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The Bangladesh Bank has signed agreements with 12 banks and financial institutions to implement a Tk 300 crore housing loan refinancing scheme it launched in July to provide low-cost home loans to the middle-income group of people.
   The institutions are National Credit and Commerce Bank, Mercantile Bank, Prime Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, Trust Bank, Delta BRAC Housing, National Housing, Industrial Development Leasing Company, United Leasing, Industrial and Infrastructure Development Finance Company, Lanka Bangla, and Fidelity Assets.
   The main objective of the scheme is to boost the real estate sector by injecting low-cost fund into it, a BB executive director, Abul Kashem, told a news conference at the central bank on Wednesday.
   ‘Real estate is a very important sector as it employs a large labour force and also sustains linkage industries like cement, paint, and transportation,’ he pointed out.
   The central bank initiated the Tk 300 crore refinancing scheme on housing for a three-year period to address the accommodation problems of the lower and middle middle-class segments of the society as the commercial banks do not have any housing loan product for these target groups, Abul Kashem explained.
   Under the scheme, a service-holder or a businessman whose monthly income is less than Tk 30,000 can apply for a loan of maximum Tk 15 lakh at 10 per cent interest to buy an apartment of maximum 1,250 square feet in size in any of the six divisional cities, besides Tongi, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Savar.
   The borrowers will have to repay the loans within 20 years with a one-year grace period. Banks and other financial institutions can give this loan, which will not have any hidden cost, said the BB official.
   He admitted that the loan amount was not enough to
   buy an apartment of 1,250sft size. ‘So, the borrowers will have to give Tk 10 to 15 lakh as equity.’
   The central bank will give 75 per cent of the total loan amount while the remaining 25 per cent will be provided by the respective bank or financial institution.
   The lending agency will have to recover the loans and the central bank will not shoulder any responsibility of the defaulted loans, the BB executive director added.

The labourers and workers of the state-owned Alim Jute Mills at a news briefing at the Khulna Press Club on Wednesday demanded withdrawal of the lay-off at the mill and immediate payment of their dues.
   The Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation granted applications of 268 labourers and workers, out of 857, seeking voluntary retirement.
   Labour leader Abdus Salam, addressed the briefing. He alleged the mill had faced severe financial crisis in recent times as the Jute Mills Corporation did not allocate money for the mill.
   He said labourers and workers were in a deplorable state as they were yet to receive wages for 33 weeks and salaries for nine months.
   ‘We are forced to stop sending our children to schools because of poverty. Our ailing family members are going without treatment.’
   He said the labourers and workers became hopeless as the corporation announced a month’s lay-off at the mill, effective from September 22, without paying the dues to the labourers and workers.
   Eight hundred and one labourers, 50 workers and 6 officials of the mill applied for voluntary retirement scheme on August 12.
   The corporation granted the applications of 223 labourers and 45 workers and official, Alim Jute Mills officials said.

A taka 20.41 crore project is being implemented to enhance fish production in Chalan Beel in the country’s Northern region.
   Officials said the Department of Fisheries is implementing the project to ensure livelihood security of the wetland people and support the government’s poverty reduction efforts through sustainable aquaculture and management.
   There was a time when the Beel was widely known for its immense resources for fish harvesting across the northern region.
   The resources are now on the verge of extinction.
   According to the officials, the three-year ‘Chalan Beel Fisheries Development Project’ is being implemented covering 12 upazilas of Rajshahi, Natore, Naogaon, Bogra, Pabna and Sirajganj districts. The project began in July last year.
   Among the objectives of the projects are to increase fish production to meet up nutritional requirement and to preserve fish biodiversity and restore fish habitat.
   Besides improving employment and socio-economic conditions of fishing communities, landless and fish farmers, the project seeks to involve the target groups with water body management and aquaculture activities and establish their rights in the developed water bodies.
   Project director Sawkat Ali told BSS that on its successful implementation the project would help attain the target of annual fish production to 400 kilograms per hectare from 200 kilograms at present.
   To attain the goal, 160 hectares of ponds, canals, dried rivers and beels will be re-excavated in addition to development of fish sanctuaries on 40 hectares and floodplain on another 20 hectares of water bodies.
   Apart from this, some other need-based infrastructures like 298 pipe-culverts, 80 fish sanctuaries, 23-kilometer embankments and three fish landing stations will be constructed.
   Fish nursery will be developed on 80 hectares of water bodies to contain the reduction of fish production.
   Fish eggs and fingerlings will be released for stocking and rearing in the nurseries to increase fish population and protect the native fish species, particularly the small indigenous ones, from extinction.
   The officials said 14,000 beneficiaries will be organised on group basis and they will be given necessary training in fish culture and management.
   They said the fish farmers will also be given micro-credit ranging from Taka 5,000 to Taka 10,000 for their alternative livelihood during the project implementation period.

