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Tension mounted on border again on Wednesday as border security forces of Bangladesh and India traded heavy gunfire at three frontiers of Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Khagrachhari.
   Exchange of heavy gunfire was continuing at Singimari border last night. The Bangladesh Rifles personnel have been mobilised who took position to counter the Indian Border Security Forces firings.
   The BDR sources said most of the forces from the 19 Rifles Battalion in Lalmonirhat moved to the region with heavy weapons. A top official told New Age last night that the BDR had taken full preparation as the BSF neared no man’s land.
   The situation has taken a grave turn as fresh gunshots broke out after a pause of two days when the BDR opposed erection of barbed-wire fences on the line of control by the BSF violating international border law.
   One of the BSF jawans was held by the inhabitants of Sariagram in Sapahar upazila, Naogaon when four of them with firearms intruded into Bangladesh territory on Wednesday.
   He was identified as Shayma Shekhar, 22, of Layerkuri outpost under 115 BSF Battalion. Shayma was handed over to the BDR, official sources said.
   According to an eyewitness, four BSF personnel entered into Sariagram where the villagers were fishing in a pond. Hundreds of villagers chased and caught Shyama with arms while the rest managed to flee across the border.
   On request of the BSF, a flag meeting at local level was held in the afternoon where the BDR declined to return Shyama before it was decided at a high-level meeting. Later, the man was let to go following negotiations at a higher level of the two border forces.
   Our Lalmonirhat correspondent reported that tension was running high among the people at Singimari border since the Monday’s flag meeting between the two sides went futile.
   The BDR personnel alerted the BSF as they started fencing along the no man’s land near main pillar No. 892 (1) at around noon. After that, the BSF stopped fencing but by the time they constructed concert pillar.
   As the BSF fired gunshots toward the BDR at about 1:30pm, the BDR personnel took position to retaliate and a heavy firing resumed at 3:00pm.
   An official of the BDR said firing began again at 7:00pm and thousands of gunshots were traded between the two sides rocking the areas. ‘The fight was continuing,’ he added.
   Two persons identified as Abdul Malek, 25, and his 5-year old son, Bakul were injured in the shootout. Residents of the nearby villages already fled the areas for safer places in the hail of fire.
   Earlier on Monday, a day-long BDR-BSF meeting ended fruitless but the two sides decided for a director general sector commander level meeting in Shiliguri on March 15 to resolve the ongoing border dispute arisen due mainly to fencing by the BSF.
   The BDR official blamed the BSF for their bid to erect fencing breaching the Monday meeting decision.
   The Indian border force has made a number of such fencing attempts at different points of the over 4000-kilometer border between the two countries in recent days, triggering such a skirmish.
   BDNEWS from Khagrachari adds: the BDR and the BSF on Wednesday exchanged gunfire thrice on the Ramgarh frontier.
   At least 30 rounds of bullet were fired during the battle that erupted when the BSF members made an attempt to erect a barbed-wire fence at Kashibari area.
   Red alert has been declared in the frontier areas following the incident. Both the BDR and BSF deployed additional forces, sources said, adding that people of both sides were sent to safer places. There was no immediate report of any casualty.
   In Kurigram, the BSF forcibly attempted to construct a pucca road over the Bangladesh enclave, Kachua, heightening tension in Bhurungamari border, the BDR sources said.
   The road on the Indian side from Dighaltari BSF outpost to its sub-divisional town Dinhata passes one kilometre through the Kachua enclave. Indians used to pass through the enclave without any hindrance.
   On Wednesday, the BSF brought in construction materials to the enclave to make the road wide and pucca.
   They started construction work ignoring the BDR objection.
   The intransigent attitude of the BSF brought the situation to a state of confrontation. The two sides were seen massing troops and artilleries heightening tension in the area.

