World Information 1

Only 4 out of 31 RRC proposals
implemented
Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Only four of the 31 recommendations so far made by Regulatory Reform Commission in last eight months were implemented, rerunning the history of scores of such proposals going unheeded in the past.
Two other recommendations were partially executed, while little or no progress has been made on the rest 25, commission sources said.
Whatever implemented, those touched upon the peripheral details, leaving the bureaucracy as cumbersome and time-consuming as in the past, reveals an analysis of the commission’s progress report.
The commission, set up on October 30, 2007 to suggest ways to ease the country’s regulatory regime blamed for hindering the private sector growth, made its recommendation in phases up to April 22.
The first batch of recommendations, dealing with people’s access to government rules, came after its first meeting held on November 19, 2007.
Those include publication of gazettes on the official sites, posting draft rules and regulations on the government website for public opinion before sending those to the cabinet. The commission also suggested amendment to the rules of business to implement the recommendations.
In response, the government started publishing the new gazettes from February 21, while the establishment is yet to develop a full-fledged website incorporating previous gazettes.
The drafts on laws regarding gazette publication and amendment to rules of business are now awaiting the chief adviser’s approval.
In the second meeting on January 8, the commission recommended online registration with Board of Investment, uniform fees or charges for registration of investment projects and reforms in BoI to make it dynamic.
A consultant has been appointed for implementation of online registration and BoI discussed the issue of uniform fees.
In the third meeting held on January 22, the commission proposed that Bangladesh Bank should alone take decision regarding foreign private loans and that any proposal for such loans can be sent through any scheduled bank. The central bank has to inform the BoI of the time for processing loan applications and post its check-list and application procedure on website.
The commission suggested amendments to the Post office Act, 1898 to give legal coverage to courier service and change the process of land registration.
The government has prepared a draft amendment to the Post Office Act, but legal complications held back the progress on reforming land registration process.
In the fourth meeting held on February 12, it was proposed that authorities should reduce the time of giving location clearance and environment clearance certificates.
The recommendations are fully implemented and on May 22, statutory regulatory order was issued in this regard.
The commission had its fifth meeting on March 18 and put forward recommendations on duty drawback and exemption system, easing capital machinery import clearance process and bonded warehouse licensing process.
The government has already implemented the recommendation regarding bonded warehouse licensing process.
In the sixth meeting held on April 22, the commission recommended that hotel and restaurant ordinance 1982 should be amended to support the growth of hospitality business in the private sector.
The chief adviser’s office sent a proposal to the civil aviation and tourism ministry for necessary action in this regard.
Almost all the governments since the country’s independence formed administrative reform commissions, which came up with dozens of proposals. But very few of them were heeded.
The last one submitted its recommendations at the fag end of the Awami League regime (1996-2001).
Apart from administrative commissions, pay commissions and several other committees also put forward proposals for making the bureaucracy less troubling for the people.
None other than politicians and
media can make democracy
work: roundtable
Staff Correspondent

Former adviser to the caretaker government Sultana Kamal on Friday highlighted the role of politicians and the media in making democracy sustainable.
Addressing a roundtable discussion on the role of mass media in establishing a sustainable democracy, Sultana Kamal, also a leading human rights campaigner, observed that although the politicians had failed to fulfill the people’s hopes and aspirations, there is no denying that only they [politicians] and the mass media could make democracy work.
Dhaka Union of Journalists organised the roundtable at the National Press Club VIP lounge with its president Shah Alamgir in the chair while president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul moderated it.
Columnist and environmental campaigner Syed Abul Maksud presented the keynote paper. Former Jatiya Sangsad speaker and Awami League lawmaker Abdul Hamid, Bangladesh Nationalist Party joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan, director of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Golam Dastagir Gazi, former president of Dhaka University Teachers Association AAMS Arefin Siddique, Bhorer Kagaj editor Shyamal Datta, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha chief editor Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, journalists Habibur Rahman Milon, Abdul Jalil, Altaf Mahmud and Shahjahan Miah addressed the roundtable.
‘It is not wise to assume that the media should play only an anti-government role…the media can also guide the government and the opposition as well by positive and objective reporting’, Sultana Kamal said. She hoped that the mass media would enjoy freedom in discharging its responsibilities in restoring democracy.
Nazrul Islam Khan said that the present government had failed to make any qualitative changes in the socio-economic field since the changeover in January, 2007.
‘I do not understand why a section is repeatedly saying that the country should not return to the situation before the changeover of January 11, 2007,’ the BNP leader said, adding, ‘Political stability is a must for investment.’
Former speaker of parliament Abdul Hamid said that politicians had also played a major role in inviting the January 11, 2007 changeover.
‘During the political governments the people witnessed not only corruption but wholesale plunder of national wealth which made the January 11, 2007 changeover inevitable’, he said, adding, ‘After assuming power, every political party should remember that they are representing all sections of the people and thus they should work for the welfare of the people.’
He was critical of setting up courts on the parliament complex and attempt to allocate NAM flats to government employees. ‘The parliament complex is only for the people’s representatives while the NAM flats are for accommodation of elected lawmakers…, he said.
In the keynote paper, Maksud said that the media had played a commendable role during the war of liberation in 1971 and also before the formation of one-party BKSAL and during the mass upsurge in 1990 but it did not play its due role after the January 11, 2007 changeover.
‘A vested quarter with the blessings of the west played a vital role in pushing the situation towards the January 11, 2007 changeover… The media should raise questions about their role and newspapers should publish at least a joint editorial regarding it’, he said.
Flood situation worsens
in Cox’s Bazar
3 lakh people marooned
Our Correspondent . Cox’s Bazar

