Professional Documents
Culture Documents
DA 6238 Vol 2, No 11
www.dhakatribune.com
SECOND EDITION
P3 UNFREEZE ACCOUNTS
The BNP policy making body, the standing committee, will decide upon all these plans and decisions in tonights meeting. We have discussed many things in the meeting and all the issues will be finalised in the standing committee meeting, Mohammad Shahjahan, joint secretary general of the party, told the Dhaka Tribune. A senior leader of the party seeking anonymity said they discussed upazila election, movement strategy and how to reorganise the party and on the basis of their observation and decisions they submitted a report to Khaleda Zia on Monday night. According to the report, some central teams will be formed to visit thanas and upazilas to reorganise the grassroots. The report also said the party would withdraw all the expulsion orders issued during the upazila parishad elections to strengthen the imminent anti-government campaign but as for the expelled leaders they have to apply for withdrawal of their expulsion orders with recommendation of the district and thana committees. Another senior leader said Khaleda Zia would start holding meetings with
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Just like the private sector, talented people should also work in public sector
According to a government circular, one of the tasks of the National Pay and Services Commission formed last year is to find a way to adjust the salaries of government employees with prevailing inflation rates. The rate of inflation in the country for March 2014 is 7.48%, says Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. For the same month, inflation in the USA is 1.1%, and in the UK 1.7%. In India, inflation for February 2014 was 6.73%. The commission has put up two sets of questionnaires on the finance ministrys website seeking opinions and recommendations from the public servants about the next pay structure. In those questionnaires, there are several questions where respondents are asked to give their opinions on whether the next pay structure should take into consideration the prevailing inflationary pressures.
Traders from across the country bring boats loaded with watermelons to the Badamtoli fruit market. The fruit gains popularity during the summer as people eat watermelons to get a respite from the scorching heat SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
Student bodies warn Gonojagorons Cern will train science Imran, ask him to realise mistakes teachers in Bangladesh
n DU Correspondent
Five students organisations have slammed Gonojagoron Moncho spokesperson Imran H Sarker for his undemocratic and authoritative attitude in managing the famed Shahbagh movement. In a press conference at the Madhur Canteen on the Dhaka University campus yesterday, the leaders of these organisations asked Imran to realise his mistakes as soon as possible, warning him that otherwise they would have to take steps against him. They, however, did not specify whether taking steps meant dislodging Imran from the post of the Moncho spokesperson. The warning comes only two days after Imran had hinted that the platform might float a political party if the people of the country wanted it to. Two days before that, ruling Awami Leagues student body Chhatra League in a press conference at the same venue said it was no more with the Moncho. In recent times, the Moncho activists have openly got into scuffles with Chhatra League activists centring various issues. The five student bodies who organised yesterdays press conference were Bangladesh Chhatra Moitree, JSD Chhatra League, Chhatra Andolon, Chhatra Oikya Forum and the Chhatra Samiti. All these groups and the ruling partys student wing had been closely associated with the activities of the Gonojagoron Moncho since it was launched in February last year to press home the demand for ensuring capital punishment for war criminal Abdul Quader Molla. Of these groups, Moitree and JSD Chhatra League are the student fronts of Bangladesh Workers Party and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal respectively both allies to the ruling Awami League. Bappaditya Basu, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Moitree and one of the organisers of the Moncho, read out a written statement that said: We [205 organisations] selected Dr Imran H Sarker as the convener of the Gonojagoron Moncho because he was not actively involved with any particular political organisation or any student body at that time. A few days later, when the movement was in full swing, Imrans attitude began to change and he became autocratic. He began to ignore the others opinions inside the Gonojagoron Moncho and took vital decisions on his own. We tried to solve the problem internally, but failed. Regarding Imrans hints about forming a political party, Bappa said: We will never sacrifice the countrymens sentiment for any individuals wishes. Rather we will take stern actions [against anyone who will do so] and do everything needed for protecting
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INSIDE
Business
B1 The construction of luxury hotels will enjoy exemption from all taxes except for 5% customs duty on the import of building materials and equipment. development principles and standards, says a new study.
Nation
mocracy in the world. This time it happens to be the largest elections ever held in any country, with a record number of voters set to exercise their voting rights.
News
5 Migration from villages to cities contributes rapid urban growth in Bangladesh that poses serious threats to urban disaster since the cities are growing violating urban
6 The smuggling of potatoes to India through Mogholhat border in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila is going strong because of negligence of Border Guard Bangladesh.
Entertainment
Op-Ed
12 Shurer Dhara, one of the leading music schools of the country, is preparing to welcome Pahela Baishakh the first day of the Bangla calendar with thousand voices on April 14.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Porters and day labourers sleep away in the daytime on the walkway of Sadarghat Launch Terminal in the capital as there are very few launches operating until the evening. The photo was taken yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
n Tribune Report
The government tabled the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board Bill 2014 in parliament yesterday, mainly to replace the existing ordinance promulgated by Gen Ziaur Rahman in 1976. When passed, the bill will establish the Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board in Rangamati. The government will then appoint the chairman and the vice-chairman of the six-member board. State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Bir Bahadur Ushwi Sing placed the bill to continue ongoing development projects in the region, which lags behind in almost all the development indicators. In keeping with procedure, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Chittagong Hill Tracts Ministry will further scrutinise the bill. It has the authority to bring any changes it seems fit to the proposed law. The standing committee will refer its report back to the House after finalising its the recommendations. l
the political arena and second, it is sort of moral obligation to continue for this not for one year but for long-term, he said. The Cern chief said the workshop for teachers was likely to be held at the end of this year. l
Fakhrul released
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the prestige of the Gonojagoron Moncho. We will sit with all Moncho activists from around the country and the pro-Liberation War cultural, social and political organisations [for making a decision]. He blamed Imran for being too lenient towards Chhatra League which gave the ruling partys student front the courage to assault Moncho activists. He also claimed that Abir and Shishir
blamed for attacking Moncho activists had never been associated with the Chhatra League and Jubo League; rather they were activists of the Moncho. In immediate reaction to the press conference, Imran said: I never decided anything for the Moncho on my own. People will always have different views, but it is not always possible to accept them. But that does not mean that we were autocratic. Terming the recent turmoil within
the Moncho unexpected, he said: We have already planned to form a new committee comprising representatives from all the organisations so that we can make future decisions calmly. He also said: I do not consider this a warning from the Gonojagoron Moncho. I was not selected [as the spokesperson] by those five organisations. There are hundreds more. But I accept the allegations as a view from my allies and hope to work jointly in future. l
Earlier on January 20, Fakhrul, along with BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and Abdus Salam, were granted eight-week bail by the High Court in a case over the murder of a policeman at Banglamotor and two more cases of arson in Malibagh and Poribagh. Howver, the Appellate Division cancelled the bail orders of five BNP leaders including the three on March 9. On March 16, the three leaders were produced before the court, where they sought bail from the appellate division. However, the court rejected the bail plea and ordered them to be sent to jail. l
BNP wants
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According to meeting sources, the idea was that if civil servants could be sure that they would own houses at the end of their jobs, they would not resort to corruption.
After the meeting, former central bank governor Farashuddin told reporters that it would not be possible for the commission to submit the report by the June deadline. He said the commission had already applied for extension
and hoped to place the report by December 2015. The 17-member pay commission was formed in November last year to come up with a new pay scale for 12 lakh government employees. l
the district level leaders from April 10 and before that grassroots leaders will have to sit with joint secretary generals and organising secretaries. The Nayapaltan central officials have already issued letters and phoned district leaders to let them know about their schedules of meetings with central leaders including the chairperson in Dhaka. As per the report, the joint secretary generals and organising secretaries requested Khaleda Zia to go to Nayapaltan office once a week but Khaleda Zia refused to do so. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
At least 1,063 incidents of industrial unrest took place during the period between January 2010 and June 2013
The findings of the study conducted by Solidarity Centre were revealed yesterday at a social dialogue programme styled Industrial Relation and Sustainable Development of RMG Industry in Bangladesh: Role of National and International Stakeholders. Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) organised the event in the citys Brac Inn. Alonzo Glenn Suson, executive director of Solidarity Centre, said around 20% of the workers engaged with the trade unions found it difficult to operate due to torture by the members of the factory officials. Quoting recent studies of the BILS, speakers said at least 1,063 industrial unrests took place from January 2010 to June 2013. Most of these incidents could have been avoided had there been the practice of bipartite dialogue at the factory level and tripartite dialogue at national level. One of the main reasons behind those outbursts was the absence of dispute settlement through discussions. Michael Sommer, president of the International Trade Union Confeder-
The Democratic Left Alliance begins road march towards Teesta Barrage from the National Press Club in the capital yesterday demanding proper water sharing
RAJIB DHAR
Apparel workers vandalise a factory at Chittagong EPZ yesterday to press for their various demands
HC allows two BNP: Unfreeze Khaledas more weeks to ensure widespread bank accounts freezing of her bank accounts. use of Bangla n Mohammad Al-MasumMolla The government evicted Khaleda The BNP yesterday demanded that Zia from her cantonment residence n Tribune Report party Chairperson Khaleda Zias bank with a political vengeance, he said.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