The National Board of Revenue has formed a five-member committee to check tax evasion by the real estate sector.
   The NBR formed the high-powered committee on Monday, headed by the tax commissioner of the tax zone-5, Bashir Uddin Ahmed, to verify the volume of actual earning and the volume of tax payment by more than 250 companies engaged in real estate business.
   The other members of the committee are Kalipada Haldar, Humayun Rashid, Makbul Hossain and Khairul Islam, all of whom are officials of the board’s Income Tax Department. They are expected to submit a report in this regard within a month.
   ‘The committee will also consider whether it is necessary to formulate a guideline to improve the existing income tax and VAT collection method of the Income Tax Department from the real estate sector,’ said a senior NBR official.
   Currently, there is no comprehensive guideline to determine the volume of actual earning and the volume of tax payment by the real estate developers.
   The government has introduced 1.5 per cent Value Added Tax on sale of each apartment from the current fiscal year in addition to the existing 14 per cent charge on registration by the sub-registry office, said the official.
   According to the estimate of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh, a platform of around 161 property developers, the real estate sector contributes revenue of around Tk 700 crore each year to the government’s exchequer.
   However, concerned NBR officials said that they are sure that the revenue income would be more if tax evasion can be stopped.
   According to REHAB, the annual turnover of the real estate sector is more than Tk 7,500 crore, which accounts for 12 to 14 per cent of the gross domestic product of the country.
   In the last 20 years, more than 80,000 apartments were sold, of which nearly 7,000 apartments were sold last year; around 4,000 to 6,000 plots are developed each year.
   The real estate sector employs more than 15 lakh people directly, and indirectly ensures employment for lakhs of other people.

The government has withdrawn or relaxed import restriction on 37 categories of products as it is antithetical to the liberal regime of commerce, both under donor-dictates like that of the World Bank, or under the rule-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime.
   Given the liberalisation, the restricted list is now down to 25 from 60. Two new items — furnace oil and a number of accessories — have been included in the Import Policy Order 2003-2006.
   The office of the chief controller of import and export under the commerce ministry recently issued two public notifications in this regard as per the recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee with the representation from trade bodies.
   The import policy amendment has been in effect since January 1 after the law ministry issued statutory regulatory orders.
   Commerce ministry officials said it has brought the most remarkable changes in the country’s import regime of textile products, withdrawing restriction on 13 categories.
   This withdrawal has also been in conformity with the rules of the World Trade Organisation.
   The categories of textiles liberalised for imports include woven fabrics of silk or silk waste, all kinds of grey fabrics, fabrics containing upwards of 85 per cent — by weight — cotton, cut pieces, knit fabric, pocketing cloth, ribbing material and brassier pads.
   However, import restriction on combat fabric will remain because they are importable only for the armed forces, according to notification.
   The imports of pork and eggs, that had been restricted under the policy, have now been explained in the footnote with more clarity for of religious sentiments involving the former and the protection of the local poultry industry.
   The time-bar for imports of previously-owned or reconditioned motor vehicles has been relaxed to five years from three.
   According to the notification, a limited quantity of molasses for public consumption can be imported with the government’s permission.
   Tendu leaves, used to produce bidis, have been completely written off from the list of restricted items.

Shopping malls and markets have been asked to refrain from consuming power from the gridline from 6:00pm to 10:00pm to help ease the present power crisis and ensure uninterrupted power supply in irrigation-zones.
   The Power Division at a meeting Wednesday also decided to introduce a load-management plan for the shopping malls and industrial units, and launch drive against illegal connections and snap supply if bills remained unpaid for three months.
   ‘The shopping malls and markets will have to use their own generators if they want to keep their businesses going with gridline supply during the peak hours,’ resolved the high-level meeting with the state minister for power, Iqbal Hasan Mahmood, in the chair.
   ‘If they do not heed the directive, the government would go for tougher action like snapping their electric connections.’
   The country is presently facing a shortfall of 500 to 600 megawatts of power a day and about 600-mw could be saved if the supermarkets operate generators during the peak hours, the meeting was told.
   The meeting, however, apprehend that the situation would aggravate further in summer when the demand of electricity would shoot up to 4000-mw from the present 3700-mw.
   ‘We are asking the shopping centre authorities to immediately start using their own captive power during the peak hours. If they do not abide by the call, we would stop supply to them,’ Iqbal told reporters after the meeting.
   Without such decision, it would be impossible to ensure uninterrupted power supply, particularly for the SSC and HSC examinees, in the present situation, he said.
   The meeting decided to introduce auto devices in the electric connections to the shopping centres so that the peak-hour supply could be controlled.
   It also decided to implement a load-management plan by introducing ‘holiday staggering’ for the shopping malls and industrial units.
   As per the plan, the Dhaka city and adjoining Narayanganj, and the Chittagong city will be divided into 14 zones, seven zones each, and the shopping malls of all but one zone will be asked to shut down their shops after 6:00pm, the start of the peak hours.
   By rotation, the shopping centres of the seven zones would be allowed to remain open during the peak hours once a week.
   The weekly holiday in the industrial units will also be staggered and the industries of the seven zones will enjoy holidays on the seven alternative days of the week instead of the fixed holiday on Friday.
   The same contingency plan would be applied to other cities as well.
   ‘About 300-mw electricity could be saved only from the Dhaka City with the introduction of the holiday-staggering plan,’ Iqbal hoped.
   He said the proposed plan would be discussed with the representatives of the leading business bodies.
   The meeting formed a three-member technical committee comprising representatives from the Power Development Board, the Rural Electrification Board and the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh to address the low-voltage problem that poses a severe problem in running irrigation pumps in the rural areas.
   The committee will also ensure staggered load shedding in the Barind areas in north-western Bangladesh so that farmers in the entire region get power.
   It is the prime time of farming irrigated paddy, which has emerged as the main crop in the country, and disruption in irrigation will hamper the rice production.
   Another high-level committee was formed with the secretary of the power division as its head to monitor the power-generation and supply situation. The committee would report to the power minister and the Prime Minister about the daily situation.
   The meeting also decided that the PDB, DESA, DESCO and the REB would launch drives immediately to snap the illegal connections and those instances where the bills had not been paid for over three months.
   Iqbal asked the authorities to shed load in zones including Tongi, Lalbagh, Postogola and Narayanganj, where the DESA incurs huge loss due to non-payment of bills and power pilferage.

