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The World Bank thinks that the real challenge for the power sector in Bangladesh is awarding contract with transparency for construction of any power plants.
   ‘This is a real challenge… Over the past seven years, some 18 power plants have been considered for construction, but only two contracts have been awarded and of these, only one plant is now producing electricity,' said Praful C Patel, WB vice president for the South Asia Region.
   Patel made the observation while responding to questions during the launch of Country Assistance Strategy for Bangladesh 2006-2009 programme at a function in Dhaka on May 13. The answers were, however, released on June 14.
   As part of the launch, the audience was given the opportunity to come up with questions about the Country Assistance Strategy to a panel of joint-strategy partners and the government.
   The CAS launch panel also comprised the finance and planning minister, M Saifur Rahman and the World Bank country director, Christine I Wallich.
   Replying to a question on how can the development partners help Bangladesh if the procurement process doesn’t result in contract awarding, but repeated re-bidding, Patel said the procurement processes followed were questionable and non-transparent and not in the interest of good outcomes for Bangladesh.
   ‘Had the initial tendering process been taken forward, two world-class project finance structures like Meghnaghat-II and Sirajganj could already be providing 900 MW of very low-cost power,’ he said.
   He mentioned that the World Bank has supported the government’s procurement reform as part of its strategy for improving governance.
   The WB regional chief noted that beginning with the Public Procurement Regulations, 2003, the Bank has supported capacity building and the tracking of procurement outcomes.
   He said the World Bank believes that the desired outcome of cost-efficient public spending and value-for-money in budgetary outlay can only be achieved with full implementation of the Public Procurement Law that still needs to be enacted by parliament.
   The Bank is currently supporting a government initiative to build a 300 MW Peaking Power Plant in Siddhirganj as well as several other power plants, he added.
   Patel said the Bank also has a Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Project, which brings light to remote rural areas and explores alternative means of energy, such as extremely successful solar home systems.
   He continued: ‘We are also supporting power distribution and transmission… We are committed to provide funding that is required and to invest in a five years business plan to put the power sector on track, but this won’t sort out the problems overnight because it takes two to three years to deliver a new power plant.’

Some 513 leaders and activists of the Awami League and its front organisations obtained ad interim anticipatory bails for six months from the High Court on Sunday in different ‘criminal’ cases filed by the police with different thanas on the charge of their alleged unruly activities during the June 11 ‘siege’ of Dhaka and the hartal on June 13.
   A High Court bench of Justice Abdul Wahhab Miah and Justice M Rais Uddin granted the bails after hearing separate petitions filed by the 563 leaders and activists.
   The court also issued separate rules on the government to explain why those opposition leaders and activists should not be granted regular anticipatory bail.
   The court granted the bails to 200 people of Lalbagh area including the joint secretary of Dhaka city Awami League, Haji Selim, 190 people of Kanchpur including Awami League lawmaker Sohel Taj and former lawmaker Maqbul Hossain, 98 leaders and activists of the Awami Juba League including its president Jahangir Kabir Nanak and general secretary Mirza Azam, 16 leaders and workers of Juba League and Chhatra League including Chhatra League president Mahmud Hasan Ripon and general secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton, and 8 people in Comilla including local Awami League leader and former army officer Subed Ali Bhiyan.
   M Amir-ul Islam, Rokanuddin Mahmud and Abdul Baset Majumder moved the petitions for the opposition leaders and activists, and deputy attorney general Abdur Rauf stood for the government.

The prime minister, Khaleda Zia, on Sunday urged the journalists to play responsible and objective role to protect the interest of the country and its people.
   Speaking to the newly-elected office bearers of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, she observed that the country's independence and sovereignty are largely dependent on its economic progress.
   The journalists, she said, should refrain from any kind of activities which might hinder the economic progress of the country.
   Khaleda said the BNP government has always worked for ensuring freedom of press in the country. She also mentioned that her government had also implemented various steps for the welfare and benefit of the journalists.
   The BFUJ president M Mozammel Huq and its secretary general, Ruhul Amin Gazi, led the journalist delegation at the meeting which included newly-elected office-bearers of BFUJ and leaders of the Dhaka Union of Journalists and other journalists unions of the country.
   During the meeting, the journalist leaders requested the prime minister to announce the sixth wage board award, formulate a guideline for the newspaper industry, form a welfare fund for the journalists, solve their housing problem and strengthen the Press Council.
   They thanked the prime minister for forming the sixth wage board and also giving 40 per cent dearness allowance for the journalists and employees working in the newspapers and news agencies.
   Khaleda expressed the hope that the journalists will discharge their social duties and perform their professional responsibilities properly.
   She said the BNP government has ensured maximum press freedom in the country, made the rules and regulations for publication of newspapers easier and provided permission to run the satellite TV channels.
   The prime minister also mentioned that Bangladesh enjoys more freedom of press than many developed countries.
   Regarding formulation of a guideline for newspaper industry, she stressed the need for formulating the guideline in consultation with all concerned in the newspaper industry.
   She also observed that media will gradually lose its credibility if the journalists do not discharge their responsibly properly.
   The DUJ president, Elahi Newaz Khan, general secretary, Sarder Farid Ahmed, BFUJ vice-presidents Shamsuddin Harun, Abbas Uddin Afsari and Fakir Showkat, the BFUJ assistant secretaries general Nurul Amin Rokan, M Abdullah and Rezaul Karim Raju, treasurer Syed Shahjahan, organising secretary Modabber Hossain, publicity secretary Abul Hossain Khan Mohan and members Sheikh Didarul Alam, Zahidul Karim Kachi, Asaduzzaman Asad and Kamar Farid, were, among others, in the delegation.
   The information minister, M Shamsul Islam and the deputy minister for information, Abdus Salam Pintoo, were present.

