Bangladeshi Flag at International Human Rights Summit 2013

The 10th annual Youth for Human Rights International Human Rights Summit 2013 took place in Brussels, Belgium from September 6 to 8. Youth from around the world gathered at the event to share, encourage and inspire global peace and tolerance. The purpose of the summit was to teach the youth about human rights, especially the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and inspire them to become advocates for tolerance and peace. This year, 30 youth delegates from as many countries and a large number of youth ambassadors from around the world took part in the summit.I represented Bangladesh at the grand summit and held a series of meetings with Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, President, Youth for Human Rights International, and other representatives of UN. On the second day of the summit, I delivered a speech on ‘Human Rights Education’. In the speech, I stressed the acceleration of global human rights movement and explained the importance of UDHR in motivating millions of people around the world to respect human rights.All the delegates vowed to make the world better through human rights movement, and pledged to realise their goals.

Return to roots

Bangla Terracotta has organised a clay art exhibition at Drik Gallery, Dhanmondi in the city. Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, vice chancellor of Dhaka University recently inaugurated the exhibition as chief guest. Designer Chandrashekhar Saha and artist Sukumar Paul were also present as special guests at the inaugural session. A number of artists, cultural and social activists were present.The exhibition presents a unique collection of terracotta art that carries our tradition. This genre of art is the earliest form of art in which the Bengal artists excelled. The art products in terracotta or burnt clay satisfied the creative impulse of the artists and also met the domestic and ritual needs of ordinary people. The art was practised in Bengal from the earliest through early medieval to medieval times and even continued to Hindu monuments till the mid-19th century.The exhibition features about 50 terracotta artworks and colourful pottery. Among the clay pottery, plates, glasses, vases, jugs and other daily utensils are on display. Birds, fish, cats, tigers, deer, trees and varied animated and inanimate objects have appeared with all their beauty in the clay artworks at the exhibition. The daily lives of commoners of different occupations, rural women and their varied moods, peasants, fishermen and villagers’ daily chores have also been highlighted at the exhibition.

Advantages of solar power

An interesting and informative write-up on the above mentioned subject was published in a local English daily on 28th August. It is good that our villagers are getting electricity from alternative sources rather than from the national power grid. It greatly helps to irrigate agricultural lands when there is sufficient sunlight.According to an estimate, around 80,000 solar panels are installed per month. With 100 watt per solar panel, we are adding around 100 X 80,000 = 8MW of alternative power source every month! This works out to 2400 MW of power increase annually (assuming 300 days a year)! The figures are impressive. Moreover, it is free of pollution, no systems loss and no power theft.

Conference on Population and Development

Half a century ago, the world was warned of the imminent explosion of “the population bomb.” There were fears that humanity would suffer mass starvation. And that societies would plunge into turmoil — all because of overpopulation.At that time, Asia was considered to be at the core of the population problem. The average woman in Asia could expect to bear five children in her lifetime. The region’s population was projected to double within 33 years.Many countries responded by embarking on programmes to control population growth. The landmark 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), attended by 179 governments, shifted the discourse on “population control” to people-centred development.

