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The Bangladesh Telecommuni-cations Regulatory Commission expects to start issuing nationwide land phone licences from next week, allowing zonal operators to extend their services all over the country.
   Nationwide licences will also make private land-phone services available in the most coveted central zone or Dhaka multi-exchange area, which has so far been kept out of the purview of the licensing system because of a court order.
   Officials of the regulatory commission said that the BTRC had already completed all the procedures including the frequency allocation plan for the operators.
   ‘We hope to issue licences from next week,’ said an official Tuesday.
   The official said the spectrum management committee, headed by a commissioner of the regulatory commission Monday finalised the frequency allocation plan for the operators who had applied for changing their zonal licences to nationwide ones.
   The commission invited applications on July 4 from the existing zonal PSTN (public switched telecom network) service providers willing to operate nationwide.
   Only six landline operators, out of 13, applied for nationwide licences until the last day, August 9.
   The central zone, comprising Dhaka city, Narayanganj municipality, Gazipur, Tongi, Savar, and Jinjira, is considered the most lucrative as the demand for landline connections here is estimated to be around 10 lakh, or about 60 per cent of the total domestic demand.
   The commission earlier issued 35 licences to 15 private-sector PSTN operators in the north-east, south-east, north-west, and south-west zones under the open licensing system.
   It has recently cancelled the licences of two operators for delay in beginning operation.
   The fee for a nationwide licence is Tk 12 crore. But the existing operators interested in nationwide licences will not need to pay the full amount, as they have paid for the licence for one or more zones.
   The commission has also attached certain conditions to licence conversion, one of which will require the licensee to give a significant number of connections in rural areas.

As the indigenous communities in Bangladesh are solely dependent on farming, their survival depends on land. Their socio-religious activities are very much related to farmland and forests. If they lose their rights to land and are evicted from their habitats where they have been living since time immemorial, not only will their livelihood be adversely affected, their culture will be destroyed.
   This was stated by speakers in a two-day seminar on the culture of the indigenous people of Bangladesh, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum and the Research Initiatives Bangladesh (RIB) at the CIRDAP Auditorium in Dhaka from August 13.
   In the first session of the inaugural day of the seminar, Hiren Das, Ananda Mohan Sinha and Ashok Kumar Ghosh presented their research papers, which depicted the grim situation in the life and culture of the indigenous people.
   While talking about the present condition of aboriginal community of Santals, who are concentrated in the north-western part of the country, Hiren Das said that the Santal children face linguistic problems when they go to the primary schools.
   Although they have converted to Christianity, a better life eludes them. In reality, they have lost their traditional beliefs and their original culture is now on the verge of extinction, he added.
   Ananda Ghosh Sinha talked about the present condition of the Manipuris, who live in the north-eastern part of the country. ‘Like other ethnic groups in Bangladesh, the Manipuris have no constitutional recognition. The community has gradually been losing its cultural heritage for its poor economic condition,’ he said.
   Ashoke Kumar Ghosh talked about the Mandi community, widely known as Garos, who are mostly concentrated in the greater Mymensingh region.
   The session was chaired by Taslimur Rahman.
   In the second session of the day, Syeda Habiba presented her research paper on empowerment of the indigenous people and eradication of their poverty. Merina Junthi presented the paper on the present condition of the tiny indigenous group called Munda, and Sanjib Drong discussed the negative image of indigenous groups shown in school textbooks, government documents and even in the Banglapedia. The session was chaired by Selina Rahman.
   On the second day of the seminar, Kabita Chakma presented her paper on the use of natural dyes in the traditional costumes of the Chakma community in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Utpal Khisa and Dipayan Khisa spoke on the evolution of cultural activities of the tiny ethnic minorities in that region, and Aung Suching Marma discussed the development and prospect of the handloom cottage industry of the Bawm community. This session was chaired by Hamida Hossain, vice-chairperson of RIB.
   On the second session, Pratikar Chakma spoke on the conventional customs of the ethnic groups in the hill region. Ittukgul Chakma presented a documentary and photographs on the life of the Khiyang community.
   The discussion was followed by cultural performances by the Chakmas, Bawms and Marmas.