The High Court yesterday gave two more weeks to the government to ensure the usage of Bengali in the names of mass media, number plates for vehicles and all sign boards. It also asked the government to ensure use of Bangla in every sphere of life except the embassies and foreign institutions. The bench comprising Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque and Justice ABM Altaf Hossain passed the order following a petition filed by the government. On February 17, the High Court bench passed an order to ensure all-out use of Bangla upon a petition of Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond. The court also directed the government to comply with it within its allotted time. As the order was not implemented, Akond lodged a contempt of court petition with the HC on April 6 against six secretaries of cabinet division, and law, home, cultural affairs, information, and education ministries. l
accounts be reopened immediately alleging that those were frozen unjustly. In 2007, the then caretaker government frozen bank accounts of both Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. But Sheikh Hasinas accounts were unfrozen in 2008 and she is operating her accounts. Nazrul Islam Khan, standing committee member of the party, said this while addressing a press briefing at partys Nayapaltan headquarters: We strongly demand the immediate un-
Nazrul said Khaleda Zia has eight bank accounts and among those there is no money in six bank accounts. The BNP leader alleged Khaledaa Zias bank accounts have remained frozen for long seven years. From the prime minister to ministers and ruling party leaders are making derogatory remarks on Khaleda Zia which is unfortunate. I have no word to condemn the ruling party leaders false and dirty comments on Khaleda Zias personal life. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
In a recent photo, a farmer is seen using a locally made irrigation system to cultivate paddy on a piece of land where once used to be the Fokinni River in the Bagchha village in Rajshahis Bagmara upazila DHAKA TRIBUNE
BGB personnel pose with smuggled Indian sarees, worth around Tk1.37 crore, seized in Comilla yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
SAMIUL MURDER
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
now becoming more important. He assured of settling these issues in consultation with other ministries concerned. Prof Mahbuba Nasreen, Prof AQM Mahbub and Prof Dr ASM Maksud Ka-
mal, Department of Disaster Management Director General Mohammed Abdul Wazed, European Commission representative Abdul Awal and Oxfam Country Director Snehal Soneji also spoke at the function. l
TWOKI MURDER
Rafiur Rabbi, father of Twoki, addresses a press conference at the National Press Club in the city yesterday minister showed generosity in other issues, people were not satisfied with her role in addressing the Twoki murder issue. She [prime minister] had said she needed Shamim Osman for her party. Can she not make some compromise for an innocent teenager like Twoki? Is she not a mother? Lohani asked. He said that if the killers of Twoki were not punished, one day people would seek accountability from the government. Manzurul Ahsan Khan, adviser to the Communist Party of Bangladesh,
RAJIB DHAR
said the failure to punish Twokis murderers was sending a message to other criminals that murderers did not have to face punishment. He said the government must take strict action against all criminals irrespective of their partisan loyalty. l
WEATHER
DHAKA
37.4C Rajshahi
Source: Accuweather/UNB
21.2C Srimangal
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 4:27am 5:41am 12:00am 3:28pm 6:17pm 7:33pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
friend of his and the boys planned to harrass her as she had been avoiding the boy. They spread the video on the Internet, and Moja losss? picked it up, he said. The video came to our notice a few days back and consulting with high officials, we decided to nab the boy. With the help of the Facebook pages admin panel members, we traced him. We also spoke with a few locals who personally knew the boy, he added. During primary interrogation, the teen admitted to his involvement and said he was wrong. He had slapped the girl on October 2 last year. The incident came to the concern of their school teachers and the matter was settled in an arbitration by the school committee, he said. The victims family filed a case under Section 10 of Women and Children Repression Prevention Act with Khilkhet police station on Monday in this connection. When asked whether the offence of uploading objectionable photos and videos should go under the Information and Communication Technology Act, Mashroof said under the act an accused can be awarded up to seven-year imprisonment and Tk1 crore fine, which is huge for a teenager. The plaintiff considered his age, he said. l
6
Hundreds of Lalmonirhat border families dependent on smuggling
n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
The smuggling of potatoes to India through Mogholhat border in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila is going strong because of negligence of Border Guard Bangladesh. According to sources, at least 1,000 sacks of potatoes (one sack contains 80 kg) are smuggled to India everyday where 200 local people are engaged in the business. Border people alleged that the BGB men and other law enforcing agencies were involved in the smuggling. In anonymity, boatman at Kashem Ali Boat Ghat at Nagortari char village said: Potatoes are smuggled to India from Bangladesh dawn to dusk every day. At least 200 people living at different bordering villages are involved carrying the smuggled goods to India by bicycle and they use boat for crossing the Dharla River, he said. Nurnabi Islam, a smuggler at Nagortari char village said he had got Tk40 for transporting one sack of potato from Mogholhat Bazar to Gidaldah Bazar in India. I transport two sacks in a trip and I can do four trips from dawn to dusk every day, he said.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Nation
Bordering people carry potatoes to India through Mogholhat border in Lalmonirhat Sadar yesterday 9 in Bangladesh. After bearing all expenditures, the smugglers make a profit a Tk 3 against each kg of potato. The local farmers get fair prices but the consumers have to face a price hike. Smuggler Mazibar Rahman said local farmers get fair prices and hundreds of families earned their livelihood by smuggling as they do not have other option to main their livelihood. Commander of Mogholhat BGB
DHAKA TRIBUNE
camp Nayek Subedar Shamsul Alam said: BGBs vigilance was lax on potato-smuggling to India for the interest of the farmers. The BGB did not enjoy benefit in this regard, he said. l
33 illegal Malaysia goers held from Bay of Bengal n Our correspondent, Coxs Bazar
Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard in a drive arrested 33 people from the Bay of Bengal near Saint Martin in Teknaf upazila here yesterday while they were brought to Malaysia illegally. However, details of the detainees could not be confirmed immediately. Being tipped-off, a patrol team of coast guard conducted a drive in south-eastern area of the bay three nautical miles off Saint Martin Island around 4pm and arrested the 33 from a Malaysia-bound fishing boat, said Lieutenant colonel Harun-ur Rashid, station commander of Teknaf Coast Guard. During the drive, five crew members were detained from the boat. A case would be filed in this regard against the alleged brokers, crew and owner of the boat, the commander added. l
for long due to government fund crunch. Arif, a class-VIII student, and class-X student Fahima said they were not able to sit in their classrooms during any kind of rain or stormy weather as water enters there through the walls. The clay-made walls start trembling in storms and that is why they have to leave the school during such times, they claimed. Fahima also termed their common room unfit to use specially during tiffin period, saying they did not find any solution even after repeated appeals to the headmaster and other teachers.
Headmaster of the school Wazed Ali and assistant headmaster Bazlur Rahman blamed the higher authorities concerned for the problems despite frequent appeals to improve the condition of the school. Khoyer Uddin, president of the managing committee of the school, confirmed the matter, saying he informed the problems to the local MP several times, but his effort was in vain. Locals and guardians of the school urged the government to allot adequate money to turning the school into brick-made one. l
When they attacked the highway patrol, two police personnel received minor injuries
Altaf Hossain, inspector at the Kotwali police station, said a group of 15-20 robbers had set up a barricade with ropes on the highway for robbery. When they attacked the highway patrol, Sub-inspector Abdul Aziz PPM and Assistant Sub-inspector Shariful Alam received minor injuries after falling from a running bike. Hailing from Dinajpurs Boroil village, Khalek is the leader of an interdistrict robbery group. There are 10 cases filed with Kotwali police stations accusing him of murder, robberies and more, all under investigation. He is currently being interrogated for information on his accomplices. l
The photo taken yesterday shows that some watermelon-laden trucks get stranded at Elisha ferry ghat on the BarisalBhola- Lakhsmipur route because of ferry shortage DHAKA TRIBUNE
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Feature
COURTESY
n the years after the partition, in 1950, the house played host to the National Science and Industrial fair once again, and the chief guest of the event was the governor general of combined Pakistan, Khawja Nazimuddin, who was accompanied by many important cabinet members. This would surely be an event that house would detail about, as it would about the 1951 All Pakistan Literary conference arranged by all three sons of Moyezuddin jointly, which brought together literary elites from all provinces of Pakistan, and was chaired by the illustrious Dr Muhammad Shahidullah. The house could further tell of how the meetings deciding the nominations for the 1954 Jukto Front Elections were also held over the 42 person sitting capacity dining table of the home, as the 2nd son of Chowdhury Yusuf Ali Mohon Mia was heading the nomination committee, followed by narration of all the winners of that sweeping election of Jukto Front being invited for a celebratory feast with guests that had included Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Suhrawardy as well. The house would also surely mention being used as the venue for the 1962 All Pakistan Social Welfare Conference.
The house could also talk about Poet Jasimuddin reading out his early manuscripts here before going for publication; of Abbasuddin (famous folk singer) performing live for a large audience; about Sufi Motahar (first Bangla sonnet writer) who composed several of his best sonnets seated in the dining hall of this very home. And surely the house would talk about the excitement when as recent as in the 1980s, the greatest writer of contemporary Bangla literature, Humayun Ahmed came with one of the grandchildren of Moyezuddin and stayed for a weekend. The house could also depict how Moyezuddin had wedded Halima Begum, weighing her on a pan balance against 55kg of gold as her den mohor; about the wedding of Moyezuddins sons and daughters, where up to 10,000 guests were made to dine under canopies illuminated by giant gas lamps; of many other weddings that took place with members of other aristocratic families of the time, bringing in guests from Nawab families of Dhaka, Comilla, Boalmari, and from the families of the Zamindars of Dagonbhuiya, Talma, Gerda, and from the family of Haji Sharituallah of Bahadurpur, and many more. The stories would not be complete without talking about the fireworks, musical performances, even circuses, taking place within the home-grounds.
The house would call out for help to stop the descendants of the great lord who made it, from selling away fragments of the open lands around the house, on which new purchasers have begun to construct horrifying multi storied monstrosities
The house, if it could speak, could tell of all the times that people such as Maulana Tomizuddin Khan (central cabinet minister of Pakistan and Speaker of Central Parliament), Humayun Kabir (a central cabinet minister of India from the days of Nehru), Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sher-e-Bangla Fazlul Hoque and Suhrawardy (both provincial chief ministers and or governors of Bengal/ East Pakistan at various times, and Prime Minister Mohammad Ali and eminent leader Maulana Bhashani would come as frequent guests to the house and discuss so many political strategies. Some of them also stayed at the house on a number of occasions. Surely the house wouldnt forget to mention the visit of President Ayub Khan who came soon after taking control of Pakistan as its chief martial law administrator.
