23 April 2014

Boishakh 10, 1421 Jamadius Sani 22, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 24

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Treehouse | MYTHICAL CREATURE: BASILISK 7 | WHO WILL FORM NEXT INDIAN GOVT?

Tk6,000 crore more sought for recapitalising state banks

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9 | MODI CONDEMNS ANTI-MUSLIM REMARKS

14 | MAN UNITED SACK DAVID MOYES

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Fund sought for specialised banks too n Asif Showkat Kallol The bank division of the Finance Ministry has sought Tk6,000 crore allocation in the upcoming budget for recapitalisation of the four state-owned banks.

The division has sought Tk700 crore for the same purpose for the stateowned specialised banks.

M Aslam Alam, secretary of the Bank and Financial Institutions Division, told the Dhaka Tribune that the four government banks needed more capital in the next fiscal year in line with Basel II. Basel II, published in 2004, is an accord that intends to create an international standard for banking regulators to control how much capital banks need to put aside to guard against risks.

An official of the Banking Division said these banks might turn out to be Tk7,000 crore short of capital in the next audit The four state-owned commercial banks in Bangladesh – Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali – are said to have been robbed off their safe footing by major scams such as those staged by the Hall-Mark and Bismillah groups.

“The balance sheets of the state banks should be streamlined in order to ensure their survival...The development partners think that the state banks may collapse because of capital shortfall. So, they want to see recapitalisation in steps,” the secretary said.

He also said a negotiation had been going on with the Finance Division regarding the amount to be allocated in the coming budget for the purpose.

In September last year, the Finance

Division once disbursed Tk4,100 crore to the state-owned banks so that they could address capital inadequacies. At the time, the aggregate capital shortfall of the four banks was over Tk8,000 core.

A senior official said the Finance Division needed to first know how well the banks had used that allocation before it could approve further funds.

According to sources in the Bangladesh Bank, in December last year, capital shortfall of Sonali Bank stood at Tk249 crore, Rupali Tk107 crore, Janata Tk404 crore and Agrani Tk92 crore.

The central bank has not audited the four banks since then, but an official said these banks might turn out to be Tk7,000 crore short of capital in the next audit.

In the audit, the banks need to show, among other things, impressive performance in reducing non-performing and default loans in order to get further recapitalisation allocations.

A recent study of the Business Monitor International, a London-based research firm, said Bangladesh’s banking sector was “seriously vulnerable to economic shocks” mainly because of the poor performance of the stateowned banks.

“The state banks had racked up a large amount of non-performing loans on their books, creating a flaw in the banking system,” said the study titled Bangladesh Commercial Banking Report 2014.

As of September 2013, the gross non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of state banks stood at 28.8%, up from 11.3% in 2011 and 23.9%in 2012.

On December 31 last year, the amount of default loans at the state banks was Tk16,606 crore or 19.76%of their outstanding loans, according to the Bangladesh Bank.

NPLs are sums of borrowed money for which debtors have not made  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Arati wears a silver anklet on her prosthetic leg just like before. Her right foot had to be amputated from the ankle as it was badly damaged in the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Savar last year. She used to work at a garment factory on the seventh floor of the building and was trapped in the debris for four days after the collapse. Arati lost her mother in the tragic incident.

She got her prosthetic limb with the help of an NGO and can now walk with some comfort. The photo was taken at her home at Savar yesterday. Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, the country’s biggest industrial disaster which killed 1,136 people SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Election Commission probe finds ‘no irregularity’ in upazila polls n Mohammad Zakaria The field-level officials of the Election Commission have not found any proof of violence and irregularities during the upazila parishad polls and claimed that the media reports were incorrect.

Returning officers and district election officers from 40 districts sent investigation reports to the commission after looking into the allegations, EC sources said. All the reports mentioned that there was no proof of violence and irregularities.

The reports say the polls were held peacefully and there were no incidents of stuffing fake votes, snatching ballot papers or capturing of polling stations.

There had been incidents of violence, capturing polling centres, vote

EC assistant secretary: We have received some investigation reports on violence and irregularities during the upazila polls The commission took the media reports into cognisance and asked the returning officers and the district election officers on April 7 to investigate those allegations.

Assistant Secretary of the EC Asfakur Rahman yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have received some probe reports on violence and irregularities during the upazila polls. I am gathering the reports which will be presented at the next commission meeting.”

The polls took place in 459 upazilas in five phases across the country. Elections in 14 upazilas will be held on May 19.

According to the report from Jessore, there were no vote-rigging incidents in Keshabpur upazila. The report signed by District Election Officer Tareque Ahmed also stated that the media reports on enforcement of hartal protesting vote rigging were incorrect as the voters exercised their franchise “peacefully.”

n UNB

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The BNP’s much-hyped “long march towards Teesta” that began yesterday was the party’s first major demonstration since the January 5 national election.

But, in stark contrast with what the party had been claiming, BNP leaders and activists – especially those at the district levels – accorded the programme with little enthusiasm and participation.

Mirza Fakhrul claims that India starts releasing more water because BNP has made a move

A motorcade of the BNP starts the party’s long march towards the Teesta Barrage. The photo was taken at Azampur in the capital yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

However, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, leader of the contingent, claimed in a rally at Govindaganj of Gaibandha that the programme’s primary success was proved when India decided to release more water on the day BNP began its long march.

Yesterday afternoon, the flow of water in Teesta was measured to be around five times higher than the flow in the previous weeks.

Water resources specialists say the stronger flow is normal in the last week of April because it is around this time

Bangladesh has sought more military equipment from the United States and Washington says it is considering the matter positively.

“Bangladesh did express its interest in receiving more equipment from the US. There are various ways for Bangladesh to obtain military equipment from the United States,” Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Kelly yesterday said at a joint press briefing in Dhaka.

Secretary (bilateral) of the Foreign Ministry Mustafa Kamal and Kelly held the press conference after a day-long dialogue on security for the third time.

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INSIDE

BNP’s long march short on interest

Teesta water flow marks a rise India yesterday augmented the water flow of the Teesta into Bangladesh.

The water flow of the Teesta into the Bangladesh territory reached 3,000 cusec as of yesterday afternoon, said Executive Engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board Mahbubur Rahman.

He said if the water flow remained the same, there would be no water problem for irrigation during the current season in Lalmonirhat, Rangpur and Kurigram districts.

The water flow of the Teesta dropped a record low of 300 cusec in the current season as India constructed dams on tributaries of the river in Sikkim and diverted water by the Gazaldoba barrage through a link to the Upper Mahnanda River.

Water resources specialists say the stronger flow is normal in the last week of April because it is around this time of the year that ice starts melting in the Himalayas.

The change in the usual water flow is being marked since last week. WDB sources said water flow had increased through the Gojoldoba gate of India since April 13.

Though the water flow increased, it had not played any effective role in the cultivation yet, they added.

Meanwhile, the BNP yesterday morning launched a long march towards Teesta Barrage to realise the due share of all the common rivers, including Teesta. l

rigging and snatching of ballot boxes reported in different electronic and print media. The EC also suspended polls in two upazilas and 140 polling centres due to violence.

US considering Bangladesh’s request for more military equipment n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Business

of the year that ice starts melting in the Himalayas.

The Dhaka Tribune reporter, who travelled along with the long march from Dhaka to Rangpur, saw very few archways, banners and festoons in the roadsides – things that usually characterise similar programmes of the party.

The BNP contingent was scheduled to hold a rally at the Mati Dhali intersection in Bogra town at 3:30pm.

Around 2:45pm, a local decorator company could be seen trying to put up an archway and a minimalistic stage for the gathering.

Aslam, an employee of the decorator, said they had been told about the meeting in the morning and the work began around noon.

The local ranks of the party would usually start publicising such programmes with loudspeakers a few days before schedule.

Yesterday, however, the publicity began around 12pm, hours before the meeting schedule, said Azizul Hakim, a local businessman who rents out loudspeakers.

When the meeting eventually began, it too was devoid of any substantial support.

Munshi, a local truck driver, said the scorching summer heat could be a reason why people did not come outdoors to take part in the long march.

Nazrul Islam Khan was the only standing committee member of the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

B1 The government’s borrowing from Bangladesh Bank has come down to zero at the end of March this year, reflecting strong and sound financial stability in the country.

News

5 After a long wait, a brand-new fleet of taxicabs began its journey on the capital’s streets yesterday compounded by an unusual high fare rate.

Nation

6 A radio mechanic in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur has devised a method for extracting gas from beneath the ground and using it to run irrigation pump.

Op-Ed

11 Most would say this was inevitable.

Two parties with more of a glorious past and a comparatively dismal present were bound to engage in a battle sooner or later to establish their eligibility based on historical references by explicitly discrediting each other.

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

14-party alliance: BNP’s road march a ‘political stunt’ Nasim urges the BNP to cooperate with the government to resolve the Teesta issue n Emran Hossain Shaikh The Awami League-led ruling 14-party alliance yesterday termed the BNP’s long-march towards the Teesta Barrage as a “political stunt.”

The alliance’s spokesperson Mohammed Nasim said: “The BNP has started a vehicle march in the name of a longmarch. It is nothing but a political stunt.”

Following a meeting of the alliance at Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s political office at Dhanmondi, Nasim told reporters that the BNP made the move to gear up its leaders and activists, who had been frustrated over the party’s boycott of the January 5 national election.

“Such programme has been outlined to gear up the party activists as people know about the water crisis. This cannot be an issue,” the spokesperson said, adding that the government also wanted a solution about water sharing.

Demanding justified share of water, the BNP started its scheduled longmarch programme toward Teesta yesterday.

Hinting at the BNP, Nasim, also health minister, asked the opposition to cooperate with the government in solving the problem. He, however, criticised the BNP for not uttering a single word on the issue while they were in power.

Saying the government had solved

the problems of the Ganges River, the minister expressed hopes of also solving the “Teesta problem.”

Nasim said a solution would be reached through bilateral discussions, adding: “Whether or not there is a change in Indian government, we will get justified share of water through discussion; because we have the right of getting the water.”

He also cautioned: “If the BNP tries to create anarchy in the name of longmarch, the government should handle them with an iron fist.”

Yesterday’s meeting of the alliance was held to finalise a countrywide tour programme of the 14-party for creating

awareness against the BNP’s alleged move to foil the war crimes trial and democracy.

Nasim said the meeting decided on rescheduling rallies in Khulna, Savar and Mymensingh to April 26, 27 and 28 respectively, although a previous meeting had fixed the dates for April 28-30. The rescheduling was made as the health minister was scheduled to go to the US on a personal tour on April 28, his family sources told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, because of the rescheduled dates, the Workers Party – a key part of the ruling alliance – would not be able to join the rallies as the party’s ninth congress would be held in Ra-

jshahi during April 24-27.

Anisur Raman Mollik, general secretary of the Workers Party, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were not “unhappy” for the rescheduling, but added that the party’s central leaders would not join the rallies because of the congress.

Apart from central leaders of the ruling Awami League, senior leaders of the alliance, including Samyabadi Dal General Secretary Dilip Barua, Ganatantri Party General Secretary Nurur Rahman Selim, Communist Kendra Convenor Wajedul Islam Khan, Ganaazadi League President Abdus Samad, Tariqat Federation General Secretary MA Awal attended the alliance meeting. l

Law for doctors, patients soon n Tribune Report Health Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday said a law would be formulated soon for the protection of doctors and patients.

He requested the doctors not to go on strike for the sake of the suffering patients.

He made the request at a press briefing in the capital in the wake of the striking doctors at Rajshahi medical college and other hospitals after recent incidents of clashes between doctors, patients’ relatives and journalists.

“We have formed two probe committees in this regard. Those responsible will be brought to book. So, please withdraw your strike,” he said.

“We will soon make a law so that such incidents do not take place in the future. We are already working on the draft of the law,” he added.

On Sunday, a clash between doctors of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and journalists left about 10 media-persons and three doctors injured on the hospital premises.

Later, the intern doctors went on a strike, demanding unconditional apology from the journalists.

Doctors at Birdem hospital and Sir Salimullah Medical College, popularly known as Mitford hospital, also went on strike after clashes with patients. l

An eight-year-old girl died in a fire at a slum in Chittagong city yesterday The fire occurred around 9:30am, when Nodi, daughter of Md Babu, was sleeping at a thatched house of the slum behind the city’s Bayazid Bostami shrine, said Baizid Bostami Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Sirajul Islam.

“Firemen rushed to the scene on hearing of the fire and doused it in one and a half hours,” said Fakhrud-

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Kelly said there was successful transfer of a US naval ship to Bangladesh Navy and the vessel had been used in a number of important missions, which “encourages us to very seriously consider further such transfer. I can assure all of you that we are looking at that very carefully in Washington.”

Bangladesh procured 12 training aircraft and four jet engines in 1995, four C-130B cargo aircraft in 1997 and a high endurance cutter last year under the excess defence article programme.

Bangladesh received $2.5 million assistance under the US foreign military financing programme last year, Kelly said.

“A strong bilateral partnership and improved defence ties between Bangladesh and the United States are in both of our interests and will contribute to our common desire for stability, peace, and prosperity in the region,” he added.

Four sessions on strategic priorities and regional issues, military and security assistance, global security and proliferation and global cooperation were held in the dialogue.

Mustafa Kamal said both sides had exchanged views on regional cooperation and the relationship they had with other South Asian countries, including India, Afghanistan and Myanmar. The US official said Washington held such dialogue so that the US could learn more about the perspective of other countries. l

BNP’s long march  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Two women help an elderly patient to shift her from Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital to another hospital because of lack of medical treatment yesterday. Intern doctors at the SSMCH had stopped providing treatment to the patients following the clash between journalists and intern doctors on April 19 at the hospital MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Girl dies in kitchen fire n CU Correspondent

US considering

din Ahmed, a senior officer at Bayazid Bostami Fire Service and Civil Defense Station.

The oven at the house’s kitchen room was the source of the flame, he said.

Fakhruddin, however, could not give any estimation of the financial loss in the fire immediately.

In another fire, owners of two semi-pucca houses lost valuables worth Tk 3,00,000 at Mirsarai Upazila in the Chittagong district. l

Huge number of SIM cards recovered from water body n Our Correspondent, Joypurhat Police yesterday recovered a huge numbers of SIM cards of different mobile phone companies from a water body in Ziapur village of Khetlal upazila.

Khetlal police station Officer-inCharge Iqbal Anwar said: “Police recovered some 243 SIM cards of different mobile phone companies from the waterbody after getting information from the villagers.

Most of the SIM cards are of Robi, one of the leading mobile phone operating companies in the country,” he added.

However, locals claimed that police recovered more than 4,000 to 5,000 SIM cards from the water body.

Witnesses said one Rizvi first noticed some SIM cards in the water body when he went there to pick some vegetables. Later, he informed the villagers and police about the recovery.

After getting the information from Rizvi, locals rushed in and picked up a huge number of SIM cards before the arrival of the police, the witnesses added. l

No Bangladeshi among NY fire victims n UNB

The sculpture at the Rana Plaza collapse site in Savar bears a poster announcing different programmes to be held today on the anniversary of the disaster SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said no Bangladesh national has been killed or injured in the fire that broke at a commercial building in New York.

“There was no report of casualty or victim of any (Bangladesh) national,” said a Foreign Ministry media release.

A fire broke out at about 6 pm (21 April, New York Time) inside a commercial building in Jackson Heights area in New York. The third and fourth floors of the four-storey Bruson Building have been badly affected.

Firefighters brought it under control around 11:30 pm. It was not yet clear what actually caused the fire. l

Otobi factory burns down at Savar n Kailash Sarkar A devastating fire broke out at a factory of Otobi Furniture at Birulia in Savar on the outskirts of the capital last night.

The factory was still burning till filing of the report around 1:25am.

According to the officials of the Otobi, at least 500 workers were on duty at the factory in the evening shift. However, there was no immediate report of casualty, thanks to the wide exit passages of the factory.

A total of 13 units of the fire service were working to bring the fire under control. Fire fighters said taming the fire was very tough as there was no water body nearby.

“The firefighters had been facing acute water crisis while the firefighters also could not reach inside the fire place due to heavy heat of the fire,”

said Major Shakil Miah, a director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence.

He, however, expressed hope that they would be able to bring the fire under control by 3:00 am.

In reply to a query, fire fighters said they were yet to know whether anybody remained trapped inside the factory.

Meanwhile, some officials of the factory alleged that fire fighters delayed around two hours to reach the spot, but the fire service officials denied the allegation.

An official concerned told reporters that the factory was totally burned down, adding that the loss would be no less than Tk1,000 crore.

Primarily it was suspected that the fire might have erupted around 10:00 pm from the godown in the leather section where the finished products and chemicals were stored. l

700 RMG workers fall sick in Gazipur n UNB

In another incident of food poisoning, some 700 workers of a garment factory in the city fell sick after taking tiffin yesterday.

Locals said authorities of GMS Garment Factory situated in Sardaganj Sultan Market area of the city served tiffin to its workers at about 7 pm.

As the workers joined the work after taking the food, many of them started feeling vomiting and dizziness.

Later, the sick workers were rushed to different local hospitals and clinics.

Earlier on Monday night, over 250 workers of sweater factory Best Wool situated at Zarun in the city fell sick after taking tiffin provided by the factory. l

120 Bangladeshis leave for Malaysia n Rabiul Islam

A total of 120 Bangladeshi workers have left the country for Malaysia by a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight yesterday morning.

“The flight, with 120 Bangladeshi workers, has left the airport at 7am,” Zahidul Islam, assistant director of Expatriat Dest at Shahjalal International Airport in the capital, told the Dhaka Tribune.

A total of 244 migrant workers are scheduled to fly for Kuala Lumpur. Of them, 120 have left for Malaysia yesterday and the rest are set to go on April 24 to work in the plantation sector in

Malaysia, he said.

The cost for each migrant worker was estimated at Tk24,000 but sources said the cost came down further when Biman agreed to transport the Malaysia-bound workers.

According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, around 3,352 workers out of 10,000 selected thus far have left Dhaka for Malaysia to work in the plantation sector under government-to-government arrangements.

The governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia have signed an MoU on November 26 to send the workers to Malaysia under the G2G system. l

party to accompany Fakhrul. Among other noted leaders, only Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, Abdullah Al Noman, Selima Rahman and Osman Farruq were present.

No leader of the other parties belonging to the 18-party alliance could be seen with the long march outfit. Only an ameer of the Bogra unit Jamaat-e-Islami spoke at Mati Dhali meeting, although the chief of the local unit of BNP did not join the rally.

BNP’s ally Jaitya Party chief Kazi Zafar sent one of his envoys with the contingent.

Earlier yesterday, the march started off from Azampur in the capital’s Uttara around 9am. Apart from the senior leaders, only about a hundred BNP supporters could be seen around.

The long march took the next stoppage at Kaliakair in Gazipur. The participants seemed to be in a picnic mood. None could tell that it was the party’s first major political programme since January 5.

At one of the many roadside rallies in Kaliakair that Fakrul spoke at during the journey, he said: “The government could bargain for the right to get water from India. But it did not. We cannot expect anything from the government.”

He also said the long march was aimed at creating awareness among people about their rights.

Before the long march started, at a small rally in Uttara, Fakhrul had said the long march was not a move against the government. The motorcade reached Rangpur in the afternoon after having touched Tangail, Sirajganj, Bogra and Gaibandha. The BNP leaders and supporters would stay over at Rangpur for the night and start for Daliya Point in Nilphamari today.

According to Asadul Habib Dulu, organising secretary of Bogra unit BNP, a huge crowd of about three lakh people is expected to join a rally at the Daliya Point today. He said people would come from the all the 16 northern districts to join the programme. l

State banks  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

scheduled payments for at least 90 days. A non-performing loan is either in default or close to being in default.

Dr Sadiq Ahmed, vice-chairman of the Policy Research Institute, slammed the government for the policy.

“Without first fixing the reasons for the deterioration in the portfolio of the state banks, simply providing funds from the treasury to beef up their capital base is equivalent to putting bandage on a cancerous wound,” he said. l

EC probe finds  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Similar opinion came from Gazipur and Feni. The investigation report of Gazipur states that there were no incidents of irregularities, casting of fake votes or capturing of polling centres in Kaliakoir upazila parishad polls. Even though incidents of vote-rigging were reported in Feni Sadar, Porshuram, Phulgazi and Sonagzi upazilas, the probe report termed the elections free, fair and peaceful.

The returning officer of Noakhali, also the district’s additional deputy commissioner, said in the investigation report that the published reports on irregularities in Subarnachar and Hatia upazila polls were inaccurate.

Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak earlier said those responsible for irregularities would not be spared. “If the commission finds involvement of anyone in irregularities, it will take action as per the laws.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

IEDCR bodies probe food-borne outbreaks in Gazipur, Kushtia

JS body chief: Is GSP so important?

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

The parliamentary watchdog on commerce ministry yesterday observed that the government should not be so much bothered to regain the generalised system of preference (GSP) from the US government.

At its first meeting, the members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee came up with the observation that the volume of trade under the GSP was very “negligible.”

“We see much hue and cry about the GSP. Why do we need it? Is it so important? We earn only $5m annually exporting products under the GSP,” Prof Ali Ashraf, chairman of the committee, said after the meeting.

An IEDCR probe team has found that food-borne illness, followed by mass psychogenic illness, had caused more than 200 workers to fall sick at a garment factory in Gazipur.

A six-member team, led by Dr M Mushtuq Husain, principle scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), reached the conclusion after visiting the workers of the Bestwool Garment and testing food samples.

Dr Mushtaq told the Dhaka Tribune that the team examined samples of the egg, cake and banana – that were pro-

vided as tiffin to over 2,300 workers.

The egg might have become rotten as a result of hot weather, the IEDCR officer said, adding that the contractor who supplied the tiffin had no previous record of providing rotten food to the organisation.

On Monday, several workers became ill after eating the eggs, while others also started complaining of feeling sick once they heard the news. The authority kept the garments closed yesterday.

Meanwhile, as part of a separate IEDCR committee’s investigation into the death of one person after consuming watermelon in Kushtia, samples of

the fruit has been collected and sent for examination to the National Food Safety Laboratory of the Institute of Public Health (IPH).

Professor Dr Mahmudur Rahman, director of the IEDCR, expressed hopes that the tests would reveal whether any chemical had been mixed with the watermelon, causing a girl to die and 26 others to fall sick.

Chemical or toxin-producing bacteria might have caused the fatality, he said, adding that only the chemical test would be carried out at the moment, as the sample collecting process for examining bacteria had not been followed properly. Dr Mahmudur, however, re-

fused to share findings from their preliminary investigation.

A six-member committee, led by outbreak investigation officer Dr Waliur Rahman, has been collecting epidemiological and statistical information by visiting relatives of the deceased and the others who fell ill, Dr Mahmudur added.

Nine-year old Smrity died and 26 others people fell ill after eating watermelon at Kalua village in Kushtia’s Kumarkhali upazila on Sunday. Twelve people are still undergoing treatment at Kushtia Medical College Hospital, while police arrested vendor Rezaul Karim following the incident. l

n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

He asked the commerce ministry not to be so worried about the GSP. “Rather you should concentrate on trade governance,” said Prof Ashraf, a businessman by profession.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed briefed the MPs about the government’s move to regain the GSP. “It is a matter of prestige. We are trying to meet the conditions necessary for retaining the GSP,” Prof Ashraf quoted the minister as telling the standing committee.

Several lawmakers also supported the chairman.

Prof Ashraf said: “In the past the minister went to the market to enquire about the price of essential commodities. We should not do so as it does not work.” l

CID gets 3 more months to submit report on Manzur murder n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday granted the Criminal Investigation Department 83 more days to submit further investigation report in connection with the case filed over Maj Gen Abul Manzur murder in 1981.

First Additional District and Session Judge Khondker Hasan Md Firoz passed the order after hearing on a time petition filed by CID Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akond, also investigating officer of the case.

Kahar sought three more months for further investigation in the case. The court granted the plea and ordered to submit the report by July 15.

The court also exempted former military dictator and prime accused of the case HM Ershad from personal appearance following a petition filed by his counsel.

Jatiya Party chief Ershad, also the prime minister’s special envoy, was present before the court yesterday.

The same court on February 27 ordered further probe in the case and di-

rected the CID to submit a probe report by yesterday.

The case is at the final stage of trial. The order came following a petition filed by special public prosecutor Asaduzzaman Khan Rochi.

On June 1, 1981, Manzur was killed at the Chittagong Cantonment, just two days into the murder of then president Ziaur Rahman.

Manzur, who was the commander of Sector 8 during the 1971 Liberation War, was believed to have carried out an abortive Chittagong coup in which Zia, the BNP founder, was killed.

On February 28, 1995, barrister Abul Monsoor Ahmed, brother of slain Abul Manzoor, lodged a case with Panchlaish police station in Chittagong.

On July 15, 1995, CID officer Kahar submitted charge sheet to the court against five persons. The four others are former DGFI officer Kazi Emdadul Haque, who was later discharged from the service; discharged officer Mustafa Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan; and two retired army officers – Abdul Latif and Shamsur Rahman Shams. l

Two workers of All Weather Fashion join a demonstration in front of the BGMEA building at the capital’s Hatirjheel yesterday, protesting the closure of the factory following a clash between workers and police a day earlier MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

TRIAL OF QAISAR RANA PLAZA VICTIMS Witness: Mir Kashem was not in Witness narrates harrowing Chittagong in ‘71 description of torture n Udisa Islam The witness said he had heard about A sister of alleged al-Badr commander n Udisa Islam his father’s abduction and death from handed over the chequeof Tk50,000 to of Chittagong Mir Kashem Ali yestern Mohosinul Karim each of them. day told the war crimes tribunal that The prosecution’s eighth witness in the the family members as he was then in

Global Trust Fund starts to disburse compensation

her brother was innocent as he had stayed in Comilla and Dhaka during the 1971 Liberation War. Mamtaz Nuruddin, 59-year-old younger sister of the Jamaat-e-Islami treasurer, gave deposition as the first defence witness in the case. She claimed that his brother had been at her Agamasi Lane house in Old Dhaka from the first week of November in 1971 to March 1972.

After the 10-minute deposition, prosecutor Zead-al-Malum cross examined her. After a sort grilling when he closed his session, the tribunal asked the witness three questions. Responding to a query, Mamtaz said her brother had gone to Dhaka to give her company. She also said the accused had been in Comilla before going to her house.

Earlier in the day, the tribunal rejected three defence petitions filed for recalling the IO, seeking some documents from the investigation agency and submitting some additional documents. l

case against Syed Mohammad Qaisar gave a terrible description of torture at an army camp during the 1971 Liberation War while the accused and members of his force had confined him at a power station of Shahzibazar in Habiganj.

In his almost three and half an hour deposition, the witness said Qaisar and his men along with the Pakistani Army had tortured at least 20 people including him at the Shahzibazar camp. He had been tortured brutally for more than 20 days. For this reason, he lost his left leg and cannot hear properly.

At the end of deposition, Shah Hussain Ali alias Sabu Miah at the International Crimes Tribunal 2 said he was grateful to Almighty Allah as he could tell the tribunal his experiences after long 43 years.

He is the brother of Shah Hasan Ali alias Fulu Miah, the seventh prosecution witness. He said Qaisar had engaged his men to kidnap him and killed his father.

After his deposition, defence counsel SM Shahjahan asked him a question about the age of his younger brother Fulu Mia. Later the tribunal adjourned the hearing until today keeping cross-examination incomplete.

The accused, a former Jatiya Party state minister, was indicted on February 2 on 16 charges of crimes against humanity he had committed in 1971 in Habiganj and nearby areas.

India for training as a freedom fighting.

