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Inter-district transport operators will risk losing route permits if they charge extra fare from passengers and create artificial crisis of tickets before and after Eid.
   An inter-ministry meeting on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to cancel route permits of the errant transport services, which prey on festival passengers and realise as much fares as they can.
   The meeting asked for stern measures to stop sales of tickets on the black market at the bus terminals, rail stations and launch terminals.
   ‘We have asked Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to cancel route permit if anyone is found charging fares beyond the government rates and creating artificial crisis of tickets,’ communications secretary Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman told reporters after the meeting at the secretariat.
   Bangladesh Railway and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation would go for additional trips to cope with huge pressure of passengers to and from the capital city during the Eid-ul-Fitr festival, the secretary added.
   Officials from home and shipping ministries, railway, BRTA and BRTC were also present at the meeting.
   The meeting asked the home ministry to beef up security at highways and waterways to ensure safe journey for Eid passengers.
   BRTA, according to meeting sources, will open complaint centres at inter-city bus terminals in the capital to receive complaints and take remedies.
   ‘Vigilance teams will be put on duty round the clock for 14 days to keep transport services free of hassles,’ the communications secretary mentioned.
   Meanwhile, a section of bus operators started selling advance tickets in the capital allegedly at higher rates.
   But transport operators have assured that they would not charge beyond the rates set by the government.
   BRTC will launch Eid special bus services from October 4 and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation will also operate Eid special steamer services few days ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
   The railway will also start selling advance tickets for homebound passengers from October 4 to 8. Special train services will continue between October 9 and 13.
   ‘One may get a family ticket for four to eight persons at a time.
   But in case of eight persons, the passenger will have to submit application in the prescribed form which will help avoid artificial crisis of train tickets,’ said a railway officer.

People’s confidence is a must to make union councils effective, said academics, journalists, local government experts and eminent citizens in an exchange of views on Thursday.
   The speakers at the programme, organised by the Local Government Policy Forum in the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka, called on the government to set up a permanent local government commission and depoliticise the councils.
   The local government bodies should be made autonomous and freed of bureaucracy, they said at the programme on the ‘role of union councils in
   providing services: present perspective and people’s expectation.’
   The Dhaka University development studies department chair, Taibur Rahman, and the Purnimagati union council chairman in Pabna, Gazi Khorshed Alam, read out the keynote papers.
   The Independent editor, Mahbubul Alam, also former adviser to the caretaker government, addressing the programme as chief guest, said, ‘It is necessary to gain people’s confidence to make union councils effective.
   The councils should also be made autonomous.’
   ‘It is necessary to ensure transparency and accountability of the representatives in the union councils,’ said Salahuddin M Aminuzzaman, public administration teacher at Dhaka University, who moderated the meeting.
   Amar Desh advisory editor Ataus Samad, Dhaka University public administration teacher M Mohab-bat Khan, Tofael Ahmed of Chitta-gong University, Dilara Chowdhury of Jahangirnagar University, Democracy Watch executive director Taleya Rehman and local government expert Tahrunnesa Abdullah also spoke.

The BRAC founder-chairperson, Fazle Hasan Abed, has announced a commitment of $271 million for providing education opportunities to 7.5 million children and youth in Asia and Africa over the next five years.
   The commitment was made on Wednesday, the first day of the three-day Clinton Global initiative annual meeting held in New York, as the world leaders gathered in the city to address the earth’s most pressing problem, a BRAC press release said in Dhaka on Thursday.
   BRAC has partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Novo Foundation and the USA to mobilise resources and provide a continuum of innovative educational opportunities for poor children, especially girls in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Uganda and southern Sudan.
   The programme is expected to reach 7.5 million beneficiaries through pre-primary, non-formal primary and secondary schooling as well as skill training and undergraduate and advanced degrees relevant to the needs of developing countries.
   BRAC will spend $51.8 million in 2008 and build up to $ 271 million by 2012, of which $221 million will be spent in Bangladesh, $21 million in Afghanistan, $12 million in Uganda, $11 million in Southern Sudan and $6 million in Tanzania, the press release said.
   ‘We feel that it is vitally important that children experience meaningful learning and enjoy education for their well-being and the future of their countries. We need to focus on the next generation and invest in them to create sustainable foundations for growth, poverty alleviation and peace,’ Abed said as quoted by the press release.
   In Bangladesh, over 1.5 million children are currently enrolled in BRAC’s more than 20,000 pre-primary and 32,000 primary schools, and nearly 4 million children have already graduated.
   BRAC also runs over 8,000 adolescent development centres and more than 1400 community libraries, the press release also said.