The house could talk about the entourages that would accompany the Maharajas of Ullapara, Muktagacha, Bhawal, Dighapatia and Bordhoman, when they would come for meetings with Chowdhury Moyezuddin or to pay in their tributes to him for the estates that they held jointly with him. Annals about the long lines of people entering through the high arched gateway to deposit the in kind items of the annual tributes coming in from far flung corners of Bengal across which Moyezuddins estates were scattered, would also gain the interest of listeners. Gold, as strange as it may sound, was indeed so abundant, that once a discarded rusted iron safe had been found lying near the pond, inside one drawer of which several gold bars were discovered. The story of 7 pitchers of gold coins being buried underground
in one of the familys estate offices near the river being washed away in flood is a story that may sound incredible, and yet is true, and would surely not have been omitted. Yes, this was a strange home where fantasies merged with reality. The house could also tell of when Moyezuddin would gather his army of 20,000, and people of the town in the grounds lying across the road from the house, which used to be open land back then, and infuse them with fiery motivational speeches for which he was renowned; and of the times when he would ride into battles and skirmishes with his troops. The mosque standing in the grounds would tell how Moyezuddin would arrange to protect, on the way back, all those who came to pray and how he would give incentives to for having the courage to come and pray in a town where Muslims at the time were a marginalised, and often oppressed, minority. The mosque would tell of how it was the first mosque of the town and the place where the first Jumma was offered and the first azaan was recited. Stories of how the Saints of Jaunpur and Enayetpur would come and preach the Sufi version of Islam from these very colonnaded verandas would be nice to hear as well. The house could narrate about the qul khawani Chowdhury Moyezuddin on December 26, 1923, when 200 oxen were sacrificed to feed the quarter of a million guests who had gathered to offer dua for the salvation of his soul. And how that led the way to starting of the practice of Eid-al-Azha in Faridpur town. The house wouldnt forget to state how the home was equally welcoming to all Hindus and people of other religions too, who formed the majority of Moyezuddins work force and management team as well, making the home, and all it stood for, an outstanding example of secularism. The house could testify that it was not one of those typical zamindar palaces all somber and grim as portrayed in the stereotypical stories and novels. It was a house which was full of life and where every day was like a festival. There would be numerous anecdotes to share about 27 of Moyezuddins grandchildren living and growing up here, with over a dozen more grandchildren through his daughter staying here half the time, making the house like a constant playground. The house would sadly remember that it used to be called the house that never slept, for even at the oddest hours of the night, at least a few dozen of the family members or staff would be awake, swimming or boating in the pond, or enjoying an all night barbecue, not to mention the ever vigilant contingent of sentries, patrolling about, many of whom were former soldiers of the famous Gurkha regiment and some guards from faraway Abyssinia, feared by all for their formidable size and physique. The house would recount the ceremonies held to mark the starting of schooling of the children, which in-
cluded the feeding of honey with gold dust, a combination called mokordhoch and the ceremonial coronation of sorts every 3 years, when the title of Motwali or chief administrator of the estate would be handed from one son of Moyezuddin to the other. The house would surely include in its narratives about the dozens of friends and the private tutors of all the grandchildren o Moyezuddin, thronging the premises all afternoon every day.
awestruck at the grandeur and splendor of the life style. But the house would also share memories of tragedies, like of the times when Moyezuddin died, and his sons, and their wives, one by one over the years, each time plunging the house into woe and mourning by the hundreds of thousands of people gathering over a few days, to attend their funerals and burials. It would talk of times of anguish,
Gold, as strange as it may sound, was indeed so abundant, that once a discarded rusted iron safe had been found lying near the pond, inside one drawer of which several gold bars were discovered
The house would talk of the enormous kitchen that rivaled the size of that of a hotels, where a team of cooks and assistants would make 4 or 5 meals a day, for over 200 people, and an additional feast for visitors, guests, way farers, and peasants. The house would speak of how life in it was noisy. How in addition to all the activities, there would always be people listening to the gramophones and radios, and family members trying their skills on the piano in the drawing room. It would tell how the kids would often organise elaborate fancy dress parties and dramas where they would garb themselves as legendary characters of history. And about how dexterous in sports most of the members of the family were, and of the tons of cups and trophies won by the sons and grandchildren of Moyezuddin for tennis, golf, hockey, badminton, cycling, cricket and athletics. Some family members, even played on the national team in the 1960s, managing to hold their position among the dominant line up of then West Pakistani players and many a times the national cricket or hockey teams came and stayed in Moyez Manzil accepting the hospitality of the family. This house would talk about how it was the first house to have electricity in Faridpur in 1933, and how it was the venue for so many entertaining poets duels where they would argue and quarrel in rhymes, and of times when different groups of family members were going for picnics and hunts or river cruises in the familys exclusive steamships and houseboats almost every other weekend. The house would share, that family members and guests would frequently challenge each other in shooting competitions using various kinds of rifles or even ancient muskets of which many shelves and cabinets were adorned. The house would talk about the many times when British officers of the government of high importance had visited, and how they had become
such as of all the times that Lal Mia the eldest son of Moyezuddin, was taken away as a prisoner many a times, from the grounds of the house, by the British government for his anti colonial political activities. It would also tell you about the horrors of the time when the Pakistani government in one of its repressive endeavors attempted to seal the house and confiscate all its belongings, stripping the house bare. The house would tell you how the great leader Suhrawardy himself defended the family in court and after the victory, apparently everything was returned, but many things were damaged beyond repair, and many were returned only on paper. The house would also share with you, the memories of anxious uncertainty during the war of independence of 1971, when everyone had to abandon the home, and trudge through knee deep mud to faraway places seeking refuge from the carnage. The house would share with us all the pain it suffered as it helplessly watched while so many of the beautiful antiques were so daftly taken away or
damaged. The house would also tell with pride, how as narrated by Foyez, the sub sector commander of Faridpur, of how the front lawn of the house was used as a venue by the liberation forces to call the enemy to surrender in the eve of 16th December, 1971. Nevertheless, if indeed the house could share its emotions and speak, it would surely weep today seeing its present plight and contrasting it with its own glorious experiences of the past. It would recount with shame how some members of the family had so many of the carved designs on the walls chiseled off, how so many of the descendants of the great lord made extensions or renovations at some place or the other using garish modern designs that contrast with the traditional architecture. The house would lament how the descendants of Moyezuddin sold, or gave away so many of the furniture and artifacts or carried them off to their new homes in Dhaka, leaving the Moyez Manzil all denuded and bare. It would not be able to contain within its brick and stone heart, the woe of seeing that almost no one lives at this home, except for some family members visiting weekly and some occasionally. The house would call out for help to stop the descendants of the great lord who made it, from selling away fragments of the open lands around the house, on which new purchasers have begun to construct horrifying multi storied monstrosities. Indeed the house would weep and wish for help. But sorrow, joys, pride and shame, all combined, if indeed the house could speak, it would tell the story of this land, and it would be a story that generations of those who love the history of the country and of Bengal, would love to hear recounted to them again and again. l Chowdhury Abd-Allah Quaseed is the founder of a non-partisan democracy promoting youth focused organisation called Force of Tomorrow, and the creator of a number of development oriented TV programmes, a columnist, and an HR professional in a leading local organisation.
COURTESY
DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
Pro-Russian activists who seized the main administration building in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk deploy a flag of the so-called Donetsk Republic and hold a Russian flag AFP
n AFP, Geneva
The UNs food aid agency warned yesterday that Syria was facing a drought that could put millions of peoples lives at risk, compounding the impact of years of war. WFP is concerned about the impact of a looming drought hitting the northwest of the country mainly Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama with rainfall less than half of the long-term average and potentially major impacts on the next cereal harvest, said World Food Programme spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs. This could put the lives of millions at risk if the drought continues, she told reporters. Byrs said there were huge concerns about the droughts impact on Syrian agriculture, given that irrigation systems and farm machines have already been hit by the war. In addition to fears for the cereal sector, there are also worries over the impact of water shortages on livestock farming. All this comes together to give a picture of a situation that isnt going to get better, Byrs said. l
A member of Iraqs security forces stands guard during a religious gathering in the central Shiite shrine city of Najaf. Attacks in Iraq left 12 people dead yesterday while security forces said they killed 25 militants near Baghdad amid worries insurgents are encroaching on the capital weeks ahead of elections AFP
DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
9
Afghan election provokes more than 3,000 complaints
n Reuters, Kabul
Afghan authorities have received more than 3,000 reports of violations from last weekends presidential election, exceeding the tally following a 2009 vote that was marred by widespread fraud. But just half the 3,103 complaints registered so far will be investigated, a complaints commission spokesman said, since the rest were reported by telephone and lacked the required supporting evidence. The three frontrunners have all complained of fraud in the April 5 vote meant to usher inAfghanistans first democratic transfer of power, as incumbent Hamid Karzaiprepares to step down after more than 12 years as head of state. Midnight on Monday was the deadline for reporting fraud and any irregularities, but the final figure is expected to rise as reports flow intoKabulalong with ballot boxes from around the country. A final tally could take days to become available, since observers, voters and other parties all had means to lodge complaints at polling stations. As soon as we get them, it is clear the final number is going to increase, said Nader Mohseni, spokesman for the Independent Election Complaints Commission. We cannot ignore the fact that during the elections, there were instances of fraud and electoral violations. More than 2,000 complaints were investigated during the 2009 elections, which were tarnished by fraud that led to more than a million votes being scrapped. Complaints against election commission staff made up 772 of the 1,573 complaints backed by documents this time round, with another 573 aimed at provincial council candidates, while presidential hopefuls faced 228 complaints. Afghanistanheld provincial council elections the same day. l
If we go down there now and do the visual search it will take many, many, many days because its very slow, very painstaking work to scour the ocean floor, Houston said. If the Bluefin-21 detects something, it can resurface and be sent back down with a video camera to seek visual evidence of a crash. Families of MH370 passengers in Beijing marked the one-month anniversary with a tearful candlelit vigil Tuesday, still in agonising suspense as they await evidence of the fate of their loved ones. Weve been waiting and holding on here for already 31 days, said Steve Wang, one of the relatives. About two-thirds of the 239 people on board were Chinese. Selamat Omar, a Malaysian whose 29-year-old son Khairul was on board, held on to improbable hopes that he might still be alive. Until they can find the black box or the wreckage I will hold on to the belief that the passengers are safe, he said. But a daunting task lies ahead, especially if the pings cannot be reacquired to narrow the search area. The 4.5-kilometre (nearly three-mile) depth of the ocean floor is the absolute operating limit for a Bluefin-21, which is designed for deep-sea surveying. Ocean Shield, which earlier picked up two series of pulses, one lasting two hours and 20 minutes and the other 13 minutes, is operating at the northern end of the defined search area. The Chinese ship Haixun 01 and Britains HMS Echo are working the southern end. l
A Chinese relative of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as she prays at the vigil in Beijing. Family members of the passengers held a tearful vigil in the early hours of Tuesday to mark one month since contact with the plane was lost AFP
Darker side
Opinion polls have said Modi is favorite to form the next government after results are announced on May 16, thanks to a strong campaign highlighting his economic competence in running the western state of Gujarat for 13 years. But critics say he has a darker side
LOST KINGDOMS
A fragment from a narrative relief depicting Rishis from Myanmar, part of the exhibit Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia, 5th to 8th Century, is seen at a preview at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The exhibition will be presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from April 14 to July 27 AFP
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY
Letters to
the Editor
s before any budget, there are conflicting interests for the government to balance. For instance, domestic fridge manufacturers are calling for higher duties on imported fridges, while fridge retailers are calling for a reduction. We believe it is essential for the government to take an objective approach towards tariff reforms, and for it to generally support reducing all tariffs, in line with the goal of reducing trade barriers and encouraging free trade. The interests of consumers are best protected by the government facilitating a free and fair market for goods and services. As domestic manufacturers of fridges are already successfully managing to increase their production, while demand for imported fridges is currently decreasing, there isnt a strong case to protect local refrigerator manufacturers by increasing import duties on fridges. Indeed, there are many products on which reducing import duties could actually meaningfully help local manufacturers and consumers. The Bangladesh Electrical Merchandise Manufacturers Associations request for lowering duty on raw materials for making switch and sockets would be a good example. Similarly, the governments promise in February to allow duty-free imports for fire and building safety equipment would clearly help to reduce costs for the RMG sector, as it undertakes the remediation and relocation of garment factories. Lower duties on the import of raw materials for manufacturing and export industries should generally be encouraged. Tariff reforms should be kept in a downward direction and targeted to make sense for consumers and producers alike.
