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Implementation of 330-450MW Bibiyana independent power plant will be further delayed as the government has failed to complete evaluation of pre-qualification documents of bidders in time because of complexities over appointment of consultant and non-appointment of the director general of Power Cell.
   The Power Cell received pre-qualification bids from seven companies and consortiums which were expected to participate in the second tender for installation of the large IPP within the extended deadline of April 23. The tender evaluation committee was supposed to complete evaluation of the bids in two weeks.
   ‘But the tender evaluation committee is yet to start evaluating the bids till today as the contract of Power Cell director general, Abdul Jalil, who was the convenor of the committee, was expired in April,’ said a Cell source.
   Although one of the directors of the Cell was given the additional charge of DG of the cell for the time being, the government has not yet appointed anyone as convenor of the committee, the source said.
   ‘Besides, complexities have also surfaced over appointment of a consultant for the project. The evaluation of the bids will not be completed till a consultant is appointed,’ he said.
   Sources in the Power Division said that under pressure from the World Bank, the Awami League-led government recently had decided to appoint a consultant for the project. The bank pressed for appointing a consultant for ‘fair handling’ of the bidding process and the project and hinted that it would not fund the project if a consultant was not appointed.
   Although the International Finance Corporation of the WB was the consultant for Bibiyana project during the interim government, the then government decided not to extend agreement with the IFC as it was ‘annoyed’ with the consultants’ handling of the bidding process. That consultant pushed the government to accept a high price offer of a lone bidder.
   ‘This government, however, agreed to the WB proposal for appointment of a consultant and the Power Division requested the bank to provide the government with a sub-consultant because of time constraints. The bank, however, asked Power Division to send the request through the Economic Relations Division,’ said a division source.
   The source could not confirm when the consultant would be appointed.
   Asked about the Bibiyana project, the state minister for power and energy, Shamsul Haque Tuku told reporters on Sunday that they would come to a decision on the project in four to five days.
   Once the tender evaluation committee pre-qualifies the bidders, the selected bidders will take part in the main bidding.
   The Bibiyana project, which was initiated by the interim government in 2007, has already been delayed by around a year as the first bidding failed after a lone bidder demanded high electricity price.
   The interim government invited tender for Bibiyana again on January 4 giving time till March 8 for bid submission but the AL-led government extended time till April 23 for ‘wider participation of companies’ delaying the project further.
   It will take around eight to 12 months to complete the bidding and contract awarding process after the pre-qualification round. The finally selected bidder will take another two years to install the power plant.

The commerce minister, Faruk Khan, Monday questioned the veracity of newspaper reports on findings of the army probe report on BDR carnage, claiming that the newspaper reports are based on speculations.
   ‘It was not known to anybody except the investigators about findings of the probe report and I think the newspaper reports were based on speculations,’ said Faruk who has been assigned to coordinate the inquiry committees formed to investigate the BDR massacre.
   Quoting the army probe report, a number of newspapers recently reported involvement of some Awami League lawmakers into the incident.
   The Awami League spokesman and LGRD minister, Syed Ashraful Islam, said it appeared from the newspaper reports that the inquiry report was half-done.
   Faruk said the coordination committee would receive reports from subcommittees working on making recommendations on restructuring BDR today.
   ‘The reports would make recommendations on restructuring BDR, its new name, uniform, laws and motto,’ Faruk said.

