JS panel for merger of cotton research
centre with Jute Instt
Obaidul Ghani
The parliamentary standing committee on the agriculture ministry has recommended merger of the cotton research centre under the Cotton Development Board with the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute.
The committee at a meeting on September 20 also proposed that the new research institute should be renamed as Fibre Research Institute, meeting sources said.
The committee pointed out that the cotton research activities had not made enough progress because of shortage of manpower, inadequate laboratory facilities and equipment, said Dr Abdur Razzaque, a member of the committee and opposition lawmaker. ‘The committee has recommended that the government should implement the merger immediately,’ he added.
The government also found that cotton research activities were not satisfactory. The Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute conducted the research till 1991, and then the task was shifted to the Cotton Development Board, the CDB sources said.
Referring to the shortage of manpower, the sources said that the cotton research centres had only 20 scientists and the board had already placed a proposal to create 35 more posts of research workers. The proposal is now under the consideration of the ministry of establishment, they added.
In addition, laboratory facilities under the Cotton Development Board should be enhanced to enable it to conduct modern research on cotton.
‘We have already submitted a proposal to the government to enhance the capacity build-up of the cotton research laboratories and now it awaits the approval of the Planning Commission, said a CDB official stressing the need for solving the problem of manpower shortage.
A top official of the Bangladesh Jute Research Institute, however, saw no possibility of materialising the decision. ‘Jute research has made significant progress developing different varieties while cotton needs to train breeders.’
The cotton research centre at Mahiganj in Rangpur is the only research centre under the Cotton Development Board while there are also four research-cum-seed multiplication centres.
The research-cum-seed multiplication centres are—Central Cotton Research Training and Seed Multiplication Farm at Sripur in Gazipur, Regional Cotton Research Training and Seed Multiplication Farm at Jagadispur in Jessore, Regional Cotton Research Training and Seed Multiplication Farm at Sadarpur in Dinajpur and Hill Cotton Research Centre at Balagata in Bandarban.
UK discourages export of Bangladeshi politics to Britain
Staff Correspondent
The United Kingdom does not want Bangladesh to export its problematic politics, characterized by bickering between the two major political parties, to Britain where a significant number of British citizens of Bangladeshi origin live.
‘All the parties—Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party and Jamaat…must not export local politics to the United Kingdom,’ the British high commissioner to Dhaka, Anwar Choudhury, said while responding to question from audience at a dialogue on media and Bangladeshi diaspora on Monday.
The British diplomat, whose origin is in Bangladesh, also observed that export of local politics was ‘just not helpful’.
‘…these people [the people of Bangladeshi origins] can only be helpful for Bangladesh once they are successful [in their career],’ Choudhury told the seminar. He referred to a number of success stories of British citizens of Bangladeshi origins, including that of himself, who are able to contribute to Bangladesh because of their successes in career.
The United Kingdom is home to over 500,000 British citizens of Bangladeshi origins, who have strong influence over politics in both the UK and back home in Bangladesh. Top Bangladeshi politicians, every time they visit Britain, get huge reception by the London wings of their respective parties.
To another question regarding voting right of Bangladeshi diaspora in their country of origin, the diplomat gave his personal view saying that the British citizens should exercise their right of franchise in Britain, not in their country of origin. He said it was his personal opinion and in no way reflected the British government’s policy.
The British envoy was the chief guest at the dialogue organised by the British High Commission in collaboration with Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit and the British Council at the council’s auditorium in the city.
To another query on Bangladesh’s current political standoff and the next general election, Choudhury expressed his optimism that the major political parties would be able to sink their differences before the polls. He observed that the standoff had somewhat eased up and it was still not too late to start a dialogue among the parties.
Professor Tasneem Siddiqui presented a paper titled Media and Bangladeshi Disapora in UK and USA. New Age chief reporter Nazrul Islam, Bangla daily Prothom Alo correspondent Tanvir Sohel, Jai Jai Din reporter Rabius Shams and The Daily Star reporter Porimol Palma presented papers on the coverage of diaspora issues in the media.
Proposed wage for RMG denounced
Staff Correspondent
Speakers on Monday at a discussion on proposed minimum wage for garments workers called upon the government and the factory owners to reconsider the proposal.
The proposed minimum wage for the garment workers, Tk 1600, was not sufficient for the workers to survive, the speakers said.