The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal along with the Bangladesh Chhatra League clashed with the Islami Chhatra Shibir at Jagannath College on Wednesday, injuring at least 50.
   The police and witnesses said the clash began when the Shibir, the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a ruling coalition partner, tried to establish its supremacy on the campus at about 9:30am.
   As about 100 Shibir activists were campaigning at the departments, activists of the Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the ruling BNP, asked them to leave the campus.
   The Shibir activists did not listen to it and they entered into an altercation, the students said.
   Senior Chhatra Dal leaders, along with their activists, went to the campus and chased the Shibir activists, leading to the clash.
   The Awami League student wing Chhatra League joined the Chhatra Dal in the clash against Shibir.
   Activists of both the groups used hockey sticks, iron rods and other weapons in the clash, injuring at least 50, including the college unit Shibir president. Two motorbikes, parked near the canteen, were set on fire.
   The Chhatra Dal and the Chhatra League could drive out the Shibir activists who, the students said, were trying to establish their supremacy after the government had moved to upgrade the college to a university.
   Thirteen of the injured were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital; others were treated in National Hospital and local clinics.
   The local residents said the Chhatra Dal activists stopped the police, deployed around the college, from entering the campus.
   The Chhatra Dal activists also stopped photojournalists from entering the compound and drove out some newsmen of daily newspapers.
   They chased a reporter of a private television channel when he entered the campus to cover the incident, witnesses said.
   The east metropolis unit general secretary of the Chhatra Shibir told reporters that the Chhatra Dal activists with the help the Chhatra League activists attacked them to establish their supremacy on the campus. He said it was a planned attack.
   Road communications around the college remained suspended for several hours.
   More police were deployed on the campus to check further untoward incidents.

The National Committee for Resisting India’s River Aggression on Wednesday started marching towards Jakiganj in Sylhet from Dhaka to protest against the construction of a dam at Tipaimukh on the river Barak, the water source of Surma, Kushiara and Meghna rivers.
   The march of a motorcade of about 40 buses and cars, which started from the Muktangon in the morning, is planned to terminate in a ‘grand rally’ at the Amlashid playground in Jakiganj today.
   Led by the committee convenor, Mohiuddin Khan, the marchers were scheduled to hold rallies at Narsingdi, Bhairab, Brahmanbaria, Shayestaganj and Sylhet on way to Jakiganj.
   The marchers, most of them clad in punjabi and pajamas with prayer caps on their heads, chanted slogans — ‘India, stop river aggression,’ ‘give us the right share of water,’ ‘resist Indian conspiracy to transfer river water,’ and ‘down with India.’
   The committee leaders, in a pre-march rally at Muktangon, said India for its ‘aggressive Hindu mentality’ had paid no heed to the cries of the people of its neighbouring countries and was determined to build the dam.
   Once the dam was constructed, it would lay waste a vast tract of arable land in the Surma-Kushiara-Meghna basin, causing economic, ecological and human catastrophes in the region, they said.
   ‘Since the water will be transferred upstream as part of India’s River-Linking Project, the three downstream rivers — Surma, Kushiara and Meghna — will be choked and turned into arid stretches and patches of sands. The bio-diversity of the region will be endangered,’ Mohiuddin said.
   The Tapaimukh dam will be built on the river Barak at village Tipaimukh of Chorrachandpur district in the north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, 100 kilometres upstream from the Sylhet border.
   The Indian government first planned to build the dam to implement one of its multipurpose projects that also included a 1,500 megawatt hydro-electric power plant. This was planned in as early as 1955.
   The construction, however, could not be started in the face of protests by the state government of Manipur and the indigenous people of Manipur and Mizoram.
   But the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, on November 24, 2004 inaugurated the construction of the dam with the present state government of Manipur bending to Delhi’s will, the speakers said.
   The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation will build the dam in 10 years, which will inundate an area of 311 square kilometres in Manipur and Mizoram, of which 229.11 sq kilometres is forestland and the rest comprises 57 village habitations.
   Quoting environment scientists, they said Tapaimukh is within the perimeters of earthquake-prone area as two major earthquakes with 7 plus magnitude on the Richter scale struck within 100 kilometres of Tipaimukh in the last 150 years.
   ‘If an earthquake hits the area on completion of the dam, the devastation will be dangerously multiplied,’ said the chairman of a faction of the Islami Oikya Jote, Fazlul Haq Amini MP.
   Former minister Anwar Zahid, editor of the Daily Inqilab, AMM Bahauddin, journalists Mobaidur Rahman and Elahi Newaj Khan, the president of Swadhinata Forum, Md Rahmat Ullah, and the member secretary of Hijbut Tahrir, Kazi Mashidul Islam, among others, joined the long march.