The Bangladesh Secretariat Employees’ Joint Council on Sunday demanded dearness allowance and immediate implementation of the appointment rules 2005.
   The representatives of the council made the demands when they met the LGRD and cooperatives minister, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, at his office.
   The representatives of the council, led by its president Nurul Islam, also handed over a memorandum to the minister, demanding immediate measures for the improvement of economic condition and administrative position of the employees working with different sections in the secretariat.
   The telecommunications minister, Aminul Haq, and the state minister for labour and employment, Aman Ullah Aman, among others, were present at the meeting.
   Meanwhile, the intelligent agencies have been asked to closely monitor the situation in the secretariat created following the movement by a section of officers and employees to realise their demands, including dearness allowance, promotion, and separate appointment rules for a section of officials and employees in the secretariat, according to sources.

Several hundred teachers, under the banner of Bangladesh Community Primary Schoolteachers’ Association, have brought out a procession in the city on Sunday to push their five-point charter of demands.
   The community primary schoolteachers, led by the association president, M Hafizur Rahman Khan, submitted a memorandum to the prime minister.
   The demands of the teachers, who started a fast-unto-death from Saturday in Dhaka, include nationalisation of job, retirement benefit, medical and house rent as par government rules.
   About 3,246 community primary schools employ 9,769 teachers in the country.
   Talking to New Age Hafizur said, ‘Although the community schools followed the same curriculum and syllabus, there was ‘a gulf of difference in salary between what we get and what others get’.

Two suspected underground party operatives were killed in shootout at Alamdanga in Chuadanga early Sunday, raising the crossfire death toll to 585 since June 2004.
   Sources in the Rapid Action Battalion said Asadul Islam alias Rana, 27, of Jahela village and Jamal Uddin alias Jamal, 43, of Shreerampur village under the upazila, were wanted in a number of criminal cases.
   RAB arrested Rana, regional leader of Shramajibi Mukti Andolan, from Chittagong, and Jamal, second-in-command of Siraj bahini, from his village on Saturday.
   As the RAB members took the two to their respective villages to recover arms, their accomplices opened fire on the law enforcers prompting them to retaliate.
   While trying to flee, both Rana and Jamal sustained bullet wounds after being caught in the crossfire. They were taken to the hospital where the doctors declared them dead.
   The battalion members seized two pistols and two bullets from the spots.

Assets worth Tk 20 lakh were burnt in a fire damaged 11 houses of Shakhpura at Boalkhali in Chittagong on Sunday.
   The fire service officials said the fire originated from the kitchen of the house of Dr Badshah at Paschim Shakhpura at around 1:15pm. It razed 10 neighbouring houses.
   The fire officials said they brought the fire under control at around 3:30pm, but assets worth Tk 15 lakh had been burnt by this time.
   Abul Kalam Azad, owner of a house, however, claimed the extent of damage from the fire to be more than Tk 20 lakh.
   No casualties were reported.

Former superintendent engineer of the Water Development Board, Md Abdul Bari Talukder of the Dashmina Talukderbari, Patuakhali, passed away in his residence in Dhaka on Saturday evening after suffering a heart attack. He was 64.
   A freedom fighter who worked for the government-in-exile during the war of independence, Bari was second son of the late Abdul Hady Talukder, former registrar of Dhaka University, said a release.
   Bari is survived by his mother, wife, a son, two daughters and four grandchildren.
   His qul khwani will be held after the asr prayers on Friday in his residence, House 10, Road 5, Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

Nine suspected members of the banned Islamist outfit, Jammatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, were produced in the Khulna speedy trial tribunal court amid tight security Sunday morning.
   They were produced in the court in three cases filed with the Satkhira sadar police station in connection with August 17, 2005 bomb blast in the Satkhira town. A total of 19 members of the outfit were accused in the cases.
   The outfit chief, Shaikh Abdur Rahman, and its second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai and its military wing commander Ataur Rahman Sunny, who are in different jails, were not brought to the court on the day.
   Abdur Rahman, Bangla Bhai and Sunny are in Jhalakati jail while Russell is in Munshiganj jail, court sources said. Six accused in the cases are still hiding.
   The outfit members who were taken to the court are Nasir Uddin Dafadar, Ismail Hossan, Moniruzzaman, Monoar Hossain, Anisur Rahman Khokon, Gias Uddin, Asadul, Bellal Hossain and Mahabubur Rahman alias Palash alias Liton.
   The court sources said the absconding accused JMB members in the cases are Montaz Ali alias Momtaz, Abul Khayer, Fokruddin Razi, Naimuddin
   alias Naim, Nur Ali Member and Saif alias Sayeed alias Asaduzzaman.
   The judge, Md Abdus Samad, did not frame charge in the cases as all the accused persons were not present in the court and the newspaper advertisement was not published about the absconding accused, the court sources said.
   The court also did not frame charge on Thursday against the same set of JMB men in two other cases in connection with August 17 bomb blasts at two places of the Satkhira town for the same reason.

