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Politicians and civil society members at a seminar on Sunday called on economic policymakers to revert to the five-year plan for development and suspend the process of formulating the second version of the lender-driven poverty reduction strategy because of its failure.
   They stressed that stakeholders should be consulted in formulating development strategies and that the political parties must mention their development programmes in their election manifestoes before the next parliamentary polls.
   ‘We ourselves have to formulate our development planning and undertake home-grown programmes for welfare of the people,’ Hasan Mahmud, environment secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, said in unison with Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s Rizvi Ahmed.
   Jatiya Party leader GM Qader called for massive reforms in the process of development planning and in power structures to come out of evil practices. ‘I do not know how it will happen. One should not think that the situation will improve automatically after an elected government assumes office,’ he said.
   Speakers at the seminar on ‘Outcomes of PRSP and Sovereignty over Development Planning’ criticised the interim government for trying to formulate the second strategy paper without consultation with any segment of the society.
   They also recommended that the role of the state should be redefined in order to establish national sovereignty over development planning by rejecting the prescriptions of the multilateral lending agencies that undermined public welfare and national self-reliance.
   The seminar was organised by Equity and Justice Working Group at the National Press Club.
   ‘It is unfair to make a policy document with a hide-and-seek attitude. The government is embarking on PRSP at a time when other countries are throwing it away,’ the group’s Rezaul Karim Chowdhury said.
   The working group, a rights-based non-government organisation, in its report suggested revitalisation of the state-run Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies so that the role of the state could be consolidated in development planning.
   Moderator of the seminar Professor Tofael Ahmed said the practice of making bureaucrats the project directors must come to an end. ‘They are more interested in foreign tours than in national development,’ he added.
   Rashed Mahmud said it was feasible that an apolitical government could make good development planning.

Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board has proposed slashing the call tariff by 33 per cent for making call to mobile operator’s network in a bid to withstand stiff competition from its rival operators.
   The state-owned land phone operator which saw a negative subscriber growth last year also proposed introducing a Tk 0.25 per minute based tariff for making a local call between its own network, abolishing existing Tk 1.5 per unit (five minute) based call rate that would be actually turned into a 17 per cent reduction of call tariff in the local call segment.
   According to the officials of the posts and telecom ministry, the telephone board last week sent the proposal to the ministry which proposed Tk 1 per minute call charge for making a call to mobile phone. The telephone board currently charges Tk 1.5 per minute regardless of peak and off-peak hour to make a call to mobile networks.
   Telecommunications secretary Iqbal Mahmud on Sunday said the ministry was reviewing the proposal put forward by the telephone board. ‘We are working on it.’
   BTTB officials said the reduction in call charge was important to plug the declining customer base of the telephone board which is under the process to turn into a government owned public limited company soon.
   According to data of Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, the telephone board lost around 5,000 subscribers in 2007 to settle at 8.72 lakh from 8.77 lakh in 2006 despite the private land phone subscribers soared by 122 per cent to 3.15 lakh during the same period.
   The telephone board was losing subscribers because of its inability to withstand the increased competition from private landline operators which were offering fixed phone connections with handset for prices with value added services lower than that of the telephone board offers, BTTB officials said.
   This resulted in a drastic decline in the demand for telephone board connections, an official said. ‘The demand for landlines in districts is on the decline and the capacity of many telephone exchanges remains underutilised.’
   Earlier in November, the telephone board cut call tariffs, line rent and transfer fees for the board’s land phones significantly to remain in the competition.
   It reduced the nationwide dialling by halve to Tk 1.5 a minute on 30-second pulses. The monthly line rent has been reduced to Tk 80 in Dhaka and Chittagong multi-exchange areas, Tk 70 in districts and Tk 50 in upazilas from Tk 150 in line rent.]

The police raided the colonies of the mill workers at Khalishpur in Khulna looking for the daily-basis labourers who took part in the protests held on Saturday, the labourers alleged.
   The daily-basis labourers of the six state-owned jute mills in the Khulna-Jessore region, meanwhile, continued with their indefinite work abstention for the second day on Sunday to push for their six-point demands.
   The labourers also did not send their children to school in silent protest at their harassment by the mill authorities and the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation.
   Md Yunus, a daily-basis labourer of the Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills, who lives in the workers’ colony, said, ‘It was around 1:00pm Saturday when some policemen knocked on the door and asked us to get out of the house’. He said the police were looking for daily-basis labourers.
   There were 15 to 20 policemen. ‘They threatened us in harsh language not to join protests any more,’ said Yunus’s wife Julia Begum. ‘I saved my husband by telling the policemen that he pulled rickshaws and got back home late into night.’
   The labourers also alleged that the policemen raided the houses in the colonies of the workers of the Crescent Mills looking for daily-basis labourers.
   The Khalishpur police, however, denied carrying out any such raids on the mill colonies in the industrial belt.
   The demands of the daily-basis labourers include payment of all their dues, regular weekly wages, overtime benefits, issuance of gate pass for temporary labourers and official recognition of them as temporary labourers.
   Abut 4,000 daily-basis labourers of Star Jute Mills, Crescent Jute Mills, Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills, Eastern Jute Mills, Jessore Jute Industries and the Carpeting Jute Mills have been holding protests from January 1 to push for the demands.They joined their works on January 30 as the administration assured them of meeting their demands. But they started holding protests on February 15 as their demands were not met, said sources in the mills.
   The labourers went out on demonstrations at the mills during February 15–17 and formed human chains at the mill gates on February 18.

