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Academics and civil society members on Friday suggested that the proposed coal policy shouldn’t allow the operation of any open pit mine in the country even on test basis for its disastrous effects on environment.
   ‘In general, there is a reflection of people’s demand in the present draft coal policy but we suggest that proposed open pit mine on test basis should be dropped from the policy as the mining method is already proven to be a disaster for environment in many countries in the world,’ Professor Anu Muhammad said at a roundtable at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
   Progressive Engineers and Architects Forum organised the roundtable on ‘Draft Coal Policy and National Interest of Bangladesh. Forum convener Harun Al Rashid chaired the meeting.
   Professor Anu said crop production in northern districts, main sources of the country’s food security, would be severely affected. ‘We are talking only about the coal policy. What will be our rice policy?’
   Forum member-secretary Sheikh Manjura Haque in her keynote paper said it seemed that the draft policy had the option for open-pit mining to satisfy the foreign companies and lending agencies.
   Highlighting the impact of both underground and open pit mining methods, both Manjura and Anu observed that Bangladesh should wait for an appropriate technology and method like commercial gasification of coal to be developed before it goes for mining.
   About the comments of the chief adviser’s special assistant Professor M Tamim that the coal mining should be an engineering decision, Anu said, ‘I also agree with him in this context.’
   Engineers and geologists should take the decision on mining method but any foreign company’s embedded engineers and geologists shouldn’t take a decision on mining method, he added.
   Anu said a vested quarter was active to entirely foil the latest draft of the coal policy as it has some reflections of the people’s movement against effort to loot coal and coal export.
   Manjura observed that the draft policy had lacked a clear picture on what would happen to the landless people who were the victims of river erosion and natural disaster and live on government land in the coal fields.
   She also criticised the low rate of royalty and huge foreign participation in developing coal fields.
   Though the government said it was against corruption why it was not taking steps against illegal activities of Asia Energy, Anu asked, saying that Asia Energy is still raising money through capital market in the UK, showing the Phulbari coal field and is purchasing people in Bangladesh to make them its agents.
   BUET Professor Nurul Islam, who was a member of the advisory committee that prepared the latest draft of the coal policy, said the existing policy was good for the country.
   ‘After lot of efforts and debate, we prepared the seventh draft of the policy. I apprehend that the government will not approve the policy as the current form of policy is reasonably good and has not looked after the interest of any company.’
   He defended that any open pit mine should be operated at a shallow depth coal field like Barapukuria on test basis to know the viability of the method in the country.
   New Age editor Nurul Kabir said that the government of the day doesn’t represent the interest of the majority of our people, and one could have no reason to expect the government, headed by a former World Bank official, to take pro-people stance – be it extracting coal or otherwise.
   ‘It was people’s resistance that prevented the erstwhile government and the Asia Energy from implementing the anti-people projects in Phulbari’, said Nurul Kabir, adding that ‘it would, again, require people’s resistance to compel the incumbents to abstain from taking anti-people measures as regards coal extractions’.
   BUET Professor Firoz Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.

Politicians and former bureaucrats at a discussion meeting on Friday called for holding the next general election at the earliest as the Election Commission had announced a roadmap for holding the polls by December.
   The one-year rule of the present interim government proved that the country must be ruled by the politicians, they told the discussion meeting, organised by Sher-e-Bangla Smriti Academy at National Press Club to mark the 152nd anniversary of birth of Ashwini Kumar Datta.
   The participants observed that the government failed to control the price hike of essential commodities and the country saw a sluggish economy during the period.
   Awami League presidium member Suranjit Sengupta said the state of emergency had created fear among the businesspeople as well as other sections of the people. He urged the government to immediately lift the state of emergency and ban on political activities.
   Suranjit also called on the government to resume the dialogue soon with the political parties for holding the national election.
   Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon said, 'We will have to work for making progress towards non-communal progressive politics in the country as Bangladesh may face the situation like Pakistan without it.'
   The aims of 1/11 have already failed and there is no alternative to holding the general election within the shortest possible time, he added, saying, 'We must follow the ideals of Ashwini Kumar to restore democracy and establish progressive politics in the country.'
   Chaired by M Matiur Rahman, the meeting was addressed, among others, by former minister Sunil Gupta and Tapankar Chakraborty. Ten eminent personalities were honoured with crests at the programme for their contributions to their respective fields.