There is no alternative to right to information in making democracy meaningful and effective, said speakers at a seminar in Dhaka on Thursday, calling on the government to remove the obstacles to free flow of information.
   Terming right to information a standard unit to measure the efficacy of democracy, good governance and sustainable development, they said every citizen has the right to know how the government discharges its duties in ensuring secure and better life for its people.
   ‘Right to information lies at the core of a smooth-functioning democracy, creating an environment of openness where free flow of information prevents the fickleness of the state system,’ said Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, assistant professor of law at Dhaka University, in his keynote paper.
   The Campaign on Citizens’ Right to Information organised the seminar at the National Press Club marking International Day for Right to Information to be observed for three days worldwide from Friday. Khan Sarwar Murshed presided over the function while Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, executive editor of the daily Sangbad, took part in discussion.
   The Mass-line Media Centre chalked up the three-day programmes, including discussions on a number of relevant issues in the LGED auditorium to mark the day.
   The inaugural session will begin at 10:30am with discussion on the citizens’ charter and the right to information. Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman will be chief guest while Wahiduddin Mahmud and academician Khan Sarwar Murshed, educationist Enamul Haque will be special guests at the inaugural session.
   Topics to be discussed include ‘climate risk and right to information,’ ‘women’s access to information: role of women journalists’ and ‘people’s ownership on public information: bridging strategy.’

Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon on Thursday said that the politicians should not be blamed indiscriminately for the events leading to the imposition of a state of emergency.
   ‘The misrule of “BNP-Jamaat” alliance and their conspiracy to cling to power was responsible for the events leading to the proclamation of emergency and president Iajuddin Ahmed was also involved in the plot,’ he told a discussion in the Dhaka city organised by Badda thana unit of the party.
   The ‘BNP-Jamaat’ alliance had tried to force a one-sided election on the nation with a ‘fake’ voters’ roll and so they were solely responsible for the situation which led to emergency, he said.
   Menon said that cancellation of January 22 election had justified the people’s movement for a free and fair election.
   But the state of emergency cannot be prolonged in the name of purifying politics, he said adding that mere electoral and political party reforms would not bring about changes in the socio-economic condition.
    Chaired by Motaleb Mian, the meeting was addressed, among others by party general secretary Bimal Biswas and city unit secretary Quamrul Ahsan.

The National Girl Child Advocacy Forum chalked up a series of programmes to observe National Girl Child Day on Sunday.
   The programmes include painting competition, procession, discussion meeting and debate competition, said the organiser at a news briefing at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity on Thursday.
   The painting competition will be held at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy at 11:00am today, the procession will be brought out from the Public Library at 8:30am on Sunday to the Bangladesh Shis-hu Academy, and the discussion meeting will be held at the Shishu Academy at 10:30am on Sunday. The debate will be held at the academy at 10:30am on October 5.
   With the slogan, ‘Opportu-nities, not barriers — I will win the world,’ National Girl Child Day 2007 will be observed highlighting the rights of girl children.
   Adviser to the interim government Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, who attended the briefing as chief guest, said the government was trying to eradicate all sorts of discrimination against girls and women.
   The forum president, Badiul Alam Majumder, said that implication of girls’ malnutrition becomes dangerous as a majority of the children die before the age of 6 months because of their mother’s malnutrition.
   There should not be any maltreatment towards or discrimination against the girl children as it affects the entire society, she said.
   He also said the mistreatment towards and discrimination against girls take place because of the patriarchal system.
   The briefing was also addressed by the women affairs secretary, Rokeya Sultana, Bangladesh Shishu Academy chairman Mushfeqa Iqfat, forum secretary Nasima Akhter Joly and Nari Maitree executive director Shaheen Akhter Doly.

The administration on Thursday transferred 61 members of the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police to the Chittagong ranges.
   The members are 6 inspectors, 26 subinspectors, 9 assistant subinspectors and 20 constables.
   A circular in this regard was issued by the police headquarters and the transferred police personnel have been asked to join their new workplaces immediately, the police sources said.