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The government is likely to allow private-sector entrepreneurs to install small power plants of 10 to 50 megawatts to reduce pressure on the national grid.
   The Power Division’s proposal of allowing interested entrepreneurs or joint-venture companies to set up the power plants without any tender has already been sent to the Cabinet Division for approval.
   At present the government allows entrepreneurs to install power plants which have less than 10MW capacity for their own use. Tender procedure is needed for installation of plants with capacity over 10MW as the government is the only primary buyer of power.
   The cabinet committee on economic affairs will take a decision on the proposal at a meeting on April 23.
   The proposal, which was sent to the Cabinet Division in the last week of March, says that the tender procedure for setting up plants is time-consuming and the country needs immediate solution of the power crisis.
   Interested entrepreneurs have to take licences from the Energy Regulatory Commission for setting up power plants, says the proposal.
   The government should supply gas to the power plants at the price that it supplies to the plants of the Power Development Board, suggests the proposal.
   The entrepreneurs will get financial benefit as per the private sector power generation policy, says the proposal.
   The proposal says that if any entrepreneur wants to sell power to the government he will have to sell at the lowest price, at the same rate by which the PDB and Rural Electrification Board buy power.
   The government will buy power from the entrepreneurs at a price of about .273 cents per unit. The AES Haripur Power Plant sells power at that price, which is the lowest in the country.
   The entrepreneur will have to arrange transmission network from the small plant to the national grid if it wants to sell power to the government.
   If the entrepreneur wants to sell power to any private organisation or industry, both the parties will mutually fix the price, says the proposal.
   If gas price increases, the power tariff will be adjusted. The government will reduce duty if any entrepreneur wants to use any alternative energy source rather than gas for producing power.
   State minister for power, Iqbal Hasan Mahmood, told New Age that any interested entrepreneur will be eligible for getting a licence if he fulfils the conditions.
   He said that the pressure on the national power grid would be reduced once the small power plants are set up. Besides, many business houses will buy power from these small plants, thus reducing pressure on the national grid.
   Around 3,500 megawatts of power is produced daily in the country, with a shortfall of around 300 to 500MW.

The opposition Awami League said on Wednesday that the BNP-led four-party alliance government had failed to build confidence with the closest neighbours and accused it of making the country friendless.
   ‘The government is acting like a silent spectator when two of our neighbours — India and Pakistan — are improving their relations,’ the chairman of the party’s international affairs sub-committee, Faruk Chowdhury, told a press conference at the party chief’s Dhanmondi residence in Dhaka.
   Referring to the eastern Akhaura frontier skirmishes, which left two people killed, Chowdhury termed it ‘disgraceful’ for the country as the incident coincided with the top-level border meeting in Dhaka.
   ‘The government has failed to maintain good relation with India which was built during the Awami League’s five years’ rule,’ he said, adding that Saturday’s ‘unfortunate’ incident would not have taken place had there been a good relation between the two nations.
   ‘The Bangladesh is not a friendless country but the present government has become isolated because of its misleading foreign policy.’
   Saber Hossain Chowdhury, political secretary to the Awami League president, and former ambassador Mahmud Ali also spoke at the briefing.
   The Awami League international affairs sub-committee arranged the briefing at Sheikh Hasina’s Sudha Sadan residence.

The International Khatme Nabuwat Movement, now agitating against the Ahmadiyas in the country, in a release on Wednesday gave a seven days’ ultimatum for a signboard of the organisation to be permanently hung at the Jyotindranagar Ahmadiya Mosque Complex at Shyamnagar in Satkhira.
   The organisation also said if their demand is not met by the time, they themselves will hang the signboard at the place. In that case, the district administration will need to bear the responsibility, the organisation said.
   Signed by Sheikh Mizanur Rahman, press controller of the organisation’s Satkhira unit, the release asked the superintendent of police of Satkhira to fulfil the demand.
   Journalists should write on the true feelings of the Muslims or they will have to face Tauhidi Janata, the release threatened.
   Local sources said Khatme Nabuwat laid siege to the mosque complex Sunday noon and hung its signboard at the place with the help of the police.
   The police superintendent could not be reached for comments.

Ten children born in different brothels of the country participated in a daylong workshop titled ‘establishing human rights, protecting the stigmatised women in sex trade, their children and the exploited minors’, organised by Aparajeya Bangladesh in its central office at Mohammadpur on Wednesday and demanded that sex trade should be abolished.
   They also demanded alternative employment opportunities for prostitutes and their dream to get back in the main stream work force of the society should be realised with proper assistance from the government and non government organisations.
   The children expressed their pain due to humiliation they have to face every moment for their mothers’ occupation. Despite the existence of laws to preserve children’s rights they face lack of security in brothels as the law enforcement agencies do not help them, they said.
   Instead the police and also the hooligans harass and abuse them. Lack of sleeping space and proper sanitation are common problems they face in their dwellings.
   Prejudiced mind set of people keep them at bay from receiving education in community schools, from proper medical services, and from all the social privileges, they said.