Verdict in the Tk 2.4 crore bribery case filed against former communications minister Nazmul Huda and his wife Sigma Huda will be delivered on August 23.
   AK Roy, the judge of the Special Judge’s Court 2 of Dhaka, fixed the date after hearing arguments for the case in the makeshift courtroom at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban on Tuesday.
   Another special court of M Ashraf Hossain will start the trial of a graft case against Huda on August 20. The court fixed the date after framing charges against him in the railway land allocation case on Tuesday.
   Huda was sued for taking Tk 2.4 crore as bribe through three bank cheques from Mir Zahir Hossain, the managing director of Mir Akhtar Hossain Ltd, a construction firm, for awarding him five contracts under the Roads and Highways Department.
   He was charged with taking bribe under Section 161 of the Penal Code and abusing his authority under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947.
   The offences are punishable with imprisonment for up to three years under the Penal Code and up to seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act with fines.
   Sigma was accused of abetting her husband in committing the offences as she deposited the cheques in her bank accounts in the name of her weekly magazine Khaborer Antaraley and drew Tk 1.4 crore from the bank account and made fixed deposits with HSBC in the names of their two daughters.
   If found guilty, she will have to face the same punishment.
   In the land allocation case, Huda was sued for criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code for allocating 14.89 kathas of railway land to a human rights organisation run by him and his wife Sigma Huda, causing loss of Tk 7,66,78,499 to the exchequer.
   The court also charged him with criminal misconduct under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 for allocating the land by abusing power as a minister.
   The crimes are punishable with imprisonment for maximum 10 years under the Penal Code and maximum seven years under the Prevention of Corruption Act with fines.
   Another special court of M Firoz Alam continued recording testimony of prosecution witnesses in the case against former home minister Mohammad Nasim and his wife Laila Arzumand Banu for submitting false wealth statements to the Anti-Corruption Commission and amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income.
   Recording of testimony of prosecution witnesses also continued in the case against former state minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku and his family members on the similar charges.

The Anti-corruption Commission Tuesday filed four cases against detained former BRTC chairman and BNP leader from Narayanganj advocate Taimur Alam Khandaker on graft charges.
   The ACC deputy director, Golam Mostofa, filed the cases with Paltan thana at 4:05pm against the former BRTC boss under section 161 of the Bangladesh Penal Code and under section 5(2) of second law of the Corruption Resistance Act 1974.
   According to the first case, Taimur made deal with SR Tractors, the agent for Progoti Industries Limited, for the purchase of 73 buses and trucks in 2004 for the official transport agency.
   ‘When the vehicles were ready for delivery, he threatened to cancel the deal, as he did not get the demanded kickbacks,’ says the case statement.
   SR Tractors’ owner Shamsul Huda gave him the money by 12 pay orders from Abul Hasnat Road branch of Janata Bank.
   The second case states that Taimur made another deal for buying 135 buses and trucks with the SR Tractors, allegedly taking Tk 16 lakh as bribe the same way.
   According to the third case statement, Taimur took Tk 5 lakh from Huda in 2003 for purchasing 190 buses and trucks.
   In the 4th case, Taimur is accused of receiving Tk 25 lakh in kickbacks from the owner of Nikunja Model Centre in 2006.
   Taimur, also general secretary of Narayanganj district BNP, was arrested from his city residence by joint forces on April 18 on charges of corruption under the ongoing purge in the interim period.

The advisory council of the caretaker government Tuesday assigned the LGED and the Water Development Board to formulate a coordinated policy for permanently solving the water-logging problem in the DND (Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra) embankment area.
   A meeting of the advisory council also made some other major decisions, including one ordering inquiry into neglect of duty on part of the authorities concerned in repairs of embankments that caused flood onslaughts on towns and localities, particularly Sirajganj, during the current flooding.
   Presided over by the chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, the meeting elaborately discussed the latest flood situation, post-flood rehabilitation plans and preventing spread of diseases.
   The advisers apprised the meeting of their spot-visit experiences in their assigned respective flood-affected districts.
   It was decided to make priority-based list to start rehabilitation works, including repairing roads-bridges, educational institutions and identifying vulnerable points of embankments and their reconstruction from the maintenance budget of the respective ministries.
   The meeting noted a major shift in the situation now-from relief to rehabilitation and asked all concerned to be ‘careful about timely work in everything’.
   The chief adviser emphasised timely and hassle-free disbursement of loan and agri-inputs to farmers to start cultivation with a fresh zeal to recoup the damage done to crops by the floods.
   In an important step, the council of advisers also approved in principle the draft Bangladesh Labour Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2007 amending the Bangladesh Labour Law (Amendment) 2006, through which the Dock Workers’ Board of Directors in Chittagong and Mongla seaports stands abolished.
   The new law incorporates provision for constituting trade union for labour and employees employed by each port authority.
   The council expressed gratitude for domestic and foreign cooperation and support for flood victims.