Updating of voters’ roll with photographs is likely start by the end of next month to be completed in four phases, chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said on Monday.
   ‘We may start updating the voters’ list at the end of June and registration will be complete within 45 days since the start of the work in each area,’ the CEC told reporters after attending a workshop on voters’ list update programme-2009 at the auditorium of National Economic Council.
   Two other commissioners, Muhammed Sohul Hussain and M Sakhawat Hussain, secretary to the EC secretariat Humayun Kabir and representatives of home, local government and information ministries also attended the workshop.
   Huda said that the commission would need some time for printing the registration forms and putting in place equipment before starting the updating exercise.
   Replying to a question, he said the process of correcting mistakes in national ID cards would continue during the updating of the voters’ list. ‘All corrections will be made this time,’ he assured.
   The CEC said the Commission has not yet finalized the time when exactly the updating work would be launched, but it will take four to five months to complete.
   ‘We are very careful about maintaining the standard of the existing voters’ list,’ he said. The current list has 8.13 crore voters, which might increase about four per cent after updating.
   On completion of updating the voters’ list, he said, the registration process would be going on round the year until the election schedule for parliamentary polls is announced.
   Shamsul said the officials concerned would carefully perform their duties so that information and the mistakes which occurred in the past do not repeat during registration. ‘I hope there will be fewer mistakes this time,’ he added.
   Asked whether national ID card is needed for opening a bank account and other purposes, the CEC said the Commission would issue a gazette notification in this regard after properly finishing the updating task. ‘All organisations concerned will be informed through the gazette notification in time.’
   About submitting the ratified constitutions of political parties, the CEC said the EC has already made it clear that the timeframe for submitting the permanent party constitution would be extended if parties apply to the Commission. ‘We want to maintain good relations with the political parties,’ he added.
   The CEC, while addressing the workshop, urged the officials involved in the updating the task to perform their duties promptly and flawlessly like the army officials did while preparing the voters’ list with photographs.
   ‘You need to be polite while working to keep up the Commission’s image. You should also be careful so people, particularly the women and elderly people, do not have to wait for a long time in queues,’ he said.

A parliamentary panel on Monday asked the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources to come up with a report on a ‘suitable’ mining method for coal extraction in Bangladesh.
   It also asked the government to expedite the process for facilitating use of coal for power generation as the country has been suffering electricity shortage, said the chairman of the committee on estimate, H N Ashequr Rahman, after a meeting of the watchdog body at the Jatiya Sangsad.
   The suggestions came at a time when the experts were divided over methods of coal mining as many experts said that the open pit mining would bring environmental disaster and relocation of tens of thousands of people from their homesteads despite high rate of extraction.
   The other group said the extraction of coal by underground method was minimum and there would be huge subsidence of land if the method was followed.
   Protest against proposed open pit method in Phulbari coal mine caused riots in northern Dinajpur district in 2006 killing at least three persons.
   The Awami League, now in the government, had extended supports to the locals who opposed the open-pit mining and stood against the move to allow the UK-based Asia Energy to extract coal using the method.
   The then Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government suspended the move to go for extraction of coal in Phulbari mine with a proven reserve of 576 million tonnes.
   Three successive governments have failed so far to formulate a coal policy for the development of the sector over the debate on which method Bangladesh should follow. A draft coal policy is now shelved by the ministry of energy.
   Ashequr said that the power-hungry country needed more coal now to produce electricity and reduce the pressure on gas, the reserve of which was getting depleted very fast in Bangladesh.
   The committee suggested extraction of coal from the existing mines to meet the future energy demands.
   ‘We have asked the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources to go for immediate extraction of coal,’ the chairman told reporters after the meeting. He added that Bangladesh should go for ‘cost-effective’ mining.
   Bangladesh has estimated 3 billion tonnes of coal reserve in five mines – Barapukuria, Phulbari, Khalaspir, Dhighipara and Jamalganj.
   Of the existing reserve, 1 billion tonnes coal of Jamalganj are not recoverable with the existing technology.

