontier of knowledge expanding with time, this task becomes increasingly difficult. To better grasp the insight, it is worth re-emphasizing what Isaac Newton wrote famously to Robert Hooke,“… if I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

This in essence implies that each generation of researchers is in debt to the earlier groups of innovators whose work provides the launch pad on which new knowledge is created.

However, there is also an indirect implication of Newton’s observation that is recently acknowledged by Benjamin F Jones – a Professor at Northwestern University in USA, which is: if one is to stand on the shoulders of giants, one must first climb up their backs, and the larger the body of knowledge, the tougher this climb becomes.

To elaborate this issue further, it is crucial that we understand the conditions associated with human capital accumulation, which is distinctly different from generating and transferring physical capital.

While one generation may rather painlessly bequeath its physical assets to the next with the help of sound property rights, the issues associated with the transfer of human capital are different. More

specifically, human species at any given point in time can only absorb information at a limited rate.

They also have a finite capacity to process them to generate new ideas, and also have a scarce time on earth. Hence their educational burden increases with each successive generation of innovators.

The resultant outcome is that individuals who chose to become an innovator must increasingly specialize with narrower expertise. Furthermore, descriptive evidence from recent examination of innovations across countries show that there is an increasing tendency among scientists and social scientists to undertake collaborative research.

This ‘burden of knowledge’ which has influenced researchers to choose narrower expertise also means that they are likely to achieve their first innovation at later stage in life in comparison to innovators from earlier generations.

For example, recent evidence suggests that the average age of great inventors and Nobel Prize winners at which they produce their great innovation increased by 6 years over the 20th century.

Additionally, National Research Council in 1990 pointed out that the age at which

in each discipline, this strategy will surely reach its limit in time.

Consequently, it is decisive that we reexamine the manner in which knowledge and innovation is managed in the light of these emerging complications. As the identification of a complex organizational framework – in the form of libraries, schools, universities, internet, and research labs – has aided human civilization to achieve unprecedented technological progress over the last two centuries, the next generation of reforms in the science of managing knowledge and innovation needs serious attention so that we can offer tangible assistance to our future generation in processing the ever increasing volume of information.

Of course two broad objectives must motivate this reform: first, we need to engineer a better knowledge transfer mechanism that facilitates the flow of knowledge and information to successive cohorts of innovators.

This can mean that the urgency to identify new methods of teaching is acute.

Second, greater synchronization is needed between cognitive ability and professional choice, so that innovative activities attracts the best amongst us.

Development of a complex organisational framework to store, transfer and generate new knowledge is itself a hall mark innovation over the last two millennium individuals complete their doctorates rose generally across all major fields from 1967-1986, with the increase explained by longer periods in the doctoral program.

Thus, this brings us to the central complications associated with innovations and innovators in modern times.

That is, even if the cognitive capacity of human species increase over time, the rate at which knowledge is generated presently implies the ‘burden of knowledge’ will make it difficult for each successive generation to accumulate and process the existing available information.

Moreover, while the contemporary scientists have chosen to develop narrower expertise as a strategy to bypass the large volume of information that has piled up

To conclude, our planet hosts a diverse set of species with a wide range of physical capabilities. Yet, mankind’s edge has been so far in its ability to offer a better understanding of nature and device inventions that allow us to have greater authority over it.

However, with changing times and ever deepening information pool, the ‘burden of knowledge’ demands we re-think the science of managing knowledge and innovation so that our cognitive capacity is not further strained while we endeavor to learn and innovate. l The writer is a senior economist at Policy Research Institute (PRI) and he can be reached at ashrahman83@gmail.com

An employee of Aeon Retail displays the company's "gull wing" glasses frame at the Generation's Collection 2014 produced by Japanese retailer Aeon in Makuhari on April 11.

The three-day collection will be held until April 13 ARP

Britain to trumpet economic recovery n AFP, London British finance minister George Osborne will later Friday hail the nation’s economic recovery, one year after the International Monetary Fund had warned that his austerity policies were “playing with fire”.

Osborne will defend his economic policies in a key speech in Washington, where he is attending the annual World Bank/IMF spring meetings.

“Our economy has grown faster than any other in the G7 over the last year and is now forecast by the IMF to do the same in 2014,” he will tell the American Enterprise Institute, according to advance extracts from his speech.

“All of this demonstrates that fiscal consolidation and economic recovery go together.”

“Instead of more debt or more government spending, we need to get our public finances in order, make structural reforms and compete in the world again.”

In April last year, IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard had warned that Osborne’s austerity measures were “playing with fire”, and urged for him to ease the pace of fiscal consolidation.

However this week, the IMF forecast that Britain was on course to outshine the world’s top advanced economies this year.

The nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 2.9% this year, the IMF predicted.

That puts Britain ahead of the United States, Germany and Canada, and marked an upgrade from the previous IMF growth estimate of 2.4%.