After his return, his uncle told him that his father had been picked up from their house following the order of Qaisar.

“When my uncle went to the police station, where they took my father, he saw Qaisar and Barek Mokter there. As he requested to free my father, Qaisar asked him to hand over me and my fellow fighters to him.

“Later they took my father to the neared rest house, another army camp.

My uncle saw my father blindfolded with a pillar. Then he was taken to Srimangal and never returned. After the liberation, we tried to get his body, but failed,” the witness said.

He also told the tribunal about the mass killings in Srimangal. He had seen many dead bodies at the WAPDA rest house on December 17, 1971. “We saw many dead bodies of women and men.

At Bat Tala, we found hundreds of skeletons and bodies dumped.”

Sabu also described the killings of Dr Saleh and Hirendranath who had been tortured in front of the house of Justice Syed ABM Mahmud Hossain. “I saw them taken to Laskarpur but heard from others about their death.”

He also reacted sharply whenever the prosecution had asked him to focus on the charges and shorten his deposition. “The whole scenario is now in front of my eyes and it is so live that I cannot overlook anything.” l

Rana Plaza victims and their family members started receiving the compensation from the Global Trust Fund (GTF) from yesterday, a day before the first anniversary of the tragedy.

The GTF authorities began to distribute compensation at a programme held at the Labour and Employment Ministry conference room by giving compensation to only two persons.

Those who received compensation officially are survivor of the incident Jesmin Aktar and Shamsun Nahar, mother of deceased Shilp Aktar.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Mojibul Haque Chunnu

ILO Deputy Director General of Filed Operation Gilbert Houngbou, ILO Country Director Srinivasa Reddy, Global Union Federation IndustriALL’s Bangladesh chapter’s leader Roy Ramesh Chandra, Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar attended the programme.

Chunnu said, the rest of the victims will receive their compensation through their mobile accounts by today. The shopkeepers and owners were also included in the list.

He saida total of 3,080 victims and their family members will be compensated with each victim receiving Tk50, 000 from the trust fund created by international retailers.

“A total of $1.5 crore has so far been deposited in the fund and it is expected to rise to $4 crore, he said.

The state minister added that Tk3.9 crore was disbursed from the prime minister’s Relief Fund. The victims who losttheir right hand and right leg received Tk15 lakh while those who lost left hand and left leg got Tk12 lakh.

The families of the deceased received Tk8 lakh to 15 lakh each from the prime minister’s fund.

ILO Country Director Reddy said:“We have not received the expected fund. We are providing support from the fund that was deposited. We hope the rest of the money will also be deposited shortly.” l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

RMCH interns plan to withdraw strike from today n Our Correspondent, Rajshahi The interns of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital were expected to end their ongoing strike this morning and return to work.

Confirming the news to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening, Abdur Rahman, general secretary of Intern Physicians Council of RMCH, said: “We have decided to continue our strike until tonight. We will join our work on Wednesday morning.”

The interns began an indefinite strike from Sunday night following a scuffle with some journalists. The work stoppage disrupted medical services and caused acute problems for patients, forcing many of them to leave the staterun hospital, sources said.

However, RMCH Director AKM Nasir Uddin claimed that regular doctors were treating the patients and medical services were running as usual.

Earlier yesterday, the vice-chancel-

Section 144 in Sylhet n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Local administration has imposed section 144 for an indefinite period in the restricted area of Bholaganj Ropeway under Companiganj upazila in Sylhet.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Companiganj Asif Bin Ikram said section 144 was imposed to prevent thieves from stealing stones from the restricted area at night. It would be effective until further notice in this regard, he added.

Officer-in-Charge of Companiganj police station Delwar Hossain said law enforcers had evicted illegal establishments from the restricted area and two people were arrested during the drive.

On condition of anonymity, a local told the Dhaka Tribune that Shamim Ahmed, son of newly elected UP Chairman Abdul Basir, and his activists were controlling the stealing of stones from the area.

When contacted, Shamim denied the allegation, claiming that his enemies were conducting ill propagation against him. l

lor of Rajshahi University had said the authorities would stop issuing certificates to RMCH interns until they withdrew their strike.

VC Muhammod Mizanuddin made the announcement when a group of university correspondents and members of a student union met with him around 11 am yesterday.

However, a press release issued hours later by the university’s public relations administrator, Md Elias Hossain, refuted the VC’s statement, saying the authorities had not taken any decision to freeze the interns’ certificates.

Leaders of Rajshahi University Reporters Unity and Bangladesh Chhatra Federation’s RU unit met the VC yesterday and submitted a memorandum, demanding holding the certificates of RMCH students and punishing the interns who attacked a number of journalists on Sunday night.

After receiving the memorandum, Mizanuddin assured them that the uni-

versity would refrain from issuing certificates to the interns until they withdrew their strike, sources said.

Meanwhile, 150 intern doctors of RMCH were sued for assaulting at least 10 journalists on Sunday night.

Rajshahi Photojournalist Association president Asaduzzaman and ATN News cameraman Mahfuzur Rahman Rubel filed two separate cases yesterday against the interns, mentioning eight by name. The OC of Rajpara police station told the Dhaka Tribune that they had started investigating the assault cases.

RMCH director Nasir Uddin said a seven-member committee had already started probing the incident and was expected to complete its work within seven days.

In the meantime, a group of doctors brought out a procession and held a rally yesterday in Rajshahi city’s Shaheb Bazar Zero Point to demand immediate arrest of the interns who attacked the newsmen. l

Dhaka South City Corporation officials demolish illegal establishments on the bank of the Buriganga River at Sadarghat in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Four green activists secure bail n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka Court yesterday granted bail to four environmentalists in a case filed for entering the Dhanmondi playground “illegally”.

Four accused green activists are Mobassher Hossain of the Institution of Architects Bangladesh (IAB), architect Salma A Shafi, Bangladesh Women’s Sports Association General Secretary Kamrunnahar Dana and Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan (BAPA) Iqbal Habib.

On April 18, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club General Secretary Arifur Rahman filed the case with Dhanmondi police station against the four and several others for creating “chaos” in the playground.

Metropolitan Magistrate MA Salam passed the order after the four environmentalists surrendered before the court seeking bail.

Activists of over 50 environment

and social organisations and also residents of Dhanmondi are forming human chains and organising rallies demanding the playground be opened to people and all illegal structures by the club be stopped.

In 2004, following submission of a petition by the BAPA and IAB, the High Court directed the then city corporation (now Dhaka South City Corporation) to free Dhanmondi playground from the illegal occupation by Sheikh Jamal Club.

In March 2011, the court again ordered the DSCC, the Public Works Ministry and the club authorities to remove all illegal structures so that the ground remains open to everyone.

Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday started hearing on the writ petition filed seeking access of all walks of people to the Dhanmondi playground.

The bench of Justice Salma Masud Chowdhury and Justice Habibul Gani adjourned the hearing till Sunday.

The petition, lodged yesterday by six persons including architects Mobassher Hossain, Iqbal Habib and a local inhabitant Farzana Shahnaj, also sought halting construction of illegal establishment in the playground.

The plea also sought the High Court’s direction to remove the illegal establishment.

It also sought a rule asking to explain as to why the failure of the respondents to protect the Dhanmondi playground should not be held illegal.

Local government secretary, housing secretary, Dhaka South City Corporation, RAJUk directior (administration), chief engineer of local government and engineering department and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club were made respondents in the petition.

The club authorities claimed that the playground was for only the elites while environment activists and local residents pressed for access of all to the field. l

C&F agents call indefinite strike at Teknaf land port n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Three organisations yesterday began an idenfinite strike at Teknaf land port in Cox’s Bazar, demanding release of two persons, who they claimed had been arrested despite doing nothing “wrong.”

Teknaf Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association President Didarul Alam said they began the strike along with the Teknaf Exporters and Importers Association and the Teknaf Owners Association. Three more organisations would provide support to the strike, he said without naming them.

On Monday, the BGB handed over Teknaf Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association cashier Md Ayas and member Ziabul Hossain after capturing them allegedly with 46 and 47 pieces of yaba tablets in their possession.

They were picked up from home in the early hours of Tuesday and then

handed them over to the police showing that they had been held along with the drugs, said Didarul. The strike would continue unless the “false” cases were withdrawn against Ayas and Ziabul and they were set free, he said.

Teknaf 42 BGB Captain Lieutenant Colonel Abuzar Al Jahid, however, denied the allegation that the two had not been held with the narcotic and said: “It does not matter to us whether any strike is called at the port or not.

“Our duty is to maintain law and order on the border as well as preventing acts of smuggling and illegal intrusion and that is what we have done.”

He said: “No matter how powerful a smuggler is, they must be brought to book.”

Teknaf police station’s Officer-in-Charge Ranjit Kumar Barua said: “We sent them to court at 11am and then they were sent to jail.” l

CPAP machine can help people with sleep apnoea n Tazlina Zamila Khan

Centre for Policy Dialogue Chairman Rehman Sobhan speaks at a dialogue on Taking Advantage of Indian Market Access Initiative through Promotion of Trade Facilitation, at Lake Shore Hotel in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Around five to 10% of people in Bangladesh suffer from obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), a sleep disorder caused by blocking of the upper respiratory tract that leads to pauses in breathing and snoring during sleep, speakers at a product launching event said yesterday.

According to experts, severe symptoms of the disorder, such as daytime sleepiness, tiredness and irritability, not only affect the productivity and overall quality of life, but OSA sufferers are also more likely to be involved in workplace and road accidents.

“Around 5%-10% people in Bangladesh are suffering from the disorder,” said Dr Md Zakir Hossain Sarker, a senior consultant at Labaid Specialised Hospital.

Chapainawabganj Expatriates’ welfare secretary sued Jamaat calls halfday hartal today for abusing power report, Showkat, while serving as the Huda; former Dhaka North City protesting arrest n Tribune Report Corporation administrator Akhter housing and public works secretary, acquired a five katha (3,600 sq-ft) plot Hossain Bhuiyan, now director general The Anti-Corruption Commission Correspondent, n Our yesterday filed three separate cases in his name, and another same-sized of Non-Formal Education Bureau; Chapainawabganj The district unit Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday called a half-day hartal to be imposed today protesting the arrest of Sadar upazila’s newly elected UP Chairman Mokhlesur Rahman.

Officer-in-Charge of Sadar police station Jasim Uddin said Mokhlesur was arrested yesterday around 10:30am while he was on his way to Rajshahi to take oath.

Chapainawabganj Police Super Basir Ahmed said the newly elected chairman was accused in nine cases, adding that arrest warrant was issued in two of the cases.

On the other hand, following the arrest, district unit Chhatra Shibir staged demonstration on the Chapainawabganj-Shona Masjid road.

They torched tires and staged a short rally.

From the rally, Shibir leaders announced that they would observe hartal in the district today from 6am2pm. l

against Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Khondaker Showkat Hossain for acquiring plots from Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) by abusing power.

ACC Deputy Director Jatan Kumer Roy filed the cases with Motijheel police station.

According to the first information

plot in his mother’s name.

He also booked a five katha plot in his wife’s name at Purbachal New City Project in 2005.

The plot was later changed to 10 katha and later to 12 katha by “exchanging” with the previous ones.

On the same allegation, the ACC last month questioned Showkat; former Rajuk chairman M Nurul

former Rajuk member (development) Mahbubul Alam, now joint secretary of the Food Ministry; and former Rajuk member (planning) Anwarul Islam Shikder.

During the questioning, the secretary had denied his involvement in the alleged irregularities saying that he had never taken any such advantage and the allegations were incorrect. l

5 injured in Jubo League factional clash n Our Correspondent, Chittagong At least five people, including a police member, were injured in a clash between two groups of Jubo League in Lalkhan Bazar area in Chittagong city yesterday afternoon.

Police arrested three people in connection with the incident, according to police sources.

The injured police member, Consta-

ble Ilias, was admitted to hospital, the sources said.

The other five injured were unidentified until filing of this report.

Harun-or-Rahsid Hajaree, deputy commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, North Zone, told the Dhaka Tribune that two local Jubo League groups – Shamim group and Khokon Chandra Tati group – had locked into a clash in Bottola

area under Khulshi police station around 3pm over previous enmity, leaving four activists from both the groups injured.

Upon receiving information, police rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. Ilias was trying to break up the fight when he was stabbed, the deputy commissioner said.

Filing of a case was in progress until filing of this report. l

Patients may benefit from continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) machines to keep their airways open during sleep to treat the disorder,

Patients stop breathing for two minutes around 700 times while sleeping. They wake up naturally before two minutes. If they did not, they will die representatives of Philips India Ltd said while promoting the product at a press conference in the capital yesterday.

Doctors of private and public medical colleges also supported using the

machines to reduce snoring problems and avoid accidents.

“Patients stop breathing for two minutes around 700 times while sleeping. They wake up naturally before two minutes. If they did not, they will die,” said Md Ali Hossain, a doctor at the National Institute of Chest Diseases and Hospitals.

Philips has assisted in establishing five sleep labs in one government and three private hospitals in Dhaka.

The company has plans to establish 10 more sleep labs this year.

“We have a plan to create awareness among people about the disease and using the machines to cure it. The machines would cost around Tk30,00070,000,” Bidur Dhaul, senior director of Philips Healthcare’s home healthcare solution, said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Wesnesday, April 23, 2014

PM urges to reduce fares of new taxi cabs The fare for the new service was fixed at Tk100 for the first 2km, Tk34 for each subsequent km

n Abu Hayat Mahmud After a long wait, a brand-new fleet of taxicabs began its journey on the capital’s streets yesterday compounded by an unusual high fare rate for commuters.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the new cab service, operated by the Trust Transport Services under the Army Welfare Trust, at the Army Golf Club at Kurmitola in the capital.

After the inauguration, the premier, however, urged authorities concerned to charge Tk85 for the first two kilometres instead of Tk100.

“The people would start using these taxicabs if they get to know that the fare rate had been cut-down. On the other hand, the operators would not be affected much if the fare is cut down by Tk10 to Tk15,” she said.

“It would be better for all if the fare for the first two kilometres is fixed at Tk85 instead of Tk100,” she said and observed that the people are ready to spend something extra for safe and comfortable journey.

She further hoped that the Army Welfare Trust would earn the confidence of the people by ensuring a safe and comfortable journey.

Saying the city dwellers were being deprived of such essential, she also said due to the inadequate taxicab service in the capital it was not possible to

attract tourists to Bangladesh.

Communication Minister Obaidul Quader, Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of Army Welfare Trust General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan and Chairman of Trust Transport Services Major General AKM Mujahid Uddin also spoke at the function.

The Trust Transport Services will initially operate in the capital 27 taxi cabs of minimum 1500cc engine of Premio, Allion, Probox and Axio models purchased from Japan’s auto giant Toyota.

Another private organization, Toma Group, will also operate the same kind of 19 air-conditioned taxicabs preliminarily.

The two companies would operate 600 taxi cabs in Dhaka and Chittagong.

The Trust Transport Services is expected to introduce 400 such taxicabs while Toma Group will introduce another 200 units.

Out of the 600, the army trust will operate 100 taxis in Chittagong.

The Army Welfare Trust on August 1 last year sought permission from the communications ministry to introduce 400 taxicabs on streets in Dhaka and Chittagong within four months. The same year on July 14, the ministry allowed Toma Construction Ltd to press 250 more cabs into service.

All the taxi cabs will have equipped with high-tech facilities, such as Global Positioning Systems or GPS, vehicle tracking systems and wireless communications.

A man drives a newly-lauched taxi cab on Kazi Nazrul Islam avenue in the city yesterday The fare for the new service was fixed at Tk 100 for the first 2km, Tk 34 for each subsequent km, and Tk 8.5 for two minutes waiting for air-conditioned cabs. For non-AC ones, the fare comes down to Tk 50, Tk 20 and Tk 5 respectively.

The rate is comparatively high than other major cities in South Asia and

South-East Asian counties. In Kolkata, an AC cab charges Tk 32.31 at the beginning of the journey, Tk 19.38 for each kilometre and Tk 1.52 for per minute waiting. In Kuala Lumpur, a taxicab charges Tk 71.25 as the rent charge, Tk 23.23 for each kilometre and Tk 10 for per minute waiting. In Bangkok, the

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

fare charge goes to Tk 101 for the first kilometer, from Tk 11.95 for 2-12 kilometres.

However, most of these cities have better roads conditions than Dhaka and are also free from traffic congestions.

As Dhaka is one of the traffic-crowded cities in the region, a journey from Mouchak to Mirpur-10, covering around

12km including a 30-minute loss due to traffic jam, will cost around Tk 552.5 for an AC cab and Tk 325 for a non-AC one.

However, the Communications Ministry and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) seemed determined to impose such high rates for the new taxi cabs. l

Jamaat man wounded in ‘shootout’ with cops in Jessore n Our Correspondent, Jessore

CDA employees demand ‘ICT can facilitate rural women entrepreneurs’ removal of chairman n within 24 hours

A Jamaat-e-Islami activist was shot in the left leg in a gunfight between Jamaat-Shibir men and police yesterday around 4am in Hamidpur, under Jessore Kotwali police station.

The victim Muhaid Hussain, 28, is also former president of the Fatehpur union unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir. He hails from Jhaulia village under Jessore Sadar upazila.

Reshma Sharmin, assistant superintendent of police in Jessore, said a gunfight ensued between Jamaat activists and police when police raided a secret meeting of the activists near a garbage disposal area in Hamidpur. “Muhaid got caught in the line of fire and was shot,” she said, claiming he was an accused in a saboteur case.

Police also arrested two other Jamaat activists named Habibullah and Aminur, and recovered a firearm and a round of bullet, the assistant superintendent said.

On the other hand, Muhaid, who was being treated at Jessore Medical College Hospital, claimed that police had called him out of his residence and shot him in the leg. l

n CU Correspondent

DU Correspondent

A portion of Shramik League-backed employees of Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) in the port city yesterday demanded immediate removal of their Chairman Abdus Salam terming him “corrupted” and “pro-Jamaat person”.

About 100 employees of the city development authority laid siege to the CDA building located in Kotwali area around 10am. The protesting workers took position in the area till noon.

The agitating workers gave 24 hours ultimatum to the authority to fulfil their demands.

At the demonstration, the protestors announced that they would hold a rally at Laldighi ground on May 1 to press home their demand.

“We will go for tougher movement, including hartal in Chittagong, if our demand will not be fulfilled,” said a protestor.

The city unit Shramik League organised the event protesting the dismissal of Habibur Rahman, general secretary

of CBA Shramik, and “harassing” transfer of 10 employees.

The protesting labourer leaders alleged that Abdus Salam was working as an agent of Jamaat-e-Islam turning the CDA as a stronghold of JamaatShibir and committing corruptions and irregularities in the name of development works.

The speakers also said the CDA chairman personally gave allotment to 60 housing plots on 78 acres land in the housing project of the CDA, violating the existing laws.

Boktiyar Uddin Khan, president, Mahmudul Haque Tely, general secretary, Abdul Ahad, labour affairs secretary of the city unit of Shramik League, Tazul Islam, general secretary of Wasa Employees’ Union, Shramik League leaders, Abu Hosen Abu and Md Alamgir, among others, spoke on the occasion.

On contrary, activists of Jubo League, Sechhasebok League and CDA Employees Association took position on CDA building premises and hold a rally in support of Abdus Salam. l

Innovative use of information and communication technology (ICT) can facilitate the women entrepreneurs to expand the country’s economy and development, said speakers at an ICTbased seminar in Dhaka University yesterday.

Titled “Connecting Women Entrepreneurs through Innovative use of Information and Communication Technology,” the seminar was organised by The Asia Foundation, Centre on Budget and Policy of Dhaka University, Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd and District Women’s Business Forum at the university’s Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate building.

The aim of the seminar was to discuss how to connect women entrepreneurs in the districts, especially at the grassroots level, by creating mobile phone network and delivering ICTbased business tools and service.

Speakers at the seminar emphasised on providing accurate and innovative information and modern electronic business system through latest networking opportunities, mobile technology and other communicative devices to aid

women entrepreneurs both at district and national levels.

Speaking at the occasion, State Minister of Finance M A Mannan said women were already playing pivotal role in the country’s development by participating in various activities. “But their participation can be expanded in every sector of our country’s development if we can provide them with modern information and communication technologies, which will be very helpful for the village entrepreneurs who have yet to enjoy such facilities,” he said.

Women have to participate in every sector for the country’s development and help take it forward He urged women to participate in every sector, including political and economic, for the country’s development and help take it forward.

Rokia Afzal Rahman, former adviser to the caretaker government and president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stressed on the importance of

Minor girl poisoned to death in Savar

WEATHER

SUNNY

n Our Correspondent, Savar WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:23PM SUN RISES 5:30AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

40

29

Chittagong

36

27

Rajshahi

41

27

Rangpur

40

22

Khulna

40

26

Barisal

40

26

Sylhet

39

22

Cox’s Bazar

35

26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

41.1ºC Rangamati

18.6ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:14am 5:32am 11:58am 4:25pm 6:23pm 7:42pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

technological knowledge to the women entrepreneurs.

“Access to market, finance and information sectors will be easier for women, mainly in the rural areas, if the ICT facilities are more developed,” she said.

“The desire of our countrymen to build Digital Bangladesh and establish an affluent economy will never be met if the technological advancement does not take place and women do not get more involved in the use of modern technology,” she added.

Bibi Russell, famous fashion designer and entrepreneur, said: “The majority of our population lives in the rural parts of our country and they are playing the most important role in our economy. So if we want to achieve development, we have to facilitate the rural people, providing the knowledge of modern technology to those who lack it.”

Solaiman Alam, marketing director of Banglalink, said: “Enhancing and expanding ICT facilities will play a vital role in removing barriers for women entrepreneurs in our society.

With proper access to information, training and the market at large, Bangladeshi women, urban or rural, may do their part in the progress of our society.” l

The Bangladesh Nodi Bachao Andolon forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club in the city yesterday, demanding measures to protect rivers from encroachment as well as pollution MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Worker dies falling off rooftop in Chittagong n

CU Correspondent

A construction worker was killed falling off a one-storied building in Forest Gate area of Panchlaish in the port city yesterday morning.

The deceased is Munsi Mia, 30, hailing from Noakhali Sadar, said police sources.

PangkajBarua, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) Police Outpost, said Munsihad fallen off the rooftop of the building around 11:30am while he was colouring the wall, and was injured critically.

Later, he was rushed to the CMCH where the on duty doctors declared him dead, added the ASI. l

A woman allegedly poisoned and killed a seven-year-old girl at Imandipur mahalla of Savar Municipality area on Monday night.

The victim is Shanta, daughter of Siraj, a dweller of the area.

Afterwards, a clash ensued between locals and police, leaving 20 people injured.

Local sources said a garment worker named Achia, 35, killed Shanta by poisoning her foodin while she was at home before sunset and later she stuffed the body into a sack.

When she went to dump the body around 9:30pm, locals caught her red handed with the stuffed body and started beating up her indiscriminately.

Being informed, police rushed to the spot and a fierce clash erupted when they tried to rescue the woman from mob beating.

At one stage, to bring the situation under control, police fired shots and charged batons on the unruly crowd, leaving the 20 injured.

Savar model police station OC Mostafa Kamal said Achia, on preliminary interrogation, confessed her involvement in the killing of Shanta with poison. “A case was filed and we are investigating into the incident.”

Earlier, Achia had also killed three minor girls in the same way and three cases were launched in those incidents.

And about one and half months back, she came out on bail and took a job at a local apparel factory, the OC added. l

President for enhancing ties with Bhutan n Tribune Desk President Abdul Hamid today laid emphasis on enhancing connectivity between Bangladesh and Bhutan for further increasing trade relations as well as sharing of resources between the two South Asian nations.

The President made the remark while newly appointed Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Pema Choden presented her credentials to him at

Bangabhaban this afternoon. Welcoming the new envoy at Bangabhaban, the president expressed satisfaction over the existing excellent bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan.

The President hoped that high level visits will continue to harness the synergies between the two countries for mutual benefit during tenure of the new Ambassador here, reports BSS. The president mentioned that Bangladesh has taken a number of trade fa-

cilitation measures to increase Bhutanese export to Bangladesh and request for reciprocity in this regard.

President Hamid appreciated Bhutana’s socio-economic progress under the Fourth and Fifth kings.

Pema Choden said that she would do her level best to strengthen further bilateral cooperation in various fields.

She expressed gratitude for giving opportunity to Bhutanese students to study in higher education in Bangladesh. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Radio mechanic invents gas-run pump Many farmers have followed the method to cultivate Boro rice in their fallow land n Our Correspondent, Jamalpur A radio mechanic in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur has devised a method for extracting gas from beneath the ground and using it to run irrigation pump.

Many local farmers have followed the method invented by Rabiul Islam to cultivate Boro rice in their fallow lands.

Rabiul was thinking up a solution to the persistent water crisis in Sukhnagari village of the upazila and nearby villages. Ordinary pumps could not lift water in the area as water tables had gone deep down and farmers, consequently, were unable to grow crops.

As part of his efforts to lay pipes deep below the ground, Rabiul was finally able to find water 220 feet deep.

But he also observed bubble of gas there which was hindering the upper flow of water. Instead of getting frustrated, he was thinking how he could utilise the gas.

At one point, with the help of bamboo filter, Rabiul inserted a narrow pipe into the water pipe and was able to separate the bubble of gas. He adopted a special method for using the gas in petrol engines to run irrigation pumps.

After succeeding in doing that, the radio mechanic bought an old care engine and used the gas in that engine to

irrigate lands without the help of oil or power.

He said gas obtained this way could be used for charging batteries, cooking and other purposes.

Rabiul’s specially designed irrigation pump helped grow Boro rice in more than 16 acres of land. Farmers were happy to have access to this low-cost method that helped them grow Boro rice.

The radio mechanic’s success has made farmers in nearby villages, including Tartapara, Jangalia, Khilkathi and Palisha, optimistic about growing crops.

“I have no land of my own and my motivation for devising this method came from woes of local farmers. I spent Tk8 lakh from experimentation to running the pump, though Tk5 lakh will be needed now to run a new pump using my method. As I’m not that solvent to install more gas-run pumps, I’ll call on the government to extend its assistance,” Rabiul told the Dhaka Tribune.

Jamalpur Deputy Commissioner, Jamalpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer and local agriculture officials have paid a visit to the village to see Rabiul’s invention.

It is a breakthrough, upazila agriculture official Syed Tanvir Ahmed, also an agriculturalist, observed upon seeing the gas-run pump.

“There are many tiny gas pockets across the country. As pressure of gas

Two illegal medicine factories busted in Dinajpur n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur A mobile court busted two illegal medicine-making factories in Paharpur in Dinajpur Sadar upazila yesterday afternoon.

Acting on a tip-off, the mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Abdul Halim Tolostoy conducted a raid at a house in the area and busted a fake medicine-making factory called NA Pharma.

The mobile court also handed out a six-month jail sentence to the owner of the factory and fined him Tk50,000, in default, to serve two months more in jail. The magistrate also seized raw materials used in adulterated medicine

making in the factory. Later, the factory was sealed off.

Earlier, the mobile court also unearthed another fake medicine-making factory in Teromail Goreya area under Kaharol upazila in the district. But sensing the presence of personnel from law enforcement agencies, owner as well as employees of the factory fled the scene. The mobile court also sealed off the factory.