The Sylhet Division Development Student Action Council on Monday announced a 15-day programme to protest at an Indian move to construct the Tipaimukh dam on the river Barak.
   The action programme was announced at a press conference organised by the Dhaka University unit of the organisation at the Teachers-Students Centre.
   The protest programme includes, formation of a human chain at the TSC and submission of a memorandum to the water resources minister on May 21, holding of a rally at the Aparajeyo Bangla in front the DU Arts Faculty and submission of a memorandum to the foreign minister on May 25, and staging of a sit-in on the DU campus and submission of a memorandum to the prime minister on May 31.
   The memorandums will be submitted through the DU vice-chancellor.
   Addressing the press briefing, central president of the council Abed Raza, urged the government to raise the issue at the international forums and lodge complaint with the international court demanding compensation for the losses caused by the Farakka barrage in India.
   He said if the government failed to resolve the issue politically, they would organise a long march towards the Tipaimukh.
   He said if the dam was constructed, the water flows on the rivers Surma, Kushiyara, and Meghna would be affected seriously leading to desertification of the country.
   President of the DU unit of the SDDSAC, Ehsanul Haq Jashim, read out a written statement at the press briefing.

Eminent playwright, litterateur and history researcher Askar Ibne Shaikh died at LabAid Hospital in the city Monday morning.
   He is survived by wife, four sons, two daughters and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death.
   Askar was born in March, 1925 in Mymensingh. The real name of Askar Ibne Shaikh was M Obaidullah, but he was popularly known by his pen name.
   He obtained MSc degree from department of statistic of Dhaka University in 1951 and joined in the same department as a lecturer in the same year.
   Askar obtained his PhD degree from Dhaka University in 1983. He served as the founder president of the department of statistic of Jahangirnagar University.
   He retired from the Dhaka University in 1990 after serving the university 40 years.
   Askar’s first social drama is ‘Birodh’, which was published in 1947 from Kolkata and staged in the annual drama function of Fazlul Haque Hall of Dhaka University.
   Askar was a one of the country’s most influential dramatist during Pakistan period. He had played a pioneering role in the country’s drama circle by writing highest number of drama books during the period.
   The total number of his published books including social and historical play, historical compilation, story of history, ballads and lyrics are 90. Besides, the number of his unpublished books are 32.
   A total 30 dramas and eight serial were broadcast on Bangladesh Television while over 50 dramas were aired on Bangladesh Betar.
   Playwright Askar established a Drama Academy at his own residence which provided training on drama and acting from 1970 to 1980.
   Askar was honoured with many awards for his outstanding contribution in the fields of art and literature. The awards included Ekushey Padak (1986), Bangla Academy Award (1961), Bangla Sahitya Parishad Award (1991) and Brammaputra Sahitya Award (2002) of Greater Mymensingh Cultural Forum.
   His namaz-e-janaza was held at Green Corner Mosque at Green Road in the city after Zuhr prayers Monday, a press release said.

The 8th anniversary of death of physician Anisur Rahman Quoreshi will be observed today.
   Anisur Rahman Quoreshi was the director of Careland Hospital in the capital’s Khilgaon area.
   To mark the death anniversary, a prayer session will be held at Careland Hospital after asr prayers today.
   A special prayer session will also be held at the Panch Peerer Mosque under Joylashkara in Feni today after asr prayers. The mosque is located at a place adjacent to the grave of late Anisur Rahman.
   Relatives, friends and well-wishers of late Anis are requested to participate in the prayer sessions.
   Anis died in a road accident on May 19, 2001.

International incoming call charge reduced to 3 cents from 4 cents will take effect after midnight on Monday, the telecommunications minister said.
   Bangladesh Telecomm-unications Company Ltd will also form its own company to expand Wimax technology across the country, Raziuddin Khan Razu said.
   The company will start giving Wimax connection by July-August, he said at the closing ceremony of two-day IT fair at Chittagong Engineers’ Institution.
   The government began testing its Wimax project in March within two months into power, he pointed out.
   The licensed companies were also told to reach the service across the country by June-July, the minister said.