The government plans to re-excavate about 1,000 canals and small rivers across the country to augment water for irrigation and ensure navigability of rivers.
   ‘The government has made a preliminary list, selecting two canals from each upazila, to complete the unfinished canal-digging programme of the late Ziaur Rahman [former president and founder of the BNP],’ said the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, during the PM’s question-answer session in Jatiya Sangsad on Wednesday.
   She sought the cooperation of all MPs for ensuring complete implementation of the programme in their respective areas, to solve navigability problems as well as to check waste of resources.
   ‘We want full implementation of the programme and the government will provide the necessary resources,’ she said. ‘The canals will totally dry up if they are not properly dredged.’
   Khaleda told the parliament that the Ministry of Water Resources has prepared a project summary involving Tk 500 crore to implement the canal-digging programme. ‘The project is under the active consideration of the government,’ she added.
   The prime minister also said that it is necessary to maintain continuity of this government to complete implementation of development programmes.
   ‘If the continuity of the BNP government is maintained, the rivers and canals in the country will not be silted up,’ she said
   Khaleda mentioned that some 12 thousand canals were excavated during former President Ziaur Rahman’s rule after he launched the canal-digging programme to maintain the navigability of rivers, but the successive governments have not continued the programme.
   She said the government would enact a law to evict illegal establishments on both sides of rivers to maintain navigability and protect the environment.
   ‘As dredging is very expensive, the government will formulate national dredging policy guidelines to re-excavate rivers and canals in a planned manner,’ said Khaleda.
   ‘The government will launch the programme after finalisation of the guidelines,’ she said, adding an inter-ministerial committee has been formed by the Ministry of Shipping for making the national dredging policy guidelines.
   The prime minister also said that the country is expected to be connected with the submarine cyber cable in July or August this year.
   BNP lawmakers Monjur Quader, Ziaul Haq Mollah, Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Habibul Islam Habib, Mohammad Giasuddin, SA Sultan, Jatiya Party MPs Rawshan Ershad, GM Quader, Tajul Islam Chowdhury and Delawar Hossain Saidee of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh participated in the question-answer session.

The Secondary School Certificate examinations and the equivalent Dakhil and Vocational examinations under the nine boards of education begin today.
   The examinations will begin with the first paper of compulsory English at 10:00am, according to the schedule.
   The total number of examinees under the seven boards of general education is 759,407, which includes 352,594 girls. The examinations will take place at 876 centres.
   The number of registered candidates in Science Group is 233,129, in humanities 312,843, and in business studies 213,435.
   The Dhaka board of education has 219,567 students for this year’s examinations, the Rajshahi board has 206,179 students, Comilla 87,021, Jessore 104,251, Chittagong 58,808, Barisal 54,219, and the Sylhet board has 29,362 students.
   There will be 159,901 examinees for the Dakhil examinations at 436 centres under the Madrassah Education Board. There will be 65,951 girls among the examinees.
   The vocational examinations will have 36,057 students under the Bangladesh Technical Education Board. The examinees include 10,683 girls.
   Examinations will also be held at seven overseas centres — Doha in Qatar, Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Tripoli in Libya and Bahrain.
   Sources in the education boards told New Age Wednesday that 32 centres of the SSC and equivalent examinations have been declared ‘prone to widespread cheating and risky’ although the education minister, M Osman Farruk, told a press briefing on Tuesday that there were no vulnerable centres in this year’s examinations.
   Twenty-one under the madrassah board and four under the Comilla education board have been earmarked as vulnerable to cheating, and seven under the Jessore board as risky.
   According to the examination controller of the madrassah board, M Abdun Noor, the centres are Dohar in Dhaka, Shibpur in Narsingdi, Boalmari in Faridpur, Pirgnaj in Rangpur, Gurudashpur in Natore, Majhira in Bogra, Khetlal and Kalai in Jaipurhat, Ulipur and Chilmari (Rajarbhita) in Kurigram, Mahimagaj in Gaibandha, Ranishankail in Thakurgaon, Autoari in Panchagarh, Gahira, Panchlaish and Bayazid in Chittagong, Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar, Hayamchar in Chandpur, Sonakanda in Comilla, Amua in Jhalakathi and Lalmohan in Bhola.
   Two centres each in Lakshmipur and Noakhali have been declared prone to cheating under the Comilla board.
   Five centres in Kushtia and one each in Meherpur and Bagerhat under the Jessore board have been declared prone to cheating, according to board sources.