The High Court on Wednesday stayed the proceedings of a case filed by National Board of Revenue against detained former BNP lawmaker Salahuddin Ahmed and declared illegal the detention of businessman Nurul Islam Babul.
   The bench of justice Awlad Ali and justice Shamim Hasnain also issued rule on the government to explain in six weeks why the tax evasion case against Salahuddin, now pending in the Special Judges’ Court at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises, would not be declared illegal.
   NBR filed the case against Salahuddin, a former MP from Demra in Dhaka, with the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court on September 18 and the case was later transferred to the Special Judge’s Court for trial. Charge hearing was scheduled for today.
   The High Court bench of justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury declared Babul’s detention illegal after hearing a writ petition that challenged the detention order.
   Babul, detained since February 22, was also sued by the Anti-Corruption Commission for owning assets beyond known sources of income. The case is now under investigation.

Students of public medical colleges on Wednesday demanded restoration of the previous examination system that used to provide a student who had failed to pass in any subject with the chance to sit supplementary exams several times.
   But, the new system gives a third-year medical student who fails to qualify in a subject only one chance to sit the supplementary examination which puts his or her education life at serious risk, the students said in a written statement at a news conference at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.
   If the student fails to pass the supplementary examination, the new system demotes him/her to second year, said the students under the banner of Voice of Medical Students.
   Demanding reversal to the previous examination system, the VMS had earlier submitted memoranda to the authorities concerned, including the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, director of medical education, health ministry, and the principals of the public medical colleges, they mentioned.
   VMS convener Rakibul Islam and fifth-year students of the Dhaka Medical College Jahangir Alam, Nadimul Islam, and Rajib addressed the conference.

Lack of access to finance and poor infrastructure are the main stumbling blocks to private sector development in Bangladesh, according to a World Bank study.
   However, the World Bank in the study styled ‘Bangladesh Investment Climate Assessment’ found a considerable progress in the private sector over the last one year.
   The World Bank study said if there were more good investment proposals coming for private infrastructure projects, there was better scope for enhancement of the government-sponsored ‘Investment Promotion and Financing Facility loan amount.
   The government in a bid to remove the barriers to the private sector initiated the IPFF project, which the World Bank has been supporting since 2006 with $47.5 million interest-free loan.
   This included, among others, signing Technical Services Agreement with Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Centre, signing Master Facility Agreement with 10 Participating Financial Institutions, and getting the Technical Project Proposal approved.
   Several investment workshops were also held for private sector entrepreneurs organised by IFC, under a TA component of the project. The project aims at promoting longer-term finances for the private entrepreneurs, willing to invest in infrastructure.
   At the moment, IPFF gives special emphasis on infrastructure projects in the power sector. In this context, WB expects to finance some of the Small Power Plants currently being executed by the Power Cell under Power Division.