Major Mohammad Khalid Ibne Hossain, commander of RAB-13, Dinajpur, said apart from unearthing the factories, they also arrested two people with fake currencies. The major said they would continue the drive to bring law and order situation under control. l

Two arrested for assaulting journalists

The recently taken photo shows that water from gas-run pump flows towards paddy fields in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur is low in those pockets, large-scale extraction is not done considering the economic aspect. We see bubble of gas in many ponds, canals and swamps in different parts of the country. I believe Rabiul’s method could be applied in those places. This will not only save power and oil costs of irrigation pumps but will also help farmers cultivate crops in fal-

low lands,” he explained.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Dr Md Kamruzzaman said Rabiul’s invention had potential. He said Rabiul succeeded in separating the pressure of water and gas which is why it had become possible to lift both the substance separately.

While observing Rabiul’s innovative pump, Jamalpur Deputy Commis-

DHAKA TRIBUNE

sioner Md Shahabuddin Khan termed it amazing. He said this method, if spread across the country, could help save a lot of money that is spent on fuel used for agricultural purposes and could help the farmers as well.

Shahabuddin also said steps were taken to inform top officials of Rabiul’s invention. l

Dry spell worries jute growers n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj The continuing dry spell has cast a pall of gloom for jute-growers in Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj district this year.

According to jute growers, due to the complete lack of rains, sowing of jute has been severely hampered, and the jute sowing season has practically been drawing to a close.

Department of Agriculture Extension sources said 6,500 hectares of land have been brought under the cultivation this year.

The farmers said only 2,000 hectares of land had been cultivated with the help of ditch and canal water.

The 4,500 hectares remained uncultivated due to lack of water.

Normally mid-february and midapril which coincidentally is also the period for jute sowing season. But the field started to parch as there is no rain this season.

The farmers became frustrated as the sowing season is already going to be finished.

Ratan Biswas of Furkan village under the upazila said:” This season I have cultivated the crop on a vast portion of my land to get bumper production.”

“But my dream is going to ruin as there is no rain at all,” he said.

Like Ratan, farmers are now worried over drying jute field as rainfall is severely scanty and the situation seems to remain the same for some time.

Agriculture Officer Himadri Shekhor

n Our Correspondent, Magura

Two labourers release shrimp spwans into the Kirtankhola River at Dapdapia ferry ghat yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Onion prices have soared in the recent weeks, yet the farmers in the district still feel deprived.

According to the Agriculture Extension Department (DAE) sources, a total of 5240 hectares of land have been used for the cultivation of onion in the district this year.

Bumper crop has been achieved with a production of 58250 tonnes.

But this has failed to make the farmers happy as they were cheated by the wholesalers.

The crop is being sold in the retail market at Tk24 per kg. But the farmers had sold it at Tk10 per kg to the wholesalers.

The farmers alleged that they had

Spawn seized BSD lays siege to DC office and released into n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur Kirtankhola river

Islami Bank official kidnapped in Mymensingh

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Some unidentified miscreants abducted an official of Islami Bank from Golpukur Par area on Monday night. The victim has been identified as Ilias Uddin, an official of Rural Development Project of Islami Bank’s Mymensingh town branch.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Model police station Fazlul Karim said: “When Ilias and his co-worker Hyder Ali were returning home after praying at a mosque, a group of miscreants numbering eight to nine riding on a microbus dragged Ilias on the vehicle around 10:15pm.”

“They tried to kidnap Hyder also, however he was saved,” he said. Islami Bank’s Mymensingh branch Manager Basir Ahmed said: “Hyder has filed a complaint with Kotwali police station regarding the matter.” l

Detective police seized shrimp spawns, locally known as Golda Renu Pona, worth Tk 4,00,00 at Barisal’s Dapdapia Ferry Ghat yesterday.

Catching and trading spawns are illegal according to the country’s Fish Protection and Conservation Act. ”The spawns were later released into the Kirtankhola river,” said Bhashkar Saha, an assistant commissioner at Barisal Metropolitan Police (DB).

The drive was led by Barisal Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rouf Miah, when two officials of the Department of Fisheries were also present.

Seven traders were also fined Tk 3500 by a mobile court led by UNO Rouf, said Bhashkar.

Fish resources have been under threat due to catching of spawn of lobsters and shrimp in the southern region of the country coastal belts, according to a Dhaka Tribune report on Feb 6. l

Teesta project.

They also mentioned that the water flow in the river was around 300 cusec, decreasing cultivation in the area as cultivation cost had been increasing day by day.

Lack of adequate irrigational water deprives the farmers of expected produces that leaves hundreds of farmers jobless.

Neighbouring India has established barrage on a total of 51 rivers, and the compensation was demanded to aid the affected farmers. l

Notorious robber jailed in Gazipur n Our Correspondent, Gazipur A mobile court in Sreepur upazila here yesterday sentenced a three-month imprisonment to a notorious robber and fined him Tk 5,000 for possessing drugs.

The convict is Hasem, 40, a member of the infamous inter-district robber gang, and son of Alim Uddin, of Bidhai village of the upazila.

Sreepur UNO and also executive mag-

GP employee killed in road accident An employee of Grameen Phone was killed in a road accident in front of Monirampur Degree College on the Jessore-Monirampur Highway in Monirampur upazila of the district yesterday. The deceased was identified as Khorshed Alam, 30, son of Aktarul Alam of Khathaltola area in the district town.Police and eyewitnesses sources said the accident had taken place when a brick-laden truck hit a motorbike in the area around 11 am, leaving bike rider Khorshed dead on the spot. Police recovered the body and sent it to Jessore 250-bed hospital morgue.A case was filed in this connection.

– Our Correspondent

said:” Now, it is the pick hour for the farmers for cultivating jute in the region.”

“But they cannot cultivate the crop due to lack of rain,” he said.

According to farmers, jute is still one of the main cash crop of the region and market activities are closely tied up with the health of jute production in the area.

As the jute growers do not get help from any side, they are solely dependent upon the rain god.

The hopeful farmers scan the sky, but the rain god has refused to smile upon them.

DAE Officer Monoj Saha said: “If the situation continues, the target cannot be fulfilled.” l

Soaring onion prices bring farmers to tears

Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal yesterday staged Deputy Commissioner’s office gherao programme in Dinajpur, demanding rightful distribution of the water of Teesta River.

Leaders and activists of the party also submitted a memorandum, addressing the prime minister and agriculture minister, to the district administration. In the memorandum they also demanded Tk300 crore as compensation to the affected farmers of the

NEWS IN BRIEF

istrate of the court Aziz Hayder Bhuiyan handed down the verdict.

Sreepur Model police station SI Mahabul Islam said a team of police, being tipped-off, arrested Hasem along with three pieces of contraband Yaba tablet from Mauna Chaurasta area on Monday night and later produced before the court.

The SI continued that the convict was accused in six cases filed on different charges. l

been exploited through the formation of a wholesalers’ syndicate.

Farmer Abdul Kader of Moheshpur village under the Sreepur upazila said they had sold the crop to the wholesalers at Tk10 per kg three weeks ago and it is now being sold in the retail market for Tk24 per kg.

When contacted, Akram Mollah, a wholesaler in the Magura Katcha Bazar, denied the allegation a formation of a syndicate.

He added that high production of onion has been achieved throughout the country and yet, the Indian onion had flooded the local markets.

Requesting anonymity, a DAE official admitted that the gap in onion price between retail and wholesale markets is big. l

Two persons were arrested for allegedly attacking journalists yesterday in Barguna.

According to sources , Ripon and his cohorts attacked the journalists while they were on their duty. MP Dhirendra Nath Shambhu, BNP leader Mahbubul Alam Faruk Molla and local journalists protested the attack. – Our Correspondent

Housewife found dead in Savar The body of a woman found yesterday in Gazirchat area of Ashulia in Savar.

The deceased was identified as Rita Rani,35,wife of Gopal Porsad. She lived with her husband in the rented house of Abdul Haque Mridha in Maddapara village. Sources said locals found the body hanging from the ceiling of a fan in her room and informed police. The police recovered the body and sent it to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. A case was filed. – Our Correspondent

Drawing competition held in Sherpur A drawing competition was held in Shishu Academy Auditorium under the district yesterday on Global Day of Action on Nutrition. The academy director Aslam Khan attended the programme as special guest while BRAC representative Ataur Rahman was present on the occasion. Over 300 students participated the competition. – Our Correspondent

Minor boy rescued two days after abduction A minor boy was rescued from Bhurungamari headquarters in Kurigram yesterday, two days after his abduction. Police also arrested the kidnaper of the child. Police said Sarjat Hossain, 7, son of Nur Islam, a resident of Kuti village under Sonahat upazila of the district, was abducted from their residence by Nur Islam on Sunday.

Nur Islam took him to Bhurungamari upazila and confined him at his cousin’s house. He later demanded Tk15 lakh from Sarjat parents as ransom money. Nul Islam also gave two-day ultimatum to Nur Islam for paying the amount.

– Our Correspondent

Six sustain bullet injury At least six persons sustained bullet injury in a robber attack in Adra village under Nangalkot upazila in comilla district on Monday. According to police sources, around 26 robbers entered the house of Abul Basar. They looted gold ornaments , Tk 50,000 and mobile phones. As the family members tried to protest them, they attacked the family members , leaving six critically injured. The police arrested a person in this connection.

– Our Correspondent

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Office of The Project Director & Addl, Chief Engineer(Bridge)/West Bangladesh Railway Rajshahi.

Correspondent, n Our Mymensingh

Amendment to Invitation For Tenders No. 54.01.8100.155.01.212.14/4

Date: 21-4-2014

The selling and submission deadline of Tender invited against Tender Reference No. 54.01.8100.155.01.212.14 Dated 07-01-2014, No. 54.01.8100.155.01.212.14/1 Dated 20-02-2014, No. 54.01.8100.155.01.212.14/2 Dated: 27-2-2014 & No. 54.01.8100.155.01.212.14/3 Dated: 19-03-2014 for the Works Package-WD-5 (Lot A): construction, Installation & other works in between KM 0.00-Km 25.00 of Majhgram- Pabna Section. It includes construction of station building, platform, platform shed, car parking area, station approach road, Yard drain, RCC station boundary wall. Staff quarter and Barrack, fencing of platform, project site office & SSAE/ Way & Works office, water supply system including deep tubewell with pump and pump house, overhead tank and supply pipeline, electrical works at all stations and supply furniture for waiting room, waiting halls and stations is re-fixed as under: SL. No. of Tender Notice

Description

Original dates

1st Amendment

2nd Amendment

3rd Amendment

Re-fixed dates

17

Tender Last Selling Date

25-02-2014 During Office hrs

05-03-2014 During Office hrs

23-03-2014 During Office hrs

22-04-2014 During Office hrs

21-05-2014 During Office hrs

18

Tender Closing Date & Time

26-02-2014 12.00 hrs

06-03-2014 12.00 hrs

24-03-2014 12.00 hrs

23-04-2014 12.00 hrs

22-05-2014 12.00 hrs

19

Tender Opening Date & Time

26-02-2014 12.30 hrs

06-03-2014 12.30 hrs

24-03-2014 12.30 hrs

23-04.2014 12.30 hrs

22-05-2014 12.30 hrs

All other Terms & Conditions of the invitation of tenders shall remain unchanged.

RPRD No. 3758, Date: 21/04/2014 GC-51/14 (5 X 3)

(Md. Arifuzzaman) Project Director Construction of a New Railway line from Ishurdi to Dhalarchar via Pabna Project Bangladesh Railway Rajshahi

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

7

Who will form the next government in India?

Don’t believe everything you read about a BJP landslide

A

n Vivek Sud s India approaches the D-day of May 16, 2014 a critical question that needs to be answered is that which of the two parties, the Indian National Congress (INC) or the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), is better at the art of skullduggery; something that is increasingly looking like a necessary requirement for the formation of the next government in India.

For anyone who thinks that the BJP is on a comfortable path to forming the next government, this electoral analysis will probably be a bit of a shocker. The BJP will certainly come close, but whether it is actually able to form the government will depend on how good it’s “numbers managers” are in the middle of May. I can, from personal experience state without any hesitation that, when it comes to managing numbers the BJP always loses to the INC. Let us take a look at some of the numbers which led me to draw this conclusion. Contrary to the belief held by a lot of political pundits that the BJP will win somewhere close to 225 seats on its own; I tend to put this number at 175 at best. The pre-poll alliances that the BJP has been able to enter into with other parties that constitute the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (the NDA) will take the number of seats won by the alliance to around 207.

The INC-led United Progressive Alliance (the UPA) is expected to not perform as well as it did in the last elections but in my opinion they will not perform as bad as some people may have us believe. The INC should be able to win around 122 seats, taking the seat tally of the UPA to around 148.

What this leads to is a stark reality that about 188 seats will be won by parties that are in neither of the alliances.

These parties can be split into two sub-groups: one that will never support the BJP, such as the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India, Marxist (the CPM), the Samajwadi Party (SP), Janta Dal United (JDU), et al; and a group such as the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), the All India Anna DMK (AIADMK) who may or may not support the BJP. The group of parties that will never support the BJP will end up commanding a strength of 87 seats.

This is where the government forming predicament of the BJP starts to gain strength. The total number of seats held by parties opposed to the BJP-led alliance forming the government ends up being close to 235; just 37 seats shy of the magic number of 272.

AFP

It is at this juncture that the role of three parties, the BSP, the AITC, and the AIADMK becomes critically important. The three of them should be able to win seats in the following order: BSP – 30, the AIADMK – 28, the AITC – 25. Let us analyse what the three of them will do. Two questions

But the non-NDA group can easily offer them the PM’s job under the excuse of keeping Narendra Modi out.

This makes the NDA a little bit of less attractive for all these three women.

Out of these three women, two of them – J Jayalalitha (leader of the AIADMK of Tamil Nadu) and Mamata

Apart from the fact that the NDA cannot offer the top job to anyone in return for support, one more impediment for the BJP-led NDA will be the fear the smaller parties will have for the governance of Narendra Modi

will be asked by the leaders of these three parties when asked to support either the NDA or the UPA: 1. What’s in it for me?

2. What’s in it for my party?

Since all these three parties are a “one woman show” the second question sort of loses relevance if the first question is answered satisfactorily. All three of them have done business with the BJP and the INC at one point or the other so there will be no qualms about getting their pound of flesh. So now let’s see which group – the NDA or the non-NDA – will these three gravitate towards.

In reality only two out of three are needed under all scenarios. The NDA cannot offer any one of them the coveted top job – the post of the PM.

Banerjee (leader of the AITC of West Bengal) – are sitting CMs so they will not accept anything less than the post of the PM. What further complicates things for the BJP-led NDA is that both these leaders have to take into account local and state issues that form the backbone of their political fortunes before supporting any alliance.

For example, why would Mamata whose state is home to the second largest Muslim population in the country, offer support to a “Hindu” national party? The Muslims in West Bengal have supported the AITC en bloc and this is one of the reasons why the AITC has a brutal majority in the state assembly. Why would Mamata or her party risk annoying this voter base? Jayalalitha’s stated position on the conduct of India’s foreign policy with regards to Sri Lanka is in direct

Indians have begun voting in the world’s biggest election which is set to sweep the Hindu nationalist opposition to power at a time of low growth, anger about corruption and warnings about religious unrest AFP

conflict with the BJP’s stated position of strengthening relations with India’s neighbours. The point being made here is that even if these two parties were to initially support the NDA there would be an unending list of irritants which will continue to threaten the stability of the government.

Mayawati, the leader of the BSP, who at this moment is not in power, will be reasonably easier to deal with at the negotiating table although the BJP does refer to its earlier alliance in UP with the BSP as the biggest mistake committed by the BJP. While one can argue that some components of the non-NDA group like the SP and CPM will not let the likes of BSP or the AITC rule the roost; they won’t have too much of a choice when confronted with the prospect of being held responsible for letting the Narendra Modi led NDA come to power. They can agree to abstaining from voting in parliament at key junctures such as when a motion of confidence is moved.

Apart from the fact that the NDA cannot offer the top job to anyone in return for support, one more impediment for the BJP-led NDA will be the fear the smaller parties will have for the governance of Narendra Modi.

These small regional parties thrive because of the instability.

If a person like Narendra Modi were to be put in-charge of the state of affairs and he accidentally does deliver on the promise of good governance, then these smaller regional parties would have signed their own death warrant.

Thus, supporting a combination that furthers the political instability in the country will be a much more attractive option than supporting someone who just might lead the country towards some semblance of stability.

At this point it would be prudent to address the question as to why the BJP will not cross the 200 mark all by itself. My reasons are that BJP made five critical mistakes, and there isn’t any time left to correct those mistakes: 1. It faltered in ticket distribution; specially in key states like UP and Bihar where too many turncoats were given the party tickets.

2. It failed to execute the plan it had conceptualised; specially in key states like UP and Bihar 3. It failed to control in-fighting among its leaders – both at state level and national level.

4. In its efforts to boost the number of parties in the NDA it ran after insignificant sub-regional parties, thereby negating their claim that a “Modi wave” was sweeping the country. The number of parties (leaving aside the SS and SAD) that the BJP could get under the NDA umbrella far exceeds the number of seats these parties will get.

5. It lost critical time in announcing its final list of candidates

The limitation that the BJP has is that it can only perform in a limited number of states on its own where it matters electorally: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, UP, Delhi, Uttrakhand, Chhatisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka. Out of these states, in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan it will win almost 90% of the seats and it was critical for it to perform equally well in UP, Bihar and Karnataka.

Let us first look at UP. Whether one likes it or not, after the recent riots in UP the polarisation of votes was pretty much a done deal. The Jaats in Western UP were rock solid behind the BJP and all that the BJP needed to do was put up the right candidates to take advantage of the mood of the electorate.

Instead, the in-fighting that was on public display just added to the misery of botching up the “done deal.”

For example, where was the need for the BJP president to abandon his seat in Ghaziabad and run away to Lucknow leaving the seat to a new comer VK Singh? In Mathura, Jayant Singh of the RLD was a sure shot

The INC-RJD alliance is all of a sudden looking like a formidable challenge against the BJP. The issue of turncoats getting the party tickets also continues to annoy the local cadre. The main problem that the BJP faced in Bihar was that since it had not contested all 40 seats in the state for almost two decades – having been involved in a now-broken alliance with the JDU for 17 years – BJP suddenly found itself short of candidates to put up in constituencies that had been represented by the JDU earlier.

The sum conclusion of all this, in my opinion, is that the Congress will be able to block the chances of a Narendra Modi led NDA from forming the government by supporting any combination of parties that will want to stand up against Narendra Modi after the election results are declared.

The numbers, coupled with critical mistakes made by the BJP, support this contention. The BJP will have to literally pull a magical rabbit out of the hat to form the government. l Vivek Sud is a political analyst based in India.

The Congress will be able to block the chances of a Narendra Modi led NDA from forming the government by supporting any combination of parties that will want to stand up against Narendra Modi after the election results are declared

loser but the BJP put up Hema Malini against him and pretty much lost that seat.

Could they not find a suitable or local Jaat leader to contest against Jayant Singh? Hema Malini cannot even find the keys to the party office leave alone find the voters. Where was the need to give party tickets to people like Meenakshi Lekhi (New Delhi), Kirron Kher (Chandigarh), Mahesh Girri (East Delhi)?

Moving on to Bihar. The BJP made a critical mistake in leaving 10 seats out of 40 for Ram Vilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha – two people whose parties do not have even one seat between them in either the State legislature or the parliament. Where is the guarantee that after the elections these two people will be loyal to the BJP? It cannot play the “upper caste and lower caste” card at the same time. After the split with the JD(U), a considerable number of upper castes were starting to align behind the BJP but after the alliance with Paswan and Kushwaha those upper castes started to have second thoughts. Added to this is the fact that the Yadav vote bank is standing firm behind Lalu Yadav.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Biden warns, Russia dismisses n Reuters, Kiev/Moscow US Vice President Joe Biden told Russia on Tuesday that “time is short” for action on defusing the crisis in eastern Ukraine, but Moscow said it could handle any tougher economic sanctions the West might impose.

Speaking on a visit to Kiev, Biden called on Moscow to pull back troops built up on Ukraine’s borders and to “stop talking and start acting” on getting Russian separatists who have seized control in eastern towns and cities to disarm.

The United States has repeatedly warned Russia it faces “mounting costs” if it fails to ensure full implementation of an international agreement struck last week on calming the crisis.

This stipulates the rebels must leave the government buildings that they have occupied in the past two weeks.

Russia has in turn accused the Ukrainian government of stirring up the trouble and told Washington it must influence Kiev to prevent “hotheads” from provoking a bloody conflict.

Biden, however, put the onus on Moscow. “We’ve heard a lot from Russian officials in the past few days. But now it’s time for Russia to stop talking and start acting,” he told a news conference. “We will not allow this to become an open ended process. Time is short in which to make progress.”

Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the eastern rebellion have deepened the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War, and Biden demand-

ed the removal of Russian forces near Ukraine’s frontier which Moscow insists are merely on exercises.

“No nation should threaten its neighbours by amassing troops along the border. We call on Russia to pull these forces,” Biden said after meeting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk.

Moscow denies it is orchestrating the militants, who say they want the chance to join Crimea in becoming part of Russia following the overthrow of Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovich after months of street protests in Kiev.

But Washington, which signed last week’s accord in Geneva along with Moscow, Kiev and the European Union, has said it would decide “in days” on additional sanctions if Russia does not take steps to implement the agreement.

In Moscow, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said the country could deal with tougher measures if necessary.

“We shan’t give up on cooperation with foreign companies, including from Western countries, but we will be ready for unfriendly steps,” he told parliament.

“I am sure we can minimise their impact,” he said. “We will not allow our citizens to become hostages of political games.”

So far the United States and EU have imposed visa bans and asset freezes on only a limited number of Russians over the annexation of Crimea last month.

Medvedev said some Russian banks had been shut out of international payments systems, calling this “a violation of existing agreements” which “must not go unpunished.” l

World

Tatar assembly: Russia bans Tatar leader from Crimea n AFP, Kiev Russia yesterday banned the leader of Crimea’s pro-Kiev Tatar community from entering the Black Sea peninsula for five years, the Tatar assembly said.

Mustafa Dzhemilev was handed an official order barring him from returning to Crimea as he crossed to mainland Ukraine from the territory that Moscow controversially annexed last month, the assembly said in a statement.

Dzhemilev, also a member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada parliament, condemned the decision as “an indication of what a ‘civilised’ state we are dealing with.”

Dzhemilev pledged he would ignore the ban and return to Crimea.

Crimea’s 300,000 Muslim Tatars, who make up around 12% of the peninsula’s population, largely boycotted a disputed referendum last month in which nearly 97% of voters chose to split from Ukraine and join Russia.

In an attempt to appease the community, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he had signed a decree rehabilitating Crimea’s Tatars, who were deported under Stalin over accusations of Nazi collaboration and who fiercely oppose the region’s new Moscow-backed authorities.

The overture looks unlikely to satisfy the Tatars, who eye the Kremlin with distrust and have recently said they will consider holding a plebescite on broader autonomy. l

Turkey PM bans May Day rallies on Taksim Square n AFP, Istanbul Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday he would not allow May Day gatherings on Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the scene of protests that have dogged the government for months.

A similar decision in May last year to ban the use of the square – a traditional and symbolic rallying point – led to violent clashes between police and protesters which were followed by a wave of nationwide anti-government demonstrations in June.

“Those who insist on celebrating it here (in Taksim Square) are just saying: ‘I am ready for clashes,” Erdogan said

at a meeting of his parliamentary party.

“Give up on your hopes of Taksim.

Do not engage in a fight with the state.

Do not disturb the peace of our people.

Our people do not want to see streets where stones and Molotov coctails prevail,” he said.

“We will not tolerate this. You are not above the law.”

Erdogan has instead suggested other venues, and offered free transport on May 1.

The leftist unions have already vowed to ignore the ban.

On Monday, police fired tear gas at members of the May 1 Committee – made up of unions and civil society groups – to prevent them from issuing

a statement about May Day demonstrations in Taksim.

Eight people died when a relatively small environmentalist movement to save Istanbul’s Gezi Park – adjacent to Taksim – evolved into a nationwide wave of protests against Erdogan.

Fresh protests have erupted over a graft scandal implicating key Erdogan allies and controversial measures taken by the prime minister including an Internet crackdown that saw Twitter banned for two weeks.

Despite the protests and the corruption scandal, Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party scored a crushing victory in March 30 local elections. l

ROYALS IN THE DOWN UNDER

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge (2nd R) and her husband Prince William (C) are greeted by Aboriginal elders during a visit to UluruKata Tjuta Cultural Centre at Uluru in the Northern Territory. Britain’s Prince William, his wife Kate and their son Prince George are on a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia AFP

Palestinians renew unity bid as Israel talks stall

‘Piles and piles’ of bodies in S Sudan n AP, Nairobi

n AFP, Ramallah

The UN’s top humanitarian official in South Sudan said he saw “piles and piles” of bodies after rebels belonging to one ethnic group slaughtered members of other groups in a remote town.

Toby Lanzer told AP in a phone interview that the killings are “quite possibly a game-changer” for a conflict that has been raging since mid-December.

UN human rights investigators said Monday that hundreds of civilians were killed last week because of their ethnicity after rebel forces seized Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity state. l

The Palestinians have relaunched efforts to reconcile their rival leaderships in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as US-brokered peace talks with Israel teeter on the edge of collapse.

A week before a nine-month target originally set for an Israeli-Palestinian deal, a Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) delegation was expected in Gaza City on Tuesday to try to revive long-stagnant unity efforts.

The team is being led by Azzam al-Ahmad, a senior figure in the mainstream Fatah party of president Mahmud Abbas, the head of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).

Independent MP Mustafa Barghuti and figures from two leftist parties, the Palestinian People’s Party and the Palestinian Arab Front, are also in the delegation.

They were to meet with Ismail Haniya, prime minister of the Hamas government which rules Gaza, and the number two in the Palestinian Islamist movement, Mussa Abu Marzuq, who arrived from Cairo on Monday.

At the same time, the Palestinians refloated and then played down a threat to dismantle the PA, which is Is-

REENACTMENT OF NAPOLEON’S FAREWELL TO HIS GUARD People take part in the reenactment of Napoleon’s farewell to his guard on April 20, 2014 in Fontainebleau.

On March 31, 1814 Napoleon took refuge in Fontainebleau, and on April 20, he bade farewell to the Imperial Guard prior to his exile to the island of Elba

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

rael’s negotiating partner, if their peace talks remain deadlocked.

“No Palestinian is speaking of an initiative to dismantle the Palestinian Authority,” chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said on Tuesday.

“But Israel’s actions have annulled all the legal, political, security, economic and operational aspects of the prerogatives of the Palestinian Authority.”

The PA was set up under the 1993 Oslo accords and has won widespread international recognition but is fully dependent on foreign aid for its administration of autonomous areas of the West Bank.

Palestinian negotiators have warned they may hand responsibility for governing the occupied territories back to Israel, a senior Palestinian official said on Sunday.

He said the Palestinians had told US peace envoy Martin Indyk that unless Israel releases Palestinian prisoners as agreed and freezes settlement building, they could dismantle the Authority.

US State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki criticised the threat as “extreme” and warned that any such move would affect American aid to the Palestinians. l

‘Almost 1m’ Syrian refugees in Turkey n AFP, Ankara The number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has reached “almost one million,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday, while pledging to keep accepting those fleeing the war.

“Are we supposed to ask our brothers not to come, and to die in Syria?”

Erdogan said as he addressed his party’s lawmakers in parliament.

The three-year conflict in Syria has sent millions fleeing to neighbouring countries and beyond. l

New Syria chemical claims emerge as election announced n AFP, Beirut New claims have emerged that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime may have launched attacks with an industrial chemical earlier this month, despite an international agreement to eliminate Syria’s chemical arsenal.