The Rajshahi chief metropolitan magistrate’s court on Wednesday did not enlarge Asadullah Al Ghalib, chief of the Ahle Hadith Movement Bangladesh and professor of Arabic at the Rajshahi University, and his three close associates on bail.
   This is for the second time the CMM, Fazlul Karim Choudhury, refused to grant them bail.
   Court sources said advocate Shah Newaz and his five colleagues prayed for the bail to Ghalib, his Islamist militant group general secretary, Nurul Islam, the nayeb-e-amir, Abdus Samad Salafi, and the Ahle Hadith Juba Sangha organising secretary, Azizullah.
   They prayed for the bail on the plea that the persons were researchers, Islamic think tank and educationists who have social prominence and honour.
   The court inspector, Rezaul Karim, argued that Ghalib should not be released as he had Islamic militancy connection that goes against the government. If he is freed, the cases against the Ahle Ahdith leaders might be influenced, he opined.
   Earlier on February 27, the court also did not grant bail to Ghalib and his associates.
   New Age correspondent from Natore adds: Golam Azam, a suspected leader of the district unit of banned Jamaatul Mujahedin and close associate of Ghalib, managed to leave Natore for an unknown place since Friday.
   A local intelligence official said the general secretary of the Natore unit of Ahle Hadith Movement, Golam Azam, may be the amir the Jamaatul Mujahedin unit who used to give directives to his group activists under the cover of a nickname, Khabbat Hossain.
   The 12 Jamaatul Mujahedin activists who were arrested from Pirganj Sadhupara village mosque on January 31 gave a confessional statement to the court that Khabbat is their district amir. They would never know him, but they got order from his messengers.

The Indian minister for petroleum and natural gas, Mani Shankar Aiyar, has expressed interest in visiting Dhaka to discuss ‘bilateral issues’ before the finalisation of the draft of the memorandum of understanding on the tri-national gas pipeline from Myanmar to India through Bangladesh.
   Dhaka is likely to make a formal proposal on implementation of its three conditions for allowing the pipeline through Bangladesh when the Indian minister visits Dhaka. His visit will be confirmed in a day or two, said sources in the government.
   Delhi has sent two letters to Dhaka on Monday and Tuesday, expressing Aiyar’s interest to visit Dhaka, said official sources.
   In the first letter Aiyar said he was interested in visiting Dhaka on March 12 and 13 to discuss bilateral issues.
   But the second letter said that the minister wanted to visit Dhaka any time before the finalisation of the memorandum of understanding for the gas pipeline.
   The state minister for energy and mineral resources, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, told New Age that Dhaka would soon invite the Indian minister to visit the capital.
   He said the time was yet to be fixed, but it would not be on March 12 and 13 as Dhaka needs preparation to discuss bilateral issues.
   Sources in the government said Dhaka wants to prepare the proposal on three conditions for setting up the gas pipeline it will place before Delhi.
   The conditions include Indian corridor for Bangladesh’s bilateral trade with Nepal and Bhutan, facilitation of the import of hydro-electricity from the two Himalayan countries, and reduction of the trade gap between Dhaka and Delhi.
   Mosharraf said in January the Indian minister had expressed his interest in visiting Dhaka in March or April, and he wanted to fulfil his commitment.
   When asked if Dhaka would discuss the three conditions with the Indian minister, he replied, ‘We have not selected any particular issue, nor has the Indian minister. We will discuss bilateral issues and the conditions might come for discussion.’
   He, however, said that Dhaka might finalise its proposal of three conditions before the arrival of Aiyar.
   Mosharraf said commerce and power divisions would soon prepare their proposals on hydro-electricity, corridor and trade issues.
   The minister said that the MoU might be finalised during the Indian minister’s visit.
   The MoU on the tri-national gas pipeline is expected to be signed by Dhaka, Delhi and Yangon in Dhaka some time in April after cabinets of three countries approve it.