They expressed solidarity with the demand of the garments labour organisations that Tk 3000 should be fixed as the minimum wage.
Garments Sramik O Shilpa Rakkha Jatiya Manch, a combine of 16 garments labour organisations, organised the discussion titled ‘implementation of labour law in garments industry, proposed minimum wage and reality’.
Labour leader Abul Hossain read out the keynote paper at the discussion.
The proposed wage commission report will not solve the ongoing crisis in the garments industry, the keynote paper said.
The workers in the garments industry already rejected the proposed minimum wage and they were taking preparations for tougher movements in protest at the proposal, Abul Hossain said.
The Awami League-led opposition leader and Workers Party president, Rashed Khan Menon, called upon the garments factory owners to be lenient in increasing the minimum wage of the garments workers.
The country may experience tougher movements by the garments workers like that of the 1969, Menon said.
The AL presidium member, Matia Chowdhury, called upon the government and the garments factory owners to reconsider the proposed minimum wage commission report and enhance the minimum wage.
The Workers Party politburo member, Haider Akbar Khan Rano, said the minimum wage of the garments workers must be increased more considering the price hikes of the essentials.
Sramik League general secretary Roy Ramesh Chandra criticised the government’s initiative to modify the labour law. The initiative will infringe on the labour rights, he said.
Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad coordinator Wazedul Islam called upon the workers to make the 24-hour industrial strike and six-hour road blockade programme, called by the SKOP, a success.
The Mancha leader Quamrul Ahsan called upon the garments workers to make the strike in garments factory on October 16 a success.
Chaired by the Mancha coordinator Zoinal Abedin, the discussion was also addressed by labour leader Zafrul Hasan, Shafiuddin Ahmed, and Lovely Yesmin.
PSTN allowed to use RUIM
Staff Correspondent
The Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission approved on Thursday a proposal allowing private landline operators to use re-usable identification module card for connectivity.
Programmed smartcard RUIM which goes with the code division multiple access technology will allow a public-switched telephone network subscriber to use any fixed or mobile handset compatible with the CDMA.
The PSTN operators said allowing RUIM would help the operators to provide landline connectivity at lower, affordable price and to boost the growth of landline telephony.
‘We believe the new decision will create a good impact on landline telephony business,’ said a high official of the private PSTN operator RanksTel on Sunday.
The official said the use of RUIM by PSTN operators for connection of wireless fixed-line telephone sets will reduce the cost of investment in handsets which could be diverted for network expansion and subscribers can buy telephone sets according to their choice and ability. It will also bring about competition among private PSTN operators
Four private landline operators out of the 19 are now in operation in four zones —north-east, south-east, north-west and south-west.
The central zone, which covers the Dhaka multi-exchange area, however, remains out of the licensing purview because of a legal bar.
The PSTN operators earlier lobbied hard with the regulatory body to allow them to use RUIM card for connections to subscribers to survive in the competitive telecoms market which is mainly dominated by mobile operators.
The PSTN operators currently operate wireless technology similar to the mobile networks.
MBUSTC recruitment in question
Siddiqur Rahman Khan
Mawlana Bhashani University of Science and Technology has appointed 190 teachers and employees in different posts without approval from the regulatory body, university sources complained.
The latest wave of appointments raised the number of teachers and employees to 446 while the number of students, enrolled with the public university since it started academic year in 2003, stands only 157.
Insiders alleged that bribe and nepotism influenced the temporary appointments made between May and June 2006.
‘Relatives of some high-ups in the university administration have got priority in the appointments,’ said a source.
The vice-chancellor, professor M Khalilur Rahman, speaking to New Age in the past week, admitted that he had not taken approval from University Grants Commission for the huge recruitment, but denied the allegations of bribe and nepotism in recruitment process.
The commission would initiate an investigation into the allegations, an official said. The VC notified the UGC about the ad hoc recruitments through a letter on June 29 and sought additional Tk 1.84 crore for paying salary and other benefits to a total of 446 teachers and staffs for 2006-2007.
Prior approval from the commission is mandatory for recruitment of any teacher and officer in any public university. But MBUST authority ignored the provision while recruiting 190 teachers and employees, documents showed.
Of the total manpower 29 are teachers in four departments, 63 officers, 186 Class III employees and 168 Class IV employees.
