JS may pass bill today to split Dhaka city

Staff Correspondent

Parliament is all set to pass today a government bill seeking to split the city of Dhaka.

A parliamentary standing committee at a meeting on Sunday approved the bill with nominal modifications.

The bill seeks to amend the local government law to divide Dhaka into two cities.

The committee approved the bill in record five days since it got it for scrutiny.

The government introduced the Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Bill 2001 in the House on November 23 and on the same day parliament sent it to the standing committee for scrutiny. 

The Awami League-led government took the move for the hurried split of the historic city in the face of stiff opposition from the civil society, the opposition party as well as the mayor of Dhaka, who even offered resign and stay away from the next city polls in his appeal to the regime not to divide Dhaka.  

The committee on the ministry of local government and rural development is expected to return the bill to parliament today.

The bill on becoming law would empower the government to divide the historic city of Dhaka into Dhaka City South and Dhaka City North.

Unlike the existing local government law, the bill seeking to amend it is silent about the stipulation that a new mayor of Dhaka has to be elected within 180 days of expiry of the tenure of office of a sitting mayor.

Following the amendment the local government law would also empower the government to remove the elected mayor of Dhaka Sadeq hossain Khoka, split the Dhaka City Corporation

into two city corporations and appoint their administrators awaiting election of new mayors of the two new cities.

The bill also proposes dividing the assets and liabilities, records, documents and other materials of the Dhaka City Corporation between the two new city corporations.

Parliament sources said that the session was likely to be prorogued in a day or two.

Members said that the standing committee only dropped two words relating to the qualification of the administrators of the two new city corporations for Dhaka.

They said that the committee dropped the words ‘first class’ from ‘first class public servant’ the stipulated the qualification of officers, the government would be empowered by the amendment to the local government law to appoint as administrators of the two new cities.

Following amendment the local government law would empower the government to appointment civil servants or any other persons, it thinks competent, as administrators until two mayors are elected for the two new cities.

The standing committee approved the bill in five days said its member Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury.

 The meeting over, he said parliament would pass the bill today.

The state minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanak had introduced the bill in parliament on November 23.

Nur-e-Alam said the committee approved a separate bill to amend upazila parishad law and it would also be passed by parliament today.

He said that the tenure of office of the administrator would be 90 days and a new administrator has to be appointed after 90 days.

The existing local government law does not permit removal of an elected mayor or his or her replacement by an appointed administrator.

The bill omitted armed forces from the definition of law-enforcement agencies ruling out deployment of troops during city elections.

Following the amendment to the local government law, 92 wards of the historic city of Dhaka would be divided between the two new cities.

According to it, Dhaka North City Corporation would comprise wards 1 to 55 and Dhaka South City would comprise wards 56 to 92.

In justification of dividing the city the bill says it became difficult to provide civic services to one crore people from one centre.

In its objectives for splitting the city, the bill said that the people were not getting the civic amenities.

On October 31, the cabinet approved the bill for splitting the city of Dhaka.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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Today, oil and gas body begins road March.

Moloy Saha

The National Committee for the protection of oil, gas, makes natural resources, and begins ports his three-day Dhaka-Chittagong road March today urges the seven point demands, including the scrapping of the deal with ConocoPhillips for hydrocarbon exploration in two offshore gas field in the Bay of Bengal.

The demonstrators in three buses, be started for Chittagong today morning after holding a rally before the National Press Club at 10: 00.

Coordinator of the Organization, will preside over the rally Sheikh Muhammad Shaheedullah. Academics Serajul Islam Choudhury and Akmal Hossain, columnist Syed Abul-Moksud, the Organization Member Secretary ANU Muhammad, leader of the left-wing political parties will say also. Comilla reach the March today after rallies on the way of Sonargaon, Daudkandi and Chandina keep. The demonstrators leave Comilla Tuesday morning and rallies in FeNi, Chauddagam and Mirsarai.

The demonstrators will leave Mirsarai in the morning on the third day on Wednesday and hold a rally in Sitakundu before the last rally in Laldighi keep Maidan in Chittagong.

Shadeedullah and ANU in a press statement issued on Sunday calls people to the programmes successful.

You demanded the scrapping of model production and share contract 2008 and calls for the Government not, the creation and Exchange to 2011 for hydrocarbon exploration in onshore gas prepare contract areas. They claimed that the Department of energy was controlled by multinationals and some officials have been referred to the foreign companies serve.