An alleged criminal died after sustaining bullet injuries in an encounter between the police and his associates at Thandachari under Rangunia upazila in Chittagong early Wednesday.
   The Rangunia police said Mohammad Jasim, a listed criminal, had sustained bullet injuries when they went to recover arms along with him at the area at about 3:30am.
   Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, the police on secret information, arrested Jasim, a listed criminal, from the city’s Baizeed Bostami area, the police said.
   As the police along with the arrested criminal reached Thandachari to recover arms as per his confessional statement, the other accomplices started firing at them, the police said.
   About 50 rounds of gunshots were exchanged when the police retaliated, which left the victim seriously injured, claimed the police.
   Though the accomplices managed to escape, one country made light gun and 20 rounds of bullets were recovered from the spot, said the police.
   The injured criminal was later admitted to the Kawkhali Health Complex, where he died after a short while.
   The police said the deceased was accused of four criminal cases including murder, extortion and rape.

A tug-of-war between the deputy inspector general and the superintendent of police of Rajshahi has reached the peak over the closing of the Bagmara officer in-charge to the police lines.
   The SP, Masud Mian, who was transferred from Rajshahi Saturday, on Tuesday closed the OC, Golam Akbar, to the district police lines for his ‘failure’ to control the law and order situation while the DIG, Noor Mohammad, ordered the OC to carry on his duty at Bagmara.
   The OC, however, followed the DIG’s command and joined in Bagmara police station Wednesday after two days of leave of illness.
   The police sources said the SP also issued a show cause notice to the OC for not following his order and directed Yusuf Ali, an inspector who was in suspension for long, to join Bagmara police as the OC. Yusuf, however, took admission to the Rajshahi Police Lines Hospital Wednesday on the ground of illness.
   The SP issued another show cause notice to Yusuf on Wednesday as for his ‘reluctance’ to join in Bagmara and asked him to reply within two days.
   The sources said the SP called Yusuf at his office at 8:00pm Tuesday and directed him to join in Bagmara by Wednesday noon.
   Yusuf told reporters that he is a diabetic patient and got admitted in the hospital after felling sick.
   The additional DIG, Aminul Islam, said although the transferred SP has no authority to close the OC, he can report to the superior. ‘The OC has violated discipline.’
   ‘Each of the officials (the SP and the OC) should follow their superior and maintain protocol. Prior to giving the order, the SP did not consult it with the DIG.’
   The SP, however, could not be reached over phone.
   Meanwhile, two policemen — assistant sub-inspector Rashedul and constable Israfil — of Bagmara police were closed to the district police lines Tuesday on charge of assaulting boys of a residential hotel in the city in a drunken state on March 1.

The police are yet to arrest Aminul, the suspected killer of the female doctor and her domestic help at her Central Road house in the capital Monday night, 48 hours after the incident on Wednesday.
   The Dhanmondi police station duty officer said that the two teams, which went to Naogaon to nab Aminul on Tuesday, launched several drives but failed to find him. The teams suspected that Aminul was yet to reach Naogaon.
   ‘We also launched several drives in different parts of the capital to capture him,’ the officer added.
   The law enforcers are almost confirmed that Aminul, nephew of Dr Nazneen’s husband, killed her and her domestic help as the autopsy pf Parveen’s body carried forensic evidences of rape.
   Aminul killed the two after an argument with Dr Nazneen regarding the rape, the law enforcers said.
   Moslemuddin, the security guard of victim’s residence, who was picked up by the Dhanmondi police after the incident for interrogation, was in the police custody till Wednesday night.
   ‘He will be produced as a witness as he saw Aminul go out of the house along with a bag at about 8:30pm Monday, about half an hour after murders took place, the duty officer told New Age.
   Dr Nazneen was buried in the family’s graveyard at Chouddagram in Comilla Tuesday night while Parvin’s body was kept at the BIRDEM Hospital mortuary as no one so far claimed it till Wednesday night.
   Parveen was brought to Dhaka by Aminul couple of months ago.

The Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation has drafted a detailed plan named ‘Tourism Vision 2020’ to enable the tourism industry to earn 4 to 5 per cent of the annual GDP by 2020.
   The corporation has estimated that some 0.9 million foreign tourists will visit Bangladesh in 2020, but the World Tourism Organisation estimated that the figure would be 0.5 million.
    The Parjatan Corporation expects that domestic tourism, along with international tourism, will increase due to the improvement of infrastructure, especially highways and hotels, and the growing trend in local people to go on pleasure tours.
   The outgoing chairman of the Parjatan Corporation, Dr M Mahbubur Rahman, told New Age on Sunday that the present contribution of tourism industry to the annual GDP is less than one per cent.
   He was talking to New Age a day before he was appointed information secretary to the government of Bangladesh.
   He said the Tourism Vision 2020 would be a complete guideline for the tourism industry, including the government and private investors.
   ‘The Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation conducted a study on the present condition of the tourism industry and formulated Tourist Vision 2020, which is based on the study report. We have taken into account the tourism strategies of India, Thailand and New Zealand, interviewed arriving and departing tourists, tour operators, tourism professionals, travel writers and university teachers of relevant disciplines,’ said the chairman.
   Dr Mahbubur told New Age that before this there was no clear vision for the promotion of tourism in Bangladesh, so there was a yawning lack of proper plans, programmes and strategies.
   In 2003 the total number of foreigners who visited Bangladesh was 2.46 lakh and foreign exchange earned from them amounted to Tk 3.31 billion, and in 2004 the total number of foreign visitors increased to nearly four lakh.
   The major markets for the tourism industry of Bangladesh are India, Pakistan, Japan, United Kingdom, United States of America, Korea, China and Germany.
   People of Europe and South Asia together accounted for 69.61 per cent of the foreigners who toured Bangladesh.
   According to Tourist Vision 2020, the corporation has taken up some plans and programmes like development of tourism products, marketing, promotion and public relations and reformation of the Parjatan Corporation.
   The study said that for maintenance of cultural heritage and archaeological sites — like Paharpur, Mahasthangarh , Mainamati, Bagerhat, Shat Gambuz Mosque, Buddhist Viharas and monasteries, historic buildings and monuments — proper excavation, preservation and conservation is necessary.
   Eco-tourism destinations like the Sundarbans, Teknaf peninsula, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Tanguar Haor and Sunamganj need proper management and protection against illegal encroachers. To do this it is essential for the corporation to coordinate its activities with the Ministry of Forests.
   The study suggested that Cox’s Bazar, Kuakata beach, offshore islands like Sonadia and St Martin’s Island should be developed as special tourist areas with proper infrastructure and entertainment facilities, including water sports and casinos.
   Riverine tourism, rural tourism, education and health tourism should be encouraged, said the study.
   The Parjatan Corporation will make some short-term and long-term marketing plans and will target some countries as potential markets.
   To achieve these goals, full display ads, direct response ads, posters, brochures, videos, internet, power point presentation and other promotional activities, like packages with free airline tickets, hotel rooms and tie-in sales promotion, are necessary.
   The Parjatan Corporation should be transformed into an effective regulatory body, to do which it should be given considerable freedom to deal with ministries, government departments and with the private sector.
   All the attractive archaeological sites and islands with tourism potential should be put under the jurisdiction of the corporation, and a strong marketing division should be established, suggested the study.

The Indian high commissioner, Veena Sikri on Wednesday said her government was concerned about the rise of fundamentalism in Bangladesh.
   ‘We are worried about the statement of Dr (Asadullah) Ghalib,’ the high commissioner is quoted to have told HM Ershad when she called on the Jatiya Party chief in his Banani office.
   Rajshahi University teacher Ghalib reportedly told the police that young Bangladeshis trained and equipped with modern arms had been sent to Kashmir, where Indians had long been fighting militants.
   Sikri also expressed her frustration at what she referred to as Bangladesh’s lack of interest in having any dialogue with India.
   She told Ershad that every single problem could be solved through dialogues and discussions.
   ‘We fought three wars against Pakistan, but we are in continuous dialogues with it,’ Sikri is quoted to have told Ershad.
   ‘Please do not blame us… sit together and talk. We can solve the problems. We are blamed unnecessarily. We are a friendly country and a neighbour,’ she is quoted to have said.
   About Bangladesh’s concern about India’s building fences along the border, the Sikri reportedly told Ershad that it was good for Bangladesh as it would help stop smuggling, and would protect manufacturers in Bangladesh. She argued the measure would benefit both the countries.
   Sikri expressed satisfaction at her government over the recent crackdown on the fundamentalist forces and hoped that this would continue.
   A release issued by the party said that Sikri, accompanied by her deputy S Chakravorti, called on the Ershad.