The ICPD Programme of Action established, for the first time, inseparable linkages between population and development policies, with a clear focus on sexual and reproductive health from the standpoint of human rights — in particular the rights of women and families to decide freely whether and when to have children.
The probability of every child surviving to adulthood was greatly increased. Families acquired better knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. Many more were given the means to make informed decisions about their fertility.
The Asia-Pacific region can be proud of its successes: an average woman today has around two children instead of five. Life expectancy has increased dramatically. Fifty years ago, the average person could expect to live until the age of 45. Today, a woman can expect to live to the age of 72 and a man to 68. Almost as many girls as boys enter primary school.But success comes with new challenges. The concern today is not just about population numbers. Rather, it is about the complex interlinkages between population and development.Putting people first to build better lives must remain the focus of efforts to address the population and development challenges that the Asia-Pacific region faces.Increased life expectancy and lower fertility rates have resulted in rapid population ageing in the region that is unprecedented in human history. Some countries are at risk of becoming old before they become rich.The population of older persons will triple by 2050 to reach 1.2 billion. In East Asia, one in three persons will be aged 60 or older. Furthermore, by 2050, there will only be 3.5 working persons to support one older person, as compared with 10 working persons today. There is thus an urgent need for the region to prepare for ageing societies.While the opportunity for the demographic dividend has passed in some countries, in others there is still an opportunity to harness its potential. In South Asia, around half of the population is still below the age of 25. With appropriate mix of policies, including job-led growth and effective school-to-work transition, it will be possible to reap the youth dividend.On issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights, great strides have been made in strengthening policy. Yet programme implementation is lagging, particularly in targeting the most sexually active population group, namely youth.Lack of information concerning sexual and reproductive health and limited access to related services are contributing to unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. These gaps are also exposing millions to the risk of HIV, in particular key populations at risk, including people who inject drugs, people who buy and sell sex, men who have sex with men and transgender people. This means that comprehensive sexuality education and increased access to a range of contraceptives must be made a priority.Furthermore, sexual and reproductive health programmes must also reach childless married women, unmarried women and girls, as also men and boys, as part of an integrated public health system that combines curative, preventive and health promotion services.Despite overall progress on maternal health, in some countries the number of women dying during childbirth still remains stubbornly high. There are parts of the region where one in 200 mothers dies giving birth.Asian and Pacific nations must do better in incorporating rights-based approaches to addressing population dynamics in their long-term plans for inclusive and sustainable development, including the impact of climate change.
And most of all, the response to the region’s challenges must be grounded in a commitment to addressing the unmet needs of women and all other groups that remain excluded from the development process.How do we collectively tackle these new and persistent challenges? That question will be answered at the Sixth Asian and Pacific Population Conference (APPC), which Escap is organising with UNFPA this week in Bangkok. This Conference is part of, and will contribute to, the global ICPD 20-year review mandated by the United Nations.More than 400 representatives, including ministers, from over 45 countries and stakeholders from civil society will gather at this Conference. Meeting 50 years after the first APPC in 1963, they will seek fresh solutions to the region’s population and development challenges.The outcome of the Conference will shape population and development policies for the future we want.As Asia-Pacific takes its place on the world stage, our governments have the means and the responsibility to build better lives for the region’s 4.3 billion people. There is greater hope that the rapid population and development transformation will nurture the promise of a future that will be brighter than what had been predicted half a century ago.

BGMEA proposed pay hike

The discrepancy between demanded pay hike by workers’ unions and what has been put on offer by BGMEA could not be greater. While BGMEA believes the 20 per cent hike in minimum wage is “logical”, it has been trashed by workers’ representative bodies and indeed, deemed unreasonable by some members of the Wage Board.Though BGMEA representatives have stated that it is an initial offer and there is room for bargaining on finalisation of salary, the claim that Bangladesh is losing its competitive advantage in global garment trade is simply not correct. According to a recent study by McKinley & Co., Bangladesh retains the silver medal in the global RMG sector when it comes to big production volume. While Bangladesh occupies the No. 2 position after China, that pattern appears to be changing as global retailers move more production to Bangladesh in the near term. But that success comes at a cost—in the form of low minimum wage. But there are other ways to cut production cost than paying the workers poorly.Though it has become a national pastime to sing praise at how important the RMG sector is to the national economy in earning precious foreign exchange, the latest pay hike offer goes to show just how little workers’ welfare matters to BGMEA. With inflation hovering around 19%, the new hike turns meaningless. We certainly hope the Wage Board will take into consideration the fate of millions of workers who help churn the wheels of production to earn the $20 billion per annum.