The family members of five accused, now in custody for their alleged involvement with August 17, 2005 bomb blasts, demanded quick disposal of the cases and punishment to real culprits.
   They (accused) were the employees of Al-Ikram Samaj Kalyan Sangstha, a non-governmental organisation, and 12 cases filed against them in connection with bomb blasts at 18 places in the Barisal city, the family members told a news briefing held at the Barisal Reporters’ Unity on Tuesday.
   Of the 12 cases, one ended in acquittal on December 20, 2006, but the five were neither released from the jail nor granted bail as they were also accused in 11 cases, the family members added.
   Demanding immediate release of their near and dear ones, the family members claimed that the five were innocent of crimes and there was no evidence against them. They also sought interference of the chief adviser and human rights activists in this regard.
   The five accused are Golam Morshed Chowdhury Reza, Jalal Arefin, Abu Solaiman Sujan, Maruf Howlader and Jasim Howlader.
   Afroza Sultana, mother of Reza, read out a written statement at the press conference. Golam Kibria Chowdhury, father of Reza, Bilkis Begum and Alal Arefin, mother and brother of Jalal, Sultan Ahmad Sikder, father of Sujan, Aftabuddin and Marzina Begum, parents of Maruf, and Hashem Ali Howlader, father of Jasim, were also present at the press conference.

Different donor countries, and non-government and socio-cultural organisations continued their aid programmes for flood victims across the country.
    The Swedish government will provide two million kroner approximately $ 3,00,000 as humanitarian assistance for the flood victims.
   Half of the amount will be spent by Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency for 18,500 families with the assistance of Save the Children Denmark. Swedish Red Cross will spend the rest amount for helping 98,000 people with food, water and other necessities.
   As part of its relief operation, Dhaka University Tuesday launched its oral rehydration salt preparation project. SMA Fayez opened the project in pharmacy and biology faculties. The project aimed at making 2,60,000 packs of ORS.
   Meanwhile, two separate teams of the university Tuesday distribute 750 relief packs among the flood victims of Keranigonj and Demra.
   Today Impact Foundation, an NGO, distributed relief among some 500 flood affected families in different parts of Sirajganj.
   Bangladesh Chhatra Moitri and Sagnik Sahitya Sangskrtitik Parishad Tuesday distributed dry food, candle and oral rehydration salt among the flood victims of Manikganj.
   The two organisations are continuing their ORS preparation project in the Teachers’ Students Center of the Dhaka University.
   Nari Maitree, an NGO started their ORS preparation and health care services for the flood affected people in the capital.
   Already the NGO distributed 25,000 packs of oral rehydration salt in different parts of Dhaka, Sirajganj and Manikganj.

Renowned singers of the country sang at a concert to raise fund for the flood victims.
   They enthralled an evening audience with their popular numbers at the Winter Garden of Dhaka Sheraton Hotel Tuesday.
   Proceeds from the charity show, jointly was organised by Radio Foorti and Sheraton, will go to the chief adviser’s relief fund, said the organisers.
   Singers including Maksud, Hyder Hussain, Fuad, band group Yatri and a number of other artistes rendered their hit songs.
   Waridtel, MGH Group, Eastern Bank Limited and the daily New Age were the partners of the show, sponsored by BRAC Net.
   Radio Foorti aired the programme live.