The UGC has stopped releasing fund for the salary of new recruits since June and would launch an investigation against the vice-chancellor soon, a commission official said.
However, the university authorities are giving partial salaries since appointment of the redundant manpower from development funds.
Located in Tangail, some 65 kilometers north-west of Dhaka, the university was established in July 2001 and started to intake students from academic session 2003.
The new entrant has gone one step ahead of other public universities often blamed for recruiting teachers and employees at their will or with political purposes, though their own earnings account for less than one-tenth of their total annual expenditures.
‘There are widespread allegations that public universities frequently recruit teachers and staff in excess of allocated posts with political motives and press the UGC for additional funds,’ the UGC chairman, Professor M Asaduzzaman, told New Age.
The education ministry on June 28 ordered suspension of recruitment at all public universities until further notice.
The ministry letter sent to all the 26 public universities said that the government will no longer accept creation of unnecessary posts and recruitment of teachers and other staff at will.
The parliamentary standing committee on public accounts on June 13, 2006 also instructed the public universities to get approval from the commission before recruiting teachers and creating new posts.
CPB against unilateral poll
Staff Correspondent
Communist Party of Bangladesh has warned against any move to hold unilateral election ignoring the demands for reforms in caretaker government and Election Commission.
Any unconstitutional step would lead the country to anarchy and uncertainty, it said.
It also blasted major political parties for their indecisions and rigidities over election issues, which, it feared, would make chances for the evil forces to create anarchy in the country.
The warning came at the party’s meeting on Monday with its president Monzurul Ahsan Khan in the chair. Party general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim, central leaders Shahidullah Chowdhury, Dibalok Singh and Mahbub Alam also spoke.
The CPB leaders stressed that free and fair election is a must for maintaining constitutional continuity.
They called upon all quarters to behave responsibly so that the election can be held in time.
Dhalai Bridge renamed after
Saifur Rahman
Staff Correspondent
The Dhalai Bridge over the river Dhalai at Companiganj in Sylhet has been renamed M Saifur Rahman Bridge in recognition of contribution of the finance and planning minister, M Saifur Rahman, to the overall development of the country.
The communications ministry, to this effect, issued a gazette notification on Monday.
The senior assistant secretary of the ministry, Abu Yusuf, signed the official order on behalf of the president, Iajuddin Ahmed.
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY
AL protest letters to minister, secy, BTV
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka
The Awami League general secretary, Abdul Jalil MP, on Monday sent letters to the information minister, information secretary and director general of the state-run BTV protesting at telecasting of a controversial documentary entitled ‘Bangladesh Amar Bangladesh’.
In the protest letter, the AL general secretary alleged that the BTV authorities telecast the documentary to undermine Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and distort the country’s real history.
In his letter, Jalil further alleged that the BNP-Jamaat government was trying to distort the glorious history of the war of independence and undermine Sheikh Mujib by using state-run television.
He said the BNP-Jamaat alliance ‘is playing a dirty game of distorting history’ to shift people’s attention when the whole nation have been spearheading a movement to ensure free and fair election through implementing reforms of the caretaker government and the Election Commission.
Jalil asked the information minister and those who were involved in producing and telecasting the documentary to apologise for airing the documentary. He also demanded withdrawal and banning of the programme.
Govt daycare centre staff go on strike
Staff Correspondent
Employees of the six government day-care centres in the city went on a two-hour strike from 9am Monday in demand of regular payment of salary, as, they claimed, they had not received their salaries for the past nine months.
The strike was also aimed at pressuring the government to transfer their services from under development budget to the revenue budget.
More than 70 employees are working at the day-care centres including one at the Bangladesh Secretariat for the children of government staff under a development project of the women and children affairs ministry.
‘We have not received our monthly pays for nine months now.
‘It has become too tough for us to survive this way, more so in this month of Ramadan,’ said an employee of the Bangladesh Secretariat day-care centre. ‘We had no alternative to going on strike.’
Besides, they said, although the government earlier had promised to put their services under the revenue budget, they were yet to see the promise fulfilled.
Some women officials were seen on Monday returning home with their tiny tots from the secretariat during office hours, as the employees of its day-care centre were on the strike.
An officer at the secretariat day-care centre however denied being aware of the strike. But she admitted that the 11 employees of the centre had not been getting their monthly pays for the last several months.
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