Concert in Dhaka tomorrow for Savar victims

Maya Foundation, a Canadian charity, will organise a concert in Dhaka tomorrow to raise funds for the survivors and the families of the victims of Rana Plaza building collapse.“We want to help the survivors of Rana Plaza tragedy get back on their feet,” said Tanvir Siddiqui, executive director of the charity.The funds will be used for income generating activities so that the survivors and the families of the deceased become financially independent on their own source of incomes, he said.The nine-storey building that had housed five garment factories and many shops caved in on April 24, killing at least 1,132 people, mostly garment workers.The army with the help of local people and fire brigade rescued 2,438 people alive from the rubble, according to official data.Maya Foundation, an initiative of the Bangladeshis living in Toronto, also arranged a concert — Made in Bangladesh — in Canada on July 6.“I have tried my best to raise funds for these people who are really in need than anyone else,” said Siddiqui, who is involved in garment business in Canada and has buying house in Bangladesh.The charity has so far provided between Tk 10,000 and Tk 30,000 to 52 survivors each.Siddiqui said the survivors of the worst-ever industrial tragedy in the country are still recovering from the physical injuries and psychological trauma.“Still, most of these people have not received the help they need,” he said.The Foundation is also campaigning globally to encourage international community to donate for the victims’ families and the survivors.Siddiqui said donations from individuals and organisations from all over the world have poured in to help the survivors and the families of the victims.The funds to be raised through the concert will be provided directly to Shakti Foundation, an NGO in Bangladesh, for the rehabilitation of the workers and other individuals disabled in the Savar tragedy.Donations can also be sent using international credit cards at www.gofundme.com/Savar.

Bangladesh still a magnet for clothing brands: McKinsey

Global retailers are banking on Bangladeshi garment items more than any other country’s despite recurrence of deadly industrial disasters, a new research by an American consulting firm found.Bangladesh’s $20 billion garment business came ahead of smaller rivals like Vietnam and Cambodia in McKinsey & Co’s ranking of countries with the highest potential for future sourcing.The country now claims 4.8 percent of the global RMG trade of $412 billion, but McKinsey predicts Bangladesh’s share of the pie to reach $36 billion by 2020.“Bangladesh is still number 1,” says Achim Berg, a partner in McKinsey’s German office and the author of the study. “Recent events present a challenge for everyone, but there’s no alternative to Bangladesh for doing big production volumes.”The new research shows that production capacity and price appear to trump safety and labour when it comes to choosing where to source clothes.The country is tied with Italy at present for the number 2 spot. “Italy is historically a major producer of fashion and accessories but is declining in importance,” the report said.About China, McKinsey report said for now China remains the world’s largest garment producer by far, with more than $150 billion in annual exports.But 80 percent of the retailers participating in the survey said they plan on reducing their sourcing from China in the next five years, primarily because of rising labour costs. China’s minimum wage is four times that of Bangladesh’s $39 monthly base rate.The new report was prepared by interviewing 29 European and American retailers representing global sourcing volume of $40 billion.The survey was conducted between the months of July and August, meaning not long after the Rana Plaza collapse that killed more than 1,100 and injured thousands.The South Asian nation has plenty of drawbacks, though. Retailers are facing safety compliance issues and labour unrest, while massive strikes that delay garment production and deliveries are set to increase ahead of the national election.In addition, the Bangladeshi government has committed to raising the minimum wage, meaning labour costs could increase there too, the report said.McKinsey also tipped the neighbouring Myanmar to offer stiff competition to Bangladesh. The erstwhile military-ruled South Asian nation came in fourth in the rankings after Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia.

ATMs catching up as banks go tech-savvy

Automated teller machines (ATMs) are fast rising in popularity, with transactions through them rising nearly 47 percent last year.The volume of transactions using an ATM booth stood at Tk 100,000 crore in 2012, up from the previous year’s Tk 68,000 crore, according to data from Bangladesh Bank (BB).Of the 47 scheduled banks (which does not include the nine new banks), 40 provide ATM services at present.“Banks are expanding their ATM networks fast, taking financial services to the easy reach of customers,” said Kazi Saifuddin Munir, managing director of ITC Limited that runs the Q-CASH, one of the largest ATM networks in the country.In 2012, 1,359 new ATM booths were set up, to take the tally to nearly 5,000, according to BB.Dutch-Bangla Bank Ltd (DBBL) has 2,400 ATMs, accounting for almost half of the total machines in the country.Q-CASH itself has about 1,600 ATMs across the country, through which they render services to hundreds of thousands of clients of 28 banks. Transactions per month using the Q-CASH network now stand between Tk 1,500 crore and Tk 2,000 crore, he said.On average, Tk 2,600 crore is transacted per month using DBBL’s ATM machines, up from Tk 1,600 crore a year ago, said Abul Kashem Mohammad Shirin, the bank’s deputy managing director.“We are getting benefits from our rapidly expanded ATM network — more and more customers are shifting to ATMs from branches.”The rising presence of ATMs means the cardholders are increasingly becoming vulnerable to heists. Often, it has been reported that robbers hold their victims at gunpoint and get them to confess their PINs, which they later use to clear up the victims’ accounts.There have been reports of forgery of the bank cards as well, often involving the bank officials themselves.“Yes, we get lots of reports on forgery,” said Munir, adding that many banks import cheap ATM machines, which are vulnerable to frauds. “BB has to set a standard for machines.”