The minister for education, Nurul Islam Nahid, on Sunday urged the authorities of private universities to attract meritorious students from financially less fortunate section of society by offering generous financial assistance along with maintaining reasonable tuition and fees.
   He was speaking at the 12th convocation of the North South University on its new campus in the Basundhara residential area in Dhaka.
   The minister also conferred degrees upon the graduates on behalf of the chancellor of the university, M Zillur Rahman, also the president of the republic.
   The Australian high commissioner in Bangladesh, Justin Lee, addressed the function as convocation speaker.
   Lee said in addition to advancing education, Australia’s aid programme focuses on health and supporting eradication of extreme poverty. He also spoke on the relationship of his country with Bangladesh.
   The university vice-chancellor, Hafiz GA Siddiqi, said a modern university brings ideal social changes in society and the North South University was striving to do so.
   A total of 1,074 students — 816 undergraduates and 258 graduates — received their degrees at the convocation.
   The NSU Foundation chairman, MA Awal, convocation marshal Golam Mohammad and valedictorian Amith Khandakar also addressed the convocation, said a release.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party will stage rallies and bring out processions throughout the country today in protest against the severe deterioration of law and order, the spree of grabbing of land and institutions by Awami league activists and harassment of the opposition by filing false cases.
   The programmes will be held in all the major cities, except Dhaka, and district and upazila headquarters as part of the party’s month-long programme.
   The party’s secretary-general, Khandakar Delwar Hossain, instructed the leaders and activists to ensure the success of the programmes.
   The BNP, on April 23, announced the programmes that will stretch from May 5 to June 8 and will feature rallies, processions and human chains in cities and district and upazila headquarters.
   As party of the programme, human chains will be formed in all cities, districts and upazilas on May 24 to underline the demand for an end to the ‘atrocities being committed in educational institutions and rampant politicisation everywhere’.

The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port on Monday blamed the state minister for power and energy, Shamsul Haque Tuku, for siding with the ‘conspirators’ who wanted to handover the country’s natural resources to foreign companies.
   The committee convenor Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah and member secretary Anu Muhammad in a statement also criticised Tuku for supporting the people, who were involved in the conspiracy and blaming the national committee for the current power crisis.
   ‘The state minister at a discussion, organised by the periodical Power and Energy published with the fund of Asia Energy and other foreign oil companies, on Sunday agreed with the former state ministers for power and energy, who were accused of corruption, on shifting the responsibility of power crisis to national committee,’ they said.
   ‘Although the prime minister blames the former state ministers for making the disaster in power sector through looting, the state minister is holding us responsible for the power crisis agreeing with the former state ministers,’ they said.
   The committee leaders said, ‘Our main fault is that we are demanding ban on disastrous open-pit coal mining and implementation of the six-point demand, including the ouster of Asia Energy from the country.’
   They said, ‘Our other fault is that we oppose the ‘secret deal’ on handing over the offshore gas blocks to the US company ConocoPhillips’.
   The current power crisis has not been solved for handing over the gas blocks to foreign companies in the name of resolving the electricity problem, they observed.
   They have invited the state minister to a dialogue at any where if he fails to understand the role of the committee against the conspiracy to handover the country’s natural resources to foreign companies.

The border guards in Cox’s Bazar pushed back seven Rohingyas to Myanmar on Monday, sources in the Bangladesh Rifles said.
   According to Major Md Tanim Hossain, operation officer, 17th rifles battalion, Cox’s Bazar, as the seven Rohingyas, ethnic minority of Myanmar, were illegally entering into Bangladesh through Baisfari of Nikkangchhari upazila border at midday, the BDR jawans captured them and pushed them back to Myanmar.
   The Rohingyas were Md Syed Ali, 25, Md Kamal Hossain, 30, Enayetur Rahman, 7, Shobe Mehraj, 45, Noor Mohammad, 24, Md Salim Ali, 22, and Foyej Ahmed, 25, — all inhabitants of Arakan province of Myanmar.

At least four persons were killed and 15 injured in a road accident at Madhpur on the Pabna-Nagarbari Highway under Santhia in Pabna Sunday night.
   The deceased were Abdus Samad, 72, a resident of village Sonabaria, Sharif Uddin, 24, of village Madhpur, Shahidul Islam, 32, of village Sahajadpur and Amzad Hossain, 34, of village Ataikula under Santhia.
   Among the injured, six persons were admitted to Pabna General Hospital and Bera upazila health complex.