Sixteen garment labour organisations were divided over the tripartite agreement signed between the government, labour leaders and garment factory owners on June 12 to resolve the ongoing crisis in garment sector.
   Most of the components of the 16 organisations at a press conference on Sunday termed the agreement unjust as participation of garment labour leaders was ignored while the agreement was signed.
   Some components of the 16 labour organisations, however, hailed the agreement, which suggested formation of a minimum wage board, maternity leave, overtime if working hours exceed eight hours, trade union.
   Amirul Haque Amin, general secretary of the Jatiya Garments Sramik Federation, one of the 16 labour organisations, said Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad could not represent the garment labourers.
   He termed the agreement a ‘farce’ and said it would never meet the demands of the garment labours.
   Garment labour leader Touhidur Rahman demanded fresh tripartite agreement with the participation of garment labour leaders and 30 per cent dearness allowance for the workers to resolve the ongoing crisis in the garment industry.
   The 16 organisations announced a series of agitation programmes to press home the demands.
   The programmes include garment workers’ grand rally in Dhaka on June 30, BGMEA and BKMEA office siege programme on June 24 and protest rally at Muktangan on June 21.
   Mohammad Shahidul Islam, president of Jatiyatabadi Garments Sramik Dal, and general secretary Lutfun Nahar Lata in a press statement on Saturday congratulated the agreement.
   A few component of the garment labour organisations were absent from the press conference.

The body of Nasreen Huq Parvin, the late ActionAid country director, will be examined today at Dhaka Medical College Hospital after it is exhumed from the family graveyard of Nasreen at village Baupara in Gazipur.
   The Criminal Investigation Department in presence of local magistrate will exhume the body and it will be sent to the DMCH for post-mortem examination.
   Family members of Nasreen were also asked to attend both the exhumation and the examination.
   A Gazipur district magistrate earlier on June 12 postponed the date of exhumation till June 19, following an appeal filed by Nasreen’s mother Jaheda Khanom, demanding the post-mortem examination at the DMCH.
   The CID assistant superintendent, Arman Ali, also an investigation officer of the Nasreen killing case, on June 8 filed a petition with the court, seeking permission to conduct post-mortem examination of the body and the court set June 11 for examination of the body at local hospital.
   The police said Nasreen’s driver Zakir Hossain had driven the car recklessly and pushed her against the front wall of the building and the adjacent steel door of her residence on Road No 4/A, Dhanmondi.
   Nasreen sustained fatal injuries in the legs and later died at Combined Military Hospital the same night.
   She was buried on April 28 at her village home in Gazipur without any post-mortem examination.

Awami League lawmaker Mohammad Nasim on Sunday demanded a general discussion in the Jatiya Sangsad on garments issue saying ‘we may differ on politics but not on garments which is the life line of our national economy.’
   Taking the floor on point of order at the very outset of the day’s proceedings, Mohammad Nasim gave a painful picture of the damages caused to country’s readymade garments sector owing to certain untoward incidents.
   Nasim said Bangladesh RMG sector attained a high reputation among the international buyers including the USA although the sector was facing a tough competition with regional countries including Sri Lanka, Korea, Vietnam, India and Pakistan.
   ‘We must have to protect this booming sector of our economy through united endeavors’, he added. Nasim said we must find out the reason behind this sad incidents in this sector if it was a sabotage or outburst of anger and displeasure of long deprivation of the workers.
   In a rare display of political decency, the treasury bench members appreciated the sentiments expressed by AL lawmaker on the garments sector.
   Senior treasury bench and health and family welfare minister Dr Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain said that the speaker may take a decision on this issue at an appropriate time.

Abu Md Maniruzzaman Khan took over as secretary of the defence ministry on Sunday, said a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations.

The Primary Education Week will be observed across the country from today with a view to creating awareness among the people about the necessity of primary education.
   The acting president, Jamiruddin Sircar and the prime minister, Khaleda Zia, gave separate messages on the occasion.
   The acting president in his message stressed the necessity of quality education at primary level with a view to building skilled human resources.
   He described primary education as the foundation of total education system and said there is no alternative to quality education to build efficient manpower.
   In her message, the prime minister said, ‘We have achieved UN millennium development goal by eliminating gender discrimination in the primary education.’
   To ensure quality education, apart from its expansion, she said, ‘A project worth Tk five thousand crore is on progress which would assist building up physical infrastructure, training and appointment of teachers.’