The Organization holds 'a large rally"in Dhaka gas field in October and a National Convention on November 30 after a March on the Sunetra in November.

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| Source: newagebd.com

Narayanganj goes to polls today amid fear, doubt

  Election Commission officials, with the help of law enforcers, take ballot paper boxes to polling booths on the eve of the Narayanganj City Corporation polls scheduled for today. — Indrajit Ghosh

The newly formed Narayanganj City Corporation goes to polls for the first time today amidst fear and panic as the government did not make army deployment, which the Election Commission, major candidates and voters had demanded.

The Election Commission made all the preparations

to hold the polls with the deployment of additional Rapid Action Battalion personnel.

A total of 4,041,89 voters of the city corporation area will cast their vote in 163 polling stations, of which 127 are considered risky, between 8:00am and 4:00pm, to elect their representatives.

Six candidates are contesting the elections for the mayoral position, 252 for 27 positions of councillors for 27 wards and 56 women for nine positions of councils in reserved seats.

The ruling Bangladesh Awami League-backed Shamim Osman, with the symbol of wall clock, Awami League leader Selina Hayat Ivy with the symbol of pen and inkpot, the BNP-backed Taimur Alam Khandakar with the symbol of pineapple, Islami Andolan leader Atikur Rahman Nannu Munsi with the symbol of bullock cart and independent candidates Sharif Mohammad with the symbol of duck and Atikul Islam Jibon with the symbol of padlockare contesting the elections.

The government’s non-compliance with the Election Commission’s requisition for army deployment to keep law and order during the polls has made most of the city dwellers doubtful and worried about the polls being held in a free and fair manner.

Many of them though that the government had not deployed the army in compliance with the Election Commission’s requisition only to pave the way for the win of Shamim.

Shamim’s repeated claims that there would be militant attacks on the city before the polls have multiplied the worries of voters.

The voters, however, said that they would go to the polling stations setting aside all fears.

Selina Hayat Ivy and Taimur Alam Khandoker called on the voters to go to the polling stations braving all odds to resist all ‘conspiracies to snatch way the polls result.’

‘People have started saying that the vote has already been cast,’ Sukumar Ghosh, a shopkeeper on Bangabandhu Road, expressed his worries before New Age on Saturday.

Many people were seen expressing such an apprehension as the polling was nearing.

Asked whether he was feeling free to go the polling stations on the polling day, Niaz Rahman, who works with a private organisation, at Chashara said, ‘It would have been better if the army had been deployed.’

‘Panic has gripped many of the voters as to what will happen on the polling day,’ he said.

The Election Commission and the Rapid Action Battalion, however, dispelled voter’s fears about security and fairness of the elections after the non-deployment of the army and advised voters to cast their vote without fear.

The returning officer, Biswas Lutfor Rahman, at a press conference at the Shaheed Zia Hall on Saturday called on the voters to go to the voters without any fear.

‘There is no reason to be panicked about casting vote for your candidate as stringent measures have been taken to keep law and order,’ he said.

‘Please do not get panicked. Go to the polling centres without any fear and return home after casting your vote,’ Lieutenant Colonel Mostafa, commanding officer of RAB 11, said at a press briefing at Narayanganj Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday.

He told reporters that 1,000 battalion personnel had already been deployed in Narayanganj, adding that 400 more personnel would join them before the voting would begin on Sunday morning.

Battalion personnel in plain clothes will also be on duty, the officer said.

The Election Commission completed all its measures to ensure the holding of the elections in a free and fair manner. Electronic voting machines, ballot papers and other necessary documents and equipment have already bent sent to Narayanganj.

Apart from some 1,000 personnel of regular forces of Narayanganj, some 7,000 more personnel of different law enforcement agencies, including Rapid Action Battalion, the police and Ansars would be deployed.

Although it was earlier decided that some 5,000 more law enforcers would be deployed, the commission, following its failure to deploy the army, decided to increase the number of law enforcers.

Some 4,000 policemen, 2,500 Ansar-VDP personnel, 100 coast guards and a dog squad and a bomb disposal squad will be on duty to keep law and order.

The Election Commission has termed ‘important’ the 131 polling stations, not saying risky, and decided to deploy 26 law enforcers at each of them while 22 law enforcers at other polling stations.

Rejecting the requests of the two out of three heavyweight candidates, the commission is using electronic voting machines in 57 polling stations in nine out of the 27 wards of the city corporation for which it will need 450 devices.

A total of 1,48,629 voters of Ward 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23 and 24 will cast their vote in 450 polling booths by using EVMs.

