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The Dhaka Electricity Supply Company has undertaken a project involving Tk 288 crore to improve its customer service.
   The project has been sent to the executive committee of the National Economic Council for final approval. The Asian Development Bank has made commitment to finance the project.
   The DESCO began its operation in September 1998 with the government authorisation to distribute and sell electricity in the Mirpur area.
   The company introduced one-stop service, electronic banking, computerised billing, intensive monitoring system and decentralisation to improve the service.
   The DESCO customers in Mirpur, Pallabi, Kafrul, Mohammadpur, Cantonment, Gulshan, Uttara, Dhakkhinkhan and Badda can pay their bills at any bank by cash, ready cash, credit cash and ATM card.
   Talking to the news agency, the managing director of the company, Saleh Ahmed, said the power demand in the Gulshan area is being met with a sub-station.
   A process has started to install a new sub-station in the area. Besides, the process of installing four more sub-stations is also going on, he said.
   The company has earned a profit of Tk 35 crore in the 203-2004 financial year.
   He said the implementation work of some small projects, like installation of pre-paid meters, is progressing smoothly. The construction of Greater Dhaka Power Distribution Project (phase-4), on the finance of the ADB, was completed in June 2004.
   He said 55 per cent construction work of the 10th power project has been completed and the project will be completed by June 2006.

The communications minister, Nazmul Huda, on Wednesday urged engineers to evolve better technologies suitable for construction of structures in Bangladesh.
   ‘I urge you to find out ways to build cost effective, durable and flood-resistant irrigation system, construct embankments and roads and discover environment-friendly technology for brick fields besides bringing reforms in building codes,’ he said at the inaugural ceremony of the third annual paper meet and international conference on civil engineering at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.
   The civil engineering division of the institution in association with the Public Works Department and the Roads and Highways Department organised the three-day convention at the IEB auditorium in Dhaka.
   The PWD chief engineer, AFM Manzurul Islam, the RHD chief engineer, AKM Faizur Rahman, the IEB general secretary, ANH Akhtar Hossain, and the IEB’s civil engineering division chairman, Razaul Karim addressed the function.
   Nine papers on ‘geotechnical engineering’ were presented on the first day of the conference Wednesday.
   Sixty-one papers on structural engineering, environmental engineering, transportation engineering and water resources engineering will be presented at the conference.
   A good number of practising civil engineers are taking part in the conference.

On finalisation of panels to contest the ensuing election to the Supreme Court Bar Association, both the coalitions of pro and anti-government lawyers started their election campaign Wednesday.
   The Sammilita Ainjibi Samannaya Parishad, a coalition of the pro-opposition lawyers, declared officially its panel on Tuesday, while the coalition of the pro-government lawyers, Jatiayatabadi Ainjibi Oikya Parishad, finalised its panel at a meeting of its leaders with the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, on Wednesday.
   As the Oikya Parishad leaders failed to finalise its panel after holding a number of meetings, the prime minister had to intervene in the issue, said sources in the Oikya Parishad.
   Sources said the crisis in finalising the panel erupted over the nomination of the candidate for the presidency as none of the leaders had intended to be a candidate.
   Finally, after interference of the prime minister, former speaker Sheikh Razzak Ali was convinced to be the candidate, sources said.
   As the election is scheduled for March 29 and 30, the nomination papers will have to be filed by 5pm today (Thursday).
   The panel of the Samannaya Parishad is led by the former additional attorney general, Mahbubey Alam, who is contesting for the presidency. The panel includes Mainul Islam Chowdhury and Shah Mohammad Zahurul Haque for vice-presidents, M Enayetur Rahim for general secretary, M Shahidul Islam and M Selim for assistant general secretaries, Muhammad Abdus Salam Mandal for treasurer and Sarwar Ahmed, Mohammad Taifur Kabir, Sheikh AKM Maniruzzaman, Morsheda Begum Lipi, M Mamun-or-Rahid, Surajit Bhattacharya and M Amir Hossain for members.
   Convener of the parishad, M Amirul Islam, introduced the panel at an election rally Tuesday at the hall room of the bar association. The rally was addressed by, among others, Shawkat Ali Khan, Shafiq Ahmed, Subrata Chowdhury, Mahbubey Alam and Enayetur Rahim.
   The Oikya Parishad panel includes Sheikh Razzak Ali for the presidency, Gulam Arshed and Abdur Razzak for the posts of two vice-presidents, Abdullah-Al-Mamun for general secretary, BM Ilias and Golam Noor Tarun for assistant general secretaries, Afzal Hossain for treasurer and Mahbubuddin Khokan, Peer-E-Azam, Khalequzzaman and Shahanara Shanu for members.