Classes under open sky as school bldg ‘too risky’

Students of Koralia A Rahman Government Primary School in Rangabali upazila under the district have to attend classes under the open sky as the school building is too risky for use.
Due to the situation, schooling of over 200 students is badly hampered as classes break up when it starts raining.The four-room school building was built in 1994.In absence of any repair work, cracks developed in its roof, walls and floors. Rain water enters the classrooms through these cracks.“We have to hold classes outside the building it has become unfit for use. The classes are often disturbed, especially during the ongoing rainy season,” said Minara Begum, headmaster of the school.“Some of the students have already left the school. We fear further decrease of students although our results of public examinations are good. We sent several letters to the higher authorities concerned over the matter but in vain,” she said.Shusan Chandra Haldar, Rangabali upazila education officer, said, “We have already informed the higher authorities of the matter. Many other schools in the area are also in bad condition.”

Jamuna devours Chowhali upazila parishad bldgs

The Jamuna has devoured both the administrative buildings of Chowhali upazila Parishad in Sirajganj as erosion by the river has taken a serious turn in the area.Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Abdulla said two buildings of the upazila parishad went into the riverbed on September 15.“I am now holding office at upazila health complex while other offices of the upazila administration have been shifted to Chowhali Degree College,” the UNO said.Nasrin Akhter, vice chairman of the upazila parishad, said erosion by the river has made at least 1800 families of five unions homeless in the last two weeks. Khaspukuria union and Bagutia union are the worst affected areas, he added.The entire upazila headquarters faces onslaught of the Jamuna as a large portion of the river bank protection embankment raised by the Water Development Board have been damaged, Nasrin Akhter further said.Sources in Pabna Water Development Board said 39 thousand sand sandbags 5,192 CC blocks have been dumped in the damaged portion of the embankment to check further onslaught by the river.“Asian Development Bank (ADB) has taken up a Tk 3,000 crore project to build an embankment from Jamuna Bridge point to Aricha port,” said Yunus Ali, assistant engineer of WDB Tangail division.

Where Does the Hilsa Go?

Although the catches are still poor from the Padma and Meghna rivers, the wholesale hilsa markets in Chandpur have become flooded with the delicious fish from the coastal Barisal, Bhola, Barguna, Patuakhali and other districts. Traders say, in the last couple of days, at least two thousand maunds of hilsa worth about Tk 4 crore (at the rate of minimum Tk 20,000 a maund) came to Chandpur every day. However, nobody including the officials of the fisheries department here could say how or on what conditions the 35 wholesalers sell the fish to the exporters and their middlemen. Sources said, many exporters are either freezing the fish due to the on going ban on export or sending a portion to different cities in the country for better profit. Also, the allegation is rife that a huge quantity of the fish is regularly smuggled out, keeping the price, especially of the bigger ones, out of the reach of the local consumers

Frustrated growers set unsold jute on fire

As jute prices continue to fall in local markets, growers yesterday staged a demonstration in front of BJMC purchasing centre at Mohimaganj in Gobindaganj upazila and set fire to their unsold raw jute.Good yield of jute fails to make the growers in the district happy as the prices see a declining trend. Early this season jute sold for Tk 1400 to 1500 per maund but now it is selling for Tk 900 to 1050 in the local markets.As the number of buyers is poor in the markets, growers return home disappointed with their unsold jute.Jute procurement by the government has remained stopped at Mohimaganj for the last few years. This year, Alim Jute Mills has opened a purchasing centre here as an agent of BJMC and started purchasing raw jute from farmers on August 6.The agency has so far procured jute worth Tk 1.13 crore on credit from growers and traders. It has paid up outstanding bills amounting to Tk 10 lakh till date. So, a good number of growers and traders are yet to get money.Farmers said jute prices in the local markets are coming down gradually as traders and brokers don’t have much money to purchase raw jute from them.The growers and traders of Mohimaganj yesterday demanded early payment of the outstanding bills. Otherwise, they threatened to launch a tougher agitation programme.“We have already sought a fund of Tk 1.3 crore from the mill authorities to clear dues,” said Khairul Islam, in-charge of jute purchasing centre at Mohimaganj.