Numerous 'guest' birds (who should be actually called 'dual citizens') have flocked to Hakaluki Haor, the biggest lake in the country, and other water bodies in Moulvibazar district, delighting bird watchers and nature lovers.
   The aquatic birds of different species have come earlier than usual this year. There is also good news for the bird lovers - the Department of Environment has declared five water bodies including Hakaluki Haor to be 'bird sanctuaries'.
   About 1,26,851 birds of 41 species have been found in the Hakaluki Haor. This figure is 2.5 times more than that found by a previous survey.
   A team of specialists led by a prominent ornithologist of the country, Inam Al Haque, conducted the survey at Hakaluki Haor on December 30 last year. The haor is located in Moulvibazar and Sylhet districts.
   The 'Coastal and Wetland Bio-diversity Management Project' of the Directorate of Environment initiated this survey. Inam Al Haque also conducted another survey under the same project on February 12 and 13 last year, when a total of 51,528 aquatic birds of 42 species were found in the Hakaluki Haor.
   They also found Bears Pochards and Grey-Headed Lapwings, both of which are very rare species, in this survey. Among the other species found during his survey in Hakaluki Haor were the Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveller, Graganey, Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Wigeon, Common Teal, Tufted Duck, Ferruginous Pochard, Common Pochard, Ruddy Shell Duck, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, Falcated Duck, Greylag Geese, Common Shell Duck, Indian Pond Heron, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Large Egret, Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Purple Swamp Hen, Pheasant-Tailed Jacana, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Asian Openbill, Common Coot, Pintail Snipe, Marsh Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Green Shank, Red Shank, Red-Wattled Lapwing, Brown-Headed Gull and Black-Headed Gull.
   However, in another survey conducted in 20 water bodies of this Haor on February 2006, they found 46,712 aquatic birds of 49 species. But birds of 3 species like Spot Bill Duck, Comb Duck and Grey-Headed Lapwing were not found in that survey. Spot-Bill Duck and Comb Duck are local species or permanent residents of Hakaluki Haor and Grey-Headed Lapwing is a Siberian species.
   According to the Kulaura office of the Department of Environment, eleven unions under six upazilas of Sylhet and Moulvibazar are adjacent to this Haor, which covers 40,000 hectares of land in Fenchuganj, Beanibazar and Golapganj upazilas in Sylhet district and Baralekha, Juri and Kulaura upazilas in Moulvibazar district. Of the total, 70 per cent of the water bodies of the haor are in Moulvibazar and 30 per cent in Sylhet.
   In 1999, the Department of Environment declared Hakaluki Haor an 'Ecologically Critical Area'.
   Decrease of the number of aquatic trees and plants like Hijal and Koroch, and bird hunting by shooting, poisoning, or trapping were the causes of the decreasing number of birds in the haor.
   The Coastal and Wet Land Bio-diversity Management Project is being implemented here by the Department of Environment to preserve the environment of the water bodies.
   Mohammad Shibli, the assistant director of the CWBMP in Kulaura said that guards have been appointed to protect Hijol and Koroch plants in the haor. A huge number of aquatic trees and plants have been planted and birds' sanctuaries have been set up at different points of the haor, which is the reason why the number of birds is increasing day by day.

The 184th anniversary of the birth Michael Madhusudan Dutt, known for his famous work Meghnadbadh Kabya and pioneering blank verse in the Bangla poetry, was observed in Jessore on Friday.
   Madhusudan was born at Sagardari in Jessore on January 25, 1824 and died on in a Kolkata hospital June 29, 1873 at the age of 49. His father was Rajnarayan Dutta and mother Jahnavi Devi.
   Apart from Meghnadbadh Kabya, his other famous works include Tilottoma, Ratnavali, Buro Shaliker Ghare Roan and Krishnakumari.
   He is considered father of Bangla sonnet. He introduced blank verse, similar to the structure of Spenserian sonnet, in Bangla. Sharmishtha was his first attempt at blank verse.
   The district administration chalked up weeklong programmes to mark the occasion. The programmes included discussions, cultural functions and Madhu Fair at Sagardari.
   The agriculture adviser, CS Karim, inaugurated the programmes as chief guest. The South East University vice-chancellor, M Shamser Ali, will, as special guest, attended the programme. The programmes will end on January 31.
   Chaired by the deputy commissioner, Abu-al Hossain, the discussion was addressed by additional deputy commissioner Hawlader Jakir Hossain, superintendent of police Iqbal Bahar, and Jessore Press Club president Fakir Shaukat The programmes will conclude on January 31.

Dhaka residents will again have a chance to put their questions directly to politicians and leading opinion makers during the next episode of the BBC World Service's Bangladesh Sanglap scheduled at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital today (Saturday).
   A four-member panel and invited audience of around 150 members of the public will attend the 22nd edition of the Bangladesh Sanglap, a unique and interesting platform for debate about a variety of current issues affecting and confronting the country and society, says a press release.
   General secretary of Dhaka University Teachers' Association Professor Anwar Hossain, journalist-columnist Sadeq Khan, environment affairs secretary of Awami League Dr Hasan Mahmud and acting office secretary of BNP Ruhul Kabir Rizvi will answer questions and debate issues raised by members of the audience.
   The recording of the programme to be conducted and moderated by Kamal Ahmed of the BBC Bangla Service will start at 5:45 pm.

The Global Economic Justice Forum has urged the people to be united against the harmful global policies imposed on the country.
   The forum suggested that the policies for 'people's globalisation' should be given more emphasis than trade globalisation, which protects corporate interests only.
   It also recommended creation of a new world order which will ensure food for all.
   'It is imperative to develop a democratic world order to ensure economic justice,' the forum said in a written statement.
   It termed the poverty reduction strategy paper as a destructive policy hatched by multilateral lending agencies and donor countries. Such policies are being implemented by governments in the developing world, Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, a member of the forum, said at a press briefing at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity on Friday.
   These policies actually serve the interests of global corporate houses and create inequality in the society instead of reducing poverty, he said.
   People's awareness can help stop formulation and implementation of such lender-dictated destructive policies, he said.
   Policies prescribed by global lenders International Monetary Fund and World Bank have led to the destruction of the country's jute sector and the forum waged a campaign against this type of destructive policies, said Asraful Alam, another member of the forum.
   'We want to alert the people to the dangers of such policies which protect the interests of corporate world,' he said.
   Forum members Asgar Ali, Aminur Rasul and Rafiqul Alam were also spoke on the occasion.
   The forum has taken a three-day programme from January 29 to raise its voice for justice, peace and people's globalisation.
   In 28 different sessions, topics including human rights, employment, remittance, migration, good governance, local government, climate change and natural resources will be discussed.
   The forum will also organise a token protest against corporate globalisation at the Rabindra Sarobor in Dhanmodi today (Saturday).

A student team of Border Security Force School of India arrives today.
   During their stay, the Indian school students will visit the shrine of Lalan Shah and Kuthibari in Kushtia, Sundarban, National Martyred Memorial, Beer Shesthra Noor Mohammad Rifles Public School and College, Rifles Museum, ISD School and national Museum.