Consumers are best protected by the government facilitating a free and fair market
April 2 If Mr Alams account is true, it only reveals the state ministers shockingly amateurish conduct in his meeting with the delegation from the UK. As for the supposed arrest warrant against Tareque Rahman in the future, this is only proof of the unrelenting political victimisation of the Zia family. Ronnie
zia hashan Nice writing and analysis. DB The AL, I believe, won fraudulently. It seems that democracy and democratic elections in our country are facing a bad loss. Who knows if this will ever change. Doesnt seem like it.
April 2 Buck passing? What actions has the EC taken against those returning officials (ROs) thus far? It was a 5-stage election and the EC had more than enough of its own officers to act as returning officers but at the AL leaders instructions, they opted to recruit civil servants as ROs to facilitate rigging while its discredited chief fled. Indigo
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
April 1 Its better for Bangladesh to remain neutral. Mir Ahmed AB Siddiquee
Obaidul: This poll was fairer than ever SC stays Rana Plaza owners bail
April 2 Well done your lordships! You are in harmony with popular sentiments. WaliulHaqueKhondker
he Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) acknowledges that there are at least 88,000 unfit motor vehicles plying the roads of Dhaka city. Besides, auto-rickshaws, cars, buses and trucks which require fitness certificates from the BRTA, there are also an unknown number of two-wheeler motorbikes which are yet to come under mandatory rules to have fitness certificates. A culture of unregulated road traffic is taking an immeasurable toll on the environment, and adding to safety concerns in our already congested metropolis. Although, out of the 8 lakh vehicles legally registered in the capital, only around 10% is estimated to consist of unfit vehicles, safety risks for all drivers and pedestrians are worsened by lax enforcement of driving and safety regulations. The BRTA is entrusted with the task of registering vehicles and providing and monitoring fitness certificates to motor vehicles. It must do more to stop unfit and uncertificated motor vehicles from causing damage and adding to congestion. While the government was right to recently raise the issue of foreign missions, which have been violating rules on the use of vehicles procured under tax-free facilities this move only addressed a fraction of the vehicles on the road, which are currently violating the law. Police and government should work better with the BRTA to enforce rules and standards consistently. Tightening up the conduct of the BRTA and freeing it from corruption or undue influence is vitally urgent. The police and BRTA need to be tougher in enforcing standards for everyone.
April 2 Fairer? I used to think this minister was reasonable, but his comment on the upazila polls has shattered that image. He is just like every other politician for whom party matters more than the country. deep purple blue
PEANUTS
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Flower (5) 5 Slow of understanding (4) 8 Dwellings (6) 9 Danger (5) 10 Dumb (4) 11 Singer (5) 12 Obscure (3) 15 Tidings (4) 18 Growl angrily (5) 21 Corded fabric (3) 22 Building cover (4) 24 Labour (4) 25 Stratum (5) 28 Nullify (6) 29 Prejudice (4) 30 Looks after (5) DOWN 1 Two-footed animals (6) 2 Rowing implement (3) 3 Date of death (4) 4 Burrowing animal (4) 5 Wicked spirit (5) 6 Taker of excessive interest (6) 7 Strong alkaline solution (3) 13 At home (2) 14 Yachting station (6) 16 Us (2) 17 Glittering particles (6) 19 Acting parts (5) 20 Behold! (2) 23 Horizontally level (4) 24 Bath (3) 26 Consumed (3) 27 Japanese monetary unit (3)
SUDOKU
YESTERDAYS 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 numberrepeating.
Sudoku
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
11
gain de facto control whilst denying its forces are on the ground. If they were to take Eastern Ukraine it might involve some shooting, which is something Russia would wish to avoid. They gained Crimea because it was easy, because there wouldnt be shooting, and because it contains Russias most important Black Sea base.
Whilst Russia ran the risk of sanctions, it correctly judged that these would be minor
AFP
t is election time for the largest democracy in the world. This time it happens to be the largest elections ever held in any country, with a record number of voters set to exercise their right to cast their ballots. The mind-boggling arrangements, pre and post-polls situation, the ever changing colours of the parties in the fray, and the unpredictability of the political players make the scene rather interesting. Although the largest democracy is not necessarily a believer in a practicing democracy, it heats up the political atmosphere of the region and the world. Since India has apparently been a rising power in the region, the party in power bears quite an importance in global forums. But a democratic and secular India, so far an ideology painfully forwarded by the Congress party, is now tilting towards those who are strong believers of the communalism and dogmatism of Hindutva. With the rise of regional parties over the last 60 years, India has witnessed a huge change in its political dynamics. The regional parties with strong local influence have been wielding influence over the centre. The once powerful Congress (still the only recognised party with a national character by far) has been forced for some decades to form an alliance government in the centre. So, the political agenda of the nation is no more under Congress dictation. It has gone into the hands
of small parties spread all over the country. Moreover, Congress has been suffering from a leadership crisis since the death of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Rajiv could not pull off any major stunts and did not live long enough to further his plans. The biggest national party of the largest democracy had to turn to an Italian lady to help steer the party through the rough waters of Indian politics.
the eventual candidate, and is the only choice for the Indians. But interestingly, Modi doesnt enjoy the backing of many of his own colleagues in the party. Advani, the veteran who dreamt of being the prime minister all his life, could not digest that Modi had been chosen as the candidate for the BJP. And many have to say that Modi doesnt even belong in the BJP in the first place. They say BJP is the horse on which Modi is riding to reach Delhi.
It doesnt really make any difference to Bangladesh if a secular or a communal party is in power in India
Dont forget that Indian politics is dotted with veterans of all classes and strict traditionalists. They have secularists with stronger conviction than the hardcore Rama devotees. Sadhus and gurus also make considerable influential groups. And theres the minority Muslim population who also play a very dominant role in deciding the Muslim ballots. So its not an easy ride in this scenario. People like Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, and Mahadev sometimes emerge as stunts. But they soon melt out and remain as sideliners. With Congress waning, the BJP stands upright. Its buoyant leadership now believes that Narendra Modi is
From the recent pre-poll counts, BJP appears to be the front-runner and still the most likely to win the majority in the Lok Sabha elections. If that happens, Modi could be ready to be the next prime minister of India. Asserting himself as a strong believer of Hindutva, and promising to fulfil pledges to Hindus in particular bear an uncomfortable tone. Anyone who has been directly involved in the Gujarat massacre of Muslims, and a supporter of the Babri Mosque demolition should be looked upon with concern. His beliefs will be reflected in the party manifesto and the will spill into the national and international policy of India for the next five years if he
becomes the prime minister. Modi had to fight his way up. From a small background to the threshold of power, he had to cross many hurdles. Once ditched by the West, Modi now stands tall with hope and circumstances tilted in his favour. With Modi at the centre, there will certainly be a huge change in Indian internal policies. There will be more political and social moves from the government than in the economic front. However, things wont be as easy as they seem now. If Modi takes refuge in the smaller parties for a coalition government, then he might be a little restrained in taking unilateral decisions. What do the neighbours stand to gain or lose in this transfer of power in India? Bangladesh never gained anything positive from the Congress-led government. We have been beset with problems from river water-sharing to border killings. Maybe the Mujib-Indira days were looked upon as a symbol of friendship and sacrifice from both sides. But those times are long gone. Things have not improved; rather they have worsened the entire time that Congress was power. With a different party in the centre, we might expect some changes in their approach and we should look for better and more respectable treatment from India. It doesnt really make any difference to Bangladesh if a secular or a communal party is in power in India, as long as we get a fair deal. l Mohammad Ali Sattar is a journalist and DT columnist.
If sanctions are expanded, it will cause trouble for Russia over the next few years
Putins Russia was treading as lightly as is possible for the metaphorical Russian bear. Simply put, Russias concern is this: If sanctions are expanded their impact might not worry Putins regime immediately but it will cause trouble for Russia over the next few years. If Russia seizes more territory soon it must be in Eastern Ukraine, but unlike in Crimea it will not be easy for Russian forces to cross the border and
Eastern Ukraine doesnt stack up to such lofty criteria. Although some government reports in the USA and elsewhere indicate that Russian troops could snatch territory in Estonia or Transnistria this would be qualitatively different and Russia would be running a much higher risk of serious sanctions whilst it is hard to see what it would gain. All this said, Russia could take more territory in the future if they wish to discount the costs of sanctions and believe that NATO would do nothing more than protest. If this is what happens, it will be the end of NATOs eastern expansion and possibly result in a contraction. Conversely, if Russia pushes into more territory, and NATO begins even a limited military response, that forces Russia to relinquish at least some of its gains it will almost certainly result in the expansion of NATO. It will be interesting to see whether the Ukraine issue makes NATO and the West more or less pro-Ukrainian. Clearly, NATO states dont feel too strongly about Ukraine, but being humiliated by Russia might reinvigorate their interest. There is also one consequence of Russias seizure of Crimea that no one is talking about. Now that there will be no more Crimean Russian voters influencing elections in Ukraine, there might be a more permanently anti-Russian flavor to the Ukrainian legislature. Likewise, if Russia takes over eastern Ukraine, the resulting rump state of Ukraine will have a decidedly different electoral character than it does today. Right now, Russian interests and power are expressed through pro-Russians within Ukraine and they act as a democratic handbrake on anti-Russian policy. Paradoxically, should Russia seize more territory in Ukraine it might be risking a big part of its regional influence. If I were in Putins shoes right now I would be happy with things the way they are. Crimea in the pocket, NATO humiliated, and Ukraine politically divided its a good weeks worth of work for the Kremlin. l Simon Leitch is the Editor in Chief,Foreign Policy and International Affairs, for Alochonaa. This article was previously published in Alochonaa.com.