The traffic movement at Kadamtoli in the Sylhet city remained stalled for about two hours following a clash between the police and a mob over collection of tolls from owners and drivers of vehicles on Wednesday.
   The mob beat up police constables Salah Uddin, Mohiuddin and Zinnzh, witness sources said.
   The sources said a Kotwali police team was reportedly collecting tolls from vehicles owners and drivers at Kadamtoli in front of the Shahjalal Bridge on the pretext of faulty document.
   At one stage, the on-duty police stopped a four-stroke auto-rickshaw of Saleh Ahmed Khasru, general secretary of the Sylhet Truck Owner’s Association, while he, along with some of his family members, was going to South Surma.
   Khasru requested the policemen to release them immediately as they were on an urgent purpose and said he had necessary papers of his vehicle. But, the constables insulted him and confined his vehicle.
   Khasru informed his association members over mobile phone and a huge number of people from North Surma and South Surma reached the spot on several trucks. They arranged a protest rally on the road and condemned such harassment by some unscrupulous members the Kotwali police.

Central leaders of the 11-Party alliance will visit the spot of attack on Ahmadiyas in Satkhira.
   The district leaders of the alliance had already visited the spot and talked with the people attacked by the members of the Khatm-e-Nabuwat Movement.
   The alliance central steering committee at a meeting at the Workers Party central office in the capital on Wednesday demanded exemplary punishments for the attackers.
   Chaired by the alliance leader, Mujahidul Islam Selim, the meeting was attended by the coordinator, Bimal Biswas, Rashed Khan Menon, Haider Akbar Khan Rano, Pankaj Bhattacharia, Azizul Islam Khan and Siddiqur Rahman Khan.

A mild earthquake jolted Chittagong and its surrounding area Tuesday night.
   According to the Seismological Observation Centre, the tremor began at 20 hours 04 minutes 52 seconds and lasted for 26 seconds.

Bangladesh Ambassador in Washington Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury has briefed congressman Barney Frank on the progress made in investigating the incident of killing of AL lawmaker Shah AMS Kibria.
   He reaffirmed Bangladesh government’s sincerity in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Mobin called on the congressman at his office in Washington Tuesday.
   Frank was one of the three US lawmakers who wrote a letter recently to the government expressing their concern over the Kibria killing incident.
   The ambassador informed Frank that US Embassy in Dhaka had expressed its full satisfaction at the government’s cooperation with the FBI team in Dhaka and requested him to contact the State Department to cross-check his assertion, to which the congressman agreed.
   He also asserted that any apprehension regarding the investigation and bringing the perpetrators to justice was totally unfounded.
   In this context, the ambassador referred to the court verdict awarding punishment to the killers of Awami League lawmaker Ahsanullah Master.
   He said like late Kibria’s family, the family of Ahsanullah had also voiced their concern over the investigation and trial. ‘But after the pronouncement of verdict by the court Ahsanullah’s son, who is also an Awami League lawmaker, had expressed his full satisfaction.
   Shamsher also briefed the congressman on the progress made in institutionalising democracy in Bangladesh through free and fair elections, where unparalleled women empowerment has taken place and where free media and strong civil society work as safeguards for democracy.
   Frank acknowledged this as a very strong point for Bangladesh to have democracy in a Muslim majority country and appreciated Bangladesh’s success in empowering its women.
   The ambassador invited him to visit Bangladesh to which he readily agreed saying he might visit Dhaka in December.

The police on Wednesday submitted its report under the explosive act, accusing 10 leaders of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the killing of former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria case.
   The officer in-charge of Sadar police station in Habiganj, who is also the investigation officer of the case, submitted the report to the court of magistrate, Shafiqur Reza Biswas on Wednesday accusing the recently suspended president of Zia Gabeshana Parishad and district BNP vice- president, AKM Abdul Quayum along with nine other party leaders, the sources said.
   They are – Zainal Abedin Jalal, Zamir Ali, Zainal Abedin Momin, Tajul Islam, Shahed Ali, Selim Ahmed, Ayat Ali, Mohibur Rahman and Kajal Miah. Of them, Mohibur and Kajal are absconding after the attack, added the sources.
   The Habiganj Awami League organising secretary, Abdul Majid, filed two separate cases under murder and under explosive act, with the police station a day after the attack, while the government had also formed a five-member committee, said the sources.
   The senior assistant superintendent of the criminal investigation department, Munshi Atiqur Rahman, on behalf of the committee, submitted the reports on March 16, accusing the BNP leaders.
   The reports accused that Quayum committed the offence with the aim to become a member of the parliament from the constituency and he collected the ARGES model grenade from Chunarughat area.
   The senior AL leader and former finance minister, Shah AMS Kibria along with five other, were killed in a grenade attack in an AL meeting at Habiganj on January 27.

The New Age Patuakhali correspondent, Nikhil Chatterjee, was threatened with death.
   At about 3:45pm Wednesday, an unknown caller at first sent a message reading ‘you very innocent and intelligent’ to 0176-202686, the number of Nikhil.
   Nikhil called backed to GrameenPhone mobile no 0178-230311, number of the message sender to ask his identification at about 3:52pm.
   But the message sender refused to disclose his identity and gave death threat to Nikhil, saying, ‘now only massage is sent, but very soon you will hear the call of the next world, as your days are numbered’.
   Nikhil lodged a general diary (no 617) with the Kalapara police station in Patuakhali.