Ensuring a congenial atmosphere is vital for returning migrants to their countries of origin and utilising their skills and expertise in order to contribute to their socio-economic development, observed speakers at an international workshop in Dhaka on Tuesday.
   They said Bangladesh is in need of a clear-cut mechanism that encourages migrants to return home.
   The two-day workshop on Sustainable Return of Professional and Skilled Migrants that was organised by the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit in association with the Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty concluded on the day at the BRAC Centre.
   The speakers also laid emphasis on a social and business security to encourage the Bangladeshi migrants’ return to the country and their stay here for facilitating their significant contribution to economy.
   Highlighting the activities of the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, Professor CR Abrar said the organisation had been conducting research on various aspects of migration as it had become one of the major socio-economical challenges in the world.
   ‘The complexity in migration processes has increasingly become a major area of research and policy intervention, both at national and international levels,’ he said, adding that the issue is very significant for Bangladesh.
   Dr Tasneem Siddique underlined the importance of the workshop in both the national and international perspectives with regard to the present state of migration and spelt out what difficulties they face.
   About Bangladeshi migrants, she said some sort of social situation must be created for them so that they return, stay and contribute to the growth.
   The British high commissioner in Dhaka, Anwar Chowdhury, while addressing the workshop as special guest said the migrants return because they want to do something for their families and the country.
   ‘Strong emotion for their families and patriotism for their nations prompt the migrants to their native lands,’ he said.
   Stressing social and business security, he said Bangladesh must ensure these two things so that its migrants could return and apply what they earned in their receiving countries and put contribution to the country’s socio-economic development.
   The foreign minister, M Morshed Khan, addressed the workshop as the chief guest. He said long-term migration was a brain drain in the past but now with the advancement of communication technologies and transportation the issue gained importance in many aspects.
   He said the government had taken a number of steps towards the migrants and returned migrants, but all like RMMRU and civil society have to play their due role in this regard.
   Morshed laid emphasis on a clear-cut mechanism to encourage the Bangladeshi migrants to return. ‘They must be provided with an eased situation so that they can utilise their skills and experience once they back.’
   The director of the Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty, Professor Richard Black also spoke at the workshop.
   The two organisers also named some students who had been awarded fellowships to conduct research on migration issues.

The Awami League and its front organisations in a joint meeting on Wednesday at its Dhanmondi office in Dhaka finalised the route on the Dhaka city for formation of a ‘no-confidence human chain’ scheduled for March 13.
   The meeting also reviewed the preparation for the human chain and asked the party men to make the programme a success.
   As part of the month-long anti-government agitation announced by the party president, Sheikh Hasina, on March 2, the opposition parties will form a ‘no confidence human chain in all the metropolitan cities, including Dhaka and district headquarters from 4:00pm to 5:00pm on March 13 to protest against grenade assaults, price-hike, deterioration of law and order situation and rise of extreme communal forces.

The Workers Party of Bangladesh alleged Wednesday that some components of the BNP-led four-party alliance were sponsoring ‘religious terrorism’.
   Such terrorism cannot be controlled as long as the parties remain in power, a meeting of the Workers Party politburo observed.
   It also accused the ruling BNP of patronising ‘these evil forces’ to consolidate its hold on power.
   Criticising a recent comment of the state minister of home, Lutfozzaman Babar, on Bangla Bhai in the parliament, the politburo said it proved that the alliance government was favouring terrorism.
   It called upon the people to unite and strengthen the ongoing anti-government movement.
   The meeting was addressed by Workers Party general secretary Bimal Biswas and politburo members Haider Akbar Khan Rano, Abul Basher and Nurul Hasan.

The women and children affairs minister, Khurshid Jahan Haque, told the Jatiya Sangsad Wednesday that the present government has disbursed Tk 118.80 crore among 6 lakh distressed women.
   Replying to a question from a treasury bench member, Helaluzaman Talukder Lalu, she said, the amount was disbursed under the widow and divorcee distressed women allowance programme.
   Taka 15 crore was also disbursed in microcredit programme in the 2003-2004 financial year to enable them achieve self-reliance, she said.