Three accused in the April 2 Chittagong arms haul case and arms smuggling case surrendered to the Metropolitan Session Judge’s Court Wednesday afternoon.
   The court sources said the accused — Haji Ataur Rahman, Fazal Ahmed Chowdhury and Mohammad Akbar Ali — surrendered to the court and appealed for bail but the judge rejected the appeal and sent them to jail.
   The acting metropolitan district and session judge, Mohammad Shahajahan, also said hearing on the bail petition would be held again on March 22 next, sources said.
   With this, the court sent a total of 11 persons to jail in the arms haul case and the smuggling case while 14 others are on bail now.
   The rest of the 43 accused, including the prime suspects — Hafizur Rahman, Hazi Abdus Sobhan and Din Mohammad, had been absconding.
   The police found 4930 different types of sophisticated fire arms, 27020 hand grenades, 840 rockets, 300 accessories of rocket launchers, 2000 launching grenade tubes, 6392 magazines and 11,40520 rounds of ammunitions stuffed in 1463 wooden boxes of ten truckloads on April 2 , 2004.
   After the incident, the police lodged two separate cases, arms haul case and arms smuggling case, with the Karnaphuli police, accusing 43 persons.
   The then investigation officer of the arms case, CID ASP AKM Kabiruddin, submitted the charge sheet to the metropolitan session judge court, accusing 43 persons and implicating 114 persons as witnesses on June 11 while the investigation officer of the smuggling case, ASP Meer Nawsher Ali, submitted the charge sheet on November, keeping the same persons as accused and witnesses.

A top official of the Standard Chartered Bank resigned Wednesday amid a row over a wrong memo issued by the foreign bank stating ‘balance of payment’ crisis.
   Sources in the foreign bank confirmed the resignation of Dewan Masud Qamar, Head of Financial Institutions, but declined to comment terming it an ‘internal matter’.
   When contacted, Dewan Masud Qamar also refused to make any comment.
   The news agency recently ran a story on the StanChart memo that claimed that Bangladesh is currently facing a “balance of payment” crisis, which is expected to remain for near future. “We have faced a few cases of delay in settling overseas payment,” the memo read.
   The news item irked the Bangladesh Bank, prompting it to summon the chief executive of the bank’s Bangladesh operation and ask him to say sorry for tarnishing the country’s image abroad by issuing a wrong statement.
   Accordingly, the bank withdrew memo and apologised for it.
   The chief executive officer also assured the BB of taking stern action against the officer responsible for issuing that memo.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will launch today a report on the impact of hartal on the national economy. Jørgen Lissner, Resident Representative of UNDP, will present the report at a function in hotel Sheraton.
   The report, which is the first of its kind in the country that has been prepared by any global organisation like the UNDP, is set to focus on the manifold problems caused in the country’s business, production and investment fronts along with other segments of the society due to frequent use of hartal, sources in the UNDP told New Age.
   The report, styled ‘Beyond Hartals: Towards Democratic Dialogue in Bangladesh’, has been prepared by 10 distinguished Bangladeshi experts in the fields of history, politics, economics, law and media, they said.

Iraqi officials said Wednesday 41 bodies — some bullet-riddled, others beheaded — have been found at two separate sites, and they believe some of the corpses are Iraqi soldiers kidnapped and killed by guerrillas.
   A US soldier was killed and another wounded in a Baghdad bomb blast Wednesday, the US army said.
   ‘A Task Force Baghdad Soldier died March 9 when his patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device around 3:30pm,’ the military said in a statement.
   A suicide bomber detonated a garbage truck packed with explosives outside the agriculture ministry and a hotel used by Western contractors, killing at least three people, officials said. The bomber also died.
   In an Internet statement, al-Qaeda in Iraq purportedly claimed responsibility for the attack on the Sadeer hotel, calling it the ‘hotel of the Jews.’

The vice-chancellor of the Khulna University, Professor Dr M Abdul Quadir Bhuiyan, resigned on Wednesday, about eight months ahead of the scheduled expiry of his five-year term.
   He told New Age in the evening that he had submitted the resignation letter, addressed to the university chancellor, to the ministry concerned and that the reason for his resignation was personal.
   ‘I was a professor at the social science department at the Rajshahi University before taking over as the vice chancellor [on November 19, 2001] and would like to go back to previous job after I get the release order,’ he said.
   University sources claim that Quadir joins a long list of academics who have resigned from the post before completing their full term since the university began academic activities in 1990-91.