An investment of about Tk 20 crore in the film industry is now at stake after the death of Aslam Talukdar Manna, who was playing the leading roles in about 20 films. Manna died of a heart attack on February 17.
   ‘About Tk 20 crore is at stake as about 20 films starring Manna remained incomplete,’ said Abdullah Nasir, the producer-cum-director of Manna’s last film. About Tk 100 crore is invested in Dhaka films every year.
   Out of more than 30 films, signed by the leading hero of the Dhaka film industry, the shooting of at least 17 films including Gariber Chhele Baraloker Meye, Judge Barrister, Sramik Neta, Police Officer, Jibaner Juddha and Bhalobasar Pratishodh remain half-done, said producers.
   The shooting of 12 films including Abujh Shishu, Sreshtha Santan, Bhalobasar Dushman and Hridoy Theke Pawa have been completed. Two of them are waiting to be released.
   ‘He performed last in Gariber Chhele Baraloker Meye on February 16 night at the Film Development Corporation. He was supposed to get back to the shooting floor the next day,’ said Nasir.
   ‘We faced similar problems after the death of Salman Shah. I had to use a dummy of Salman to complete the shooting of the films he died leaving half done,’ said Shibli Sadik, a director.
   There are many producers and other stakeholders in the industry who will suffer for the death of Manna, he said. ‘We will return the signing money to the producers of the films my father signed,’ said Siam, the only son of Manna.
   Manna used to take Tk 6 lakh to Tk 7 lakh for each film, said insiders. ‘He earned the position with sincerity, dedication, commitment and skills,’ said one of them.
   After Salman, film-makers and producers depended on Manna as most of his films were hits. His films earned the investors the money they put in.
   Manna, the secretary general of the artistes’ association, also played a significant role in the campaign against ‘vulgarity, obscenity and piracy’ in Dhaka films.
   Manna also produced nine films including Loot Taraj, Dui Badhu Ek Swami, Maner Sathe Juddha, Pita Matar Amanat and Ami Jel Theke Balchhi.
   Producers invest more than Tk 100 crore in Dhaka film industry every year, said Nasiruddin Dilu, former president of the producers’ association. He said trend continued despite a sharp decline in the number of cinema goers.
   About 90 films get released every year, about a dozen of which becomes box-office hits.

Bangladesh faces a critical health hazards for lack of ‘safe drinking water’ that forces the country to spend a whopping Tk 50 billion every year for the treatment of water-borne diseases.
   Even though Bangladesh is known from ancient times for its abundance of water from various sources, one of the major problems that the country has been suffering for decades is the acute scarcity of ‘safe drinking water’.
   NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation, which works mainly for ensuring safe water and sanitation, said only 74 per cent of the country’s population have access to safe water free from arsenic and other pollutants.
   Eminent author K Park in his book, ‘Text Book of Preventive and Social Medicine’ (published from India in 1997), says, ‘Water is considered ‘safe’ when it is free from pathogenic agents, free from harmful chemical substances, and pleasant to taste — i.e., ideally free from colour and odour, and usable for domestic purposes.’
   A document of World Water Council says 1.1 billion people, nearly one quarter of world population, has no access to ‘safe drinking water’.
   According to the World Health Organisation, 1.6 million deaths of children per year can be attributed to unsafe water, poor sanitation and lack of hygiene.
   Prior to Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, surface water from ponds, lakes and rivers, and to a lesser degree, groundwater from dug wells, were the traditional sources of drinking water for the country’s people.
   National Sanitation Status, June 2007 states that 97.6 per cent of country’s population drink piped water as well as from public tap, borehole/tubewell, protected wells, and protected spring or rainwater.
   The surface water sources often get mixed with highly polluting wastewater from domestic and industrial sources.
   Many areas of groundwater and surface water are now contaminated with heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and other ingredients that have adverse affect on health.
   Water-borne diseases and water-caused health problems in the country are mostly due to inadequate and inefficient management of water resources, a water resources expert said.
   WHO indicates over 20 water-related diseases. These include Anaemia, Arsenicosis, Ascariasis, Campylobacteriosis, Cholera, Cyanobacterial Toxins, Dengue and Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, Diarrhoea, Drowning, Fluorosis, Guinea-Worm Disease (Dracuncu-liasis), Hepatitis, Japanese Encephalitis, Lead Poisoning, Leptospirosis, Malaria, Malnutrition, Methae-moglobinemia, Onchocerciasis (river blindness), Ringworm (Tinea), Scabies, Schistosomiasis, Spinal injury, Trachoma and Typhoid, and Paratyphoid Enteric fevers.
   Though no reliable data is available, every year in Bangladesh, a large number of people, particularly children, die of cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, and other water-borne diseases for lack of ‘safe drinking water’.
   Banglapedia, a leading encyclopaedia in the country, indicates that these diseases account for nearly a quarter of all illnesses in Bangladesh — about 12 per cent diarrhoea, and 10 per cent other gastro-intestinal illness including enteric fever. Thus water plays a major role in the overall disease profile of the country.
   National Sanitation Status, June 2007 said every year Tk 50 billion is spent for the treatment of water-borne diseases in Bangladesh.