Ticket to ride
T
n Shams Quader
rends, styles, and flavours-ofthe-month come and go. When considering the internet savvy, globally connected, and multicultural youth of Bangladesh, trends, from fashionable to downright random, swoop in and fade away. Whether its a new themed caf, flash mobs, gangnam style, smartphones, internet memes one never knows which trends will stick and which ones wont. Every so often, there comes a trend which is practical, relevant, environment-friendly, and healthy. I am of course talking about the cycling movement which has gripped Dhaka city youth over the past year. This is not news to anyone who dares to live in our beloved capital. Traffic jams in Dhaka city has been a major problem over the past decade. Even though the recent introduction of some flyovers and other infrastructural developments give testament to the governments acknowledgment of this massive problem, the amount of planning, manpower, and funds needed to reduce traffic jams significantly in Dhaka city is no simple matter. With huge amounts of time and resources being wasted due to these traffic jams and associated issues of pollution, an alternative and less complicated solution did not seem likely in the near future. Along came Mozammel Hoque, an active life promoter and the founder of a cycling group called BDCyclists. As he shared in TEDxDhaka 2013, Mozammel was tired of spending about six hours daily on the road due to traffic congestion. He could not afford to waste so much time during commutes, so he started cycling to his destinations. Pretty soon, some of his friends and colleagues followed, and in 2011, he founded BDCyclists, a cycling community dedicated to promoting cycling in Dhaka city. ropean cities (such as Brussels, Paris, and Amsterdam) as well as in some crowded cities of Asia (like Seoul, Beijing, and Tokyo). Even though it became a trend more recently in Dhaka city, the movement caught on fast with more and more college and university students, along with young professionals, choosing to cycle instead of taking rickshaws, CNGs or cars. Specialised bicycle and accessory stores opened up all over the city, along with cafes for bikers, Facebook groups, and apps. The trend caught on fast. Cyclist community members enthusiasm may often be mistaken for cult-like behaviour because of the way they try to influence their friends to buy a cycle and join them on their rides. They do seem annoying when groups of cyclists ride through the middle of a main road, queuing up traffic behind them. But instead of scowling at them, this movement should be nurtured and supported. There are no specific traffic rules for cyclists. Cyclists use their common sense and stick to the sides when riding on main roads. They often wear helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads and pimp their rides with back and front reflector lights and a front light. But they do so more for their own safety rather than for following street laws and regulations. For the safety of the cyclists, and for everyone else on the roads, there should be some proper guidelines or laws regarding cycling, especially on the main roads. New cyclists should be mentored on the common rules of cycling and the necessary safety precautions. Since cyclists usually ride in groups, which is fun as well as safe given the many dangers that lurk in the streets of this city, the most experienced members of these groups should take the responsibility of mentoring newbies. Bicycle parking stands should be introduced at multiple relevant areas of the city. If bus stands are covered with big company ads, why cant cycle stands be established through the same model? Cycling is good for health. The youth of Dhaka city do not usually get a lot of exercise with the lack of outdoor sports facilities, and many of them do not have the time or means to join gyms or dojos. Therefore, cycling becomes a means for working out while commuting. The practice is also good for the environment, because cycling produces no pollution. Given the high pollution levels of this city, any effort to reduce it should be acknowledged and celebrated. Cycling as an alternative way of transportation actively reduces traffic congestion on the roads. As long as cyclists ride safely with common sense, they can easily and quickly commute to their workplace, classroom, or any destination in close proximity.
Cyclist community members enthusiasm may often be mistaken for cult-like behaviour
Their main objective was to help ease pollution and traffic congestion through cycling, and they aimed to convert 5% of the car-owning crowd of Dhaka city to cycle commuters. People first took notice of this community when they organised the Independence Day Group Ride in Dhaka, where more than a thousand cyclists took part. This cycling trend really took off. Cycling has been huge in many Eu-
Cycling has been a common practice in the rural areas of Bangladesh, as well as in some of the other cities besides Dhaka. But this new trend, which arguably began with BDCyclists, is a movement where the youth of Dhaka city who would have normally travelled via rickshaws, CNGs, buses or cars, are taking up bicycling and are doing so in groups while networking with other like-minded citizens. In a country where the youth are always in constant struggle to cope with various problems, this cycling movement is a sign of hope, proving once again that no matter what the country throws at them, the youth of Bangladesh will always persevere. l Shams Quader is an academic of media and cultural studies.
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
Preparing to welcome Boishakh with a thousand voices
n Afose Jahan Chaaity
Shurer Dhara, one of the leading music schools of the country is preparing to welcome Pohela Boishakh the first day of the Bangla calendar with thousand voices at the open premises of Bangabandhu International Conference Center at the early morning on April 14. The programme titled Hajar-o Konthe Koti Bangalir Borsho Boron will start at 5:30am and continue till 9am. Noted Rabindra Sangeet exponent and principal of Shurer Dhara, Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya will preside the programme. Shurer Dhara gave an open circulation to recruit singers from all over the country. Singers from different organisations will perform in the programme, who were selected through a special selection process. The celebration programme will start with a Rabindra Sangeet titled Otho Otho Re which will be performed by Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya and a thousand singers. They will also perform many other tracks including popular folk song Age Ki Shundor Din Kataitam. Founding member of Shurer Dhara, Dipak Paul informed the Dhaka Tribune: Rehearsals are in full swing with a thousand singers including students and graduates of Shurer Dhara. We are accepting celebrated singers, Subir Nandi, Shakila Zafar and Fahmida Nabi to perform at the celebration programme as well. Shurer Dhara is also preparing for their Chaitra Sangkrantis (the last day of the Bengali calendar) celebration preparation. With the slogan of Dosher Kotha Desher Gaan, the programme will begin at 6pm on April 13 and continue till 12am. The Chaitra Sangkranti celebration programme will feature the rich history of Bengal. Seven steps of the liberation of Bangladesh including the Language Movement of 1952, the Mass-upheaval of 1969, the Liberation War of 1971 and others will be presented through songs. Two hundred and fifty students from Shurer Dhara will perform at the Chaitra Sangkranti. The programme will start with a chorus performance titled Sarthok Jonom Mago Jonmechhi Ei Deshe and will end with the performance of Ohe Doyamoy and Bertho Praner Aborjona Puriye. Rezwana Chowdhury Bannya will also preside the Chaitra Sangkranti celebration programme.
The official poster of Ananta Jalils upcoming full-packed action flick Most Welcome 2 has been released recently
Mousuf Ahmed, CEO of Cybernet, spoke on the occasion. Tagore exponent and Language Movement veteran, Ahmed Rafiq, presided over the programme. Masud Ahmed said: Osmans writings largely highlight messages against fundamentalism, communalism and ex-
work and earn a measly amount. But alas, they do not lose hope in the face of adversity and keep on with their optimistic thoughts. They hope to save their earnings for their family and also expects to earn more as time passes and return home to the awaiting arms of their mothers. The families also wait for the return of their children, but it seemed to be a long wait. Little did this band of workers know the measly savings that they sent home contributed to the overall development of the country. The drama series will focus on the lives and stories of these hardworking expatriates.
Sport
short pass but the Nigerian midfielder failed to take full control and saw his tame effort easily blocked by Ramjan Ali Mollah. Jewel Rana was again the architect of another promising attack in the 30th minute when from his assist, Simons shot deflected off a Feni defender for a corner. However, it was Feni Soccer Club who created the best chance of the first half six minutes later when Nigerian forward Chuka Charles met Ramjan Alis corner and the following ball found Fenis Gambian defender Landing Darboe who reacted quickly with a goal-bound volley, only to be denied at the very last moment when Brothers defender Yousuf cleared off the line brilliantly to keep the score 0-0. 12 minutes into the second half, Feni keeper Md. Nehal produced a diving save to deny Simons effort from inside the box. Feni had another opportunity four minutes later when Gambian Mathew Mendy shot wide with an open net at his mercy after a cutback from Chuka Charles from the left flank found him unmarked. Mendy, however, made amends for his previous mistake by putting Soccer Club ahead in the 81st minute. The attack started from a Liton throw-in which was followed by Gambian forward Kabba Jobes side volley from the edge of the box. Mendy was unmarked at the second bar and he raced forward to head the ball into the net. Soccer Club then rubbed salt into an already wounded Brothers side when they doubled the lead four minutes later to ensure the victory. Following a long cross, Abdullah Al Mamun outpaced his marker to head straight to the keeper Sabuj Das Rogu, who inexplicably failed to hold onto the ball and Mamun made no mistake to bury home the rebound. We now will have to wait till the final whistle of the final is blown to know whether this merry Feni ride continues any further. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
14 United wait
15 Dont crucify
Mathew Mendy and Abdullah Al Mamun, the two goal scorers of Soccer Club Feni rejoice their victory over Brothers Union at Bangabandhu National Stadium COURTESY
but I inserted Mamun who is my favorite and it worked. I feel happy, said a jubilant Omar. Mathew Mendy, the Gambian who broke the deadlock, said it was not easy in the middle. We had to work hard and I believe only foreigners cant win the match without the able support of the locals, opined Mendy. Brothers Union coach Syed Naeemuddin lamented his teams poor display and admitted Feni Soccer Club were the worthy winner. We played bad. Specially in the second half, we could not implement our plans accordingly. Rubel Miah, the mainstay of my attack was absent due to his H.S.C exam and I think my attackers did not rise to the occasion. l
BATTING
319 231 224 200 187
BEST
BOWLING
12 12 11 11 10
MOST RUNS
Virat Kohli Tom Cooper Stephan Myburgh Rohit Sharma JP Duminy
MOST WICKETS
Imran Tahir Ahsan Malik Ravichandran Ashwin Samuel Badree Amit Mishra
MOST SIXES
13 12 10 10 9 Stephan Myburgh Glenn Maxwell Virat Kohli Tom Cooper Shakib Al Hasan
BEST FIGURES
Rangana Herath Ahsan Malik Ravichandran Ashwin Samuel Badree Dale Steyn 5/3 5/19 4/11 4/15 4/17
Asaduzzaman Rony, an official of Bangladesh Football Federation was assaulted by an unruly Brothers Union supporter during the first semifinal of the Modhumoti Bank Independence Cup at the Bangbandhu National Stadium yesterday. The incident occurred when a group of Brothers supporters declined to follow the sitting instructions from BFF authorities. It was reported a supporter named Harun jumped over the fence and slapped Asad. The on-duty policemen held the miscreant but later an influential political person helped Harun to get free. BFF general secretary Abu Naeem confirmed the incident. l
HIGHEST SCORES
116* 111* 94 89 86* Alex Hales Ahmed Shehzad Umar Akmal Mahela Jayawardene JP Duminy
LOWEST ECONOMY
Mirwais Ashraf Sunil Narine Rangana Herath Ravi Bopara Sachithra Senanayake 3.50 4.60 4.60 4.66 4.88
BEST AVERAGES
Sikandar Raza Rangana Herath Samuel Badree Jimmy Neesham Asadullah Shareef 7.50 8.83 10.27 10.33 10.50
HIGHEST AVERAGES
106.33 101.00 75.00 62.33 57.75 Virat Kohli Darren Sammy Elton Chigumbura JP Duminy Tom Cooper
MOST FOURS
26 24 22 22 21 Stephan Myburgh Virat Kohli Tom Cooper Anamul Haque Hashim Amla
14
Messi to fight against Chagas disease
Barcelonas four-time world player of the year Lionel Messi is a leading supporter of the fight against the spread of Chagas disease which currently infects six to eight million people. Messi featured in a video, which was released in conjunction with Mondays World Health Day, which calls for more resources and drugs to combat Chagas disease, which is transmitted by a biting insect and is mainly found in the Americas. To combat it we need more resources and more medications, Messi said. AFP