A national information commission, manned by a skilled staff, is needed to ensure free flow of information, said Saadat Hossain, chairman, Bangladesh Public Service Commission at a roundtable in Dhaka on Tuesday.
   Mass-line Media Centre organised the roundtable on the importance of the right to information laws at LGED conference room at Agargan.
   Sadaat said government officials and staff have to come up with positive attitude to give people more access to information. At the same time journalists have to maintain objectivity in news reports, he added.
   Bangladesh Law Commission member M Enamul Haq said the government has to realise that the free flow of information can bring a radical change to the livelihood of common people. Dishonesty and corruption are the main obstacles for free flow of information, he pointed out.
   Supreme Court lawyer Tanjib-ul- Alam presented the keynote speech at the roundtable, while Golam Rahman, chairperson of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism of Daffodil University and MMC executive director Quamrul Hasan Monju also spoke.

Academics and cultural activists demanded that the government should reclaim the ancestral home of poet Sukanta Bhattacharya at Kotalipara in Gopalganj district and build a museum and library there.
   They made the demand at the poet’s 81st birth anniversary programme, organised on Tuesday by Udichi Shilpaghoshthi at Shaukat Osman auditorium of Central Public Library in Dhaka.
   Udichi Dhaka city president professor Kazi Madina presided over by the discussion. Among others who took part in the discussion were professor Anisuzzaman, Jatin Sarker, professor Manabbhardhan Pal, Zamsed Anwar Tapan and Manzar Chowdhury Sweet.
   Anisuzzaman said, ‘Sukanta was a rare talent in Bangla poetry. He successfully focused politics in his poetry, which also tells the stories of humanity and interests of the poor.’
   ‘He created his own style in poetry,’ Anisuzzaman said.
   The programmes also included recitation, music and play. Artistes of Udichi, Chhayanaut and Kranti took part in the programmes. Kazi Arif, Bhaswar Bandyopadhaya, Belayet Hossain, Hasan Arif, Rafiqul Islam and Mahidul Islam Mahi recited Sukanta’s poems on the occasion.
   Udichi staged Sukanta’s play Abhijan, directed by Rabiul Islam on the occasion. Sukanta Bhatta-charya (1926-1947) was born on August 15 in 1926 at his maternal uncle’s home in Kolkata. His father, Nibaranchandra Bhattach-arya, was a book seller in Kolkata.
   Sukanta got involved in students’ movements and leftist political activities from his early student life. In 1944, he became a member of the Communist Party.
   He died at the age of 21 on May 13, 1947.
   His literary works include Charpatra, Ghum Nei, Purbavash, Geetigucha, Mithe Kora, Obhijan Hortal, Patra Guchha, some essays and songs.

The Appellate Division heard citations from the split verdict delivered by a High Court judge about six years back as hearing of appeal petitions filed by convicted murderers of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman passed its sixth day Tuesday.
   The three-member bench of Justice Tafazzul Islam, Justice Joynul Abedin and Justice M Hasan Ameen heard the verdict delivered by Justice ABM Khairul Haque upholding death penalty to all the 15 army persons found guilty of assassinating the country’s founding president and all but two of his family on this day 32 years ago.
   In another verdict, justice M Ruhul Amin, now the chief justice, had upheld the death penalty of 10 former army persons. The Appellate Division heard a defence lawyer reading out the verdict on Monday.
   During the sixth day’s hearing, the Appellate Division asked the defence lawyers to collect correct copies of the original paper book, which compiled all documents of the Sheikh Mujib murder case.
   Five of the condemned persons in prison on death row, Syed Faruqe Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Muhiudin Ahmed, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Bazlul Huda, filed separate petitions seeking permission to appeal against the High Court verdict.
    The Appellate Division began the hearing on August 6, resuming the case that had been shelved for six years for want of enough judges to hear the case.