No plan to use drones

India has no plan to deploy drones to patrol the bordering areas with Bangladesh, said the director general of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).“We have no plans. We neither had any plan, nor will we have any plan in future to deploy any drone or any such vehicle,” Subhash Joshi, DG of BSF, said in reply to a query at a joint press conference of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and BSF after a five-day DG-level discussion beginning on September 14 at the BGB headquarters in Dhaka.Such talks between BGB and BSF are held biannually — once in Bangladesh and once in India.”I do not know from where this [issue] has come. We are also aware that one newspaper carried certain things, in which [there were] certain remarks attributed to me. We had immediately sent a clarification,” Subhash said.On September 9, The Indian Express, an Indian English daily, published a report citing that the country planned to deploy drones to vigil its bordering areas with Bangladesh.When asked repeatedly about the Felani issue by journalists, the BSF chief assured that the Indian judiciary would ensure justice in this matter.A special court, which had been set up for the trial of Bangladeshi nation Felani’s murder by BSF, acquitted a constable of the force of the charge of killing the teenage girl in 2011. Following an outrage in Bangladesh, India has decided to hold a fresh trial.“This is a judicial process, which is going on… Have patience. From our side, I can assure you that justice will be done,” Subhash yesterday said.He avoided responding to a question that India has bordering areas with Pakistan, China and other countries but why only Bangladeshi unarmed people were being killed in BSF shooting.He stressed the importance of the responsibility of both border guarding forces for ensuring that the law is respected.Briefing journalists about the outcome of the talks, BGB DG Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed said Bangladesh and India had expressed concern over the killing and injuring of their nationals and agreed to take all possible measures to bring down the death toll.They also discussed various measures to curb trans-border crimes and prevent the movement of criminals and insurgents, illegal boarder crossing and human trafficking.To prevent smuggling of fake currency and narcotics, including phensedyl, the two forces will co-operate each other by sharing intelligence and interrogation reports, Aziz added.BSF chief Subhash said friendship and cooperation between the two forces had grown immensely through the discussion held in an atmosphere of openness and with positive minds.

Up to a big ambition

Thirty-year-old Al-Amin, a self-taught automobile mechanic in Pirojpur, has endeavoured to do something extraordinary.Drawing inspiration from a documentary on the National Geographic Channel, he has been trying to build a fully developed helicopter.

With an engine of a 100cc motorbike, and metal bars and sheets, Al-Amin, a mechanic in Pirojpur, is working to make a helicopter. Nearly a month back, he had built a dummy helicopter which he could fly more than two feet for a while. And he is now making a bigger and controllable one at his automobile workshop in Pirojpur municipality.

“I must fly in the sky one day with my helicopter. I want to do something great so that my country is proud of me,” said Al-Amin, who has studied only up to class VI.He started working as a driver of rented motorbikes and locally-made passenger vans to help his parents run the five-member family after he left school.Al-Amin, son of Rustom Ali Akon, a rickshaw-puller, opened the automobile workshop three and a half years ago and has showed his talent in automobile manufacturing.He dreamt of making a helicopter after watching a documentary on helicopters on the National Geographic Channel nearly three months ago.
“After watching the documentary on TV at night, I returned to the workshop and started designing a helicopter,” he told The Daily Star.He built a miniature helicopter with iron bars, motor and batteries of an auto-rickshaw about a month ago. The rotor blades were made from aluminium plates he purchased from Nawabpur in Dhaka. The dummy helicopter weighed about 28 kilograms.“As I powered up the helicopter, it flew more than two feet and then fell because the blades were not strong enough.”“I would say it was a success, as the helicopter took off.” And it inspired him to try to make a fully developed helicopter.Al-Amin, locally known as “Malinga” for his resemblance to the Sri Lankan cricketer, said he is now making a helicopter with the engine of his 100CC motorbike.“The most important part now is the rotor blades and the control system,” he said.He is looking for support from the government or any organisation that can provide him with rotor blades and a control system.Al-Amin said he had already spent Tk 3.5 lakh, and that he needed help to make his dream come true.“Though we are poor, I have dreamt of doing something extraordinary from my childhood. My parents have always encouraged me in my venture.”An optimistic Al-Amin was sure that his model of the helicopter would be able to fly with three to four persons.His engineering talents have drawn huge attention from locals, many of whom had flocked to the Pirojpur stadium to see his dummy helicopter a month ago.Parvin Jahan Lubna, a lawyer in Pirojpur, said, “I am astonished by Al-Amin’s talents. I think we all should help him.”