The latest evidence, cited by the United States and France, comes as Syria plans to hold a June 3 presidential poll, which the United Nations and the Syrian opposition have slammed as a “farce” that flies in the face of efforts to end the country’s three-year war.

“We have indications of the use of a toxic industrial chemical, probably chlorine, in Syria this month, in the opposition-dominated village of Kafr Zita,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday.

“We are examining allegations that the government was responsible.”

The revelation follows Sunday’s announcement by French President Francois Hollande that his country had “information” – but no proof – that Assad’s regime was still using chemical weapons.

There have been conflicting accounts of an alleged chlorine gas attack in opposition-held Kafr Zita in the central Hama province earlier this month, with the government and the opposition trading blame.

Activists have also reported other chlorine gas attacks, most recently on Monday in the northwestern Idlib province.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and other experts have spent months working to remove Syria’s chemical stockpiles, following an agreement reached after deadly chemical at-

tacks near Damascus last August that killed hundreds.

Western nations blamed those attacks on the Assad regime and the United States threatened military action before backing down and reaching a deal with Russia to eliminate the chemical weapons.

The OPCW said last week that 65% of Syria’s stated chemical weapons have been removed from the country.

‘We have indications of the use of a toxic industrial chemical, probably chlorine, in Syria this month’ Although chlorine is a toxic chemical, it is widely used for commercial and domestic purposes, so Syria was not required to submit its stockpiles to the OPCW, a chemical weapons expert told AFP. “However, as a chemical weapon it is prohibited under the Chemical Weapons Convention,” which Syria joined last year, said Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, CEO of SecureBio, a British chemical weapons consultancy.

“The delivery method that we’ve seen – the use of helicopters – I am certain the opposition don’t have any helicopters.”

He also said that although chlorine is a weak agent, chemical weapons are “very effective in this kind of warfare, in urban, built-up areas, as chemical weapons find their ways into the nooks and crannies.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Death toll in ferry disaster rises to 108

n AFP, Jindo

Messages of hope are seen at a vigil for students among the missing passengers of a South Korean capsized ferry, in central Ansan on April 22. The banner at top translates to ‘Rest in Peace’ AFP

South Korea says Opposition no-show North may be close hinders Thai election talks to nuclear test But a day after describing the talks n AFP, Seoul n AFP, Bangkok as “the most opportune time to put North Korea could well be preparing to carry out a fourth nuclear test, South Korea said yesterday, citing increased activity at its main test site just days ahead of a visit to Seoul by US President Barack Obama.

“Our military is currently detecting a lot of activity in and around the Punggye-ri nuclear test site,” defence ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told a press briefing.

Kim stressed that North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme was at a stage where it could conduct a test “at any moment” once the order was given by the leadership in Pyongyang.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests – in 2006, 2009 and 2013 – all at the Punggye-ri site in the northeast of the country.

Kim declined to give details of the monitored activity, but cautioned that it may be no more than a “deception tactic” to raise tensions ahead of Obama’s visit which is due to begin on Friday. l

Sri Lanka to deport Buddha tattoo British woman n Agencies A British tourist is to be deported from Sri Lanka because of a Buddha tattoo on her arm, BBC reported.

Naomi Michelle Coleman was arrested as she arrived at the airport in the capital Colombo after authorities spotted the tattoo on her right arm. A police spokesman said the 37-year-old was arrested for “hurting others’ religious feelings.”

A magistrate ordered Ms Coleman’s deportation. She is currently being held at an immigration detention camp. She is expected to be removed within days.

Sri Lanka is particularly sensitive about images of the Buddha. l

BJP blocks access to its website in Pakistan n Agencies Internet users in Pakistan yesterday could not enter the website of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which had blocked the access of the site, although the profile of its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi could be accessed, ZeeNews reported.

“Error 1009 The owner of this website (bjp.org) has banned your IP address on the country or region you are accessing it from,” says the page as one logs in from anywhere inside Pakistan.

This means that Internet users from Pakistan have to mask their IP addresses to log on to the BJP website.

Meanwhile, the party had attached on its Twitter handle links to a ‘chargesheet’ it had recently released against the UPA government but the links did not work for those logging in from Pakistan.

The measure was not entirely surprising with the party’s traditional stance in relation to Pakistan and with Modi vowing a tough stand against the country if his party wins elections this year. l

Talks between Thailand’s quarrelling political parties on a roadmap to elections following months of deadly political turmoil ended with no breakthrough yesterday after the opposition pulled out at the last minute.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is pushing for new polls as soon as possible to bolster her precarious position in the face of a series of legal threats that could force her from office.

The kingdom has been without a fully functioning government or parliament since December, and a general election held in February was voided after opposition demonstrators disrupted voting.

The nation has been shaken by months of political violence that has left 25 people dead and hundreds wounded, including many anti-government protesters, in grenade attacks and shootings.

The Election Commission (EC) called the talks to discuss a new election date with political rivals including the main opposition Democrat Party, which boycotted the last round of voting.

aside our party views,” Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva announced shortly before the meeting began that he would not be going.

“I will not attend the meeting because of security,” he told AFP without specifying the nature of the concerns.

“No one from the Democrats will attend.”

Representatives of more than 50 other political parties joined the talks, according to election officials.

On the eve of the meeting, Yingluck’s Puea Thai Party decried a “conspiracy” by her opponents to thwart new polls.

In a statement the party said certain groups and political parties “don’t want democracy” and are trying to create a political vacuum so they can appoint their own unelected leader.

The EC – which has been accused by government supporters of siding with the opposition – says it needs several months at least to organise new polls, leaving the country in legislative limbo. l

9

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The confirmed death toll from South Korea’s ferry disaster reached 108 yesterday as divers, under growing pressure from bereaved relatives, speeded up the grim task of recovering scores more bodies from the submerged ship.

Improved weather and calm seas spurred their efforts, but underwater visibility was still very poor, requiring divers to grope their way blindly though the corridors and cabins of the ferry that capsized and sank last Wednesday.

Nearly one week after one of South Korea’s worst peacetime disasters, almost 200 of the 476 people who were aboard the 6,825-tonne Sewol – most of them schoolchildren – are still unaccounted for.

The official toll stood at 108, with 194 still missing. Distraught families of victims gathered in the morning at the harbour on Jindo island – not far from the disaster site – awaiting the increasingly frequent arrival of boats with bodies.

In the initial days after the Sewol went down, the relatives’ anger was focused on the pace of the rescue effort.

With all hope of finding any survivors essentially gone, this has turned to growing impatience with the effort to locate and retrieve the bodies of those trapped. l

First sign of S Korea ferry disaster was call from a frightened boy n Angecies Reuters, SEOUL - The first distress call from a sinking South Korean ferry was made by a boy with a shaking voice, three minutes after the vessel made its fateful last turn.

He called the emergency 119 number which put him through to the fire service, which in turn forwarded him to the coastguard two minutes later.

That was followed by about 20 other calls from children on board the ship to the emergency number, a fire service officer told Reuters.

The Sewol ferry sank last Wednesday on a routine trip south from the port of Incheon to the traditional honeymoon island of Jeju.

The boy who made the first call, with the family name of Choi, is among the missing. His voice was shaking and sounded urgent, a fire officer told MBC TV. It took a while to identify the ship as the Sewol.

“Save us! We’re on a ship and I think it’s sinking,” Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying.

The fire service official asked him to switch the phone to the captain, and the boy replied: “Do you mean teacher?”

The pronunciation of the words for “captain” and “teacher” is similar in Korean.

The captain of the ship, Lee Joonseok, 69, and other crew members have been arrested on negligence charges.

Lee was also charged with undertaking an “excessive change of course without slowing down.”

Lee was not on the bridge when the ship turned. Navigation was in the hands of a 26-year-old third mate who was in charge for the first time on that part of the journey, according to crew members.

In a confused exchange between the sinking Sewol and maritime traffic control released by the government, the crew said the ship was listing to port.

“Make passengers wear life jackets and get ready in case you need to abandon ship,” traffic control said.

The Sewol answered: “It’s difficult for the passengers to move now.” l

MH370 relatives reject Malaysian conclusions on plane n AFP, Kuala Lumpur Relatives of flight MH370 passengers have denounced the Malaysian government’s suggestion that it would soon look into issuing death certificates for those on board despite no proof yet of what happened to the plane.

The statement, issued in response to a weekend briefing that Malaysian officials gave to families in Kuala Lumpur, also called for a review of satellite data that Malaysia says indicates the plane likely crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

“We, the families of MH370, believe that until they have conclusive proof that the plane crashed with no survivors, they have no right to attempt to settle this case with the issuance of death certificates and final payoffs,” said the statement by the “United Families of MH370.”

In Sunday’s briefing, a Malaysian official said the government would look into a timetable for issuing death certificates for passengers on the Malaysia Airlines flight, which are required for families to seek insurance payments,

settle debts and address a range of other issues.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hamzah Zainudin also asked relatives in the meeting to submit a proposal for government financial assistance for families as the MH370 search wears on.

But relatives, who have repeatedly accused the government and national airline of botching a response to the plane’s disappearance and withholding information, said Malaysian authorities were playing an agonising “cat and mouse game” over the fate of their loved ones.

“WE ARE IN UTTER OUTRAGE, DESPAIR AND SHOCK!” the statement said, using bold caps.

Malaysian officials could not immediately be reached to comment. The government and airline deny they are hiding anything.

The Boeing 777 went missing March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard.

Malaysia says satellite data indicates the plane crashed in the remote Indian Ocean but no proof has been

found despite an intensive multi-nation sea search.

Demanding hard evidence, some vocal relatives have repeatedly said they were unconvinced by Malaysia’s conclusions on the data analysis, performed by British satellite communications firm Inmarsat.

“They have failed to share why they would accept a single source (Inmarsat) for analysis utilising a never before attempted method, as their sole grounds for determining that the plane is under the water and all lives lost,” the families said.

The statement said they requested an independent peer review, but the suggestion was rejected on grounds Inmarsat’s data was under privacy protections.

In the Sunday meeting, “not a single one of our questions was answered,” it added.

A public opinion poll published last week found that more than half of Malaysians believe their scandal-prone government – which has controlled the country for 57 years – is hiding the full truth on MH370. l

India’s modi condemns anti-muslim remarks; Togadia defiant n Reuters, New Delhi

Indian opposition leader Narendra Modi on Tuesday sought to calm fears about the future of religious minorities under his rule, saying his government would represent all Indians whether they voted for him or not in an ongoing general election.

Modi, prime ministerial candidate for the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and favourite to become India’s next leader, is running on a platform of reviving an economy going through its worst slowdown since the 1980s.

But half way through a five-week campaign to win over the country’s 815 million voters, some members of the BJP and its hardline affiliates are facing accusations of trying to whip up a partisan agenda.

Their statements have re-ignited concerns among religious minorities about a BJP government, which rivals say has a deep-seated bias against India’s 150 million Muslims.

“This government belongs to those who have voted for it; this government belongs to those who have voted against it; this government belongs even to those who could not cast their ballot,” Modi told the ABP News television channel.

“And the mantra of my government is absence of fear.”

The comments came after Giriraj Singh, a leader of the Bihar state wing of the party, said those opposed to Modi would have to leave India and go to Pakistan after the BJP won the election and formed a government.

Modi said nobody could agree with Singh’s comments.

In a Twitter post, he admonished his colleagues on the Hindu far right for railing against India’s Muslims and liberals in the election campaign, dubbing their statements “irresponsible.”

Television channels this week

Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, prime ministerial candidate for the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gestures at the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, revered by many in western India as a Hindu warrior king, during an election campaign rally in Mumbai April 21 REUTERS showed a video in which Praveen Togadia, a firebrand member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a sister organisation of the BJP, was seen offering advice on how to prevent Muslims from buying property in Hindu-dominated areas.

Togadia denied that, saying he only asked Hindus to seek the help of police to resolve property disputes involving Muslims.

On Monday, a leader of the BJP’s alliance partner in the Western state of Maharashtra said Modi would teach a lesson to Muslim rioters. Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam made the comments at a joint election rally

with Modi in Mumbai.

‘Crocodile tears’

Modi himself is tainted by accusations that he turned a blind eye to, or even encouraged Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 in Gujarat, the state he has governed for 13 years. More than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, were killed in the violence.

He has always denied the accusations and a Supreme Court inquiry did not find evidence to prosecute him.

“These crocodile tears ... will not do,” said Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a leader of the ruling Congress party, referring to Modi’s Twit-

ter posts statements.

criticising

‘People know the truth’

colleagues’

While opinion polls predict Modi’s BJPled alliance will win the biggest chunk of the 543 parliamentary seats being contested in the election that ends on May 12, most of them show he will need new partners in order to secure a majority.

An anti-Muslim pitch would not only make it tougher for him to find partners, but could also drive away some middle-class voters whose support Modi is banking on to unseat Congress.

But some of Modi’s colleagues remain defiant.

BJP leader Singh, who is contesting the election in the northern state of Bihar, said he stood by his statement.

“I have said what I felt. I will give my explanation.”

This month, the election commission banned one of Modi’s top aides from election rallies on charges of making inflammatory speeches against Muslims.

The ban was lifted last week after the aide, Amit Shah, vowed not to use abusive or derogatory language. The commission said that it would monitor his campaigning. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

No excuse for persecution

T

he extraordinary demand made by Hefazat Secretary General Junaid Babunagari, that followers of minority Islamic sects such as Ahmadiyya and Ahle Hadith should be banned, and that atheists should not be allowed to live in Bangladesh, cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.

We are confident most Bangladeshis, regardless of their faith and background, value the spirit and letter of Bangladesh as a free country which constitutionally guarantees freedoms of belief and religion.

Moreover, many devout Muslims would disagree with such calls on the Quranic basis that there should be no compulsion in religion.

As a religious body, his organisation may be expected by its followers to disagree with or even dislike contrary religious opinions.

However the comments made against atheists, non-Muslims, and Muslims of sects, with which the Hefazat does not agree, are hateful rhetoric which should be resisted.

There is no justification for the state to ban minority sects of any faith. The Hefazat leader’s accompanying remark that Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and people from other religions can still live in the country should not be taken as any form of moderation.

By using blood–curdling language to describe and threaten non-believers and those with whom he disagrees, he opens the door to discrimination and persecution.

All people, whatever their beliefs, or lack of them, deserve equal protection under the law. There is no room in Bangladesh for the state to discriminate between citizens on the basis of their religious beliefs or practices.

Comments made against atheists and sects are hateful and should be resisted

Power needs require sustainable vision

T

he current heat wave and accompanying load shedding is a strong reminder of the fact that Bangladesh still has some way to go to achieve power self-sufficiency.

Although we have made great strides in recent years towards increasing the supply of electricity, the focus should now be on finding economically and environmentally sustainable paths towards increasing our access to power.

Subsidies on the consumption of power place an economically unsustainable strain on our national budget and have increased by nearly a tenth in the last nine months alone.

Reducing subsidies so that consumers pay the proper price for power can bring the twin benefits of discouraging wasteful habits and stimulating a virtuous cycle of more profit to attract more investment in generating capacity.

Dependance on costly rental power plants needs to be reduced further as the prime minister has recently promised.

Efforts should instead be shifted towards building up our own capacity for power generation, especially renewable energy sources. We have also previously editorialised about the potential to utilise imports from sustainable sources, such as hydro–power plants in Nepal.

The economy badly needs reliable and cost–efficient power in all areas of the country. Increasing efficiency by reducing waste and generating more cost–effective power is the only sustainable way forward. We hope that equal emphasis is placed on reducing our dependency on fossil fuels and eliminating consumption subsidies so that our country can move towards a future of self-sufficiency in power which is both financially and environmentally sustainable.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

The ‘White House of Faridpur’

April 20 Mofez Manzil, the zamindar’s (landlord’s) house in Faridpur, was the epicentre of Indian politics in the 1940s, as it played a key role in history leading to the end of British rule in India. The Indians were clamouring for independence from British rule, and ultimately India and Pakistan came into being.

I am sure, many readers, particularly students of history and politics, will join me in giving heartfelt thanks to the author for vividly recounting the history of this politics and of the role of the “zamindar bari” in this two-part article in your daily. This is the history that passed me by while I was a school student in 1946-47 in Calcutta, migrating quickly with my mother to East Pakistan in late October 1947.

In my opinion, the government should buy the estate and the house, with all the historical furniture, and pay the owners fairly for its gross value, so that they can set up their own establishment wherever they so desire.

Engr SA Mansoor

Doctors do little April 17

Traveller_23 I don’t think it was purely a service provider versus service receiver issue. Wasn’t the patient politically affiliated, and wasn’t it party men who were involved in the assault? Doctors can reasonably expect and demand safe working conditions, and it is our responsibility to give them that. Probably truer for them than for any other occupation.

A controlled/limited strike may have been a better solution because if the doctors don’t ever demand safe conditions from our politicians they’re never going to get them.

Samiur Rahman Glad someone wrote this article, as it raises many legitimate points against doctors in Bangladesh and poor medical treatment and services provided. Times and doctors’ mindsets have changed significantly since my father earned his medical degree from Bangladesh and the UK during the late 70s and early 80s.

I routinely come across egotistical doctors whose moral and ethical senses are blinded by monetary influences – many doctors feel it is legitimate and okay to visit and bill a patient during rounds, while the patient is asleep when meaningful advice cannot be communicated. I’ve come across Bangladeshi surgery-hungry doctors who have criticised their peers within the same hospital when they have not been able to perform a surgery due to an alternative, less intensive and more appropriate medical solution being offered to the patient. In such cases, not only does the bad-mouthing of colleagues reflect poorly on the doctor and the hospital at large, but it also gives a strong impression such doctors have converted and re-branded themselves as “doctors for dollars/taka.”

I have also come across junior doctors casually reading away while in the General HDU and ICU, when they are categorically supposed to ensure their eyes are set on their patients. While no one can

argue doctors certainly do not deserve the wrath of their patients and families nor deserve being assaulted, the quality of medical education and the mindset of Bangladeshi doctors and hospitals’ management need to change with a focus on proper diagnosis, cure, and treatment. Remuneration will (and should) follow thereafter, as opposed to demanding /expecting for the opposite to hold true. nds I think this sort of bookish advice is the easiest thing in this country, and people appear to be very adept in this art of dishing out free advice. For example, the author has commented that for the victim’s relatives to resort to violence is not the correct response.

Would he please elaborate on what would have been the correct response? Does he have any personal experience of what result comes out of a correct response? Does anybody in this country care about one’s sense of propriety and sobriety?

No doctor or hospital authority ever recognises a patient’s right to be dealt with fairly and properly.

They treat patients as charity seekers and deal with them in the most arrogant and crudest manner possible. Any encounter with them will leave one with the impression that patients are all despicable insects, not human beings. And as the patients go to them as a last resort, the doctors and hospital authorities seem to take full advantage of their helplessness.

I say this from my personal experience with Birdem physicians and their staff. I am so frustrated with physicians in this country. However, I must add that a few exceptions are definitely out there, but the number is almost negligible.

Nascent Craft A one-sided write up! On the one hand, the author talks about a healthy society, and, on the other, he thrashes the doctors on duty.

Do you leave a tip after a good meal?

April 17

MD Easir Siddik Arafat Yes, I am used to doing that. It’s not begging; it’s just a very kind way by customers to show satisfaction and loyalty to the employees.

Minhaz M Zahin We might be a poor nation, but we never forget to tip our servers.

Rasel Alam Apu We usually refuse to give beggars more than Tk1 to Tk2. But we never hesitate to give Tk10 or more as tips. It becomes a matter of prestige to give a tip to a waiter, doesn’t it?

Daud Arafath Yep! By giving good tips, you can get good customer service, and especially if you regularly frequent the same eatery.

Amarkhana border turns into ‘Milon Mela’ of Bangalees April 17

So close, yet so far away!

Zahurul 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

Reducing waste and generating more cost effective power is the way forward

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Stops up (5) 4 Narrate (4) 7 Respectful fear (3) 8 Male swan (3) 9 Horse-drawn vehicles (5) 12 Encourage in crime (4) 13 Paid another’s expenses (7) 15 Male sheep (3) 16 Donkey (3) 18 Doctrine (3) 19 Spirit (3) 21 Finds out (7) 24 Golfer’s warning (4) 26 Sugary (5) 27 Tree (3) 28 Scottish river (3) 29 Regretted (4) 30 Representative (5)

DOWN 1 Diplomacy (4) 2 Presentations (6) 3 Nothing more (4) 4 Ugly amphibian (4) 5 Flow back (3) 6 Water lily (5) 10 Sailor (3) 11 Raised platform (5) 14 Sends out (5) 17 Glossy fabric (6) 18 Imply (5) 20 Fresh (3) 21 Exploit (4) 22 Yield (4) 23 To let stand! (4) 25 Cereal (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

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The arrogance of a few n Mohammad Ali Sattar

A

The battle for history

M

n Israfil Khosru

ost would say this was inevitable. Two parties with more of a glorious past and a comparatively dismal present were bound to engage in a battle sooner or later to establish their eligibility based on historical references by explicitly discrediting each other.

Bluntly put, the two parties that form the nucleus of our political mainstream today still stand as a testament to some remarkable contributions by two individuals, who at various junctures managed to unite this nation and dared the people to dream.

The Awami League’s initial assault – which entailed an attempt to question the integrity of the slain President Ziaur Rahman as a freedom fighter, patriot, and a leader – has now been countered with a similar rhetoric. The battle lines are drawn now and the level of hostility enhanced. So, what has led to such a unique phenomenon, where the battle for history is overriding the importance of our present and future as a nation?

One would argue that history depicts the ideologies that led to the creation of the AL and the BNP. Hence, it is an attempt to reclaim those ideologies, which have waned over a period of time. It is true that these two political entities came into existence at different times in our history out of necessity, dictated by circumstances.

However, the debate that has started is not about the spirit that led to the

creation of the BNP or the AL. The current debate encompasses disproving specific contributions of two historical icons by two opposing camps. The debate is not about the political ideologies that were projected

by Bangabandhu or Shaheed Zia. Furthermore, the debate is certainly not about whether these ideologies stand opposed to each other, thus making this a premise merely for mudslinging and slander.

an inspiration, it can never be a substitute for inaction, inefficiency, and incompetence in the present.

The manner in which our political mainstream is trying to grasp on to the past to deem themselves to be relevant for the present and the future will only serve them to shy away from formulation of a viable vision, and garner genuine political will to take the nation forward.

As a general citizen sees it, squab-

The debate is certainly not about whether these ideologies stand opposed to each other, thus making this a premise merely for mudslinging and slander

One might also argue that the utter failure of these two parties in lifting the country out of poverty and establishing good governance in more than two decades has led them to resort to their past and to try to re-establish that sense of loyalty and idealism enjoyed by their founding and supreme leaders. However, if this is the sole reason, the fact that it has led to the recent round of controversies can easily lead one to conclude that this strategy has proven to be counterproductive for both sides.

While history can serve as

bling about history has become a feasible cop out for our political parties. They see it to be a rather inexpensive diversion tactic, which will keep the political arena heated with superfluous debates and controversies in abundance. It will be a disservice to history to say that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was not the supreme leader who inspired Bengalis to unite and dream of a state free of subjugation and enriched with the right to self-determination. Shaheed Zia’s announcement of independence on March 27 is also worth its weight in

gold because it served to reinforce that consensus.

While Mujib envisioned and inspired the creation of a free state built on socialist principles, Zia, in his short stint as president, brought the people of that very state together to gain recognition as a global producer and a respectable member of the international community. The people of this country are in no illusion regarding their history. Some know it as they saw it, while others have read about it. Ironically, those who claim to carry on the political legacy of the aforementioned leaders by virtue of the political platforms created by them are disillusioned to an extremely fundamental level.

Both Mujib and Zia, beyond reasonable doubt, were leaders who unified the nation, and despite their various flaws, inspired a nation. However, this ensuing so-called battle for history is only dividing the nation at a very elemental level. This is not a battle of ideologies, neither is it a battle for moral high ground. This is a battle for power, where our revered slain leaders have become meagre political capital.

Unfortunately, this unholy battle will continue till our current leaders develop the substance and eagerness to take the country forward. We will wait for that day, but meanwhile, these rather unwanted history lessons are becoming tedious when the electorates are alienated and there are greater things at stake. l Israfil Khosru is a businessman and runs a youth-led think tank called The Bangladeshi.

sense of desperation is strikingly obvious in the camps of the ruling party members and its front organisations, and now it has surfaced in a sporting club.

We have been watching with disquieting awe the ghastly murders of the Chhatra League members by their fellows, and the continued internecine squabbles for gaining supremacy of student halls and other facilities.

However, no one knows what the ultimate intent of these trigger-happy youngsters is.

Since there are no opposition student bodies in the exploit, the fight is now, in essence, between the rival factions of the BCL, resulting in habitual feuds leading to injuries and deaths.

The party in power needs a methodical revamping of the bodies, and to rein in the thugs that disrupt the academic atmosphere in these institutions. Mind you, we are destroying the academies of learning. We are burying the major prerequisite of civilisation.

In 1971, the Pakistan junta planned to paralyse the intellectuals and the educated sections of the society to leave us disabled as a nation. Aren’t we doing the same thing under the garb of democracy?

Let’s turn to the newer chapter of crisis. The climactic situation that is building up revolving the Dhanmondi playground at Road 8 is something we are experiencing anew.

The club ground is supposed to be the property of Dhanmondi residents.

The pasture was open (until the other day), where the children, youths, and senior citizens of the area used to visit the ground for sport and exercise.

The Dhanmondi Club authority, later named SK Jamal Dhanmondi Club, gradually took over the charge of the playground and put up restrictions on common folk from using the ground. No one is allowed to enter the area, which is strictly guarded by uniformed gatewatchers.

Construction of tennis courts and other facilities is being carried out. The Dhanmondi inhabitants, numerous social thinkers, and environmental bodies challenged the club authorities, and demanded returning the ground to common folk for business as it was before.

They claim this is land-grabbing (by the club authorities) in broad daylight.

After effective protests, and some active maneuvering, the slogan-chanting crowd, led by environmentalists and rights leaders, gate-crashed into the field and took possession of the ground. This is probably the first such instance of forcefully regaining one’s own ground and establishing their right to free movement.

The immediate reaction of the club authorities was interesting. It claimed that the club committee had never thought of “occupying” the ground and that it kept the area out of bounds for the security of the players residing in the club dorms, and the safety of the construction site. They also assured that the ground would be opened up again once after the construction work was complete.

A few days later, the club authorities came up with more strength

to back them up. We saw the BCB president and the BFF president at the press briefing. The club president declared that the Dhanmondi Club was not for street children, it was for the elite of the area. The club president received the backing of other stalwarts present during the occasion.

They also assured that the ground would be opened up again once after the construction work was complete It now appears that another round of legal battles is in offing. According to court orders from 2011, the playground belongs to the people of the area. We shall wait to see what verdict comes from the judiciary next.

Let’s turn from the green meadows to the “sick” infirmary. As it is, our medical services, and the health sector in general, are pitiable, and could never tend to the poor or lesser-advantaged sections of our society.

The inadequate number of hospitals, health centres, and health workers (including doctors) has kept the sector as poor as ever while the patients keep suffering.

We know the compulsions and limitations of the health workers, but we also know the deliberate negligence on the part of these medical practitioners and support staffs in various hospitals and health centres.

Our values, human lives, and sufferings have become almost a forgotten matter for these people who think they have a monopoly on the matter.

From the rich to the abject poor – all are victims of wrong diagnosis, faulty prescriptions, adulterated drugs, and hefty charges from doctors and hospitals.

Reports of commercialisation of these hospitals are not uncommon these days.

Add to that the regular features of doctors and interns going on wildcat strikes, causing heartless agony to patients coming for attention from distant places.