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Manchester United's English striker Wayne Rooney (C) takes part in a team training session at their Carrington training complex in Manchester, north-west England yesterday, on the eve of their Uefa Champions League second leg quarter-final match against Bayern Munich in Germany AFP
Juventus Genoa
RESULTS
2 0 1 2
Livorno AC Milan
Juve countered after the resulting corner and Tevez was given time to send a 25-metre drive curl just wide of Bardis far post. Milan, meanwhile, soaked up the pressure in a dramatic second half away
AC Milan's forward Keisuke Honda scores a goal during their Italian Serie A match against Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris stadium in AFP Genoa, Italy on Monday
Levante Malaga
RESULTS
Dominguez 66-og
1 2 4 1 1 0 4 1
Athletic Bilbao
Aduriz 15, 44
Granada
El-Arabi 77
Elche
Boakye 90+3
Getafe Espanyol
Sergio Garcia 46 P
Sevilla
Valladolid
0 0
Valencia
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
Siddikur fired up for Maybank Malaysian Open
Bangladesh star Siddikur Rahman will compete in the Maybank Malaysian Open next week with renewed self-belief that he can compete on a level playing field against the worlds best players. Following his heroic performance at the recent EurAsia Cup where Team Asia gallantly fought back to earn a tie with Team Europe here, Siddikur, who contributed two points in the memorable 10-10 draw, is feeling confident ahead of the US$2.75 million showpiece at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club from April 17-20. Siddikur formed a formidable foursome partnership with Anirban Lahiri when they earned a vital win to spark Team Asias comeback. The popular Siddikur, who has not finished outside the top-five on the Asian Tour Order of Merit in the last two seasons, will seek to better his tied eighth finish at the 2011 Malaysian Open. He was also a dominant figure in the EurAsia Cup after contributing two points for Team Asia which included an impressive 4 & 3 victory over Stephen Callacher in the singles. l
QUICK BYTES
Sri Lankan supporters wave as the country's T20 cricket team travel on an open-top bus during a procession after returning from Bangladesh to Colombo yesterday. Sri Lanka prepared to throw its biggest party since the end of the country's ethnic conflict after beating India in the final of cricket's World T20 tournament in Dhaka AFP
had earlier criticised both senior players for allegedly going public about their retirement plans without prior notice to the board. On the eve of the finals with India, the board announced a million dollar bonus for the team if it could finally shed its reputation for choking in major tournaments. Sangakkara was in celebratory mood despite grumbles with the board. The met office had forecast thunder showers in Colombo, but the weather was holding up as the team was driven at a snails pace to meet President Mahinda Rajapakse. Fans waved national flags and cheered as the team bus escorted by hundreds of motorcycles and cars passed by. It was the biggest street party since government forces crushed Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009. l
Pakistani street children footballers arrive at the Sindh provincial assembly building to attend a reception in Karachi yesterday. Pakistan's street children footballers returned home to jubilant scenes after clinching the bronze medal in Brazil, with captain Sameer Ahmed hailing the "once in a lifetime" experience AFP
DAYS WATCH
UEFA Champions League: QF Leg 2 Ten Action 12:45AM Bayern Munich v Man United Ten Sports 12:45PM Atletico Madrid v Barcelona Star Sports 4 6:00PM AFC Cup 2014 Churchill Brothers v Persipura Jaya Star Sports HD1 1:00AM Masters Tournament 2014 Sony Six NBA 2013 14 6:00AM Miami v Brooklyn 8:30AM LA Lakers v Houston
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Seven more Rana Plaza victims identified 21.81% agricultural land and water bodies vanish, with residential area increasing by 32.67% in last 7 years n Moniruzzaman Uzzal Urban planners have alleged that and Dhamsonawas proposed as extenn Abu Hayat Mahmud Rajuk only formulates plans and pol- Almost a year after the Rana Plaza colsion to the RDP.
icies, but it could never implement them in reality. DAP was not fully successful because a large number of land developers continue to fill up flood flow zones and grab agricultural land and river embankments around Dhaka, ProfessorJamilur Reza Choudhury, who headed the DAP experts team, told the Dhaka Tribune. The DAP remains far from being implemented due to negligence of authorities concerned and rampant violation of the plan by real estate developers, he added. ProfessorSarwarJahanof Buets urban and regional planningdepartment said:Realtors filled up most designated wetlands and flood flow zones in and around Dhaka. If such practices continue, this will lead to waterlogging and destruction of ecology. Rajuk Chairman Nurul Huda said they planned to divide the DAP area into eight zones to implement the laws properly. BIWTA Chairman MdSamsuddohaKhandakertold the Dhaka Tribune: We are aware that encroachment is taking place around the river surrounding Dhaka. Such illegal practice continues as there was an error in the river demarcation. The RDP is part of the City Region Development Project, which will be used to formulate arevised Structure Plan to construct a policy framework for the next 20 years (2016-2035). l
begin this May and end by 2015. Askedif the new DAP will consist strict laws for protecting agricultural land and water bodies in the RDP area, he said steps would be taken as per the new DAP after analysing the RDP data.
Meanwhile, encroachment of water bodies andagricultural land continues unabated asRajuk and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA)were yet to take proper steps to stop such illegal activities.
lapse, the National DNA Profiling Laboratory at the Dhaka Medical College has confirmed the identities of seven more victims of the disaster, following the successful cross-matching of DNA samples provided by the victims relatives. However, the genders of the newly identified victims could not be known immediately. Professor Dr Sharif Akhteruzzaman, technical adviser for the DNA lab, confirmed the news yesterday and told the Dhaka Tribune that the lab had submitted a report on its third phase of DNA tests before the labour ministry on Monday. In the first phase report last November, the lab identified 157 victims 116 women and 41 men; while the second phase report in February this year identified 43 more victims 33 women and 10 men. Sources at the national DNA lab said 541 families had provided DNA samples for cross-matching with the 322 unidentified victims, whose bone and teeth were collected as DNA samples. A high-tech combined DNA index system (codex) software, provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, was used to identify the victims. The collapse of Rana Plaza on April 24 last year caused the deaths of at least 1,134 people and injured 2,515 more. l
A potter stacks up earthen toys for drying in the sun at Palpara of Kanchanpur, Brahmanbaria yesterday. Potters in the locality are passing busy days, making toys and other stuffs, ahead of a fair on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh DHAKA TRIBUNE
Substandard drugs threaten public health Three policemen sued for n embezzling gold bars
Moniruzzaman Uzzal
With the countrys first ever drug testing control laboratory yet to be officially inaugurated, the market continues to be flooded with substandard and adulterated drugs which pose a serious threat to public health. Following directives from the health ministry, recent drives by the Rapid Action Battalion and mobile courts of the drug administration recovered large amounts of unauthorised fake drugs, including saline and life-saving antibiotics, from different areas in the capital. Earlier, the parliamentary standing committee on health ministry identified 62 drug companies as substandard and later revised the number to 29 companies and recommended banning their production. Currently the country has more than 250 pharmaceuticals companies that manufacture around 24,000 brand drugs. Several pharmaceutical industry specialists told the Dhaka Tribune that the remarkable success made by the countrys pharmaceutical companies was being damaged because of a handful of unscrupulous traders who manufactured and supplied fake, unregistered, substandard, adulterated and smuggled drugs. Random drug samples should be collected from the market and then tested at the National Control Laboratory to ensure drug quality, they added. Muktadir Chowdhury, secretary general of Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceuticals Industry, recently said Bangladesh had a bright future in the drug sector, but the country needed to ensure that not a single fake or adulterated drug made it to the market. Although the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) began testing vaccines and drugs at the control lab on January 1 this year, the Tk25 crore drug testing facility was yet to be officially inaugurated. The lab was currently testing only 300-500 samples a month, although it had the capacity to test 10,000 drug samples a year. Several officials of the DGDA, seeking anonymity, claimed that the National Control Laboratory did not have its own budget to administer the laboratory activities, while the day-to-day expenses were being provided by the Institute of Public Health (IPH). Although the laboratory was fully-equipped with modern machines and other testing facilities, there was also a shortage of well-trained manpower, they added. The health ministry had created 236 new posts for the control lab, but the ministries of establishment and finance were yet to give the final approval for recruiting the manpower. However, the Dhaka Tribune has learned that in the absence of any individual budget allocation for the control lab, the DGDA authority was conducting its tests by receiving financial and other assistance, such as chemicals, reagents and manpower, from different private pharmaceutical companies. Selim Barami, director (current charge) of the control lab and also a director of the DGDA, admitted that it was partially true that the lab received help from different pharmaceutical companies for running a few tests, especially for testing vaccines. It was not possible to conduct the tests with the limited financial allocation from the IPH, as the price of vaccines chemicals and reagents were very expensive, he added. Separate monthly allocation of at least Tk1 lakh was needed to run the control lab properly, Barami said, adding that the vacant posts of 236 employees should be recruited soon. The DGDA director further claimed that drug test results at the control lab were similar to the standards of top pharmaceutical companies. l
SI Manjurul and his patrol team, who were on duty at Banasrees Balurmath area on March 13, chased a microbus on suspicion and later found the vehicle abandoned. They brought the vehicle to the police station and filed a GD. On March 16, two individuals named Samir Biswas and Jahid Hossain came to the police station to claim the vehicle but could not provide any documents to prove their right. Later, police detained them and found that they were gold smugglers and were transporting 235 gold bars in the microbus. On March 18, another case was filed with Rampura police station and was handed over to the DB on March 20. Upon further interrogation, the detainees confirmed that there were 235 gold bars in the vehicle. The detectives then interrogated SI Manjurul and his patrol team and they confessed to misappropriating the gold bars. One of the arrestees confessed to a court that after the seizure some smugglers sat in meetings with a high official of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police for negotiation. But the deal failed. As the secret deal failed the smugglers leaked out the information to another police high official. l
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093 94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com
BSEC chief and members to get another term n Asif Showkat Kallol
The government is set to extend on contract the tenures of chairman and four members of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) for another term. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently approved the proposal forwarded by the Banking and Financial Institutions Division under Finance Ministry, official sources said. The tenure of the officials will be extended up to four years from the date of expiry of their respective contracts in line with the BSECs new rules amended last year. Before the amendment, the tenure was for three years. The tenure of the incumbent BSEC officials, who were appointed after share-market debacle in late 2010, will expire between May and July this year. The government claimed performance of the BSEC officials is so far satisfactory as the market remained stable, but market players say otherwise. At present, the market is still going through volatility with low volume of trade, reflecting that investor is yet to recover confidence lost in the market debacle, they said.