An elderly woman, Anwara Khatun, allegedly cheated a number of people at Mirpur and grabbed their savings of Tk 1.5 crore deposited with her in the name of a welfare association.
   She also threatened to have the depositors arrested when they asked back their money.
   Anwara Begum, mother of a home ministry official, sent legal notice to the depositors and already had two of them arrested by influencing the police. Her son, Azizur Rahman Anu, is personal secretary to the secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs.
   Hundreds of women, mostly housewives and domestic helps, gathered in front of the house of Anwara Begum at Mirpur on Wednesday, asking their money back.
   Some depositors said Anwara and Azizur lodged cases against a couple of depositors; and the Pallabi police already arrested them.
   A depositor named Nasima Choudhury, said the women of the area formed an association, Kalyanmukhi Mahila Samabay Samiti (women’s welfare cooperatives association) in 1997. The association was led by Anwara Begum.
   The depositors said they had trusted Anwara because of her social status and the identity of her son.
   About 250 women and few men were included on the list of depositors. A few women depositors were refused the savings when they asked back their savings.
   They said Anwara and her family members claimed that the depositors rather owe her money. Anwara asked them to keep silent or else they would be sent to jail.
   They alleged that Anwara lured the local people into the association by the offer of a high interest against their deposits. They claimed she said she would do business of house development, transport trade, shrimp export, clearing and forwarding and handicraft with the money.
   Anwara denied the allegation, saying that there are only 70 depositors and she owes them only Tk 10 lakh which she would repay in April.
   She said she had formed a five-member committee to assess the savings. The depositors alleged that the committee had been formed with people of Anwara’s choice.
   Anwara said a large amount of money had been distributed among the association members.
   But Anwara said her association had no legal coverage and she said she did not do anything wrong or unethical.
   Eva Akhter, another depositor, said her brother Sumon was arrested in February when they asked back their money. The Pallabi police officer-in-charge said he would be sacked if he released Sumon without the permission of the home ministry.
   Helena, another depositor, said Anwara along with some local influential people and goons forced them to sign a blank paper.
   Helena was later informed that her deposits had been refunded by Anwara. The depositors said that they could not lodge any cases against Anwara as the police are with them.
   The local ward commissioner, Ahsan Ullah Hasan, said both the sides are responsible as the depositors were greedy and did not ask Anwara about the authority and authenticity of the profits.
   He, however, said the number of depositors cannot be more than 70 and the deposited money cannot exceed Tk 10 lakh.
   Another depositor, Halima Lashkar, lodged a general diary with the Pallabi police.
   An audit report by Haque Shahalam Mansur and Company said the organisation and the entire process are illegal; many people deposited a lot of money, and in many cases bank cheques signed by Anwara bounced.
   Azizur Rahman claimed his mother to be innocent. He said the entire incident has been done by some local miscreants.
   He denied the allegation against him and said he never influenced anybody and had not misused the authority of his office.
   He said the police arrested the two as they were engaged in violence.

Petrobangla has been asked to take administrative action against managing director of BAPEX, MA Based, for Tengratila blow out.
   Officials concerned said Energy and Mineral Resources Division made the suggestion in a letter sent to the chairman of Petrobangla, the state-run oil, gas and mineral corporation.
   The letter said that an enquiry committee formed with the approval of the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, found operational mistake and faulty casing design as responsible for January 7 accident while Canadian Niko Resources (Bangladesh) Limited had been drilling at Tengratila in Chhatak gas field.
   Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Limited, a company of Petrobangla, was responsible for monitoring the work, the letter said. But BAPEX failed to monitor the affair, it added.
   Following the findings, the letter said the ministry asked for administrative action against MD of BAPEX on an urgent basis. At the same time, it asked to inform the division about the action taken against him.
   In another letter to the Petrobangla chairman, the division said the joint management committee also failed to look after the Niko-BAPEX joint-venture between Niko and BAPEX for Tengratila.
   It asked to take action against the joint management committee members. BAPEX MD is among the members of the committee.
   Officials concerned said after the state minister for energy, AKM Mosharraf Hossain, had received the enquiry committee report it was sent to the prime minister for her knowledge and next course of action.

The Bangla Academy will publish a biography of the late folk singer Abdul Latif, said the director general, Abul Kalam Manjur Morshed, on Wednesday.
   The academy will also display his picture in the ‘hall of fame’ at its proposed Ekushey Bhaban, he said at a programme of commemoration of Latif in the academy seminar hall.
   ‘When people were frightened to talk about the Language Movement, Latif was the one who sang songs for the movement. His songs inspired the people to stand against repression of the time,’ he said.
   Nazrul singer Sohrab Hossain recalled shared his memories of Latif. ‘I used to tell him that he would become a great music personality and his songs would be remembered by all.’
   Folk singer Kiran Chandra Roy proposed that the academy should publish a compilation of Latif’s songs with notations. He also proposed publication of a compact disk of his songs.

The newly appointed Thai ambassador to Bangladesh, Suphat Chitranukron, said his government would take immediate measures to ease visa procedures for Bangladeshi traders, tourists and patients.
   He said this during a meeting with the leaders of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries on Wednesday where they were exchanging views. The meeting took place while he was visiting the Chittagong International Trade Fair at the city’s polo ground in the afternoon.