A Dhaka Court again on Tuesday set September 6 for delivery of the verdict in the gold smuggling case filed against former president HM Ershad 15 years ago.
   The first additional metropolitan sessions judge, Abul Bashar, who only heard the argument of the old case, fixed the date for the final verdict, which was earlier deferred six times.
   Judge SM Mujibur Rahman, who tried Ershad’s case, deferred the delivery of judgement on June 12.
   Ershad, former Jatiya Party chairman, appeared in the court of Abul Bashar flanked by his counsels.
   According to the case’s details, the airport customs officials arrested four persons, including two citizens of England and Germany, at Zia International Airport on July 9, 1990 when they seized 3,000 smuggled gold bars.
   Customs and VAT inspector SM Zakaria, on July 18, 1990 filed a case with the Cantonment thana against the two foreigners, and Major (retd) Ashraf Uddin, manager of ZIA, and Abu Taher, security officer, in this connection.
   After investigation, the Criminal Investigation Department submitted a supplementary charge-sheet in 1991, adding that Ershad had abetted the other defendants accused in the case.
   As the High Court, after hearing a petition filed by Ershad for quashing the case, stayed the trial of the case relating to him in 1991, the trial court tried the four other accused in the case and sentenced them to imprisonment for different terms on May 14, 1992.

Ten officials and employees of Ghorashal Urea Fertiliser Factory were suspended on Tuesday due to their negligence of duty during a fire that broke out in the factory on Sunday.
   The suspended officials and employees were general manager (operation) Abu Jamal Sarker, chief chemist Abdus Samad, chemist Matiur Rahman, deputy joint chemist Sukumar Pal, production assistant Zakir Hossain, high-skilled operators Jasimuddin and Zakir Hossain and master operators Harun-or-Rashid, Shafiqul Islam and Shafiul Islam.
   The authorities concerned took the action against them on the basis of a primary report submitted by a seven-member inquiry committee.
   The members of the inquiry committee, formed by the industries ministry on Sunday, headed by a joint secretary, visited the factory on Tuesday and grilled the officials and employees who were on duty during the fire.
   Another inquiry committee, formed by the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, also visited the spot on Tuesday.
   The fire broke out at the high compressor house section of the factory Sunday morning, causing a huge loss.

The Russian charge d’affaires, Vladimir Dzhunkovskiy, called on the foreign adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, at the foreign ministry Tuesday.
   The foreign adviser apprised the Russian charge d’ affaires of the measures being undertaken by the government in the wake of the floods in Bangladesh.
   Dzhunkovskiy discussed with Iftekhar various issues that might come up on the agenda during the adviser’s visit to Russia next month.
   ‘This will be a very fruitful and groundbreaking visit that will bring the two countries close together,’ the Russian charge d’ affaires said.
   After the meeting, Iftekhar told reporters, ‘Russia is a historic friend and there are great benefits of developing our relationship to both of us. Russia can be an important source of food grains and energy. At this time we are in need of each other.’

An extortion case was filed against former BNP lawmaker Abu Hena and two BNP leaders with chief metropolitan magistrate’s court here on Tuesday.
   The other accused are DM Fazlur Rahman and Asgar Ali, court sources said. BNP activist Ashraful Israil, of Surjapara village under Bagmara upazila in Rajshahi, filed the case.
   According to the case, Hena demanded Tk 2 lakh from Ashraful to send him abroad with the help of BNP leaders Fazlur and Asgar in 2004. Although Ashraful gave them Tk 1.50 lakh on March 17, 2004 by selling land, they didn’t send him abroad. The accused threatened to kill him when he requested them to return the money.

Awami League acting president Zillur Rahman on Tuesday demanded recognition of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as ‘father of the nation’ and release of party chief Sheikh Hasina within August.
   ‘We also call upon the government to observe August 15 as national mourning day,’ he told reporters at his residence.
   Zillur appreciated the planned visits of president Iajuddin Ahmed, chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and army chief Moeen U Ahmed to the grave of Sheikh Mujib in Tungipara today.
   ‘But we are disappointed that the government has not yet declared the day (August 15) as national mourning day,’ he said.
   Party leaders Abdur Razzak, Matia Chowdhury, Habibur Rahman Siraj, Subid Ali Bhuiyan, Dipu Moni, Hasan Mahmud and Abdul Latif Siddiqui were present at the press briefing.

The land depression that was hovering over the Indian state of West Bengal and Bangladesh moved further to the northwest at around 6:00am Tuesday.
   The obvious depression is staying in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal and areas close by. The Met Office said the depression would become weak to induce rainfalls.