The nation’s economy expanded by 1.7% last year, which was the strongest growth since before the global financial crisis.

Britain’s fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, forecasts that British gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 2.7% in 2014. l

Samsung looks to life beyond the smartphone n AFP, Seoul After years of record profit growth, tech giant Samsung Electronics looks to be at a commercial crossroads as it searches for a new growth driver to counter slowing sales of its phenomenally successful smartphones.

Alarm bells have been sounding for a while over Samsung’s reliance on smartphone sales in increasingly mature markets such as Europe and the United States, and increasingly competitive emerging markets like China.

The world’s largest smartphone maker has a diverse product line ranging from memory chips to home appliances, but more than half its profits are generated by mobile devices.

Last week, Samsung said it was on track for a second consecutive quarter of year-on-year profit decline, and its stock price fell nearly 10% in 2013 - the first annual drop in five years.

Friday saw the global roll-out of the latest version of the flagship Galaxy series smartphone, the S5, whose performance will be closely watched.

While reviews have rated the S5 a top-class product, they note that it offers little in the way of real innovation that would set it apart from previous versions and models offered by competitors such as Apple.

“I think the market really needs a new growth driver at this point,” said Lee Min-Hee, an analyst at IM Investment and Securities, noting that the high-end smartphone market “is already saturated”.

“So it’s inevitable to shift to mid-and low-end markets where margins are tighter and competition is even more fierce,” he said.

“Samsung did well this year on cutting costs - including marketing spending, but these are only defensive measures to make up for slowing sales and to maintain profits, not a proactive

DILBERT

move to innovate.”

Lee noted that Samsung and South Korea’s other export powerhouses are also feeling some strain from the strength of the won currency, which last week hit its highest point against the dollar since August 2008.

Samsung said sharp currency swings cost it 700bn won ($676m) of lost revenue in the fourth quarter of 2013, when its operating profit came to 8.3tn won a 6% decline on the previous year.

And there appears to be a general consensus that smartphone evolution has hit a barrier that will only allow incremental improvements on existing design and technology, rather than market-changing re-invention.

Next big thing?

Many see wearable devices - such as Google Glass - as the “next big thing”.

IT research and advisory specialists Gartner Inc. predicts wearable technology will emerge as a $10bn dollar industry by as early as 2016.

Samsung’s first Internet-enabled smartwatch, introduced last September, was given a lukewarm reception by consumers who disliked its chunky design. A second edition, the Gear 2, was launched in February.

“I believe the next big thing will be Internet of Things (IOT) in which all household appliances, electronic devices and even cars are connected through the network,” said Lee. “And the first step towards the era of the IOT is wearable devices,” he added.

Samsung Electronics certainly has the financial clout to invest heavily in new technologies with a net cash balance of more than $50bn.

At a rare analysts’ briefing in November last year, president and chief financial officer Lee Sang-Hoon said the reserves would be used to fund significant investment in research and development. l

The Development Committee Plenary meeting is seen at the 2014 Spring Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group on April 12 in Washington

AFP

Lagarde: IMF no longer forces ‘structural adjustment’ n AFP, Washington The International Monetary Fund has changed and no longer imposes tough “structural adjustment” programs as it did in poor countries two decades ago, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said Saturday.

Told by a journalist from Ghana that many people there had “a phobia for the IMF” due to the harsh conditions of its past structural adjustment programs in Africa and South America, Lagarde responded: “Structural adjustment? That was before my time, I have no idea what it is. We don’t do that anymore.”

The crisis lender is sensitive to charges it dictates socially and eco-

nomically harsh reforms on countries availing themselves of its support.

In recent years, it has come under heavy criticism for the austerity polices - mostly government spending cuts and tax hikes - that have accompanied its rescue programs for Greece, Portugal and others.

Lagarde, speaking in a press conference during the IMF/World Bank spring meetings in Washington, stressed that the conditions the IMF places now in loan programs are decided together with recipient governments.

“Seriously, you have to realise that we have changed the way in which we offer our financial support,” she added.

“It’s really on the basis of partnership. There is always in partnership a

bit of hardship to go with it.”

“If the Fund is called upon to help, it’s because the country feels it cannot decide certain things on it own, it

Seriously, you have to realise that we have changed the way in which we offer our financial support needs back-up support, financing to make sure that it has access to enough funding.”

She added that the IMF also offers countries technical assistance and help

building the capacity to manage an economy.

'So it’s a new face.'

But anti-poverty group Oxfam said the Fund’s programs now are similar to those of the past.

“Austerity programs bear a striking resemblance to the ruinous structural adjustment policies imposed on poor countries in the 1980s and 1990s,” said Nicolas Mombrial, Oxfam director in Washington.

“We hope the IMF’s new narrative on inequality signals that they have indeed left structural adjustment behind. But whatever language they use, they’re still pushing for cuts in public spending which are hitting the poor hardest.” l