Sonajhara Din, the Bangla version of Tahmima Anam’s novel ‘A Golden Age,’ was launched at a function at the German Cultural Centre in Dhaka on Sunday.
   Lisa Gazi translated the novel which was edited by Mofidul Haque, Shibabrato Barman and Mashiul Alam
   and published by Shahitya Prakash.
   Writer Selina Hossain, publisher Mofidul Haque and cultural personalities Nasiruddin Yousuf and Asaduzzaman Noor spoke on the occasion.
   Artiste Sara Zaker, poet Syed Shamsul Haq and Tahmima’s parents — The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam and Shaheen Anam — were also present at the launching.
   The Bangla version of the novel, based on the 1971 Liberation War, was earlier launched in the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela.

Dhaka University vice-chancellor Professor SMA Faiz has said the country’s progress depends on the development of the disabled people.
   ‘All should come forward for the development of the country’s 10 per cent people with disability,’ he said while addressing the concluding session of a five-day regional workshop held in Dhaka on Sunday.
   Action on Disability and Development organised the workshop aiming at enhancing the capacity of all concerned working for establishing the rights of the disabled.
   Representatives of Disabled Peoples Organisations from India, Nepal, Thailand, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh took part in the workshop, said a press release.
   Professor Kholiquzzaman said, ‘The disabled are part and parcel of the society and they should be brought into the mainstream of the development.’
   Mosharraf Hossain said only 3 per cent of the country’s disabled people were getting opportunity for education. ‘Development of the disabled people would not be possible without changing the existing situation.’

The district operative of the outlawed Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, Habibur Rahman Habib, was arrested from a village in Tangail Saturday night.
   Accused in two cases of explosives filed in Dhaka and Tangail, Habib remained absconding for long.
   On secret information, the police raided his home at Habla village under Basail upazila at dead of night and arrested him.
   When produced before the court the chief judicial magistrate of Tangail sent Habib to jail hajat.
   His cousin Yunus was recently awarded death penalty in absentia for bomb attack on Udichi office in Netrakona.

A group of Dhaka University students under the banner of Students’ Movement against Repression on Sunday brought out a procession demanding that Bangladesh should recognise Kosovo as an independent state.
   They paraded the campus after a brief rally at Aparajeya Bangla where they demanded recognition of Kosovo as an independent state.
   They urged the government to immediately recognise the new nation as it had fought for years for independence, said a release.

The High Court on Sunday issued a rule on the Election Commission to explain in four weeks why its decision to withdraw its invitation letter to Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish for dialogue should not be declared illegal.
   The bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Farid Ahmad passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by the party.
   According to the petition, the commission on December 3, 2007 in a letter invited Khelafat Majlish to dialogue on electoral law reforms on December 12.
   But the commission in a notice on January 28, 2008, said that it had to revoke the invitation as it found no office of the party in the given address.
   The decision of the commission was illegal and without lawful authority as it had issued the invitation after surveying the party’s activities, argued Rafiqul Islam Miah, a counsel of the party.

National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port on Sunday condemned the death threat to its member-secretary Professor Anu Muhammad.
   The committee’s convener Sheikh M Shahidullah in a statement said death threat was issued to Professor Anu late night on February 21 over his mobile phone. ‘Anu was threatened to be killed by ‘human bomb’ if he continued with gas and coal protection movement, attending meetings and seminars and writing.’
   Professor Anu filed a general diary with the Khilgaon police station in this connection.
   ‘The multinational companies through its local agents chose the path of threatening the protesters after they had failed to loot natural resources like gas and coal following the pressure of public opinion,’ the statement said.
   It said these agents were delivering ‘vulgar speeches’ in different meetings and rallies and television programmes.
   ‘No threat can stop the national committee and Professor Anu from waging the movement for the sake of national interests,’ the statement added and demanded punishment for the culprits, and ensuring security for Professor Anu.