The Tanore police in Rajshahi on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against former posts and telecoms minister Aminul Haque and two others in an extortion case. Another extortion case was filed against Aminul and six others on Tuesday.
   The two others named in the charge sheet are Rajshahi BNP general secretary Shish Mohammed and Chanduria union council chairman, Mafiz, also a local BNP leader.
   The Tanore police officer-in-charge, Nurul Islam filed the charge sheet with the magistrate’s court in Rajshahi.
   One Golam Mostafa, of Belgharia at Tanore, filed the case with the police on May 5.
   According to the charge sheet, Aminul demanded Tk 1.5 lakh from the complainant as toll for his election expenses. Aminul promised him a job at the ministry.
   Golam Mostafa gave Tk 1.5 lakh to Shish and Mafiz on September 29, 2004. But he was not given the job after he had paid the money. He was threatened when he demanded his money back towards the end of the BNP-Jamaat government.
   Another case of extortion was filed against Aminul, Shish Mohammad and five others with the Tanore police.
   One Ramzan Ali, of Juranpukur of the upazila, filed the case which also accused the detained Chanduria union council chairman Mafiz Uddin, sub-assistant engineer of the Tanore zone LGED Tazemul Haque, Teletalk commission agent Mohsin Ali and BNP leaders of Godagari of Rajshahi Sheli and Asgar Ali.
   According to the complaint, the accused took Tk 1.65 lakh in bribe from Saiful Islam, a relative of the plaintiff, promising him a job at the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Rajshahi through Aminul Haque.
   On July 26, Aminul Haque, Shish Mohammed and 23 others were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for 31 years each on charge of patronising Islamist militants.

The body of an ex-army personnel was found floating in the River Korotaya at Boatghat under Shahjadpur upazila on Wednesday.
   The victim, Shariful Alam, 41, of Sontala village in Ullahpara upazila was missing since Friday.
   The police said Shariful came out of his house on Friday evening and did not return. It is suspected that unknown assailants strangled him and thrown the body in a sack into the river.

The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, on Wednesday hosted an iftar for the country’s distinguished persons at Bangabhaban.
   The chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, the speaker, Jamiruddin Sircar, Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin, former president HM Ershad and former president Abdur Rahman Biswas were among the dignitaries, who joined Iajuddin at the main iftar table.
   Members of the advisory council, former chief advisers and advisers, chief election commissioner and election commissioners, Supreme Court judges, politicians, diplomats, senior civil and military officials including chiefs of army, navy and air force, editors and senior journalists and religious leaders attended the iftar.
   A munajat was offered ahead of the iftar seeking divine blessings for the peace and progress of the country. The president and the chief adviser also exchanged greetings with the guests.

A crime suspect was killed in an encounter of the Rapid Action Battalion with his associates at Chandrima Model Town of Mohammadpur in Dhaka early Wednesday, taking to 864 the number of such deaths after June 2004.
   The deceased was Manik alias Chhota Manik alias Killer Manik, 24, of Tikapara at Mohammadpur.
   The battalion said their personnel had conducted a raid on the model town to arrest a gang of criminals, suspiciously roaming about in the area, at around 1:15am.
   As the battalion members reached the place, a gang of four to five opened fire on the law enforcers to make their way out. The battalion chased and fired back.
   At one point, Manik was caught in the firing as he tried to get away. The battalion team seized a revolver and a bullet from the place.
   The Mohammadpur police took him to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead. The body was sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for a post-mortem examination.
   Manik was wanted in nine criminal cases, three related to murder, filed with the Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi and Gulshan police stations. He was convicted in a case filed with the Dhanmondi police, the battalion said.

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested a suspected criminal at Khalishpur Housing Estate in the Khulna city early Wednesday and seized 12 live bombs from his possession.
   Acting on a tip-off, the RAB men raided the area at around 4:00am and arrested Arif Imtiaz alias Tuhin, 39, son of Azad Hossain Khan, of Khalishpur Housing Estate, said a press release issued by RAB Wednesday afternoon.
   Based on his statement, later they recovered the bombs, the release added, saying that the arrested with the bombs was handed over to the Khalishpur police.
   Tuhin was sentenced to 15 years’ rigorous imprisonment in an arms case and involved in various crimes like extortion, RAB claimed.
   But Tuhin’s father claimed that his son was innocent of crimes and demanded his immediate release.