The desperate individuals (interns, nurses, doctors) beat up anybody not willing to abide by their words. The morbid scenes in the hospital corridors say it all. Shame on us!

Imagine the adverse conditions that these ill-stricken travelers have to undergo right from the start of their journey from home.

Atrocious manners of transport workers, the appalling traffic system, and the simmering heat, and the poisonous food and drinks that they are forced to consume while journeying – make regular features of the society.

Arrogance on the part of the people in power is the wrong way to go. The affected lot is already on the path of disobedience l Mohammad Ali Sattar is a journalist and a DT columnist.

The spectre of the Modifesto n Sushovan Dhar

T

he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election manifesto amply exhibits that the party has chosen an aggressive stance on the use of nuclear weapons. In the event it is voted to power, the BJP-led government would send packing India’s no-first use (NFU) nuclear doctrine. While releasing the party election manifesto, BJP president Rajnath Singh made it clear that the manifesto is like a pledge and this would be the Bible for the next government, which they are confident would be in their command. Such pronouncements, if turned true, could seriously imperil the region.

With the fifth phase of polling completed on Thursday, the battle for Indian parliament has heated up tremendously. The media projections continue to tilt even more towards the BJP and its prime-ministerial bet, Narendra Modi.

In the meantime, the party had unveiled its election manifesto – what critics call Modi-festo – on April 7, a day before the first phase of the elections. The proverbial party manifesto which is like “God’s plans for the redemption of his world” offers a lot of promises, from investment for job creation, 100 new cities, along with twin

cities and satellite towns, increased public spending on education, a house for every family, and low-cost housing program, rail networks to connect hinterland to ports, agri-rail network and bullet train projects, and many other things which are bound to sweep our imagination.

In the South Asian region, the arms race is already accelerating at an ugly scale

However, the manifesto, largely devoted to economic development, sets out an inflexibly hawkish orientation on controversial issues and raises the spectre of a rescript of the country’s policy on the use of its nuclear weapons. It is this grave potential of a revision of India’s nuclear doctrine towards a more aggressive stance that has genuine reasons to create tensions in the region as well as the global geo-political space. The current Indian nuclear weapons strategy is centred

around the NFU policy, which implies that in any conflict, India would not be the first party to use atomic weapons. The manifesto says that the BJP would reconsider the policy if it is voted to power.

In 1998, the BJP-led NDA government conducted a series of nuclear tests. Pakistan reacted within weeks with nuclear tests of its own. It was at this time that India adopted an NFU policy as it was pressured with punitive embargoes by the US and European nations for the above-mentioned tests. However, since then, it has been acknowledged as a nuclear power.

In the BJP election manifesto, the section titled “Independent Strategic Nuclear Program” promises to “study in detail India’s nuclear doctrine, and revise and update it, to make it relevant to challenges of current times.”

This, it says, is necessary to “maintain a credible, minimum deterrent that is in tune with changing geo-static realities.” The same manifesto also spells out that, if elected, it would look for cordial relations with neighbours.

However, without naming any country, it pledged to “deal with cross-border terrorism with a firm hand” and take a “strong stand and steps” as required.

In the absence of any official

statement, Pakistan’s reaction to the pronouncement is still unknown.

However, as it pursues an equally aggressive nuclear doctrine, the responses are bound to follow similar lines.

With India dumping the NFU doctrine, chances are high that it would intensify Pakistan’s concerns of a first strike against it. This would persuade, and also give license, to Islamabad to sharply enlarge and broaden its nuclear arsenal. A risky behaviour from India’s western neighbours can’t be ruled out under such circumstances.

The Chinese response to this is still unknown. It could also start slackening restraint on the conditions in which it could apply nuclear weapons. However, a verdict for the BJP in the current parliamentary elections could also be a verdict to intensify the nuclear triangle between India, Pakistan, and China.

It is undisputed that in the South Asian region, with three nuclear powers around, the arms race is already accelerating at an ugly scale. The powerful nations are in contention to pile-up both their conventional and nuclear arms and weapons systems.

The uncouthly extravagant budgets in the name of patriotic defence, at the expense of the basic necessities of life – food, health, shelter, education, sanitation – is rendering people even

more defenceless day by day. The region could turn very dangerous with nuclear bombs, missiles, and airplanes always threateningly hovering over the heads of over one fifth of the human race.

This nasty arms race and build-up of the Wehrmacht would undoubtedly sent waves of terror across the spines of the region. The smaller and militarily-weaker countries of South Asia – who would account for “collateral damages” – would feel even more threatened and assailable.

security and terrorism. Considering that extreme right-wing and fascist forces such as the chauvinist and ultra-nationalist BJP, thrive on whipping up hateful passions and violent aggression against the carefully chosen, and craftily constructed, adversarial “others” – “internal” and “external”; read together with the relevant portions of the manifesto, the prospect of nuclear instability can scarcely be dismissed.

Such an eventuality would no doubt tremendously damage the chances of advancing towards global nuclear

Extreme right-wing forces such as the BJP thrive on whipping up hateful passions and violent aggression against the carefully chosen

The profligacy on military hardware is the misplaced priority of the governments of the region, making the population feel more unsecure and threatened. The states and other actors who are upbeat about militarisation, play in the name of national

disarmament and peace. South Asia might turn into a nuclear volcano just ready to erupt with horrendous consequences to follow. l Sushovan Dhar is an activist. He is based in Kolkata.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Pathshala pays homage to the fallen souls

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Rani Mukherjee and Aditya Chopra finally tie the knot n Entertainment Desk

Clockwise from top: visitors at the exhibition; theatre artiste Ritu Sattar presents a solo performance on the inaugural session and an installation

n Shadma Malik On April 24, 2013, a monumental tragedy altered the lives of thousands of people and ended up with a death toll of 1134, according to official records. To mark one year of the Savar Tragedy, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute has organised a multimedia art exhibition 1134 Lives Not Number at the premises of Pathshala. Around 22 artists with their respective disciplines showcased the aftermath of the horrific accident and pays homage to the fallen souls, who were killed in the incident at Rana Plaza. Through the captured moments of the needless “accident,” through performance art reflecting the sorrow of the deprived, it attempts to leave a lasting mark on the minds of the viewers in

the hope of avoiding the repetition of such a deadly incident that was caused due to the negligence of a specific group.

Curated by Mahbubur Rahman and Munem Wasif, the exhibition caters the haunted memories of the most disgraceful history in the readymade garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh. The curators said: “On April 24, 2013, Rana Plaza collapses, 1134 lost to senseless greed, lives lost due to collective negligence.

A dark day in the history of the garments worker’s lives, a nightmare which will terrorise people for years to come. Amongst the rubble, hidden beneath the stones, beams and bricks, thousands of workers lie enveloped in darkness, their dreams crushed under the weight of our negligence.”

Each artwork tells the story of RMG workers who were in the rubble of Rana Plaza for twenty days. At the entrance of the exhibition, an installation, Why God Why by Shulekha Chowdhury depicts the bloodshed of the nine-storey building. The red thread hanging, torn and tattered shirts and passport size photos of loved ones are the core objects of the mix media artwork that will hold the viewers attention. Another installation Mohamman Hasanur Rahman’s Buy 1 Get 1 Free showcases the dead victims trapped inside the rubble of the collapsed building. The trapped corpse has turned black which emanates the horror of the situation.

“World Press Photo Award” winner, Taslima Akhter’s Death of a Thousand Dreams is also on display.

Her explanation of the artwork said:

“Rana plaza collapse raises questions to national-international owners, brands and government about their role to secure working conditions. It also raises question about all citizens and consumer’s responsibility. With this documentary photo story, I have tried to portray the narrative of the death of thousand dreams.”

Abir Abdullah’s photograph captures a “moment” which shows a devoted husband caring for his injured wife, a survivour who lost a leg.

Mahmud Hossain Opu’s photograph shows the culprit Sohel Rana’s trial at CMM court.

Dilara Begum Jolly’s installation Tazreen Nama showcases the horrific incidents of the garment factory on November 24, 2012, which indicates the deadliest factory fire in the nation’s history. l

Chopra and Raaja Ki Aayegi Baraat star Rani Mukerji get married, lets take a look at the defining moments of their romance.

Rani Mukherji was earlier rumoured to have dated Bollywood actor Govinda. The duo met on the sets of Hadh Kar Di Aapne (2000) and grew fond of each other. Buzz is that a journalist who came to Rani’s house for an interview spotted Govinda emerging out of her bedroom in a night dress.

The bongshell was also linked with actor Abhishek Bachchan. Reportedly, Abhishek’s mother Jaya really wanted them to marry.

Aditya Chopra was earlier married to high-school sweetheart Payal Khan-

to get married in February this year at Umaid Bhawan in Udaipur. But the wedding got postponed due to unknown reasons.

Rani was captured by shutterbugs with Aditya Chopra and a couple of close friends celebrating Diwali at her Juhu residence. She was even spotted feeding mithai to her beau.

Chopra family was not too happy initially when they came to know about Aditya’s affair with Rani, but later they relented and acknowledged Rani at public functions. In fact, at Yash Chopra’s funeral, Rani took care of all the arrangements like a family member, which pretty much confirmed their relationship. l

Telefilm Bishkata will be aired today at 3.05pm on Channel i

A non-violent take on the Liberation War portrayed in Bou Basanti

Leonardo DiCaprio to play Steve Jobs n Entertainment Desk As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Leonardo DiCaprio could play Steve Jobs for director Danny Boyle in Aaron Sorkin’s untitled movie about the Apple Computer co-founder. David Fincher was previously attached to direct the film, albeit in the loosest of terms, with rumors that he wanted Christian Bale to play Jobs.

Whether this ever happens with DiCaprio is, of course, up for great debate. Since saying in December of 2013 that he was ready to take a “long break” after filming The Great Gatsby, Django Unchained and The Wolf of Wall Street in succession, DiCaprio has found himself attached to no fewer five projects. In the last 13 months, he’s been associated with nine films. l

SADIA MARIUM

Bollywood’s popular actress Rani Mukherjee has tied the knot with Aditya Chopra, son of late iconic filmmaker Yash Chopra, according to Indian media. The couple got married on April 21, in Italy, in an “intimate affair.” In a statement issued to media, Rani Mukerji said: “I have always believed in fairytales and with God’s grace my life has been exactly like one, and now as I enter the most important chapter of my life.”

As the maker of legendary love story Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge Aditya

na, who was an interior designer by profession. However, the going wasn’t good and the couple filed for divorce in 2009. If reports are to be believed, Rani and Aditya started dating around the same time.

In 2012 during an interview with Simi Garewal, Rani accepted that she was “absolutely in love,” without divulging the name of the person.

In October 2013, Aditya Chopra is said to have popped the question to his ladylove at a private function. No prizes for guessing, Rani said “yes.”

The couple was earlier scheduled

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak

Tisha faces dramatic hiccups in Mon Tar Shongshoye n Entertainment Desk Women-centric telefilm Mon Tar Shongshoye is a story that is aimed at motivating women of the society.

It urges the helpless females to fight for survival and to push forward by ignoring and overcoming obstacles.

The telefilm is written and directed

by Sumon Anowar and features popular actors including Tisha, Rawnak Hassan, Sabbir Ahmed, Sohel Khan, Josna Akter, Amanul Haque Helal and many others. Tisha will be seen as the protagonist of the story.

The telefilm revolves around a village girl named Sheuli who is from a poor family. Her father is an alcoholic who was a son of a landlord (zamindar) but was disowned for his obsession to act in Jatra (folk theatre of Bengal). To save her family from the

iron-grip of poverty, she seeks employment at one of her rich relative’s place. But her stay there was short lived as she faced exploitation at the hand of the elder son of that household.

One day she discovers that she is pregnant and after suffering a difficult pregnancy, her baby dies after birth. In order to pull her life together, she gets married to a co-worker from her village. They were both honest and open about their past. But, after a length of time, her husband leaves her as he cannot accept her troubled past.

Helpless at the face of the cruel situation, she is forced to move back home. Then, she is pursued by the father of her child and at the same time, her husband returns after realising his mistake. l

Without illustrating any war scene, horrifying incident of numerous abductions, terrified imagery of burning villages and the vision of freedom fighters, a theatre is constructed in the backdrop of the Liberation War of 1971 with a flamboyant humorous rural life depicting enjoyment, grief, love and thievery. Theatre Department of Udichi staged a play titled Bou Basanti at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on April 21 in the capital. The play is written by Ratan Siddique and directed by Azad Abul Kalam.

The theatre portrayed an atypical story of the time-line which existed but rarely revealed in any form of art presentation or literature, while the 38th staging of the show saw a huge crowd as it is established as one of the popular plays of the troupe.

The comedy depicted the period between March to December of 1971 and portrays the simple people of a periphery community. Badar and Manu are cheeky thieves who never gets caught. Badar loves a girl named Rizia who is the daughter of a beggar named Motaleb. Sekandar, the son of the village chairman punishes Badar and Manu by throwing them out of the village for their misdeeds. The condemned thieves leave their dwelling and begins residing in another village at Halim’s house.

Halim is the person who has a daughter named Jyotsna who is fascinated by films, maintains many affairs and is greedy for wealth. When the liberation war starts Moina, a fisherman of the village joins the Pakistani Army and fights against the freedom fighters. The lives of villagers are disrupted a bit but at the end the audience saw the life remains same as before in the

rural Bengal.

Numerous songs were used to create the ambiance of the theatre while a radio is used to portray patriotic songs of the Liberation War and the declaration of independence.

The central philosophy lies within the maiden and final act of the drama.

In the maiden act, an assistant of a tailor shop suddenly makes a flag of Bangladesh when everyone else was making flags of Pakistan. He is critisised and humiliated by his co-workers for his deed. The concluding act shows that after liberation, one of the assistants again deliberately made a flag of Pakistan and receive similar treatment

from his fellow workers. The contrast shows that during the time when Bangladesh was part of Pakistan, there were people who craved for liberation and afterwards, there are people who is against the separation. The writer of the play resembles the sentiment in his speech: “The story of the play started in East Pakistan and ended in Bangladesh. While we were under the reign of East Pakistan, Bangalees were desperate to be free of the tyrannical rule. In liberated Bangladesh, few miscreants still exists who want to deny the outcome of the glorious war. This political message is focused in the backdrop of the rural people’s life.” l

SADIA MARIUM

Did you know?

2013/14 is the first season in Premier League history to see 10 managers leave a club before the final day

Sport

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

14 Man United

sack Moyes

15 Real’s Ronaldo

ready for Bayern

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Farbrace resigns as

Sri Lanka coach

Tricky times ahead for Tigers The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cricket operations chairman Akram Khan termed the time ahead for Bangladesh cricket as “tough”. The decision from ICC for the bottom ranked, 9th and 10th, sides playing in World Cup 2019 qualifiers meant bad news for Bangladesh who has been consistent in the slots in the last 14 years.

“This thing is difficult and has put pressure on us. We have no other option than to perform if we want to play in the main round of the World Cup,” said Akram to the media at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

“It was tough for us in 1997. But now we have the ability to perform and win games even against big teams. Our team has performed well in the last two years or so except for the last three months, which I think can happen to any team, a side can go through a bad patch,” he added.

It was surprising to see the BCB keeping such developments a ‘secret’.

Let it be qualifying of the ICC World Twenty20 or the ICC World Cup 2019, it was the media that had always revealed such developments.

FTP May-June 2014 Bangladesh A tour of West Indies

June 2014 India tour of Bangladesh (3 ODIs)

June-July 2014 Zimbabwe A tour of Bangladesh

Aug-Sep 2014 Probable home series of Bangladesh A

August-Sep 2014 Bangladesh tour of West Indies

Sep-Oct 2014 Asian Games

Nov-Dec 2014 Zimbabwe tour of Bangladesh

Feb-March 2015 ICC World Cup New Zealand-Australia

April 2015 Pakistan tour of Bangladesh (rescheduled from January)

June 2015 India tour of Bangladesh (2 Tests, 3 ODIs)

July 2015 SA tour of Bangladesh (2 Tests, 3 ODIs)

“I got to know about it from a newspaper,” informed Akram. “Even our board president (Nazmul Hasan) was not sure of what is actually happening,” he said.

When quarried why it has become a norm for the BCB to hide such developments, Akram said, “CEO (Nizamuddin Chowdhury) can answer this well. We don’t go to attend the ICC meetings it’s the CEO and the president of the board who attends the meeting.”

Bangladesh now stands at point where they have to perform, win games and better their ICC rankings, to be more appropriate be at least on the No 8 spot, in order to remain on the safe side as far as participation in the ICC world events are concerned.

For the above wishes Bangladesh need to play enough international games - a common complaint from the cricket board.

However, Akram informed Bangladesh will get to play a good amount of international matches in the coming years and that his department, BCB cricket operations, are working to inject more matches in the idle slots of the calendar.

Akram also informed of domestic leagues happening on time and regularly will also be of help. A meeting between the BCB game development, cricket operations and CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis) was held yesterday where setting the domestic calendar was the chief agenda.

“We discussed on the future tours and home series of the national team and Bangladesh A team. And we also informed the CCDM of when the national cricketers are available so that they can participate in the domestic tournaments,” informed Akram.

With ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia-New Zealand in nine months time, the BCB cricket operation plans to hold a 15-day camp down under either this year or just ahead of the world event.

“It is almost confirm, should not be right to say that it will happen for sure at this point of time however. We plan to do a camp there as the condition there is different from Bangladesh. It will do good to the cricketers if they can have 15 days of training there and also play few one day games. This will help them to be a little comfortable in the World Cup,” said Akram. l

NCL ROLL OF HONOURS

Dhaka Division players celebrate the 15th National Cricket League title after winning their final round match against Khulna at the Sheikh Kamal International stadium in Cox’s Bazar yesterday COURTESY

Title drought ends for Dhaka Division Courtesy of playing consistent cricket throughout the tournament, Dhaka Division clinched the 15th Walton National Cricket League title by beating Khulna Division by five wickets on the final day of the last round of the tournament at the Sheikh Kamal International stadium in Cox’s Bazar yesterday while man of the match Sabbir Rahman and Farhad Reza’s brilliant batting saw Rajshahi winning by four wickets over Dhaka Metro and subsequently become the runner up of the first class tournament this season.

Dhaka Division actually had one hand on the title after a long seven year wait even before the last day of the match began as they needed only 128 runs with nine wickets in hand. Riding on opener Rony Talukder’s 90 runs,

Wedson saves Jamal blushes Wedson Anselme, the Haitian forward of table toppers Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club broke Brothers Union’s heart by scoring a brace in an action packed second phase match of the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier League which ended 3-2 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

The action packed match saw Brothers’ new Nigerian midfielder Simon Ezeodka score a stunning goal in the firsthalf which was complemented by Jamal’s Haitian star Sony Norde. But when the match was surely heading for a draw, Brothers’ custodian Sujon, who earlier

had foiled a number of Jamal attacks all alone, lost the grip of a tame Wedson shot to inflict defeat to his own team.

The initial proceedings were slow and sluggish with both the teams trying to set the tone. Brothers naturally was in a defensive mood as the threepronged attack of Jamal comprising the Haitian duo of Norde and Wedson, plus the Nigerian Emeka Darlington are more than capable of creating havoc to any defense and they eventually did.

Brothers, relying on their young guns, fought shoulder to shoulder and were inspired by the superb strike of their new signing Simon Ezeodka. However, they ran out of steam in countering the relentless attacks of their opponents.

Sheikh Jamal took the lead in the

17th minute off a penalty by Norde before Nigerian midfielder Simon Ezeodka scored the wonderful equaliser within three minutes.

Six minutes into the second-half, Brothers shocked Jamal to take the lead.

Defender Yasim missed the line of a regulation long ball and Kester Akon took control before chipping it into the far post. This meant Jamal had to show their character typical of a strong team and thankfully Wedson brought Jamal back into the game with a superb solo effort in the 61st minute. Defying the attempted offside trap, Wedson went past his marker as well as Brothers’ goalkeeper Sujon before drilling a low shot into the far post.

Brothers were let down by their goalkeeper Sujon in the 90th minute when he failed to grip a shot of Wedson. l

Sheikh Jamal’s Haitian striker Wedson (C) celebrates after scoring against Brothers Union in BPL at BNS yesterday

MUMIT M

Season 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14

Champions Chittagong BD Biman Dhaka Div Khulna Dhaka Div Dhaka Div Rajshahi Dhaka Div Khulna Rajshahi Rajshahi Rajshahi Rajshahi Khulna Dhaka Div

Runner-up Sylhet Chittagong Rajshahi Dhaka Div Sylhet Rajshahi Chittagong Rajshahi Rajshahi Barisal Chittagong Dhaka Div Khulna Dhaka Div Rajshahi

BRIEF SCORES

Dhaka comfortably reached the target of 224 with five wickets in hand. Wicket-keeper batsman Nurul Hasan who smashed a century in the first innings was adjudged the man of the match.

At the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong, Dhaka Metro bowlers kept the match alive by taking six wickets on the third day against Rajshahi. But the two overnight batsmen Sabbir (85) and Farhad (80) added a brilliant 155 runs for the seventh wicket as both of them remained unbeaten to chase down the target of 272 losing six wickets.

Meanwhile, Rangpur Division beat Barisal Division by an innings and 25 runs at the Khan Shaheb Osmal Ali Outer Stadium where Barisal was bundled out for 229 runs after scoring 289 in their first innings. The two overnight batsmen Salman Hossain and Nuruz-

zaman resumed the final day on 133/2 but folded to 229/9 as Fazle Rabbi did not bat after sustaining injury. Left arm spinner Suhrawardi Shuvo picked up 3 wickets for Rangpur while Sajedul, Nasir and Tanveer chipped in with 2 wickets each.

Chittagong finished the tournament with a big win of 258 runs against Sylhet Division at the BKSP-3 ground.

Trailing by 374 runs, Sylhet resumed their innings on the fourth day with nine wickets in hand but eventually were bowled out for just 180 runs as left arm spinner Mohammad Younus bagged five wickets for only 47 runs from 22.4 over while off spinner Ali Akbar claimed three wickets for Chittagong. Mominul Haque was adjudged the man of the match after the diminutive southpaw smashed 168 runs in Chittagong’s second innings. l

BCB finalises domestic calendar

BFF seeks financial support from ministry

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the domestic calendar for the 2014-15 season after yesterday’s meeting between BCB’s game development, cricket operations and the CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis).

The meeting generated dates for the Dhaka Premier League, First Division, Second Division and the Third Division cricket. BCB’s acting-chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, cricket operations chairman Akram Khan and CCDM chairman AZM Nasiruddin were present in the meeting but failed to answer when queriedabout the fate of 2013-14season.

The calendar was formed without following the typical method. The DPL takes place in June-July every year but it was confirmed after the meeting that the DPL will begin on October 10 after having the players’ transfer on August 4 and 5. However, there won’t be any players’ draft this time – a system introduced by the BCB in the last season. The participating clubs will be able to follow the typical manner of roping in cricketers.

The players’ transfer of First Division cricket will be held on September 1 and 2 and the tournament will begin on October 12.

The BCB also plans to hold a Twenty20 tournament in first division cricket in order to improve the cricketers’ skill, informed BCB director and CCDM chairman Nasiruddin.

Upon completion of the BPL season, the national cricket squad will be sent to Australia for a 15-day conditioning camp. l

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has asked the government to allocate Tk35m for football every year. A six-member BFF delegation team met state minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder and his deputy Arif Khan Joy yesterday to seek financial support for the development of football.

The BFF top officials, led by its president Kazi Salahuddin, informed their deficient and put up few demands in order to run football smoothly. The amount put up by BFF includes the wages of Bangladesh national team coach, training football in the root level, national team’s participation in the international tournaments, organising professional football league and other tournaments.

They also demanded at least one stadium, only dedicated to football, in every division and six-month time, which will allow divisional and district football tournaments to continue professionally, allocated for the game in every district stadium.

BFF also proposed 35 percent of the total money government gives to every district sports associations to be allocated for district football association (DFA).

BFF boss Kazi Salahuddin believes that if the demands are fulfilled then the football in Bangladesh will be the main beneficiary. “We had the realisation before to seek support from government but we didn’t have a proper communication with the previous ministers to place our proposal to them. The Ministers (current) pledged to provide support for

Dhaka Div v Khulna Khulna 243 and 232 Dhaka 252 and 224/5 Rony Talukder 90 Dhaka Division won by five wickets Rajshahi v Dhaka Metropolis Dhaka 126 and 352 Rajshahi 207 and 275/6 Sabbir Rahman 85*, Farhad Reza 80* Rajshahi Division won by four wickets Rangpur v Barisal Barisal 289 and 229/9 Rangpur 543/9 Dhiman Ghosh 149, Tanveer Haider 121* Ranpur Division won by 25 runs Chittagong v Sylhet Chittagong 213 and 415/9 Mominul Haque 168 Sylhet 190 and 180 Chittagong Division won by 258 runs

the development of football. If they accomplish our demands, then the whole football will be benefitted. The minister also appreciated the amount of financial support we proposed,” said Salahuddin.

“We should have arranged such meeting with sports ministry earlier and then there would not be many problems in football. The initiative is however fruitful and it is better to get it later than never,” said BFF vice president Badal Roy. He added, “Both the ministers are very supportive. They gave us assurance to provide support for football.”

He also informed the ministers will come to a decision about allocating football stadium in every division soon.

“There will also be a football stadium in Cox’s Bazaar beside the cricket stadium according to the wish of the prime minister. A representative team of BFF will go to Cox’s Bazaar tomorrow (Wednesday) to look over the location of the venue,” he added.

“The Minister was very cordial about the financial support we asked for the development of football. Even he said that the proposal money should have been 50 crores Taka rather than 35 crores,” said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem.

Along with Kazi Salahuddin, Badal Roy and Abu Nayeem Shohag, BFF senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedy, Shamsul Hoq Chowdhury, DFA league committee chairman Manjur Kader also visited at the minister’s office. Sports secretary Noor Mohammed, National Sports Council (NSC) secretary Sibnath Roy and NSC directors were also present. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Man United sack Moyes

SEASON OF DISASTER 2013 Moyes starts work as Manchester United manager after the retirement of Alex Ferguson.

Liverpool beat United 1-0 at Anfield, inflicting the first Premier League defeat under Moyes’ leadership in his third league game in charge.

Manchester City hammer city rivals United 4-1. One week later lowly West Brom beat United at Old Trafford where they have not won in 35 years of trying.

Moyes former side Everton win 1-0 at Manchester United – a first victory at Old Trafford in 21 years.

Rio Ferdinand criticises Moyes’ late team selection policy, saying on BT Sport: “It turns you into a madman.”

Giggs appointed interim manager Manchester United on Tuesday sacked manager David Moyes following a disastrous ten-month spell at the world-famous club, with veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs named as interim manager.

Moyes, 50, succeeded Alex Ferguson at the helm of the Premier League side on July 1 but the move quickly became a fiasco with the team slumping to a series of embarrassing defeats.

After feverish speculation in the British media, United confirmed Moyes’s departure in a brief statement.

United later confirmed Giggs would fill in on a caretaker basis.

MAN UTD STATEMENT “David Moyes Leaves United “Manchester United has announced that David Moyes has left the Club.

“The Club would like to place on record its thanks for the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role.”

“Following the departure of David Moyes as manager, Manchester United has announced that Ryan Giggs, the club’s most decorated player, will assume responsibility for the first team until a permanent appointment can be made,” said another statement.

“The club will make no further comment on this process until it’s concluded.”

Giggs, Britain’s most decorated player and United’s record appearance-maker, was informed of the news after arriving at United’s Carrington training ground

near Manchester on Tuesday morning.

