SECOND EDITION
SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2015
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Ashar 13, 1422, Ramadan 9, 1436
NIKO CASE DELAYS COULD COST PETROBANGLA PAGE 3
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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 75
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11 POLICEMEN FACE ACTION OVER YABA TRADE PAGE 5
www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10
27 KILLED IN TUNISIAN BEACH ATTACK PAGE 32
Govt mulls transferring land of SOEs for commercial use n Asif Showkat Kallol The government has adopted a plan to facilitate transfer of unused land of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) having outstanding bank loans of Tk100 crore or above, for their better commercial use and to expedite the country’s economic growth. A recent inter-ministerial meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office with Principal Secretary Abul Kalam Azad in the chair made the decision. The decision was forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for its opinion, officials said. The accumulated classified loan of 21 SOEs with the state-owned banks stood at about Tk166 crore out of the total outstanding loan of Tk32,971 crore as on December 31, 2014, according to the latest Bangladesh Economic Review. Of them, 10 SOEs maintain outstanding loan of over Tk100 crore. In accordance with the decision, a provision would be accommodated in a proposed new law of Bangladesh Board of Investment (BoI) and Industrial Development that would have also a provision for facilitating merger of two state entities – the BoI and the Privatisation Commission. “The BoI and Privatisation Commission merger law has already been finalised. It is
TOTAL OUTSTANDING LOAN OF 21 SOES TK32,971 CRORE Bangladesh Steel & Engineering Corporation (BSEC) Bangladesh Sugar & Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Minerals Corporation (BOGMC) Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB)
supposed to be placed before the cabinet for approval within two months,” Abul Kalam Azad told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday. “We will face problem if the draft law is not completed. So, we are reviewing every details of the draft law.” Officials said the unused land of the SOEs is planned to be used to meet the land shortage, which investors consider as a major barrier to new investments.
At least 10 SOEs maintain outstanding loan over
Tk100 crore
Privatisation Commission survey on 39 sick SOEs 1,288 acres of land identified unused
257 industrial units can be set up on the land Tk15 billion additional revenue can be generated annually The business community also often alleges that they cannot make fresh investment as getting a piece of land for setting up industries has become a very difficult task. Providing land was one of the major demands in the prebudget meeting of the country’s apex trade body – the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI). “The country’s average GDP growth rate PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
French banks say no to Rampal coal plant n Tribune Desk Three French banks have said they will not invest in the Rampal power plant, as a report found that it failed to meet minimum environmental and social standards established by the Equator Principles and the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standards. The 1,320MW Rampal coal-fired power plant has received hefty support from both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments as a symbol of sub-regional cooperation but has seen foreign investors shy away from participation in the project. The Rampal project is one of several under the Fast Track Project Monitoring Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, that was set up after the Awami League was reelected, to steer large projects to completion.
PAGE 2 11 dead in landslides, flashfloods
The plant’s siting has led to concern among environmentalists who are worried about the effects it will have on the nearby Sundarbans mangrove forests. There is also concern about the dismal environmental track record of the Indian company that will be building it. Six months earlier, two Norwegian pension funds pulled out their investments from India’s National Thermal Power Corporation that is building the project, The Guardian reported. During his visit to Bangladesh on June 6 India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi endorsed the 1,320 MW Rampal coal-based thermal power project, saying: “The 1,320 MW Rampal power project is making progress in accordance with your laws and regulations. We can do more together in the power sector, here and in India.”
PAGE 3 Bangladesh more peaceful than US, India, Pakistan
Under an agreement signed in 2012, India’s largest coal power company, the state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) would develop the plant in Khulna division as a joint venture with Bangladesh’s Power Development Board. Activists are concerned the plant, less than 10 miles from the protected Sundarbans mangrove forest, would lead to its environmental degradation from increased ship traffic, dredging and pollution of air and water. Coal-fired thermal power plants belch toxic gases that could impact wildlife and human health and forest quality in the neighbourhood. Before Modi arrived in Dhaka, activists urged the leaders of the two countries to stop the plant. On May 21, the National Committee
PAGE 8 Islamic State massacres 146 civilians in Syria
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Naik Razzak in Dhaka for medical check-up Jamil Khan with Our n Mohammad Cox’s Bazar Correspondent BGB Naik Abdur Razzak, who returned to country on Thursday after being held captive by Myanmar for eight days, was brought to the capital last night for medical treatment. He reached the Pilkhana Border Guard Bangladesh Headquarters around 11:30pm. “After having rest for the night, he will be admitted to the BGB Hospital in the morning,” Mohosin Reza, public relations officer of the BGB, told the Dhaka Tribune. Asked about Razzak’s condition, Reza earlier in the day said the naik’s mental state had been stable, but he needed to have a nose injury checked by specialised doctors. Upon his return in the country “unhurt,” Razzak told reporters that he had received the nose injury during a scuffle at the Naf River border on the night he was abducted by the Border Guard Police members. He, however, did not comment when asked whether he had been tortured in custody. From the Teknaf battalion offices, BGB officials initially brought Razzak to the Cox’s Bazar headquarters yesterday morning; and from there, they started for Dhaka by road in the afternoon. Naik Razzak was abducted on June 17 by Myanmar’s BGP from the zero line on the Naf River following a scuffle between the members of the two countries’ border security forces. Another BGB member Biplob was injured by gunshots fired by the BGP members, but he was brought back to safety. Following the incident, the BGP Facebook page uploaded a picture which showed the BGB naik with handcuffs on, drawing mass outrage from the Bangladeshis as well as PAGE 2 COLUMN 2
SEHRI & IFTAR TIME
Day Ramadan 9/June 27 Ramadan 10/June 28
Sehri – 3.41am
Iftar 6.53pm 6.53pm
For Barisal, deduct one minute, and for Sylhet and Chittagong deduct six minutes; for Khulna add four minutes, for Rangpur five minutes, and for Rajshahi seven minutes.
PAGE 9 Supreme Court makes gay marriage legal throughout US
PAGE 32 Vatican signs historic accord with Palestine