B 3 COLUMN 4
In next 2 3 years, 10 new five-star hotels in Dhaka and Chittagong will be built in Bangladesh to meet the increasing demand
To get the tax benefit, the entrepreneurs will have to show agreement documents signed with international chain luxury hotel companies. For local luxury hotels of international standards, they will have to submit Vat payment certificates and approvals from Board of Investment.
B2
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company
Closing (% change) 26.33 9.98 7.73 6.87 6.55 6.06 6.01 4.32 4.04 3.96
Reckitt Benckiser -A LafargeS Cement-Z ICB AMCL IslamicMF A Popular Life Insu. -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Bata Shoe Ltd. -A Marico BD Ltd-A Linde (BD) Ltd. -A DESCO Ltd. -A Meghna Life Ins. -A CSE GAINERS Company Reckitt Benckiser -A LafargeS Cement-Z Paramount Insur-A AB Bank 1st Mutual Fund-A Bata Shoe Ltd. -A Marico BD Ltd-A BATBCL -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Titas Gas TDCLA Samorita Hospital -A
Average (% change) 25.77 7.37 6.02 5.15 4.72 8.47 6.52 6.73 1.76 2.95 Average (% change) 18.23 7.41 9.89 6.80 6.78 5.11 7.92 3.21 3.22 5.62
Closing average 1,399.51 57.22 22.01 247.49 58.36 1,033.41 1,308.29 1,048.01 65.90 141.43
Closing 1,406.90 57.30 22.30 250.40 58.60 1,038.10 1,310.80 1,038.80 67.00 141.60
Daily high 2,000.00 57.30 22.60 254.60 60.40 1,041.30 1,313.70 1,058.30 67.30 143.50
Daily low 1,351.10 55.00 20.70 215.00 56.50 950.00 1,271.00 950.00 62.00 136.00
Turnover in million 40.236 218.283 3.565 27.764 152.717 73.988 27.932 74.015 19.426 26.533
Latest EPS 41.12 2.19 2.56 17.00 7.26 52.75 46.53 48.55 1.12 6.45
Latest PE 34.0 26.1 8.6 14.6 8.0 19.6 28.1 21.6 58.8 21.9
Closing (% change) 18.23 9.96 9.63 6.94 6.33 5.18 5.00 4.26 4.19 4.12
Closing average 1388.00 57.28 23.90 7.70 1031.30 1303.00 2638.00 58.58 81.45 108.26
Closing 1388.00 57.40 23.90 7.70 1042.00 1303.80 2638.00 58.70 82.00 106.20
Daily high 1388.00 57.40 23.90 7.70 1042.50 1317.00 2638.00 60.00 82.30 110.00
Daily low 1388.00 55.00 23.90 7.70 1005.00 1270.00 2638.00 57.00 80.00 106.00
Turnover in million 0.069 16.956 0.012 0.023 0.516 0.782 0.264 10.047 2.729 0.433
Latest EPS 41.12 2.19 1.51 0.52 52.75 46.53 81.14 7.26 8.50 2.74
Latest PE 33.8 26.2 15.8 14.8 19.6 28.0 32.5 8.1 9.6 39.5
(-) 0.46% (+) 0.21% (-) 0.01% (-) 0.52% (-) 0.90% (-) 0.77%
Traded Issues Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis) Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis) Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Average (% change) -15.83 -15.06 -12.73 -9.24 -8.32 -8.33 -5.65 -5.22
Closing average 14.14 39.10 24.27 109.00 40.90 55.00 110.12 21.61
Daily high 16.00 40.70 27.00 109.00 43.50 55.00 117.00 23.00
Daily low 13.80 38.20 23.30 109.00 39.50 55.00 106.00 20.70
Turnover in million 32.587 9.782 0.364 0.022 4.928 0.006 7.433 4.946
Latest EPS 2.44 3.71 1.09 -10.24 -1.00 0.60 1.18 1.34
Impact after declaration: FASFIN price dropped 0.67%, close at taka 14.70 with PE 10.49. RECKITTBEN price up by 26.32%, close at taka 1406.90 with PE 51.31.
-6.35 -6.32
-0.73 -6.32
19.12 17.80
17.70 17.80
19.50 17.80
17.20 17.80
137.866 0.009
3.00 -0.89
6.4 -ve
Closing (% change) -16.17 -15.20 -9.88 -9.22 -9.18 -8.60 -8.59 -8.31
Average (% change) -15.49 -12.80 -9.88 -9.22 -9.18 -5.82 -7.97 -9.01
Closing average 14.13 39.59 37.40 58.10 27.70 106.24 30.02 41.52
Daily high 14.80 40.90 37.40 58.10 27.80 114.00 31.00 44.00
Daily low 13.80 38.50 37.40 58.10 27.60 103.10 29.50 40.30
Turnover in million 4.664 0.127 0.019 0.029 0.028 0.266 0.090 0.498
Latest EPS 2.44 3.71 2.00 3.46 1.60 3.03 1.39 -1.00
-7.65 -7.44
-7.65 -6.46
302.00 28.97
302.00 28.60
302.00 29.10
302.00 28.50
0.076 0.345
12.46 1.98
24.2 14.6
ANALYST
SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY
Sector 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
Despite a bullish start, the session ended red as morning hype subsided at the later part
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Grameenphone-A Olympic Ind. -A Padma Oil Co. -A HeidelbergCement -A Meghna Petroleum -A LafargeS Cement-Z
Square Pharma -A
DSE Million Taka 435.20 184.15 76.60 473.85 669.01 976.86 5.84 653.20 582.67 1.95 72.75 166.41 77.23 577.10 25.47 59.35 182.13 803.14 49.56 181.72 12.34
% change 6.94 2.94 1.22 7.56 10.68 15.59 0.09 10.42 9.30 0.03 1.16 2.66 1.23 9.21 0.41 0.95 2.91 12.82 0.79 2.90 0.20
Million Taka 35.08 13.52 2.85 38.78 36.89 74.58 108.64 39.27 29.61 2.55 35.60 14.48 34.27 5.65 1.89 10.93 78.74 4.82 22.69 0.00
CSE
% change 5.94 2.29 0.48 6.56 6.24 12.62 0.00 18.39 6.65 5.01 0.43 6.03 2.45 5.80 0.96 0.32 1.85 13.33 0.82 3.84 0.00
Million Taka 470.28 197.67 79.45 512.62 705.90 1051.44 5.84 761.84 621.94 31.56 75.31 202.01 91.70 611.36 31.12 61.24 193.05 881.88 54.37 204.41 12.35
Total
% change 6.86 2.88 1.16 7.48 10.29 15.33 0.09 11.11 9.07 0.46 1.10 2.95 1.34 8.92 0.45 0.89 2.82 12.86 0.79 2.98 0.18
Volume shares 2,685,800 2,143,000 835,773 511,990 991,387 3,814,520 717,584 4,380,000 2,617,000 7,209,300
Value in million 668.08 487.86 308.00 290.42 289.74 218.28 203.39 193.52 152.72 137.87
% of total turnover 10.66 7.79 4.92 4.63 4.62 3.48 3.25 3.09 2.44 2.20
Daily closing 247.00 227.50 361.60 564.20 288.60 57.30 279.40 41.90 58.60 17.70
Price change 2.62 0.84 -1.26 0.79 -0.48 9.98 -2.38 0.00 6.55 -6.35
Daily opening 240.70 225.60 366.20 559.80 290.00 52.10 286.20 0.00 55.00 18.90
Daily high 254.20 232.10 377.00 580.00 295.20 57.30 290.00 50.00 60.40 19.50
Daily low 241.30 206.00 350.00 550.00 265.00 55.00 265.00 41.60 56.50 17.20
Daily average 248.74 227.65 368.52 567.23 292.26 57.22 283.43 44.18 58.36 19.12
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
Grameenphone-A BD Submarine Cable-A Square Pharma -A Padma Oil Co. -A Meghna Petroleum -A LafargeS Cement-Z RAK Ceramics-A BSC A Emerald Oil Ind. -N HeidelbergCement -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Eastern Cables-Z Jamuna Oil -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A
1,260,000 223,200 105,900 78,872 57,654 68,260 296,000 260,534 21,390 56,337 21,400 171,500 49,900 37,271 202,532
Volume shares
Value in million
55.79 55.60 23.14 22.44 21.22 20.00 16.96 13.83 13.56 12.90 12.14 10.05 9.18 8.79 5.97
% of total turnover
11.42 11.38 4.74 4.59 4.34 4.09 3.47 2.83 2.78 2.64 2.48 2.06 1.88 1.80 1.22
Daily closing
41.90 247.60 216.80 279.40 361.60 291.00 57.40 51.70 636.00 45.80 563.30 58.70 173.40 233.90 29.30
Price change
0.00 2.87 0.23 -1.90 -1.31 0.38 9.96 -0.19 -0.20 -3.78 0.99 4.26 2.85 0.04 -2.01
Daily opening
0.00 240.70 216.30 284.80 366.40 289.90 52.20 51.80 637.30 47.60 557.80 56.30 168.60 233.80 29.90
53.00 254.90 220.00 287.60 375.00 295.80 57.40 54.60 642.00 48.40 580.00 60.00 185.40 238.30 30.20
41.70 241.00 215.30 277.00 359.30 285.00 55.00 49.10 620.30 45.50 556.00 57.00 173.00 232.60 29.20
Daily average
44.28 249.12 218.49 284.48 368.13 293.03 57.28 53.07 634.04 228.94 567.24 58.58 184.02 235.94 29.50
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
B3
FAR Chemical IPO oversubscribed by 73 times n Tribune Report
The IPO (Initial public offering) of FAR Chemical Industries Ltd, a textile chemical manufacturer and a concern of FAR Group, has been oversubscribed by more than 73 times on offer. Investors ordered shares worth over Tk878 crore against the offer of Tk12 crore, according to the Chittagong Stock Exchange. The company issued 1.2 crore ordinary shares of Tk10 each. The IPO proceeds will be used to purchase capital machinery for increasing production capacity and meet the expenses of IPO process. Located at Comilla EPZ, the company produces all types of textile chemicals needed the Groups 100% exportoriented textile units. The earnings per share of the company was Tk5.01 and the net asset value per share of Tk15.55 at the end of June 2013, according to its audited financial statement. l
n Tribune Report
M Shefaq Ahmed has been re-appointed as Chairman of Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA). M Shefaq Ahmed has been appointed as Chairman for contractual three years, said a statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Public Administration. Previously, he had served as the Chairman of IDRA from January 2011 to January 2014. l
IDLC Investments Ltd, the issue manager. He said the newly listed company would be attracting investors once it starts making the best out of its plant expansion plans. The stock closed at Tk41.9 with a traded value of Tk19.3 crore or 3% of
the days total turnover at Dhaka Stock Exchange. The offered value for the stocks was set at Tk37 each, including a premium of Tk27. The IPO proceeds of Tk123 crore will be used to expand its existing plant (Melange Project) and rest of the
IMF sees rich nations propelling global growth, but risks linger
n
Reuters
The International Monetary Fund yesterday predicted the global recovery would strengthen this year and next as output in richer nations picked up, but it warned of rising risks in emerging economies. In its latest global economic snapshot, the Washington-based IMF nevertheless said better policies were needed in both advanced and emerging nations to avoid a prolonged period of sluggish growth. Global output should expand 3.6% this year, slightly lower than forecast in January, and grow 3.9% next year, the IMF said in its flagship World Economic Outlook. That would make 2015 the strongest year of growth in four years. But the numbers mask an increasing divergence among countries. While less fiscal austerity should help unshackle growth in the United States and Europe, emerging markets are likely to grow more slowly than thought just a few months ago, the IMF said. Geopolitical risks have also entered the picture because of the conflict between Russia and Western countries over Ukraine. The strengthening of the recovery from the Great Recession in the advanced economies is a welcome development, the IMF said. But growth is not evenly robust across the globe, and more policy efforts are needed to fully restore confidence, ensure robust growth, and lower downside risks. Despite weather-related weakness at the start of the year, the IMF said the United States should enjoy abovetrend growth of 2.8% this year thanks to less severe budget cutting, a recovering housing market and an easy monetary policy. It said it did not expect the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates until the third quarter of next year. Economic activity in the euro zone should pick up slightly as countries slow the pace of fiscal austerity, even though the currency bloc continues to suffer from financial fragmentation and weak credit supply and demand, it said. The IMF repeated warnings about the very low level of inflation in the euro zone and said it saw about a 20% chance of growth-sapping deflation in the region. Sustained low inflation would not likely be conducive to a suitable recovery of economic growth, the IMF said, calling again on the European Central Bank to ease monetary policy. We hope they will implement (policies) as soon as theyre technically ready to do so. Sooner is better than later, IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard said at a news conference. Deflation is less of an immediate threat to Japan than it has been in the past, the IMF said, largely because a planned increase in the consumption tax would raise prices. But it said the tax hike would likely cut into Japans growth and warned of a one in five chance the worlds thirdlargest economy could slip into recession this year. l