His first game in charge will be a league fixture at home to Norwich City on Saturday.

Giggs, 40, made his United debut in March 1991 and has made 962 appearances for the club, winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. He has no previous managerial experience, but has combined his role as a player with a position on United’s coaching staff since the start of the current campaign.

Experienced Dutch coach Louis van Gaal has emerged as the British bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Moyes on a permanent basis.

The 62-year-old, whose previous clubs include Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, recently expressed a desire to work in England when his contract as manager of the Netherlands expires after this year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Moyes signed a six-year contract and inherited a team that had romped to the Premier League title -- United’s 20th English league crown -- by 11 points, but he endured a torrid season.

United have slumped to seventh place in the league table and been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions and the Champions League.

Moyes’s last game in charge was Sunday’s 2-0 loss at his former club Everton, which confirmed that United will not compete in the Champions League next season for the first time since 1995. l

2014

Why Moyes had to go Moyes’s appointment only made sense if in the short term he could ensure that Manchester United was ticking over with the ideology, culture, and methods firmly entrenched by Sir Alex Ferguson. He was hired because he supposedly ensured consistency and stability.

Instead within days of his appointment, Moyes, Woodward, Round, P Neville, Lumsdan and Woods was presented as an entirely new senior management team. It is unprecedented at any Fortune 500 company that an entire board is replaced in one go so I have no idea why anybody thought we would be successful in our historic transition from Ferguson to new manager.

I admired Brendon Rodgers for the amount of time he invested in his early months in learning about Liverpool’s traditions and history and that he went out of way to emotionally connect with the fan base in the local area. Moyes has not cultivated the same relationships in Manchester.

And of course his record in the transfer market spending €75m but delivering no impact at all to the team has been a disaster.

The job was very easy: 1) Initially to allow SAFs coaches to run the 1st team, as was, for the first few months and simply observe and absorb the clubs methods.

2) Use existing club intelligence to immediately recruit a suitably classy central midfield ball winner and perhaps a left back.

3) Use the first months to build relationships with senior players and staff, meet senior and influential supporters and stakeholders

Moyes tried to fix problems that did not exist, ignored issues that have been plainly obvious and seemingly had very little respect for the amazing work done at the club in years gone past within Manchester and get to Christmas in the top 4 of the table and still in the cups.

Only after about 100 days should he start

Ancelotti ‘sorry’ for sacked Moyes Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Tuesday he feels sorry for sacked Manchester United counterpart David Moyes and that the club have broken with tradition.

“I was a little surprised because Manchester United don’t have that custom of sacking managers,” Ancelotti said.

“In another club it would be completely normal, but after so many years with Sir Alex (Ferguson) it is a little surprising,” the Italian coach added.

Moyes was sacked on Tuesday, after less than 10 months as Ferguson’s successor, with United enduring a disastrous season.

“I feel for David Moyes, but in general this is the life of a coach,” Ancelotti told a press conference ahead of Real’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

“At times things don’t go well and you are sacked. I’m sure David Moyes will look for and find another job,” he added. l

thinking about implementing any new ideas he has, but even then, it needed to be in a coherent manner. He was given a 6 year contract …

Moyes had plenty of time to go about his work in a planned and systematic manner and so not change things that were working perfectly fine.

None of this is rocket science ….

Managing the first 100 days of any new senior appointment is a well established path which all seasoned professionals are aware of. But it seems Moyes was hell bent of being Mr Hard Man, he wanted to hit the ground running and prove he was his own man and he ripped out the heart of the club.

I wonder if SAF knew that his protégé and friend would so brazenly disregard every principle he has established at his beloved club and more than that how he felt while

he watched the kingdom built by him fall like a house of cards.

Moyes tried to fix problems that did not exist, ignored issues that have been plainly obvious and seemingly had very little respect for the amazing work done at the club in years gone past. Press leaks like SAF’s footballing operation being years behind the modern world, that our squad was simply not good enough, that the team required enormous restructuring were all made to help cover up his own limitations and capability in the job. It’s been the white elephant in the room for too long.

Simply put, Moyes was not the man for the job, and the club has suffered a heavy penalty in trying to make that decision work.

The writer is a freelance contributor

Swansea win at Old Trafford for the first time, sending United out of the FA Cup at the third-round stage for only the second time in 30 years.

Defeat in Capital One Cup semi-final first leg at Sunderland means a third straight loss for the first time since May 2001.

Stoke end their long wait for a win against United.

Charlie Adam’s double gives them their first since 1984.

Veteran Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic announces he will leave United at the end of the season.

United come from behind to lead bottom side Fulham at Old Trafford, but Darren Bent’s stoppage-time equaliser grabs a 2-2 draw. Moyes describes the result as being “as bad as it gets”.

In the Champions League last 16, United lose 2-0 at Olympiakos in Greece.

Two Steven Gerrard penalties and a Luis Suarez strike earn Liverpool a crushing 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

United lose 3-0 at home to Manchester City. The result meant United were guaranteed to end the season with their lowest points total in Premier League history.

Despite an encouraging 1-1 draw in the first leg, United go down 3-1 to title holders Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final in Munich.

Moyes’ return to Everton becomes a nightmare. He is jeered by the crowd and United lose 2-0 – a club record 11th defeat in the Premier League. United cannot now qualify for the 201415 Champions League.

Glazer family face huge criticism Former Manchester United star Gary Neville and fans on Tuesday blasted the team’s owners for the way manager David Moyes was sacked.

Neville said that Moyes should have been given more time before his ousting.

The Manchester United Supporters Trust said the manner of the sacking was a “PR shambles” because of media leaks about the sacking.

United’s American owners, the Glazer family, ousted Moyes after less than 10 months in the post, with the team slumping in the Premier League and Europe’s Champions League.

“The last 15, 16 hours or however long it’s been, I don’t like it, it’s not the way in which the club should portray itself,” Neville, who won eight Premier League titles with United, told Sky Sports.

“But it’s the modern world, it’s how things seem to be dealt with now, but I’m a traditionalist and I think it could have been dealt with a whole lot better.

“I believe in managers being given time, I think they should be allowed to

complete their work.”

But Neville added that Manchester’s results this year have been “poor”.

“As a fan I’ve not enjoyed watching it -- I’m sure David Moyes himself hasn’t enjoyed watching it.”

Neville said Manchester United players must “take massive responsibility” for the bad season.

“I never once during my 17/18-year career at United turned around after a game and thought ‘you lost us that game boss’.

“It’s always the players. Players have to take responsibility, accountability in football.”

Sean Bones, vice chairman of the Manchester United Supporters Trust, expressed outrage at the way British newspapers knew about the impending sacking on Monday, calling it a “PR shambles” for the club.

“The story leaked before David Moyes has been spoken to, and that’s not the Manchester United way. There was no dignity or class in the way they went about it.”

Former United and England striker

Michael Owen said the club may have had no choice but to act now.

“With the summer looming and a huge transfer kitty available, United had to be 100% (certain) Moyes was the right man,” Owen said on his Twitter account.

“Evidently they didn’t have the confidence in him in which case makes the timing absolutely right. Now the big question is who’s next?” he added.

Dwight Yorke who played in United’s team which won the Champions League, Premiership and FA Cup, believes interim manager Ryan Giggs could be the person to take permanent charge.

“There is never going to be someone like Sir Alex Ferguson but what we’re given here is a young manager who is looking to break in,” said Yorke.

“He’s not got the managerial skills but we thought that David Moyes had those skills going into Manchester United with the experience that he had for 11 years being at Everton and the wonderful job that he’d done.

“But he hasn’t been able to turn things over at Manchester United. l

FIVE POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS Diego Simeone (ARG) Has impressed while guiding Atletico Madrid to the Champions League semi-finals and to the top of La Liga, challenging the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona at the summit of Spanish football. The former Argentina midfielder remains best known in England for being the player David Beckham kicked to be sent off during a last 16 match at the 1998 World Cup in France; a game England eventually lost.

Louis van Gaal (NED) The Netherlands manager is one of the most experienced coaches in world GOAL.COM

football, having been in charge of a host of major clubs including Ajax, whom he guided to Champions League glory in 1995, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich. Has made no secret of his desire to work in the Premier League, but his role with the Dutch side at this year’s World Cup in Brazil could reduce the time he has to bring in new players to Old Trafford during the close-season transfer window.

Jurgen Klopp (GER) The charismatic 46-year-old has enjoyed great success while in charge of Borussia Dortmund, guiding an effervescent, hard-working team

to back-to-back German league titles in 2011 and 2012, plus last season’s Champions League final.

However, they are currently a distant second in the Bundesliga table behind already-crowned champions Bayern Munich. Has also been linked with the manager’s position at Barcelona.

Ryan Giggs (WAL) The most decorated player in English football history and United’s record appearance holder, the ageless Welsh midfielder is currently on the staff at Old Trafford as a player-coach. Whether

the 40-year-old has the experience and strength of character to be more than a stop-gap appointment is an open question, but he would certainly be a fans’ favourite.

Alex Ferguson (SCO) The former United boss, British football’s most successful manager, has insisted that there is no way he would return to the hot-seat following his retirement at the end of last season. But is the 72-year-old Scot, now a United director, really content to stay on the sidelines while his work of more than 26 years unravels in front of his eyes? May feel pricked by responsibility as Moyes was hired on his recommendation.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

QUICK BYTES DCC pioneer football Super League from next month The super league matches of the Dhaka City Corporation Pioneer Football League will get underway across three different venues in the city from May 2. A total of 20 teams split into four groups will take part in the tournament.

Each team will receive Tk15000 as participating fee while the champions and runners-up will get Tk100000 and Tk50000 respectively. The top three teams after the super league will also get promoted to third division football league. A press conference was held at the BFF House yesterday where pioneer football league committee chairman Bijan Barua, BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag, member and former football star Sheikh Mohammad Aslam and Kaiser Hamid were present to reveal the details.

–Tribune Desk

Zia shares lead after round five

Bangladesh Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman moved jointly at the top of the Open Section of the Asian Continental Chess Championships points table after beating 2621 rated GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong of Vietnam in the 5th round in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates on Monday. Zia played with black pieces used Queen’s Gambit Declined game and won after 64 moves. Zia now have four points after the end of the 5th round and shares the lead along with six other players.

Meanwhile in the women’s section, WFM Nazrana Khan Eva drew with WIM Gu Tian Lu of China. Eva earned 2 point out of 5 games.

–Tribune Desk

Army continue winning spree Bangladesh Army continued their winning spree in the Walton Premier Division Kabaddi beating Bangladesh Navy by 46-08 points with four creditable Lona’s at the Kabaddi Stadium yesterday. In the other match of the day Border Guards Bangladesh outplayed Bangladesh Police by 29-19 points with three lonas.

–Tribune Desk

Nadal makes no excuse for Monte Carlo loss

World number one Rafael Nadal on Monday refused to blame his shock defeat in the Australian Open final in January to Stanislas Wawrinka as an excuse for his loss in Monaco last week. The 27-year-old Spaniard, the top seed for this week’s Barcelona Open, lost in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters to compatriot David Ferrer. It was his earliest loss in the Principality since 2003 and came 12 months after his eight-year winning streak at the event was ended in the final by Novak Djokovic. “I cannot continue using the Australia Open final as an excuse, that is past,” said Nadal.

–AFP

Sport

Ronaldo set to return for Real’s Bayern test World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to make his comeback from injury for Real Madrid when Bayern Munich visit the Santiago Bernabeu for their Champions League semi-final, first leg on Wednesday.

Ronaldo has been sidelined for the past three weeks due to a hamstring injury and will be desperate to make up for lost time by building on his record-equalling 14 goals in the competition this season.

Real are set to be at full strength as left-back Marcelo has also overcome a hamstring problem. Gareth Bale missed training on Monday due to flulike symptoms, but the Welshman is expected to take his place alongside Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in attack.

Los Blancos will need Ronaldo and Bale firing on all cylinders if they are to overcome their historic hoodoo against Bayern in the last four of Europe’s premier club competition.

In five previous semi-finals, the Germans have come out on top four times, with a 3-2 aggregate victory in 2000 on their way to winning the competition

for an eighth time Real’s only success.

However, Madrid’s previously awful record against German opposition has been salvaged this season as they saw off Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund on their way into the last four.

Bayern boss Pep Guardiola enjoyed an impeccable record of five wins and a draw in six visits to the Santiago Bernabeu in four years in charge of Barcelona.

However, the Spaniard has accepted responsibility for his side slacking off in recent weeks and will be hoping meeting the nine-time European champions brings out the best in them, having previously described playing in Europe as “like a good meal in a nice restaurant” compared to the “everyday pizza or hamburgers” of the Bundesliga.

And captain Philipp Lahm admitted the European champions need to be at the very top of their game when they visit the Spanish capital, where they triumphed on penalties in the semi-finals two years ago.

Other than the absence of former Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara, Bayern should also be at full strength with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and David Alaba returning to the side after missing Saturday’s win at Braunschweig due to injury and illness respectively. l

Real Madrid forwards Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and Gareth Bale (C) practice during a training session on the eve of their Uefa Champions League semifinal match Real against Bayern Munich at the Valdebebas training center in Madrid yesterday AFP

Top court urges new corruption probe Farbrace resigns as Sri Lanka’s coach

The Supreme Court on Tuesday urged a tough new investigation into allegations of spot-fixing and illegal betting in the Indian Premier League cricket competition after months of controversy.

The top court said it wanted the country’s investigation agencies to team up with its own three-member panel appointed last year to probe the allegations into the popular Twenty20 competition.

The panel, led by former judge Mukal Mudgal, has already produced a damning report which lists 13 people, including Indian cricket boss N. Srinivasan, who has been forced to stand aside in the wake of the scandal.

Justice A.K. Patnaik said he wanted the new investigation to look further into

allegations contained in a sealed section of the report – which has not been made public and which deals with the 13 people.

“We want to know from the Mudgal panel if they are willing to continue investigations,” Patnaik told the court.

The court has accused Srinivasan, seen as the most powerful man in world cricket, of effectively turning a blind eye to the allegations that have embroiled the IPL since last year.

The court last month ordered Srinivasan to stand aside as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It installed batting Indian great Sunil Gavaskar, who is charged with overseeing the latest edition of the IPL. Srinivasan is still set to take over in July as head of the International Cricket Council.

The panel has been looking into allegations surrounding last year’s IPL, when former Test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth was caught delib-

erately bowling badly while playing for the Rajasthan Royals in return for thousands of dollars from bookmakers.

The panel’s report concluded that Srinivasan’s son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan -- who was the team principal of the Chennai Super Kings -- could be guilty of illegal betting on IPL games.

The Super Kings are owned by India Cements, whose managing director is Srinivasan. The team is captained by India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The court had asked the BCCI itself to investigate the panel’s report. But after hearing legal arguments on Tuesday against the BCCI’s proposed list of names to head the probe, the court asked if the Mudgal panel was willing to take over.

Meiyappan and several cricketers and bookmakers have also been the target of a separate police investigation which has resulted in charges including forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy. l

DAY’S WATCH Ten Action, Ten Sports 12:45AM Uefa Champions League, SF-Leg 1 Real Madrid v Bayern Munich Sony Six 8:00PM Indian Premier League 2014 Rajasthan v Chennai NBA Play Off 2013-14 5:30AM Atlanta v Indiana 7:30AM Washington v Chicago Star Sports 2 AFC Champions League 5:00PM Pohang Steelers v Buriram United 7:00PM New Radiant v Churchill Brothers Star Sports 4 5:30PM Barcelona Open

Sri Lanka were left searching for their seventh coach in four years after Paul Farbrace resigned on Tuesday to take up a possible assignment with England, Sri Lanka Cricket said.

Farbrace, 46, has been linked to the post of assistant coach to Peter Moores, who was named England’s chief coach last week replacing Zimbabwean Andy Flower.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have yet to confirm Farbrace’s appointment, but Sri Lankan chiefs appeared certain that the Englishman will return to his home nation.

Farbrace, the former Kent wicket-keeper, took over as Sri Lanka’s coach in January for a two-year term that was to include next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Under him, Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup one-day tournament and also grabbed the World Twenty20 title after beating India in the final in Dhaka earlier this month.

Sri Lanka will need a new coach before they head to England next month for two Tests and a limited-overs series.l

S‘maxwell’ fires again, Punjab go top

Kiwi all-rounder Ryder agrees Essex move New Zealand all-rounder Jesse Ryder has signed for Essex until the end of the season, the English county side announced on Tuesday. “I’m thrilled to have been given the opportunity to represent Essex,” Ryder, 29, said in a statement on the Essex website. “This couldn’t have come at a better time as I want to get as much cricket as possible over the New Zealand winter. It’s an added bonus that there are a few guys I have played with before, the side looks very strong, and they have got off to a good start for the season.” The move remains subject to visa approval, but New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have signed a no-objection certificate.

–AFP

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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Kings XI Punjab’s Glenn Maxwell plays a slog sweep against Sunrisers Hyderabad during their IPL 7 match at Sharjah yesterday

City close on Liverpool Manchester City narrowed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool to six points with a comfortable 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion at Eastlands on Monday.

Pablo Zabaleta, Sergio Aguero and Martin Demichelis all scored for City as three different Argentinian players netted in a Premier League match for the first time.

West Brom showed brief moments of skills and had pulled the score back to 2-1 through Graham Dorrans, but ultimately City had too much quality.

City will close further on Liverpool should they win their game in hand, although they still need the Merseyside club to drop points in their remaining three games if they are to

take the title themselves.

The hosts were also still without influential midfielder Yaya Toure, who is recovering from a groin injury, while West Brom recalled Craig Dawson and Billy Jones to their defence.

But it did not take a much more fluid City side long to assert their authority in the game and they took the lead in the third minute with a header from right-back Zabaleta.

A weak header from West Brom defender Liam Ridgewell fell to Aguero who struck a powerful first-time volley which was parried by Ben Foster, but Zabaleta anticipated the rebound to head into the vacant net.

Aguero lifted a shot over the crossbar moments later when he got on the end of a cross from Samir Nasri, but it was not long until the Argentina striker got his name on the scoresheet. l

CRICINFO

It was yet another blistering knock from Australian Glenn Maxwell that powered Kings XI Punjab to win their third consecutive match and go top in the Indian Premier League yesterday. Maxwell’s 43-ball 95 saw the Punjab post a mammoth 193 for six before Sunrisers Hyderabad crumbled to 121 runs.

The pre-match talk was all about Maxwell and he did not let down, though he missed the opportunity of a T20 100 for the third consecutive time. The right-handed, who made 89 and 95 in the previous two matches, tried to reach the milestone with a six off Amit Mishra, the most expensive of the SH bowlers, but holed out at the long-off region. He

struck nine sixes and five fours.

The Sunrisers were never in control of their big run chase and lost wickets in quick successions before getting bowled out in their second defeat in as many matches. Balaji did the most of the damage as he dismissed the dangerous Aussie duo – Finch and Warner – before claiming Sammy and Steyn to make the win easier. l

BRIEF SCORE

Kings XI Punjab 193-6 in 20 overs Maxwell 95, Pujara 35, Sehwag 30 B Kumar 3/19, A Mishra 2/56 Sunrisers Hyderabad 121 all out in 19.2 overs K Rahul 27, A Finch 19; L Balaji 4/13, M Johnson 2/26, A Patel 2/20 KXIP won by 72 runs

Satkhira register double victory Satkhira registered double wins on the opening day of the Walton Inter District Volleyball final round at the Volleyball Stadium yesterday.

In the first match of the day Satkhira beat Dinajpur by 3-0 games and carried their momentum to win the last match on the day with the same margin against Comilla. In the other matches, Narail beat Gazipur, Khulna defeated Comilla, Pabna overpowered Chittagong, Khulna outplayed Dinajpur – all wins coming in the same margin 3-0.

State minister for youth and sports Biren Sikder inaugurated the event as the chief guest. Volleyball Federation general secretary Ashikur Rahman Miku, Walton additional director AFM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn were also present on the occasion. l

An action from the match between Satkhira and Dinajpur during their Walton Inter District Volleyball tie yesterday COURTESY

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Survey: Five crore people suffering from ear-related ailments n Moniruzzaman Uzzal Almost one-third of the country’s population is suffering from some sort of ear-related ailments, a survey has found.

The “National Survey on Hearing Impairment in Bangladesh 2013” found that among those suffering with different ailments, at least 9.6% were facing disabling hearing loss and 1.2% were completely hearing-impaired.

The number of patients with ear-related ailments was more than five crore, the survey revealed, adding that the prevalence of hearing-impairment was higher among the under-15 population. More than 15% of the patients with hearing-impairment came from poorest families and 7.6% from the richest group of people.

The findings of the survey were disclosed at a programme in the capital’s Sonargaon Hotel yesterday. The survey was conducted by the ENT (ear, nose and throat) department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), with assistance from the World Health Organization and the health directorate, between January-May last year on 4,220 people at 52 upazilas of seven divisions.

The study also found that the key reasons behind the hearing-impairment were ear wax, middle ear fluid and ear infection. Other than congenital deafness, 50% of the hearing-impairment cases could be cured if properly treated, the survey found.

Meanwhile, although there was a specialised 250-bed hospital at the National Institute of ENT in the capital’s Tejgaon, it was reportedly failing to attract or ensure proper treatment for patients.

During a visit to the hospital yesterday, the Dhaka Tribune found that most doctors were sitting idly in their offices as there were only a handful of patients.

On-duty nurses said only 49 patients had sought services at the outdoor yesterday, while the number was the same on Monday.

Built at a cost of Tk62 crore, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the eight-storey facility in June last year, while 264 employees including 56 doctors were also appointed at the time.

When the hospital was inaugurated, Prof Dr Abdullah, former project director of the ENT institute, told the Dhaka Tribune that the facility would be “a unique modern hospital for the thousands of hearing-impaired patients.”

However, although ten months had passed since its inauguration, the hospital was yet to launch its indoor services or seven of its high-tech operation theatres.

Seeking anonymity, hospital sources said since its inauguration on June 19 last year to March 26; only 1,300 ENT patients had taken service from the hospital, with an average of less than five patients a day.

Asked about the low number of patients, Professor Dr Pran Gopal Datta, vice-chancellor of the BSMMU, expressed hopes that the hospital would start in full swing within the next two months.

Among others, yesterday’s programme was attended by Telecom Minister Abdul Latif Siddiki, DGHS DG Prof Din Md Nurul Hoque, BSMMU Pro-VC Prof Dr Md Shahidullah Sikder, WHO representative Dr Khaled Hasan. The keynote paper was presented by Professor Dr Kamrul Hasan Torofder. l

Indigenous farmers are seen reaping Boro paddy in Godagari Barshapara area of Rajshahi yesterday. Local farmers are now busy as the harvesting season has begun

Rajuk asked to identify unauthorised buildings n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

The parliamentary standing committee on public accounts yesterday asked Rajuk, the city development authority, to prepare within one month a list of the buildings constructed in the capital violating laws.

The 15-member public accounts committee at its first meeting also asked Rajuk to initiate departmental action against its officials who were involved in destroying the files and allowed the realtors to construct highrise buildings in prime locations in the capital.

According to a final report placed by the office of Comptroller and Auditor General at the meeting, the Rajuk officials had allowed the real estate firms

to construct high-rise buildings, giving financial benefits of over Tk143 crore between 2005-06 and 2007-08.

The public works audit done from March 2007 to October 2009 found that a realtor was allowed to construct up to a maximum of six-storey building on a plot on the western side of Siddheshwari Girls School.

But the building inspector, authorised officer of Rajuk, allowed Advanced Technology Ltd to construct 18-storey building that gave the company a bounty of around Tk90 crore.

According to the paper, Rajuk had confessed its misdeeds.

The CAG report suggested that the government form a taskforce aimed at realising compensation from all the persons involved in corruption.

Besides, the realtor should be blacklisted for constructing buildings in future.

“The committee has asked for a list of all the buildings, built in Dhaka in violation of the building construction rules 1996, within one month,” Abdus Shahid, a committee member, told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said Rajuk Chairman GM Joynal Abedin Bhuiyan sought more time for preparing such a list.

“Give us progress report within one month; then we will consider extending the deadline,” Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, the committee chairman, told the chairman.

The CAG report said Rajuk allowed Eastern Housing Company to construct 18-storey building beside the Mogh-

ILO advocating for freedom of association Union leaders complain of misbehaviour Gilbert Houngbo tells Dhaka Tribune n Shahidul Islam Chowdhury

n Tazlina Zamila Khan

International Labour Organisation encourages peaceful demonstrations of apparel workers without hurting the chain of production of a factory and the economy of the country, said Gilbert Houngbo, deputy director general of the Switzerland-based body.

“We are trying to develop mechanism for constructive dialogue among the parties concerned to protect workers’ rights,” Houngbo said in an exclusive interview with the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Houngbo, also former prime minister of Togo, added: “We are advocating for freedom of association. But freedom of association also brings responsibility.”

Leaders of newly formed trade unions complained about misbehaviour of the owners towards trade union leaders and members.

They said they had to face verbal abuse and even threats of job termination before and after the formation of the trade union.

They shared their experience in an orientation programme on Freedom of Association for the Newly Registered RMG Sector Trade Unions held in Dhaka yesterday.

The programme was organised by National Coordination Committee for Workers’ Education (NCCWE), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC).

Officials of more than 140 trade unions formed in the last 15 months received training on the activities of trade unions. They vowed to work for the workers’ interest in future.

Sirajuddin, General Secretary of the trade union under Tekno Dress Ltd Garment,said he was ousted twice from his job due to his involvement in trade union movement but “I got back my job with the help of the united federation of trade unions”.

He demanded a separate government committee to work as a go-between to help stop misbehave of owners with the trade union activists.

President of Tuba Garments trade union Aleya Akter said her union was

DT: You visited Dhaka after the collapse of Rana Plaza in 2013. You are again here after one year of the tragic incident. Have you observed any efforts made to improve working conditions for RMG workers?

Gilbert Houngbo: Changes are evident right now and efforts are on. At least 140 trade unions have been created in the sector. Another thing is that about 900 factories were inspected. The government has increased minimum wage and many factories have started implementing new wage. New labour inspectors are appointed. So, it is a good beginning. Now everybody needs to speed it up and there are challenges need to be overcome.

It is almost established that more than 1,100 workers died in the tragic April 24 incident. But there is no complete list of the deceased, identified or unidentified, and missing persons.

There are several [incomplete] lists prepared by the government, DNA laboratory authority and NGOs. Gilbert Houngbo: It is heartbreaking as a clear list is yet to be established. Yes, there was lack of institutional capacity and

bureaucratic problems. Bangladesh is not alone in this situation if you look at the issue on quality crisis management perspective.

But Bangladesh managed the crisis relatively well. I just hope that the authorities [public or private] will take lessons from the incidents they face and the mistakes they made before and after the disasters; and the workers and the factories will be benefitted from the lessons.

Do you think that the foreign buyers and brands who import apparels need to share responsibilities, financial and otherwise, to improve working conditions, safety and security of workers?

Gilbert Houngbo: Improving working conditions is a collective responsibility of the government, [local and international] partners, owners, international buyers and labour organisations. Many of them are coming up with their efforts. My call is there should be an organised approach from every authority, including the Alliance and the Accord and others. To me, we should not go backward after some improvements to labour standards.

Secondly, we also need to encourage traditional buyers, employers [factory owners]

and trade unions to have a major role to play to see this sector really well managed.

Most of the leaders of the 140 newly formed RMG trade unions hardly have any knowledge, experience and understanding of labour law and rules to face problems in future. Do you have any suggestion for them?