The Bangladesh expatriate community living in different cities in the Great Britain have donated pound sterling 37,643 to the Chief Adviser’s Relief and Welfare Fund and the Chief of Army Staff’s Relief Fund in aid of country’s flood victims.
   Among the donors, the Cardiff Bangladesh Association donated pound sterling 10,143, Croydon Bangladesh Association pound sterling 2,500 and Bangladesh Association in Northampton donated pound sterling 25,000, said Foreign Ministry release.

A Mymensingh court on Wednesday sentenced an activist of the banned Islamist outfit Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh for three years in jail and fined him Tk 5,000, in default to suffer four months more in jail.
   The convict is Monir Hossain alias Hira of 46, Senbari Road in the district town. The speedy trial tribunal magistrate, Shefali Begum, gave the verdict.
   Monir was arrested on August 12 at the court area for his suspected involvement in aiding the Jamaatul Mujahideen activists. A map of the district, some leaflets and certified copies of the verdicts given against the JMB activists were also seized from him.

The Federation of NGOs Bangladesh, CDF and INAFI on Wednesday expressed concern over a decision of the Micro-Credit Regulatory Authority to curb the power of the micro-credit organisations of taking long-term deposits from their members.
   The three organisations, networks of NGOs and micro-credit organisations in a joint statement urged the authority to review the matter and allow the micro-credit organisations to take deposits from their members.
   The statement said that according to the MRA Act 28(2) (Ga), micro-credit organisations could take deposits from their members.
   According to the statement, the total amount of deposits of small savers with the micro-credit organisations was around Tk 2,034.37 crore, which has increased the financial security of the small savers as well as decreased the dependency of the micro-credit organisations on donor agencies for funds.
   The MRA took the decision in response to complaints that NGOs were using long-term credit to finance businesses, such as real estate, or were amassing cash in excess of the amount needed for lending.
   The decision was taken at a board meeting of the MRA on Tuesday. The Bangladesh Bank’s governor Salehuddin Ahmed, the ex officio chairman of the regulatory body, presided over the meeting.
   The authority will circulate the decision among the NGOs soon.

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday sued a former Awami League lawmaker, Habibur Rahman Mollah of Dhaka, and the secretary-general of the BNP-backed Doctors Association of Bangladesh, AZM Zahid Hossain, and his wife Reefat Hossain for concealing information in their wealth statements.
   The ACC’s assistant director, Syed Ahmed, filed a case with Ramna police against Habibur Rahman Mollah, who was elected lawmaker from the Dhaka-4 (Demra) constituency in the 1996 general elections, alleging that he had concealed information about his assets worth Tk 2,00,32,548 in his wealth statement.
   The other case was also filed with the same police station by another assistant director of the ACC, Nasir Uddin Ahmed.
   According to the case, Zahid Hossain and his wife concealed information about assets amounting to Tk 2,12,73,951 in their statements. All the accused are now on the run.
   The police, meanwhile, attached the property of eight political bigwigs and other high-profile individuals, including former commerce minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, at Gulshan on Tuesday.
   As the police did not find anything to be attached, they sealed the house of he former minister.
   The police also sealed the house of former lawmaker Kazi Anwar Hossain. Others whose property were attached included One-Tech Limited chairman Hasna Ahmed, Metro Enterprise chairman Shafiqur Rahman Kiron, Advance Development Technology chairman SM Anwar Hossain, NM Company chairman UJ Mendes, Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam and former Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha chief engineer Emdadul Islam, the police said.

Bangladesh would be happy to expand relations with Costa Rica as it has the reputation of a responsible international actor.
   The foreign adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, said this after holding bilateral talks with his Costa Rican counterpart Bruno Stagno at the UN Headquarters on Tuesday.
   Costa Rica is a candidate for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council this year.
   Speaking to the media, Iftekhar said, ‘Until now, we’ve not been able to explore the possibilities of economic and trade relations with Central American countries. It’ll be to the benefits of all involved to do so.’
   Both Iftekhar and Bruno Stagno had served as ambassadors and permanent representatives of their respective countries at the UN earlier. They were also deeply involved in UN reforms.