Jamaat man killed in Meherpur

A Jamaat activist was killed and at least 45 including five policemen were injured as the party men clashed with law enforcers in Mujibnagar upazila of Meherpur on Thursday during their 48-hour countrywide hartal (shutdown).Meanwhile, the other districts also witnessed vandalism, explosions and detention as the hartalstepped into second consecutive day.The deceased Jamaat man was identified as Delwar Hossain, 40, of Dariapur village in the upazila, Nahiduzzaman, superintendent of police in Meherpur, told The Daily Star quoting intelligence sources.Meanwhile, Abdul Mannan, a sub-inspector of Mujibnagar Police Station, who sustained critical injuries during the clash will be shifted to Dhaka by helicopter, reported our Kushtia correspondent quoting the OC of Mujibnagar Police Station.He is now at Meherpur General Hospital in an unconscious state.The OC was also injured during the two-hour long clash that started around 7:30am.Other injured policemen–Khairul, Azhar and Mir Alam– are three sub-inspectors (SI) of the same police station.They were admitted to Meherpur General Hospital.In another development, Sirajul Islam, nayeb-e-ameer of Meherpur Jamaat unit, told The Daily Star that another activist who was injured during the clash succumbed on way to Rajshahi Medical College and Hospital.The Jamaat leader also claimed that their 10 activists sustained bullet injuries during the clash.Jamaat-e-Islami enforced the 48-hour countrywide hartal (shutdown) from 6:00am Wednesday to protest the Supreme Court verdict on its leader Abdul Quader Mollah.The SC on Tuesday sentenced Jamaat assistant secretary general Mollah to death, overruling the judgment of International Crimes Tribunal-2 that had given him life term for war crimes committed during country’s Liberation War in 1971.

MEHERPUR

The clash ensued around 7:30am when the activists of Jamaat and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, tried to block a road at Gouripur area in the upazila.As police resisted them, an altercation took place between the law enforcers and the Jamaat-Shibir men.Minutes into the altercation, the Jamaat-Shibir men equipped with wooden and bamboo sticks swooped on the policemen, triggering the clash, the OC added.Police had to fire 20 gunshots, 40 rubber bullets and 33 teargas canisters to disperse the clashing activists of Jamaat-Shibir as they retaliated by exploding around 50 homemade crude bombs, the OC said.The casualties took place during the clash, the OC added.The marauding party activists also torched a police van in Bandar intersection and vandalised at least 4 vehicles in different areas of the town as a sequence of the clash.The Meherpur police chief visited the spot following the clash.

COMILLA

Pro-hartal activists vandalised four covered vans and blasted two crude bombs in Chouddagram upazila headquarters, said Ismail Mia, officer-in-charge of Chouddagram.Pickets also exploded two home homemade bombs at Shasongachha and Chamcham bridge area in the city, reports our correspondent.Two platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed in the city to avert any untoward incident, said Lt Col Mamun Al Mahmud of battalion-10 of BGB.

RAJSHAHI

Pro-hartal activists blocked Rajshahi-Natore Bypass road for one hour from 6:00am.After seeing police, they fled the scene.Pickets also blasted several crude bombs in Bhadra area of the city around 6:00am, reports our correspondent quoting Ziaur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Boalia Police Station.