Gilbert Houngbo: Yes, they do not know what to do and how. But we [government, ILO, owners and national trade unions] know what we expect from them. That’s why ILO has launched programme for capacity building of the newly formed trade unions as collective bargaining agents for constructive engagement for interests of the workers and as well as for the interests of the employers and the industry.

What do you expect from the employers?

Gilbert Houngbo: They need to maintain a minimum acceptable working atmosphere and allow workers to exercise freedom of association to uphold their legal rights. We want that there will be no abuse. There should not be any retaliation against anybody for trade union activities. l

formed only two months back.“The owner didn’t allow us to form the union as they think workers will stage demonstration and never listen to them once the union is formed.”

She said: “They threaten to fire us if we protest any move of the owner that goes against the interest of the workers.”

Roy Romesh Chandra, secretary general of the IBC said: “We want trade union in every garment factory. There are around seven pending registration forms. Owners have to be helpful towards workers.”

He said: “Trade union leaders have to prove that production of a factory increases and workers remain happy in a factory having a trade union. It’s a challenge and it will depend on the future work of the unions.”

Zafrul Hasan, chairperson of the NCCWE and joint secretary of the BILS said: “Owners think trade union harms production but it is rather the opposite.”

Gilbert Houngbo, deputy director general for Field Operations and Partnerships, ILO said: “The utmost importance is worker’s interest. Every trade union leaders and workers should also think of long-term interest in order to contribute to the national economy.”

Mujibul Haque Chunnu, state minister for Labour and Employment ministry, said: “There is a lack of trust between owners and workers. But, we have to work together. Workers should remember that trade unions are not for politics.”

Mikail Shiper, secretary of the ministry said: “If the unions are handled skilfully then owners will not object.” l

3 bodies to probe recent hospital clashes n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The Health Ministry yesterday formed three committees to investigate incidents of attacks by intern doctors on journalists at Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital (SSMCH) on April 19, Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) on April 20, as well as an assault by bereaved relatives on doctors at Birdem hospital.

The committees led by three joint secretaries have been asked to submit their reports within seven working days, Health Secretary MM Niazuddin said.

Health Minister Mohammed Nasim also held a meeting with journalists at his office yesterday, with doctors’ leaders present.

The journalists who had their cameras broken in the attack at the SSMCH

DHAKA TRIBUNE

would be compensated and the injured would also be taken care of, he said.

The meeting decided on opening an information cell at each public hospital and appointing an information officer to brief the media on any incident to shun such unpleasant incidents.

Earlier, the minister said: “Those who take up sticks in hands cannot be doctors. They are mastans [goons].”l

Garment workers listen to a speech of an ILO official at an orientation programme on “Freedom of Association for the Newly Registered RMG Sector Trade Unions” in the capital yesterday RAJIB DHAR

bazar Kazi office. This law violation helped them earn over Tk29.37 crore.

In Purana Paltan area, Rajuk allowed a company to construct 18-storey building. The company made a profit of around Tk24 crore.

Abdus Shahid, the former chief whip, then raised the question what would happen to the buildings constructed in violation of the rules.

The chairman told the meeting that the committee had no mandate for recommending demolition of these buildings.

Committee members Mohammad Amanullah, AFM Ruhal Haque, Afsarul Amin, Begum Rebecca Momin, Md Shamsul Haque Tuku, Md Rustom Ali Farazi and Begum Wasika Ayesha Khan attended the meeting. l

Giant mealybug attack spreads to adjacent areas n Tribune Report The infestation of a foreign pest, known as the Giant Mealybug, held responsible for a recent temporary halt in academic activities at the College of Home Economics campus, has spread to different parts of the capital within a short period.

Colonies of the white foreign unarmored scale insect had been seen developing on several trees on the Dhaka University campus, Government Laboratory School, Eden College and Azimpur Staff quarters.

The foreign insects are mostly seen in the trees of DU’s Institute of Education and Research (IER) areas, Molchattar, Muhsin hall and Government Laboratory school premises.

While visited the affected spots, it was found that many of the trees in the campus were suffering from the mealybug infestation.

These insects can cause skin rash and itching to children studying in our school. Steps to eradicate the infestation have become an urgent issue,” a teacher of Government Laboratory School said while talking to the Dhaka Tribune.

When asked, DU Assistant Proctor Robiul Islam said: “The university authority will talk with the respective experts on stopping the infestation and reproduction of the insect in the campus.”

He, however, mentioned that the Dhaka City Corporation Authority had been asked to spray water on affected trees as per a directive of the Education Minster.

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Plant Protection Wing of Department of Agricultural Extension formed two separate committees with specialist and entomologist to find a solution on the infestations.

Plant Protection Wing Director ABM Abduz Zaher told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are aware of the issue and the agricultural ministry had formed a committee with three entomologists who have already begun their work at the Home Economics College.

“We also formed a 5 member committee,” he added.

“If anyone from any affected area contacts us, we will go there and will take initiatives.”

Earlier on Sunday, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid urged everyone not to panic over the infestation but to be aware of it. l

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Bangladesh hardly benefited from duty-free Government borrowing from Indian market, trade experts say BB becomes zero The condition yet to have positive impact on private investment, triggering concerns prints necessary amount of money n Asif Showkat Kallol and the same situation had prevailed The government’s borrowing from Bangladesh Bank has come down to zero at the end of March this year, reflecting strong and sound financial stability in the country.

However, officials said, the government is still worried over the lack of investment in the private sector, which might jeopardise the comfortable financial situation.

As the government has paid back the loan to the central bank, BB’s accounts of Over Draft Current (ODC) and Ways and Means Advance (WMA) came down to zero, said an official of the finance division yesterday.

He, however, feared the country’s economy might face a challenge in the near future unless the government enhances expenditure, increases the private sector credit and attracts more foreign direct investment.

The country‘s growth rate is hitting hard because of the sluggish private sector investment, the official further added.

The government normally borrows a significant amount of money from the central bank under its ODC and WMA programme to finance the budget deficit.

According to finance ministry sources, the matter was discussed at a recent fiscal coordination council meeting when the finance minister asked the ministries to vibrate private sector through ensuring more facilities and infrastructures for attracting more the private investment.

WMA and ODC accounts zero means there has been no inflationary pressure in the market because central bank

in 2010, according to the cash and debt management of finance division.

The government’s borrowing through ODC stood at Tk7,000 crore and WMA Tk2,500 crore at the end of January 2014 against TK7,205 crore in June 2013. At the end of March this year, ODC and WMA of Bangladesh Bank came down to zero level while the central bank’s ODC surplus is Tk3,500 crore, according to the central bank data.

Cash and debt management wing of the finance ministry now plans to give long-term dues especially big amount of bonds payment within short time, said a source in the finance ministry.

The cash and debt management wing has already put a cap on the government's borrowing from the BB through ODC limiting it to Tk4,000 crore. An ODC limit has been imposed from April 1.

The BB data showed that the credit growth in the private sector declined to 10.73% in February from 13.96% in the corresponding month of previous year.

The official said due to the fall in private sector credit growth, the banks were investing significant amount of fund in the government securities with a lower interest rate of 7% to 12.16% Besides, the private sector credit growth remained stagnant at 11.1 % during the months of September, October and November in 2013 against the target of 15.5 %. As per the finance division data, bank borrowing stood at Tk8,730 crore at the end of December 2013, compared to Tk7, 213 crore in the same month a year before.  PAGE B3 COLUMN 1

CPD chairperson Prof Rehman Sobhan delivering speech at a dialogue on 'Utilising Indian Market Access Offer Through Promotion of Trade Facilitation' in Dhaka yesterday

n Tribune Report Bangladesh has failed to take advantage of the duty-free access to Indian market due to reasons, including lack of leadership, coordination, infrastructure bottlenecks and cumbersome export procedure, trade analysts said yesterday.

To enhance exports to the market, Bangladesh needs to diversify its export basket, they said.

They came up with the observation at a dialogue titled “Utilising Indian Market Access Offer Through Promotion of Trade Facilitation,” organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in Dhaka yesterday, presided over by CPD Chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan. India allowed all but 25 Bangladeshi products duty-free in their market in 2011.

CPD Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya said though volume

of trade between the two countries increased over the years, proportionately it declined.

He said infrastructure, lack of port facilities, non-tariff barriers and difficult export procedure are the bottlenecks for increasing trade between the two countries. “But the bottom line is that lack of leadership, initiative and coordination are the stumbling block to boost export to India,” he said.

He said India’s credit was used only to buy truck instead of developing infrastructure, which lacks aims.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said to facilitate trade, Bangladesh is negotiating with India to open deputy high commission in Gauhati.

“There is a multi-tier mechanism between Bangladesh and India for enhancement of bilateral trade. The engagement is also intense.”

A very positive development has been there for operationalsing the standard operating procedure signed between the two sides in August 2010, allowing trucks carrying bilateral cargo to cross up to 200 metres beyond the zero line.

As regards port restriction, Indian side maintains that their port restrictions affect very few Bangladesh items.

Abdul Matlub Ahmad, former president of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the major problem is lack of exportable products.

“We need exportable products having quality and competitive price.”

“We invite Indian companies with reputed brand to invest and export back to India, which help reduce the trade gap. We also need to assure industrial plots, gas and electricity to the Indian entrepreneurs.”

Farooq Sobhan, President of Ban-

gladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) said: “We need to produce new products targeting India.”

Direct flight between Dhaka and Gauhati, trade office, deputy high commission are needed to boost trade, as Bangladeshi products have huge demand in the North-East region of India, he said.

Former commerce secretary Suhel Ahmed Chowdhury said one country is operating two system – one for the North-East region and another for other parts of India.

He said one importer has to go to Kolkata to open LC, which is one of the bottlenecks for increasing export to India.

Former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Abdul Awal Mintoo said: “We have still to go a long way. We don’t have enough exportable products, causing yawning trade gap between the two nations.”

He said though infrastructure and non-tariff barriers are the barriers to boost trade, there is also political problem.

CPD Executive Director Professor Mustafizur Rahman in his study report identified four bottlenecks against export increase to India are infrastructure-related bottlenecks, inadequate customs and port facilities, non-tariff barriers and cumbersome export procedures and documentation.

He said Bangladesh’s export to India was only 0.13% of India’s global import while India accounted for 16% of Bangladesh’s total global import.

An interesting feature of Bangladesh’s export to India is that whilst the ratio of Bangladesh’s global export of RMG and non-RMG items was 80:20, in case of India this was the opposite at about 30:70.

This alludes to the potential for Bangladesh’s export diversification in the Indian market, using duty-free access to India.

North-East region of India remain a market with a significant export potential for Bangladesh because of its close proximity to Bangladesh and the high cost of trade transaction with the rest of India. l

Tk1,863cr telecom network project okayed n Tribune Report

REHAB seeks continuation of black money whitening facility n Tribune Report Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) has requested the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to continue the scope for whitening black money in housing sector for the next 5 years.

The leaders of the association came up with the demand while attending a pre-budget discussion with NBR officials held at its headquarters in the capital with NBR chairman Md. Ghulam Hussain in the chair.

The meeting was attended, among others, by NBR members Farid Uddin, Syed Aminul Karim and Jahangir Hossain.

The NBR should continue the facility to boost the sales of apartments as people could not invest their undisclosed money in the previous year due to political turmoil situation, which lasted till January 5 polls, said REHAB vice-president Liakat Ali Bhuiyan.

The association also proposed the NBR to reduce the income tax on transfer of per square metre residential lands, buildings and apartments to Tk1,000, Tk800 and Tk500 respectively from existing Tk1,600, Tk1,500 and Tk600 for the areas divided in three different categories.

The REHAB also proposed to reduce tax on transfer of commercial lands, buildings and apartments to Tk5,000, Tk.3,000 and Tk1,000 respectively from existing Tk6,5000, Tk5,000 and Tk1,600 for the three different categories.

The other demands include reduction of gain tax, stamp duty, registration fee and value-added tax in registration of plots and flats to 6.5% from the existing 11.50%.

REHAB also recommended that the government should introduce secondary market for trading flats and plots at a lower tax.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Land Developers Association echoed with the proposals made by the REHAB at the same meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Bangladesh Auto Re-Rolling and Steel Mills Association urged the NBR to increase customs duty on import of MS Billet to Tk5,500 per tonnes from the existing Tk3,500 tonnes and reducing duties on the import of raw materials used in re-rolling and steel mills in a bid to protect local industry.

Steel Building Manufacturers Association of Bangladesh sought reduction of duty on import of colour sheet used in pre-fabricated building industry.

Bangladesh Cement Manufacturers Association (BCMA) sought reduction of duty in import of raw materials including clinker and fly ash for the sector.

In reply NBR chairman Ghulam Hussain said: NBR has been largely deprived from collecting a huge amount of taxes just from the land purchase because of the malpractice for undervaluation of the real prices of lands and apartments during the registration process.

Citing an example, he said 1-katha land in Gulshan and Banani is now being sold at Tk10 crore but the price of the land is being shown only Tk52 lakh at the time of registration.

“The NBR was supposed to get Tk1crore as tax if the transaction could be made in actual price but it got only Tk 5.2 lakh because of undervaluation.’’

NBR chief further explained that during the last year, the revenue board provided huge tax break to this sector, which is against the spirit of the government’s tax policy, just considering the consumers’ interest but it could not yield any result as the price of land remained higher and continue to be increased further. l

BFFA for not awarding licenses to foreign companies n Tribune Report Bangladesh Freight Forward Association (BFFA) has requested the National Board of Revenue (NBR) not to approve any license for the foreign companies to do businesses in Bangladesh.

The country’s freight forwarding agents viewed that the government should not approve any license for any foreign company for the sake of supporting and protecting the businesses of the local companies.

The leaders of the BFFA came up with the plea at a pre-budget discussion with the NBR officials held at its headquarters in the capital yesterday with NBR member Farid Uddin in the chair.

“The government may approve license for the foreign companies only if they agreed to meet a condition that 49% investment would come from them while rest of the 51% would be from the local companies,” opined the BFFA representatives.

They also demanded for fixing the license time-limit for the C&F agents, stakeholders, and shipping agents for four years as the stakeholders in this sector can now work only for two years after obtaining a license.

As the C&F agents and shipping agents are to pay value added tax (VATs) at the customs stations, they often face hassles to deal with it.

That’s why the leaders of the BFFA also requested the NBR to allow them for paying VATs at the central offices.

The other demand from the association includes cancellation of license of those companies without membership of BFFA. In response, NBR member Farid Uddin said: Business personnel always ask for the reduction of taxes, but they do not have any headache as to how the government will fulfill its revenue target. l

The government yesterday approved a project of Tk1,863.15 crore to expand the country’s fixed-line tele-density and related telecom facilities across the country through reaching ICT services at a reliable and affordable price.

It would facilitate Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) to provide digital services completely. The project is to establish next generation network (NGN) for “Digital Bangladesh” through replacing the low-capacity existing transmission equipments at the exchanges BTCL. This is to facilitate providing broadband internet services across the country with modern internet and multimedia-based transmission equipments.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the project at its meeting at the NEC conference room, with ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry will implement the project.

The NGN project as well as four other development projects were approved involving a total expenditure of Tk2,072.53 crore, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told a press briefing after the meeting.

Of the total project cost, Tk619.32 crore will come from the government exchequer and the remaining Tk1,453.21 crore as project assistance.

Meeting sources said China would come up with a credit of Tk1,453.21 crore for the NGN project, which will be completed by June 2017.

Mustafa Kamal said the Chinese credit would have 1.50% interest with a 20-year repayment period.

Under the project, the low-capacity old copper-based cable will be replaced with high-powered optical fiber cable.

Planning ministry sources said, with the implementation of the project, internet connections would be available

up to village level while all the government institutions would be connected through creating network at national level alongside creating scope for internet telephone and video conferencing.

Besides, it would be possible to provide internet connections at all primary and secondary schools, and vocational training institutes at an affordable price. One internet protocol multimedia subsystem (ISS) platform would be set up in the capital with capacity of providing some 700,000 connections apart from another same-capacity ISS platform in Chittagong.

“This project will give the BTCL a lifeline for re-strengthening it,” Md Abubakar Sdddique, Secretary of Posts & Telecommunications division, also the Chairman of the BTCL board told the Dhaka Tribune.

The project would ensure voice call alongside sharing of videos. As a result, some 10 lakh land phone users would be able to use internet services without taking new connections. l

ICC holds workshop for bankers in KL n Tribune Report International Chamber of Commerce, Bangladesh (ICC,B) and ICC Malaysia are jointly organising a three-day workshop on Rules and Tools for International Trade Finance for the bankers of the two countries in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur from today.

A total 90 bankers from 19 Banks including Bangladesh Bank, 18 commercial banks and Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) will attend the workshop while some 50 other bankers from Malaysian banks will also be participating the same workshop, according to a press release yesterday.

The Bangladeshi Bankers will visit Maybank today and have interaction with senior officials of Bank Negara Malaysia and Maybank.

This is for the first time that ICC Bangladesh is organising such a workshop outside the country.

Vincent O’Brien, who

is a highly experienced practitioner of International Trade Finance a long-standing member of the ICC Banking Commission from Ireland, will be conducting the workshop. ICC Bangladesh Secretary General Ataur Rahman is leading the team along with Deputy General Manager Ajay B. Saha.

The main objective of the workshop is to allow the Bangladeshi bankers to interact with their counterparts in Malaysia and also learn more about the latest rules and tools of international trade finance, understand internation-

al trade finance scenario based on real life cases and guide them to undertake secure and successful international trade and finance as well as to avoid risks in cross-border transactions.

The workshop will also help the bankers in understanding the new provisions and how the changes impact users with the confidence and legal certainty to trade in unfamiliar markets and save both time and money as well as how to achieve maximum practical benefit in everyday Documentary Credit Operations and Risk Management. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

resilience in early trading, it said.

IDLC Investments said: “Natural correction in large caps counter-balanced in day’s upswing in remaining caps and forced the market to end flat.”

Meanwhile, investors’ focus continued changing across sectors and scrips level, it said. They are focusing on micro caps, lately as those scrips remained dormant for last couple of months, it said.

It said triggered by this, textile sector soared 2%. Sequentially, investor search for lucrative price prompted session-long volatility with 63 out of 290 traded scrips posting more than 3% change, it added.

Gainers took a strong lead over the losers as out of 290 issues traded, 190 advanced, 66 declined and 34 issues closed unchanged on the DSE floor. After previous day’s remarkable gain, banks closed flat losing 0.07%. Among the large cap sectors, non-banking financial institutions posted highest gain of 1.4%, followed by food and allied, fuel and power. Telecommunications also lost 0.4% and pharmaceuticals 0.25%.

Blue chip stocks captured 9 out of 10 spots in day’s most traded chart with Lafarge Surma Cement became the top turnover leaders with shares worth Tk26 crore changing hands, followed by Olympic Industries, Meghna petroleum, Heidelberg Cement and Square Pharma. l

Stocks edged higher for the fourth consecutive session yesterday amid volatile trade and sluggish turnover, as investors went for quick profit taking advantage of shortened settlement period.

The benchmark index DSEX soared 11 points or 0.3% to 4,660, which is one and half month high.

The blue chips DS30 gained 4 points or 0.3% to 1,704. However, the Shariah index, DSES, was slightly down 1 points or 0.2% to close at 1,029.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also edged marginally higher with its Selective Categories Index, CSCX, gained 37 points to 8,979.

The total turnover on DSE, however, dipped below Tk400 crore and stood at Tk391 crore, registering a fall of more than 15% over the previous session.

“Market has positioned on the comfortable pitch after the technical breakout in index as recent rally is supported by the large and midcap stocks of bank, textile and oil stocks,” said Lanka Bangla Securities in its daily market analysis.

It said current price multiple of banking stocks has attracted the investors and they found it good time to make an entry. Though banking sector ended flat Tuesday due to profit taking attempt in the last hour, banking stocks showed handful of

Company

Turnover (Million Taka)

3,913.21

Turnover (Volume)

91,664,648

Number of Contract

90,917

Traded Issues

291

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

165

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

121

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,356.11

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.56

Turnover (Million Taka)

262.76

Turnover (Volume)

7,473,992

Number of Contract

11,390

DSE Broad Index :

4659.99432

(+) 0.24%

▲

Traded Issues

222

DSE Shariah Index :

1029.48528

(-) 0.15%

▼

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

127

DSE - 30 Index :

1704.06926

(+) 0.23%

▲

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

90

CSE All Share Index:

14379.7697

(+) 0.26%

▲

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

4

CSE - 30 Index :

12084.0375

(+) 0.36%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,256.78

8979.1491

(+) 0.42%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.35

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

Savar Refractories-Z AFC AgroBiotech-N Libra Infusions-A Reckitt Benckiser -A Fareast Finance-N LafargeS Cement-Z AB Bank - A Trust Bank 1st MF-A

-6.53 -6.27 -5.83 -3.96 -3.88 -3.87 -2.60 -2.56

Average (% change) -9.27 -4.53 -5.82 -3.39 -1.40 -5.91 -0.03 -0.77

Apex Footwear-A Reliance Insur -A

-2.53 -2.47

-2.06 -2.39

Company

Closing (% change)

CSE LOSERS

GreenDeltaInsu -A Fareast Finance-N ICB -A Kay & Que (BD) -Z Sandhani Life -A AFC AgroBiotech-N DESCO Ltd. -A In Tech Online -A

-7.06 -5.30 -5.29 -5.03 -4.88 -4.78 -4.19 -4.03

Average (% change) -7.08 -3.07 -5.29 -4.49 -4.84 -4.50 -2.39 -2.83

LafargeS Cement-Z Social Islami. B-A

-3.87 -3.40

-6.00 -2.07

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 727.69 307.13 80.80 270.04 309.22 505.68 2.19 365.60 345.72 1.25 24.50 65.87 16.15 475.34 31.00 43.66 66.34 169.70 29.53 75.68 0.12

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

54.44 49.70 460.30 1170.29 12.68 66.55 30.48 7.70

54.40 49.30 460.30 1158.80 12.40 67.10 30.00 7.60

58.80 51.00 460.30 1196.00 13.50 69.90 31.10 7.80

53.10 49.00 460.30 1135.10 12.30 65.00 27.80 7.10

0.049 15.557 0.092 2.048 6.194 260.293 96.929 3.916

0.60 1.54 3.04 41.12 -0.97 2.19 2.06 0.42

90.7 32.3 151.4 28.5 -ve 30.4 14.8 18.3

450.80 63.41

446.90 63.30

463.80 64.80

444.90 62.00

19.745 0.225

23.61 4.63

19.1 13.7

Turnover in million

Latest EPS

Closing

84.25 12.61 1,790.00 17.00 85.70 49.64 64.05 14.43

84.30 12.50 1,790.00 17.00 85.70 49.80 64.10 14.30

84.50 13.20 1,790.00 17.00 85.70 50.50 65.50 14.50

84.00 12.40 1,790.00 17.00 85.70 48.90 61.50 14.30

0.017 2.522 0.269 0.009 0.004 3.624 0.192 0.022

3.21 -0.97 40.46 -0.89 2.39 1.54 1.12 0.04

26.2 -ve 44.2 -ve 35.9 32.2 57.2 360.8

66.73 14.22

67.10 14.20

70.00 14.40

65.00 13.30

13.547 0.841

2.19 1.78

30.5 8.0

Daily high

Daily low

Natural correction in large caps counter-balanced in day’s upswing in remaining caps and forced the market to end flat

CSE GAINERS Company Union Capital -A Metro Spinning -A National Housing Fin.-B First Lease- A Paramount Insur-A Peoples Insur -A Argon Denims Limited-A Maksons Spinning-A MJL BD Ltd.-A Reckitt Benckiser -A

% change 18.60 7.85 2.06 6.90 7.90 12.92 0.06 9.34 8.83 0.03 0.63 1.68 0.41 12.15 0.79 1.12 1.70 4.34 0.75 1.93 0.00

Million Taka 57.55 19.81 3.27 15.70 12.67 32.77 37.79 16.93 8.25 0.93 11.93 1.00 24.65 3.28 3.12 4.87 12.60 6.56 13.52 0.02

% change 20.04 6.90 1.14 5.47 4.41 11.41 0.00 13.16 5.89 2.87 0.32 4.15 0.35 8.58 1.14 1.09 1.70 4.39 2.28 4.71 0.01

Million Taka 785.24 326.94 84.08 285.74 321.90 538.45 2.19 403.39 362.65 9.50 25.43 77.80 17.14 499.99 34.28 46.79 71.21 182.31 36.09 89.19 0.14

Total

Closing (% change) 8.03 7.23 6.99 6.98 6.86 6.25 6.11 6.00 5.79 5.65

Average (% change) 5.33 6.30 4.40 3.89 4.80 4.49 4.98 5.89 4.44 5.02

NHFIL: The Board of Directors has recommended 12.50% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 28.05.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Lakeshore Hotel, Road#41, House#46, Gulshan-2, Dhaka. Record Date: 04.05.2014. The Company has also reported net profit of Tk. 167.47 million, EPS of Tk. 1.57, NAV per share of Tk. 13.40 and NOCFPS of Tk. 2.72 for the year ended on December 31, 2013 as against Tk. 41.44 million, Tk. 0.39 (restated), Tk. 13.34 (restated) and Tk. 4.98 (restated) respectively for the year ended on December 31, 2012.

AFCAGRO: The Board of Directors has recommended 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 12.06.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Institution of Diploma Engineers, Kakrail, Dhaka.

Record Date: 08.05.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 2.03 (including Tk. 0.33 interest from Income IPO amount), Post IPO EPS of Tk. 1.54, NAV per share of Tk. 12.34 and NOCFPS of Tk. 0.18 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

BoardMeeting: FEDERALINS on April 27, 2014 at 3:15 PM. SQUARETEXT on April 27, 2014 at 3:30 PM. SONARBAINS on April 28, 2014 at 3:00 PM. PEOPLESINS on April 27,

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z Olympic Ind. -A Meghna Petroleum -A HeidelbergCement -A Square Pharma -A UCBL - A Grameenphone-A

CSE

6.85 6.59 6.07 6.00 5.96 5.58 5.36 5.28 5.15 5.09

Average (% change) 2.75 6.71 3.59 4.71 5.09 4.39 3.32 4.80 4.47 4.17

Closing average 56.08 9.70 22.23 15.78 15.70 54.24 23.05 25.53 38.55 75.65

Closing average 26.27 17.38 30.13 22.42 21.38 28.38 56.95 15.65 75.26 1290.00

Closing 57.70 9.70 22.70 15.90 16.00 54.90 23.60 25.90 38.80 76.40

Closing 26.90 17.80 30.60 23.00 21.80 28.90 57.30 15.90 76.80 1290.00

Daily high 58.70 9.70 23.10 16.30 16.50 55.60 23.90 26.20 40.00 77.50

Daily high 27.00 17.80 30.60 23.00 21.80 29.00 58.00 16.10 77.90 1290.00

Daily low 52.00 9.70 20.00 14.00 13.60 53.30 22.30 23.80 33.30 66.00

Daily low 25.10 16.90 29.80 21.80 21.00 27.90 56.00 15.20 73.50 1290.00

Turnover in million 23.999 0.005 15.769 1.915 46.581 9.817 1.072 0.481 1.373 25.021

Turnover in million 1.022 0.330 0.271 0.561 0.043 0.054 0.456 3.090 4.336 0.129

Latest EPS 2.74 0.54 1.20 -0.69 0.64 2.56 1.85 1.73 1.82 2.93

Latest EPS 1.17 0.88 1.57 1.20 1.51 2.20 2.74 0.64 2.93 41.12

Latest PE 20.5 18.0 18.5 -ve 24.5 21.2 12.5 14.8 21.2 25.8

Latest PE 22.5 19.8 19.2 18.7 14.2 12.9 20.8 24.5 25.7 31.4

2014 at 3:00 PM. PARAMOUNT on April 28, 2014 at 4:00 PM. BDWELDING on April 27, 2014 at 4:30 PM. KARNAPHULI on April 28, 2014 at 4:00 PM. GQBALLPEN on April 24, 2014 at 3:30 PM. PRIMEFIN: The Company has informed that it has transferred the cash dividend for the year 2013 to the respective shareholders bank account (except NRB, Merchant Banks etc.) through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN) System.