An election official said that the commission had already set up closed-circuit television cameras at 20 polling centres to monitor possible irregularities during polling.

Apart from 1,217 polling booths, there is one temporary polling centre with 50 booths.

The candidates ended their electioneering at midnight past Friday by only holding indoor meetings, roadside rallies and door-to-door campaigns to seek vote as no procession or rally was allowed during electioneering.

The Election Commission imposed a ban on the movement of outsiders in the election area from October 28, except for those who would have urgent tasks there.

A team of 27 executive magistrates and three judicial magistrates would keep watch on the polling as the 36 mobile court will be on patrol on the polling day. 

Apart from 163 presiding officers, 1,217 assistant presiding officers and 2,434 polling officers will be engaged in holding the polls.

Nobody will be allowed to use mobiles in and around the polling stations. All banks, educational institutions and business establishment will remain closed for the day.

The Election Commission has estimated that Tk 6 crore will be spent on holding the elections.

A huge number of reporters would cover the event. Two hundred and thirty-seven election observers of 26 local and international bodies will observe the polling.

Narayanganj, the country’s seventh city corporation, was set up on May 5 by merging Narayanganj, Kadam Rasul and Siddhirganj municipalities.

Source: newagebd.com/newspaper1

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International trade fair starts today

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The Dhaka international trade fair, a greatest annual traffic eventuality of a country, is currently starting to proceed (Saturday) to showcase a far reaching operation of internal as well as unfamiliar products.

The Carlyle minister, Sheikh Hasina, will establish a 16th month-long DITF in a belligerent diagonally opposite to a Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Jan any year a Ministry of Commerce as well as export promotion Bureau mutually organize a a utterly in which satisfactory couple from home of companies of a as well as abroad participate.

Three novelties have been featured in this year's fair: a pavilion temperament a pretension 'A small time with Bangabandhu', 5,200 block feet of landscaping only outward a satisfactory ground as well as display a satisfactory live upon large screens by online video in thirteen spots in Dhaka as well as 10 spots in critical districts opposite a country.

The Bangladeshi exhibitors will showcase a country's trade products to visitors from abroad.

The far reaching operation of products which have been starting to be displayed embody woven panoply as well as knitwear, jute as well as jute products, solidified foods, tanned hide as well as tanned hide goods, footwear, handicrafts, agro-based products, light engineering products, ceramic tableware textiles as well as weave products, domicile appliances, pharmaceuticals, containing alkaline products, machinery, equipments as well as materials for cultivation as well as gardening, cosmetics, dairy products as well as equipment, electrical as well as electronic items, foodstuff as well as groceries, present as well as newness items, furniture, structure materials, sports goods, spotless ware, toys, stationeries, watches, clocks as well as jewellery.

' All a basic work has been finished for land a satisfactory successfully' claimed custom apportion Faruk Khan whilst addressing a press lecture upon Friday.

He pronounced which a reply from both internal as well as abroad entrepreneurs has been improved this year than a prior year. The series of visitors to a satisfactory additionally be aloft will this year, he hoped.

He pronounced which a satisfactory has a sum of 486 pavilions as well as stalls, together with 32 from thirteen unfamiliar countries.

He pronounced which a DITF 2011, which will finish upon 31 January, would embrace some more mark trade orders from unfamiliar buyers than in alternate years. The mark orders to DIFT 2010 were value TK 22.86 crore, crore in DITF-2009 TK 19.91 as well as in DITF 2008 TK 2.06 crore.

He pronounced which a DITF-2011 would have 5 special pavilions, 5 premier pavilions, 4 premier mini-pavilions, 62 ubiquitous pavilions, 54 mini general pavilions, 35 premier stalls as well as 321 stalls.

Besides, a satisfactory will have twenty-two kiosks dispensing drinks, 4 mom as well as caring centres kid, twelve restaurants as well as 5 ice cream outlets.

The unfamiliar countries which have been participating have been Pakistan, India, China, Iran, South Korea, Thailand, USA, Turkey, Singapore, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Malaysia as well as a United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan has 10 of a unfamiliar pavilions as well as stalls, India 5, China, Iran, South Korea, USA, Turkey as well as Singapore dual each Thailand Japan, KSA, Malaysia as well as UAE each a single.

The satisfactory will sojourn open from 10 am compartment 10 pm. Visitors will have to compensate an entrance price of TK fifteen any time they go to a fair.

View the original article : Bengali News