Public Administration Ministry could issue an order regarding the extension of the officials any time this week, sources said. As per the Prime Ministers proposal, tenures of the BSEC chairman Prof M Khairul Hossain, commissioners M Helaluddin Nizami and Arif Khan will be extended for four years after expiry of their respective contracts. Tenure of commissioners M A Salam Sikdar will be extended by two years and six months and Amjad Hossain by three years and 11 months after expiry of their respective contracts.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith commented: The performance of BSEC Chairman Prof M Khairul Hossain and the four members was good as we saw the countrys two bourses remain more or less stable in their time. I want to extend their tenure by another term as the chairman and members hard work and directives made the stock markets stable for a time, said Finance Minister in the proposal to the PM. The whole BSEC management will be serving the extended period, he said. The governments new administrative division would clear matters related to their salaries and allowances. l
grave that it needs to be asked for suspension of production immediately. Off course, if the lacking is large in parameters, the factory should be marked as red. The association urged the Accord, a platform of Western brands, to keep trust on the manufactures. According to the meeting sources, the garment owners wanted the Accord include apparel makers representative in the steering committee of Accord to reduce confusions and find easy solutions to problems arisen from ongoing inspections. The garment manufacturers opposed making the inspection reports public as it could damage their image. Public disclosure of factory-specif-
ic inspection reports may cause damage to our business and reputation of the factories, said an owner who was present at the meeting. Thats why we urged the Accord not to make inspection reports public. On February 20, the Accord, a platform of 150 European retailers, launched the first phase of inspection and inspected over 275 factories for fire and electrical safety and over 200 factories were inspected for structural safety. Among the inspected factories, tree buildings were identified as flawed while production of 10 factories suspended on structural faults. On the other hand, the Alliance for Workers Safety in Bangladesh had inspected 305 factories and found no faults. l
Managing Director Shareq Fahim Haque of Hyundai Motors Bangladesh Limited and Noor Mohammed Bhuiyan, managing director and CEO of Guardian Life Insurance Limited recently signed, on behalf of their companies, a contract for group life insurance coverage for the employees of Hyundai Motors Bangladesh Limited
Diamond World yesterday inaugurated its 4th showroom at Ijab Islam Tower in Pallabi, Mirpur, Dhaka. The showroom inaugurate by Achal Agarwal, daughter of the managing director of Diamond World Ltd, Dilip Kumar Agarwal
Annual Marketing and Sales Conference 2014 of ACI Pharma Business held on April 3 at Hotel Sea Palace in Coxs Bazar. The companys managing director, Dr Arif Dowla was present at the conference
A corporate agreement has been singed yesterday between Union Bank Ltd and Aysha Memorial Specialized Hospital at the banks head office. SEVP of Union Bank, SAM Salimullah and director of the hospital, Dr Asish Kumar Chakraborty have signed the agreement
The inauguration ceremony of Marcels exclusive showroom, Khaza Electronics was held recently at Tuker Bazar, Companigonj, Sylhet. Amin Khan, film actor inaugurated the showroom at the presence of the companys executive director (PR and media), Mosharof Hossain Rajib
Engr Farasath Ali (left) and Dr Toufique Rahman Chowdhury have been re-elected as the chairperson and vice chairperson of NRBCB at the banks 18th board meeting held last week
B4
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
We will continue to resolutely push forward reform of the renminbi exchange rate mechanism
Mondays comments by a senior official from the Treasury Department suggested the United States was not completely sold on Chinas intention to reduce authorities interventions in exchange markets. If the recent currency weakness signals a change in Chinas policy away from allowing adjustment and moving toward a market-determined exchange rate, that would raise serious concerns, the official, who asked not to be named, told journalists in a phone call. A weak yuan makes Chinese exports cheaper for US consumers at the expense of US producers. A weaker yuan also makes Chinese consumers less able to buy foreign goods. In comments that outlined US positions before meetings later this week of the International Monetary Fund and between Group of 20 nations, the official noted the widening of Chinas currency trading band came just after a
A robotic pianist called 'Teotronica' performs at the Hannover Messe industrial trade fair in Hanover, central Germany on April 7. The Netherlands is the partner country of this year's trade fair running from April 7 to 11 and presenting a cross section of key industrial technologies AFP
43.3 29.5
51.9
59.6
56.3
12.6
China
7.2 6.1
Europe
Source: UNEP
Americas*
USA
Brazil
Asia**
India
**except China,India
Any new government will need to fix finances that are in dire straits, and about to get worse. To achieve a revised fiscal deficit target of 4.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) for the year ended in March, the Congress-led government cut spending by $13bn and pushed about $16bn in subsidy costs into the new year. That austerity could prove hard to sustain. Spending accounts for 11% of Indias GDP, offering a critical growth lever. Continuing to defer payments to state-run companies that would compensate them for selling fuel, fertiliser and food below market prices, can create havoc with their finances and make them rely on borrowings to fund operations. Meanwhile, tax revenues are un-
amount of debt to bond investors, a solution unlikely to please markets as it pushes liabilities to the future. A realistic and fiscally prudent budget is also critical given Standard & Poors Ratings Services has a negative outlook on its BBB-minus rating for India, and has said the policy agenda from a new government will determine whether the country can avert a downgrade to junk.
A sharp narrowing in the current account deficit, to an expected 2% of GDP from a record high 4.8% in the previous fiscal year, was helped by steps to curb gold imports. Higher duties and other restrictions almost halved gold imports but the moves have been deeply unpopular with Indian households who invest in the yellow metal to protect their savings from inflation and to provide gifts
A new government may face a factor beyond its control: the El Nino weather pattern typically associated with weak rains. Analysts caution El Nino could batter Indian agricultural output. Citigroup estimates that below average rainfall in the June-September monsoon could shave 0.50-0.90 percentage points off its economic growth forecast and lead to a spike in consumer inflation. A good monsoon last year was one spot of relief in an otherwise bleak economic picture with growth estimated at less that 5% in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, close to the slowest in a decade. Surging inflation could also spark tension with a central bank that under Governor Raghuram Rajan has made containing inflation a priority. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Market hopes on Modi lie largely on perceptions of his track record as chief minister in Gujarat, where he is widely credited with attracting investment. However, analysts say replicating that nationwide would be difficult given that states wield much of the power in approving projects. Credit Suisse estimates only one-fourth of pending projects depend on central government approval. In its manifesto, the BJP promised to cut red tape and encourage foreign investment in sectors needed for job and asset creation. But it said it was opposed to foreign investment in multi-brand retail. Capital investment contributes nearly 35% to Indias economy, but it barely grew in the fiscal year that ended in March as delays in clearances and funding issues grounded many infrastructure projects. That is particularly the case with state electricity boards, which remain hobbled by losses caused in part by costly fuel and little pricing power. Short of recapitalising state utilities, the central government has few choices in pushing for a restructuring. Coal supply is also a key constraint, in large part due to the financial difficulties at state power generators.
India needs to fix the piles of bad loans at the countrys state-run lenders, with stressed loans totalling $100bn, or about 10% of all loans. The bulk of these bad loans are related to infrastructure projects, which have made banks circumspect in lending. The interim budget set aside 112 billion rupees to help the sector meet minimal capital ratios mandated by Basel III norms, but more will be needed, according to analysts, creating tough fiscal choices for a new government The BJP has tended to lean towards privatisation, raising the prospect of stake sales, although the party has not addressed the issue in the run-up to the polls. l
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