NRB, Merchant Banks and the shareholders whose dividend could not possible to send through BEFTN due to inadequate information, are requested to collect dividend cheques from the Head Office of the Company at 63, Dilkusha (3rd Floor), C/A, Dhaka-1000 from April 22, 2014 to April 24, 2014 during office hours.

FAREASTLIF: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has decided to form a subsidiary Company named Fareast Islami Properties Ltd. The details are as follows: Authorized Capital: Tk. 50.00 crore; Paid up Capital: Tk. 10.00 crore; Per Share Value: Tk. 10.00 each; Capital of Fareast Islami Life Insurance Co. Ltd.: 51% (i.e. Tk. 5.10 crore) and Capital of other

Sponsors: 49% (i.e. Tk. 4.90 crore).

BATASHOE: The Company has informed that Mr. Rajeev Gopalakrishnan has been appointed as Chairman & Director and Mr. Chitpan Kanhasiri as Vice Chairman & Managing Director of the Company with effect from April 01, 2014.

AMBEEPHA: The Company has informed that the Head Office of the Company has been shifted to its new location at 184/1, Tejgaon Industrial Area Tejgaon, Dhaka-1208.

MTB: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on April 20, 2014.

LINDEBD: The Company has further informed that the AGM of the Company will be held on May 08, 2014 at 10:30 AM at Officers Club, 26 Baily Road, Ramna, Dhaka-1000. Other information of the AGM as announced earlier.

PRAGATIINS: The Company has further informed that due to unavoidable circumstances the date of the 28th AGM of the Company has been shifted to May 18, 2014 from May 15, 2014. Other information of the AGM will remain unchanged.

Latest PE

Closing average

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Argon Denims Limited-A BD Fixed Income MF-A First Lease- A Sonargaon Tex -A Maksons Spinning-A AramitCementA SonarBangla Insu. -A City G Insu.-A Northern G Insur-A MJL BD Ltd.-A

Closing (% change)

News, analysis and recent disclosers

CSE key features April 22, 2014

Daily capital market highlights

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features April 22, 2014

Stocks edge higher with volatility n Tribune Report

Stock

% change 18.69 7.78 2.00 6.80 7.66 12.82 0.05 9.60 8.63 0.23 0.61 1.85 0.41 11.90 0.82 1.11 1.70 4.34 0.86 2.12 0.00

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

Padma Oil Co. -A Square Textile -A LankaBangla Fin. -A

AB Bank - A Southeast Bank-A Jamuna Oil -A National Tubes -A Matin Spinning-N

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company UCBL - A

Matin Spinning-N LafargeS Cement-Z BSC-A Meghna Petroleum -A Southeast Bank-A Padma Oil Co. -A LankaBangla Fin. -A Grameenphone-A HeidelbergCement -A UNITED AIR-A AB Bank - A BD Submarine Cable-A Emerald Oil Ind. -N Square Pharma -A

Volume shares 3,911,000 967,244 621,292 255,300 504,494 5,034,787 500,684 358,587 916,944 1,724,464

3,180,356 4,325,902 331,139 340,748 1,257,200

Volume shares

556,504 336,400 203,000 15,620 29,530 399,690 22,452 132,225 27,800 11,120 429,170 185,898 27,400 21,500 17,431

Value in million 260.29 228.63 192.32 146.40 140.97 136.17 126.04 124.36 103.87 97.81

96.93 91.68 77.15 58.20 51.08

Value in million

15.01 13.67 13.55 9.32 9.15 8.45 7.80 7.50 6.99 6.43 5.68 5.67 5.61 5.09 4.86

% of total turnover 6.65 5.84 4.91 3.74 3.60 3.48 3.22 3.18 2.65 2.50

2.48 2.34 1.97 1.49 1.31

% of total turnover

5.80 5.29 5.24 3.60 3.54 3.27 3.01 2.90 2.70 2.49 2.19 2.19 2.17 1.97 1.88

Daily closing 67.10 238.80 308.70 567.90 279.80 27.00 251.60 346.20 114.50 57.20

30.00 21.10 232.20 171.00 40.90

Daily closing

26.90 40.90 67.10 598.00 309.10 21.00 346.50 56.90 250.80 570.00 13.20 30.10 204.90 46.60 279.50

Price change -3.87 2.58 -0.03 0.67 -0.71 0.75 -0.44 -0.32 4.09 4.19

Daily opening 69.80 232.80 308.80 564.10 281.80 26.80 252.70 347.30 110.00 54.90

Daily high 69.90 241.00 312.40 584.00 282.30 29.00 256.00 351.80 115.00 58.50

Daily low 65.00 215.00 282.00 565.30 260.10 25.00 235.00 325.00 102.00 49.70

Daily average 66.55 236.37 309.55 573.43 279.42 27.05 251.73 346.81 113.28 56.72

Price change

Daily opening

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

-2.60 -1.40 -0.30 3.14 4.87

0.75 5.14 -3.87 0.34 -0.03 -1.87 -0.35 3.08 -0.32 1.42 -0.75 -1.95 0.15 -79.99 -0.32

30.80 21.40 232.90 165.80 39.00

26.70 38.90 69.80 596.00 309.20 21.40 347.70 55.20 251.60 562.00 13.30 30.70 204.60 232.90 280.40

31.10 22.50 235.50 173.80 41.50

27.60 41.40 70.00 603.00 311.50 21.60 352.00 57.30 255.00 589.00 13.40 31.20 206.60 47.70 282.00

27.80 19.30 216.00 161.90 39.00

24.10 38.30 65.00 591.00 308.00 20.20 345.10 53.00 249.00 567.00 13.10 29.80 204.00 45.50 278.00

30.48 21.19 232.97 170.80 40.63

26.96 40.64 66.73 596.87 309.84 21.14 347.30 56.71 251.42 578.45 13.22 30.50 204.90 236.63 279.08

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

US business lobby says market access concerns in China growing n Reuters, Beijing

Multinational firms are planning to invest less in China because of market access barriers and slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy, a US business lobby said on Tuesday.

China's economy expanded 7.4% year-on-year in the January-March quarter, its slowest pace in 18 months.

Concerns over market access and slower growth are greater this year than they were in the past, the American Chamber of Commerce in China said in its annual report on the business climate in China.

"We refer to market access barriers as one of the primary reasons for lowered investment," Chamber Chairman Greg Gilligan told reporters at a briefing on the report.

"With slower growth, our member companies do not reflect less need for investment, but perhaps less need for investment based on the old economic model that was more reliant on exports and infrastructure spending," Gilligan said.

At a plenum meeting of the Communist Party last November, China announced ambitious reforms that signaled the shift of China's economy from infrastructure- and export-fuelled growth towards a slower, more balanced and sustained expansion.

The annual report, which the Chamber uses to lobby both the Chinese and U.S. governments, placed industrial policies that support Chinese state-

Businessmen walk on the Bund near the Huangpu River in front of the financial district of Pudong in Shanghai owned enterprises atop the list of complaints.

"State-owned enterprises have increased their control over certain sectors of the economy in recent years,

Dollar steady in Asia n AFP, Tokyo The dollar held steady in Asia yesterday ahead of US housing data, while the yen was under pressure after a record Japanese trade deficit boosted speculation of more central bank monetary easing.

In Tokyo afternoon trade, the greenback fetched 102.64 yen, slightly up from 102.62 yen in New York on Monday.

The euro bought 141.59 yen against 141.58 yen while it was also nearly unchanged at $1.3795 from $1.3794 in US trading.

"The dollar remains firm, especially against the yen after Japanese trade number disappointed," Credit Agricole said.

"The week ahead will likely be relatively quiet given a lack of key focus,

and as geo-political issues in Ukraine continue to cast a shadow on sentiment."

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday urged Russia to take "concrete steps" to implement an agreement on defusing the crisis in Ukraine.

The accord, struck last week in Geneva, was meant to lower the heat on the worst confrontation between Washington and Moscow since the Cold War, but each side has accused the other of violating it.

The yen has been under pressure since Monday when Japan said that its trade deficit surged to $14 billion in March, with a weak currency compounding surging imports as consumers rushed to buy ahead of a sales tax rise on April 1. l

Government borrowing  PAGE B1 COLUMN 1

Finance ministry officials had tried to convince a visiting IMF review mission last week that the government would reduce the bank borrowing target to Tk24,000 crore from the Tk25,993 crore while finance division showed that the bank borrowing was Tk5000 crore at the end of March during the visit of IMF Extended Credit Facility mission, according to finance ministry official.

Disbursement of money for Annual Development Program is 47 % at the end of March in 2014, which was over 50% same period last year, according planning ministry data.

Professor Shamsul Alam, a member

of general economic division of the planning ministry, said the government spending would not be increased unless the capacities of the ministries and divisions are enhanced for implementing the development projects.

He also said the government was trying to boost private sector investment by constructing more infrastructure across the country.

President of Bangladesh Exporter’s Association Abdus Salam Murshedy said the private sector would be definitely vibrant if the government can create the environment. He said the idle money of banking sector now stood at around Tk100,000 crore at the end of March. l

Akij Ceramics Ltd, a company owned by Akij Group, opened an exclusive display centre, named Experience on Monday at Shahajalal Upashahar in Sylhet. Sheikh Nasir Uddin, the group’s chair, inaugurated the centre

Ishtiaque Ahmed Chowdhury, managing director and CEO of Trust Bank Limited inaugurated commercial operation of 100% export oriented food processing concern “Taiwan Food & Processing Industries Limited” at Valuka in Mymenshingh on Monday

and government support for SOEs was overwhelmingly citied by AmCham China member companies as the most negative industrial policy, being chosen more frequently than all the other

REUTERS

options combined," the Chamber said in the report.

The United States has a massive trade deficit with China, which maintains a tight grip on state-owned businesses.

The report also said that 40% of the lobby's member firms felt they were targeted by Chinese media, increasing perceptions that foreign investment is becoming less welcome.

Other concerns included fear of retribution if companies defend their interests through the Chinese legal system, and the report noted moderate or low progress on a host of perennial issues, from government procurement to intellectual property rights protection.

Despite the deep-seeded worries over market access, the Chamber was optimistic about renewed negotiations on a US-China bilateral investment treaty.

The world's two biggest economies agreed in July to restart stalled talks on the investment treaty. Previously, Beijing had agreed to negotiations only if certain Chinese industries, especially in its service sector, were exempt.

Tim Stratford, a co-chair on the Chamber's legal committee and a former U.S. trade negotiator, said the Chinese government's commitment to return to talks reflected "a lot of study."

"It was not a casual undertaking on their part. Given all the work that has gone into these negotiations already and given the momentum behind them ... we are feeling optimistic that the negotiations will be successful," Stratford said.

"It's hard to say how long that will take, but it is not something that will be done in a few months," he said. l

Appollo Ispat renews MoU with Japanese companies n Tribune Business Desk Appollo Ispat Complex Ltd has renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed earlier with Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC) and Marubeni Itochu Steel Corporation.

A senior level team of the company recently visited Japan for this purpose.

During the visit, senior officials of the companies had talks on strengthening the existing mutual business cooperation.

NSC is the largest supplier of the finest quality of Hot Rolled Coil to Appollo Ispat, one of the largest flat steel producers in Bangladesh.

The company has targeted to expand its market share by optimizing the capacity utilization. A highly sophisticated Radiant Tube Furnace (RTF) based NOF CGL Line is under implementation to produce premium product which is expected to be launched in the local market by the end of this year. l

Toyota wants to use more hybrid system parts n Reuters Toyota Motor Corp wants locally procured parts to make up at least half the components in the gasoline-electric hybrid propulsion systems for the Corolla and Levin cars it plans to start making in China next year.

Shinichi Matsumoto, Vice President for Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing in China, said Toyota needs that level of local content in order to bring down prices of hybrids and to generate more sales in the world’s biggest auto market.

Toyota, which currently pays costly tariffs and transport fees for bringing key components from Japan to assemble hybrid vehicles in China, aims to slash costs by using many locally procured materials and parts, Matsumoto told reporters yesterday.

“My feeling is that unless the local procurement ratio reaches 50%, we can’t call it ‘localized’,” he said at a research and development centre in Changshu, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Shanghai. He was referring to number of parts procured specifically for the hybrid system.

“Ultimately, our goal is to localize 100%.”

Matsumoto also said that using parts procured in China for its new hybrid cars does not mean it is lowering quality to pursue higher sales. Toyota plans to keep the system’s quality equal to that achieved in Japan, he said.

The world’s biggest auto maker said this week that it will start manufacturing and selling Corolla and Levin sedans for China in 2015 with a locally made hybrid system including the battery and the motor, the first time it will

make hybrids outside of Japan using key components procured locally.

But made-in-China components does not necessarily mean made-by-Chinese companies. While localizing parts is going more smoothly than Toyota had expected, much of that output currently comes from Chinese units of Japanese parts makers with manufacturing operations in China, Matsumoto said.

Toyota is also procuring from several Chinese companies, he said.

In a gasoline-electric hybrid like Toyota’s Prius, a battery captures energy from the brakes to provide a supplement to the combustion engine, boosting overall mileage, particularly in stop-and-go city traffic.

Toyota, which already assembles the Prius and Camry hybrids in China with component and system kits brought in from Japan, said it is trying to educate

Chinese customers about hybrid technology. For instance, some people think they must be re-charged like electric vehicles, which is not the case.

While Toyota is not the only firm trying to localize production of the hybrid system, it is the furthest ahead.

Honda Motor Co is also trying to start procuring key components in China, including motors and lithiumion batteries, Takahiro Hachigo, an executive at Honda’s Chinese operations, said in a news conference in Beijing on Sunday. The firm plans to start making hybrid cars in China by 2016.

“As corporate average fuel emission standards get stricter, we believe that hybrids will become the mainstream among green cars,” Seiji Kuraishi, Honda’s Operating Officer and COO for the China region, told the same news conference. l

Ajinomoto, a brand of Japanese company Umami Seasoning has successfully launched its caravan campaign to offer people on the streets of the capital for tasting food with its seasoning at free of cost. The initiative is to inform its potential customers about the product

Mozibar Rahman, chair of Gastro Liver Hospital, a concern of BRB Group has inaugurated a new building for the hospital at East Razabazar in West Pantha Path, Dhaka on Monday

Modhumoti Bank Limited (MMBL) recently signed an agreement with Information Technology Consultants Limited (ITCL), under which, the bank’s customers will be able to avail Q-Cash ATM/POS sharing network of the member banks. The bank’s managing director & CEO Md Mizanur Rahman and managing director & CEO of ITCL Dr Kazi Saifuddin Munir signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations

Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited has launched its Hajj Prepaid Card. Mohammad Abdul Mannan, managing director of the bank unveiled the card at the bank’s board room on Sunday

Banglalink, with support from The Asia Foundation and the District Women’s Business Forums (DWBFs), has launched a new initiative yesterday to empower women throughout the country by connecting district level women entrepreneurs with a mobile phone network and delivery of ICT based business tools and service. State minister at Ministry of Finance, MA Mannan inaugurated the project as chief guest that was held at the Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban in the capital

BRAC Bank launches home loan product ‘Nijer Bari’ for low & middle income people outside Dhaka city

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

How technology is impacting the accounting discipline n Tasnova Moktadir Every accountant knows that accounting is the language of business, and that language has gone through many changes throughout the ages. But through all the changes, technology has always played a part in making the accountant’s job just a little easier. This advancement in technology has enhanced the accountant’s ability to interpret and analyse statistical data and values efficiently and effectively. He/she now has the ability to infer the language of business with such ease that the accountant has now become a corporation’s most trusted business adviser.

We can start way back in the beginning, where the earliest extent of accounting records which follow the modern doubleentry form. Back then, the abacus was the only tool used to keep track of calculations in business. As technology advanced, which is a blessing for us really, so did the speed and proficiency of the accountant’s job. Then came programs such as Microsoft Excel, an accountant now had an electronic spreadsheet. The job became less tedious with less of a margin for error.

We are in the “era of big data” now, and from predictive analytics to decision making, big data is everywhere. Companies worldwide, giants such as Amazon, IBM,

and Google, are looking to leverage new algorithms in areas of machines learning to deal with their data to get the benefits of the growing technologies. Data analysts are looking for the “right” kind of data, based on which to make their models, to predict the future. Like any other profession, big data will make a huge impact in the accounting profession and disciplines.

While scientists, in the Big Data Initiative at MIT CSAIL and at IBM Research, are working on big data research, accountants and finance professionals are finding ways to use big data to measure all kinds of business risks, including organisational and investment risks. This is assisting their risk assessment procedures and helping them analyse organisational performance in turn.

As the importance of data in a business grows, accountants are becoming more practiced in measuring its intrinsic value as an organisational asset.

Today’s accounting professionals, who understand the importance of the internet, will use the internet to execute major business processes in the enterprise for Electronic business (e-business). E-business allows the accounting firm to coordinate activities for internal management and combines the clients’ relationships with the use of digital network. Accounting professionals can also communicate outside the organisation with Web technology using the creation of an Extranet. This allows the clients to have limited access, linking to a portion of the accounting firm’s Intranet to import and export files back and forth.

Linking electronically increases efficiency and cuts down on travel costs, ultimately reducing operational costs.

Another strategic software application is the Supply Chain Management (SCM) system. This helps businesses manage relationships with their suppliers and provide visibility and automation. This assists

you to proactively plan, source, schedule, produce, store, transport, and trace supply chain activities, in activities industries with distribution-intensive supply networks.

To go a step further, cloud computing is becoming popular today. It is a service that is being provided over the internet to permanently store data and use business applications over a remote server which is shared by many other users. This means, the risk of data loss can be minimised by the use of cloud computing! With the rise of mobile technology and the cloud, this also means that an accountant can use the cloud based software from anywhere in the world, while changes get updated real time – ensuring that business owners can also stay connected to their data and the accountants all the time.

The next decade will see industries transition to a Cloud-enabled world where work can be accomplished anywhere, anytime.

This will especially be true of the accounting profession. To best serve their clients, accounting professionals need to embrace new technologies quickly, understand the best way to incorporate those technologies into the business processes, and proactively guide their clients through full adoption.

However, the tendency to hinge on technology has its own share of problems, such as data loss through power failure, dangers of hackers stealing data, computer fraud, etc. Let’s just say, there will always be a loophole in every security system no matter how seamless it seems, that’s the screwed reality I suppose. And if we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner. l Tasnova Moktadir currently works at ACNABIN Chartered Accountants firm. The article was originally published in the LCP Blog (lightcastlebd.com/blog)

Indian election cash restrictions to dent gold imports n Reuters, Mumbai India’s gold imports in April and May could be less than half of arrivals in March, as restrictions on the movement of cash during general elections dent the buying power of consumers, jewellery industry officials said.

Lower imports by the world’s No.2 buyer of gold after China could hurt a recovery in global prices of the precious metal after a sharp 28% drop last year.

“Indian demand for gold is lower as it is difficult for consumers to carry cash given election-related curbs.

They are resisting unnecessary buying at the moment,” said Bachhraj Bamalwa, director with All India Gems

and Jewellery Trade Federation (GJF), which groups more than 300,000 jewellers.

Gold arrivals in both April and May could plunge to 20 tonnes, Bamalwa said, from March imports of 50 tonnes.

To guard against bribes or vote buying during the ongoing elections, the Election Commission has made it mandatory for individuals carrying more than 50,000 rupees ($830) to provide documentation, such as a proof of identity and an explanation for the source of funds.

For jewellers, the cap is 200,000 rupees in cash.

This has hit jewellery sales, which have already been squeezed by a 10%

Toyota India workers back at work ending a 5-week standoff n Reuters, Mumbai Striking workers at Toyota Motor Corp’s two plants in Karnataka have returned to work from yesterday, a union official said on Monday, after the state government ordered the company and the union to restore normal operations.

Many unionised workers at Toyota’s two plants near Bangalore had refused to return to work despite the ending of a lockout last month over a pay dispute.

The Indian unit of the Japanese auto

maker, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Ltd, had required workers to sign a good conduct agreement before returning to work, which many employees refused to do.

Workers can now resume work without signing the undertaking, the union’s general secretary R Satish said.

The wage dispute has been referred for adjudication. The union is also demanding that the company reinstate some suspended workers. A Toyota India representative did not respond to a call seeking comment. l

Apple, Google vie to offer exclusive game apps n Reuters Apple Inc and Google Inc are wooing game developers to ensure that top game titles arrive first on devices powered by their respective operating system, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Both the companies are trying to lure game developers by offering premium placement to these games on their app stores’ home pages and fea-

DILBERT

tures lists, the daily said.

Both Google and Apple were not immediately available for comment outside regular US business hours.

Apple had struck a deal with Electronic Arts Inc last August to promote the game “Plants Vs Zombies 2” prominently in its App Store, and had a similar arrangement with ZeptoLab to promote the sequel to its popular puzzle game “Cut the Rope”, which released in December, the Journal reported. l

Honda North America makes their North American debut of their new Asimo Robot as it demonstrates its ability to pour a liquid at a news conference domonstration April 16 in New York. The new ASIMO will showcase major technological advancements including increased hand dexterity, allowing ASIMO to communicate using both American and Japanese sign language. Other new capabilities include running, hopping, jumping, climbing stairs, pouring liquid, dancing and kicking a soccer ball AFP

Siluanov: Russia may suffer second-quarter recession n AFP, Moscow Russia could tip into recession in the second quarter of 2014 after the economy contracted by around 0.5% in the first three months of the year, a finance ministry official said Monday.

'It looks like the second quarter compared with the previous quarter will again have a negative value. In this way, the finance ministry does not rule out a technical recession'

news agency quoted Maxim Oreshkin as saying.

Siluanov said Russia was facing the toughest economic conditions since 2009, when it went into a deep slowdown.

Russia’s economic development ministry last week announced that the economy had shrunk by 0.5%, fuelling concerns that the Ukraine crisis could tip it into recession, which is defined as two consecutive quarters of shrinking economic output.

Russia’s economy has already seen colossal capital flight since the start of the Ukraine crisis as worried investors have pulled out of the country.

Oreshkin predicted that net capital flight from Russia in 2014 would be $70 to $80bn, less than a prediction of $100bn made by the economic development ministry earlier this month.

Russia has seen growth fall in recent years, from 4.3% in 2011 to 1.3% last year, blamed by experts on its overdependence on energy exports and failure to modernise the economy.

The latest predictions follow a series of increasingly gloomy assessments this month, including from the International Monetary Fund which slashed its forecast for Russia’s 2014 growth by two-thirds to 1.3% due to political uncertainty. l

gold import duty imposed last year to reign in India’s ballooning current account deficit.

Rural buyers, who account for about 70% of India’s gold demand, pay in cash for jewellery as they have limited access to banking facilities like cheques and credit cards.

“The (Income Tax) department is very strict on the movement of cash and has opened a 24x7 call centre to receive complaints on violations, so people are scared to carry cash or gold,” said Kumar Jain, vice-president with Mumbai Jewellers Association, which groups more than 10,000 jewellers.

In previous elections, political workers suspected of trying to bribe

voters were caught with suitcases packed with cash and stowed in car trunks, ambulances and even hearses.

The ongoing elections in India started on April 7 and will continue till May 12.

Results will be announced on May 16.

Jewellers are unwilling to transport huge stock and cash due to the curbs, GJF’s Bamalwa said, adding that about 58 kilograms of legal gold was seized by income tax officials in the western state of Maharashtra earlier this month.

“Seizures of legal gold are happening everywhere ... government officials are harassing jewellers with legal gold in the name of elections,” Bamalwa said. l

GM seeks court protection against ignition lawsuits n Reuters

Negotiator: Japan has not narrowed trade differences with US

General Motors Co filed a motion in a US bankruptcy court to enforce a bar on lawsuits related to ignition defects in cars sold before its 2009 bankruptcy as it fights a class action lawsuit that seeks to set aside the restriction.

The plaintiffs also filed a class action lawsuit on Monday, seeking an order declaring that GM cannot use the bankruptcy protection to absolve itself from liabilities.

The faulty ignition switch has been linked to at least 13 deaths and the recall of 2.6 million GM vehicles.

GM emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2009 as a different legal entity than the so-called old GM. Under those terms, the "new GM" shed liability for incidents predating its exit from bankruptcy, and any lawsuit related to pre-bankruptcy issues must be brought against what remains of old GM. "New GM's recall covenant does not create a basis for the plaintiffs to sue new GM for economic damages relating to a vehicle or part sold by old GM," the company argued in a filing on Monday in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

Since it began to recall vehicles in February, GM has been hit by dozens of lawsuits on behalf of individuals injured or killed in crashes involving recalled cars, as well as customers who said their vehicles lost value as a result of the company's actions.

The plaintiffs have claimed they bought or leased vehicles that had the defective ignition switch and accused GM of fraudulently concealing its knowledge of the defect, saying that as a result, it was not entitled to protection from liability. l

n Reuters, Tokyo

Oreshkin, who heads the finance ministry’s department for long-term strategy, made the prediction in comments to journalists.

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov warned last week that Russia’s economy might not expand at all in 2014.

“It looks like the second quarter compared with the previous quarter will again have a negative value. In this way, the finance ministry does not rule out a technical recession,” the Interfax

Oe spoke after talks with US Acting Deputy Trade Representative Wendy Cutler in Tokyo about trade terms for the TPP. Breaking a US-Japan deadlock over access to Japan’s farm and auto markets is seen as key to finalising the TPP. The United States wants Japan to open its rice, beef and pork, dairy, and sugar markets - politically powerful sectors that Abe has vowed to defend.

Japan wants a timetable on US promises to drop tariffs of 2.5% on imports of passenger cars and 25% on light trucks.

Gaps remain over the size of cuts in tariffs on beef and pork as well, Japanese media have reported.

Japanese Economics Minister Akira Amari also acknowledged that the many hours of negotiations had not narrowed the gap with the United States.

The two countries will likely announce a strong bond at a summit between Abe and Obama this week, Amari said. Obama is scheduled to be in Tokyo until Friday.

A final deal, however, could be much further off.

TPP negotiators are due to reconvene in Vietnam in mid-May and trade ministers will meet at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in China that month. l

Japanese officials said yesterday there was still a significant way to go before reaching a broad agreement on trade with the United States, a day before President Barack Obama visits for a summit.

A US-Japan agreement is critical to the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation grouping that would stretch from Asia to Latin America. A TPP deal is central to Obama’s policy of expanding the US presence in Asia.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also touted the TPP as a main element of his economic strategy to increase growth and shake off years of stagnation.

As the talks dragged on over re- US-backed free trade deal currently being cent days, officials negotiated with 11 other countries from both sides played down the Account for: chance of reaching an agreement before 40% Obama’s visit. But the longer the standoff goes on, the more Canada doubt could grow of global US about prospects for Japan economy the trade pact.

“We still have a lot Vietnam PACIFIC of issues left to disOCEAN Brunei cuss,” Japan’s Deputy Chief Negotiator HiroMalaysia shi Oe told reporters.

Australia “In these circumSingapore stances, I cannot say that we have narNew Zealand rowed our differences.”

Source: USTR

Trans-Pacific Partnership

Mexico Peru Chile