SYLHET

Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised a vehicle around 8:00am which was used by police for patrolling.Pickets also hurled brick chips targeting the policemen. Police detained one picket from the spot.In South Surma area, Jamaat-Shibir men brought out a procession and set fire to tyres.Meanwhile, the law enforcers picked up seven Shibir activists raiding different messes of students in the city, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

CHITTAGONG

Police arrested a local Jamaat leader who is also ward councilor of Chittagong City Corporation at Shalak Bahar in the city.Shamsuzzaman Helali was arrested as he was leading some Jamaat men for creating anarchy during hartal hours in the city.Earlier, several cases were lodged against the Jamaat leader, said Abdur Rab, assistant commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

250 Comilla Jamaat men sued

Police have filed a case against 250 leaders and activists of Jamaat and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, in connection with Wednesday’s hartal violence in Laksham upazila of Comilla.Jamaat enforced the 48-hour countrywide hartal (shutdown) from 6:00am Wednesday to protest the Supreme Court verdict on its leader Abdul Quader Mollah.The SC on Tuesday sentenced Jamaat assistant secretary general Mollah to death, overruling the judgment of International Crimes Tribunal-2 that had given him life term for war crimes committed during country’s Liberation War in 1971.Laksam police filed the case Thursday morning mentioning names of 24 including the upazila ameer and secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami, said Abul Khair, officer-in-charge of Laksam Police Station.The charges include attacking police and vandalising vehicles in Laksham upazila during the first day of the Jamaat-enforced hartal, reports our correspondent in Comilla.The hartal supporters resorted to the violence after bringing out a procession at Poranpur in the upazila around 7:00am Wednesday.They also hurled two crude bombs and brick chips at a police van, the OC said.Moreover, the hartal-supporters also vandalised two trucks and seven covered vans during their demonstration there.

RMG workers clash with cops over minimum wage

Over 50 garment workers were injured in an hour-long clash with industrial police while the workers were demonstrating at Monipur in Sadar upazila of Gazipur yesterday demanding Tk 8,000 as their minimum monthly wage.Mosharaf Hossain, assistant superintendent of Gazipur Industrial Police, said the clash erupted around 11:00am as the workers of Kasopia Fashions Ltd tried to block Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.Later, the workers of two other factories–Jahin Tex Ltd and Givency Fashions Ltd–joined the agitations, he said.Workers said police fired tear and charged them with batons.Locals said the agitating workers threw brick chips at police. The injured were taken to the nearby clinics and hospitals.To avoid unrest, the authorities of the two factories declared holiday for yesterday.Workers of Kasopia Fashions said they would not join their work if the demand is not met. Azgar Ali, production manager of Kasopia, said they have nothing to do unless any formal declaration over the demand comes from the government.Earlier on Tuesday, police fired rubber bullets during a demonstration of the workers from the three factories, injuring at least 10 workers.

2 ACC officials hurt in pickets’ attack

Two officials of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) were injured in an attack by pickets in the capital’s Dhanmoni area Thursday, the last day of the 48-hour hartal (shutdown) enforced by Jamaat-e-Islami.The injured officials are ACC deputy directors Mir Mohammad Zainul Abedin Sibli and Mafidul Islam, reports private television channel Independent TV.The incident took place on Satmasjid Road near Ibn Sina Hospital around 9:45am.Besides, the pro-hartal activists vandalised two buses and blasted two crude bombs in the same area, witnesses said.Masud Karim, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station, however told The Daily Star that they have information of two crud bomb explosions in the area.Jamaat is observing the hartal to protest the Supreme Court verdict that sentenced Jamaat assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Mollah to death.The apex court handed down the verdict overruling the judgment of International Crimes Tribunal-2 that had given him life term for war crimes committed during country’s Liberation War in 1971.The city dwellers have been carrying out almost all their daily activities defying the hartal.The shutdown got little response from the masses as almost all businesses and offices are going on with regular routine.A number of motorised vehicles were seen plying the city streets in the morning while the presence of private vehicles was thin as usual. Shopping malls and roadside shops remained closed.Rickshaws are seen dominating the city roads like other hartal days.No long-distance buses entered or left the capital since the first day of hartal.Huge law enforcers, including members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), have been deployed in the key point of the capital to fend off any untoward incidents and ensure people’s security during the hartal hours.

Hot pursuit of councillors on

The letter asking for councillor nominations from the clubs, DSAs and other concerned parties have only just gone out but even before answers have been considered the politicking for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections have begun.Sending the letter is one of the first steps for the election process to commence — the nominations are required by the BCB to be sent in by September 24 — but rumours have been doing the rounds that shopping for councillors has already begun.This time there has been a departure from tradition as the board provided specific nomination forms, whereas earlier each nominee would be named under the letterhead of the respective organisation, with a copy of the relevant resolution attached. This prompted former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury, who is himself contesting the elections, to question whether the deviation from standard practice was designed to allow the board to tamper with the selection of councillors.BCB’s acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said: “We gave a forwarding letter and a form which they will send back to us with the councillor’s name and with the signature of the respective organisation president or convenor. The board felt the new system more appropriate considering the previous bad experience.”Gazi Tank owner Lutfur Rahman Badal was not troubled by the new format but he alleged that huge monetary transactions have been taking place to decide the nomination of councillors.“I got the letter from BCB and they basically provided a security paper and I think they made the change as there were instances in the past when the board received two names from one organisation. I’m not sure about the exact motives behind the change but it may be because of previous bitter experiences,” said Badal.“But the main point is that I didn’t receive the letter for Victoria Club although I am still the chairman of the governing body. I learnt that a lot of money is changing hands and one councillorship of Victoria has already sold for Tk 30 lakh. But you all know my efforts to bring the (Dhaka Premier League) championship to this club. I’m going to resign as chairman very soon and then I will explain the reason behind my decision,” he added.Whispers abound about the exchange of money. “It’s nothing new but this time the amount is too big. It’s really tough for a real organiser to get the nomination from an organisation if he is not rich enough,” said a club official on condition of anonymity.71 district and divisional councillors will elect 10 directors, 58 councillors from the clubs will elect 12 directors, one director will be elected by the 45 councillors from category three and the National Sports Council (NSC) will nominate three directors.

State banks progress in loan recovery

State banks look to be making much progress in recovery of their sizeable default loans, thanks to pressure from the central bank.In the first six months of 2013, the banks realised Tk 271.4 crore from their top 20 defaulters against the full-year’s target of Tk 562 crore and Tk 1,704 crore from their other defaulters against the target of Tk 4,817 crore.The targets were set by Bangladesh Bank (BB) earlier in the year to tackle the banks’ bloated bad loan portfolio and improve their financial health.If 40 percent of the target is recovered in the first half of the year it will be considered satisfactory, a BB official said. But the four banks managed to recover 48 percent from their top 20 defaulters and 36 percent from their other defaulters.The officials at the four banks—Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali—credited their more than satisfactory performance to increased monitoring by the banking division of finance ministry and the central bank.A high official of Sonali Bank said around 36 percent of the bank’s classified loans are stuck with the 20 top defaulters. Sonali’s total classified loans stand at Tk 12,461 crore and the top 20 defaulters account for Tk 4,500 crore of the sum.Pradip Kumar Dutta, managing director of Sonali Bank, told reporters on Tuesday that the big defaulters are obtaining stay orders by filing writ petitions with the High Court, which is hindering the recovery from them.Although the banks have been doing well in terms of loan recovery, their capital shortfall and classified loans, the other indicators of financial health, are still high.However, a high official of the central bank said the banks’ capital shortfall in June decreased by Tk 277 crore from December 2012. During the same time, their classified loans fell by Tk 1,628 crore.The official said the central bank will review the banks’ performance against the 16 conditions in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the state banks earlier in the year, and will most likely make them stricter. He hopes by December the banks’ financial condition would improve further.A major condition for the release of next installment of IMF’s Extended Credit Facility (ECF) loan is that the MoU conditions are made more stringent.In the next MoU, the focus will be on making the banks’ credit disbursement policy tighter, the BB official said.A separate diagnostic review has been done for each of the four banks, and various steps which include reducing the number of loss-making branches, cutting down expenditure would be taken on the basis of the results of the review, he said.