Flood situation in Cox’s Bazar continued to worsen due to torrential rain and onrush of hill water over the last eight days till Friday.
Sadar, Ramu, Chakoria, Moheskhali, Pekua and Ukhiya upazilas went under 3-6 feet water, marooning about 3 lakh people. Two hundred educational institutes including Chakoria Degree College remained closed for the last four days due to flash flood.
Embankments at Magnama, Ujantia and Rajakhali under Pekua were threatened by tidal waves. Chakoria-Baniharchara-Magnama road link remained suspended as Shanti Bazar point of the road was submerged under three feet water.
The sea remained rough because of a low over the Bay of Bengal. According to the Met Office, the district experienced 77mm rain in the last 24 hours till 3:00pm.
Ramu upazila nirbahi officer Mohiuddin Al Farook said at least 1 lakh people were marooned as some new areas in Mitachari, Rajarkhool, Fatekharkhool, Chakmarkhool, Joharianala, Kawoarkhoop and Gorjania unions of the upazila had been inundated. Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Highway at Chainda point also went under water.
Sadar UNO Nazrul Islam said vast areas of the upazila were submerged, keeping about 50,000 people marooned. The areas included Zilonjha, PM Khali, Eadgong, Khoroskhool, Jalajabad and Pookhkali.
Chakoria UNO Saha Alam informed that Boritali, Harbong, Kaiarbill and Kakara unions were badly affected by floodwater. More than 1 lakh people remained stranded in floodwater. Twenty thousand houses went under three to five feet water in the upazila.
People were facing crisis of safe drinking water. Deputy commissioner Sajjadul Hassan visited some flood-affected areas. The government sanctioned Tk 4 lakh for flood victims of the district.
G-8 urged to give priority to
environmental refugees
Staff Correspondent

A coalition of local and international non-governmental organisations and experts on Friday called upon the G-8 nations to give priority to the environmental refugees for migration to the developed nations from the developing ones.
Leaders of the alliance styled Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods also asked Bangladesh to start preparing list of its environmental refuges as the country, most vulnerable to natural disasters because of climate change, still lacks a credible statistics on such refugees.
‘The government should start the work at union level to see how many people are falling prey to natural calamities and their life and livelihood patters are changed because of them,’ Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, a researcher working for Centre for Global Change, told a press briefing in Dhaka.
The briefing was organised to register the civil society’s concern from Bangladesh ahead of the summit of the G-8 leaders scheduled to be held from July 7-9 in Hokkaido of Japan.
Global economy, climate change and development of Africa will be placed high on the agenda for the summit, and the decision and discussion on Bangladesh’s future development policy and strategies will also get importance in the summit, the researcher said.
He said people in countries like Bangladesh unfortunately fall prey to the global greenhouse emission, caused mainly by the developed nations, and they should pay adequate compensation to the poor people living in the developing countries.
The press conference, also addressed by the alliance chairperson Khushi Kabir and its member secretary Ziaul Hoque, put forward a set of recommendations which, they believe, should be taken into consideration for ensuring stability in life and livelihood of people living in rural Bangladesh.
The alliance called upon the G-8 nations to allow the environmental refugees’ migration to their countries since they have much scope for it. It also asked for raising emergency fund for adaptation which should be on addition to the proposed fund under the Kyoto protocol.
The alliance reminds those nations for measures for massive emission cut as the developed nations have breached their pledges made in line with the Kyoto protocol.
On scarcity of food due to global price hike, the alliance observed that lack of access to food has multiplied food insecurity of the poor people across the world. Under the circumstances, the condition of the marginal poor in the poorest nati-ons has become ever deplorable.
The alliance leaders observed with concern that the developed countries and multinational companies started using bio-fuels from food grain. The process would definitely have adverse effect on food availability.
‘We don’t want food for motor vehicles, we want food for human beings,’ said Khushi Kabir, urging the rich nations to refrain from pursing the policy on making fuels from food grain.
BBC Bangla’s new frequencies
for 6 more places
Staff Correspondent

BBC Bangla Service will organise a three-day special live programme from the port city Chittagong from tomorrow to celebrate the broadcasting of BBC Bangla in FM radio from six more places in the country.
The six new FM frequencies in Bangladesh are 101.2 MHz for Comilla, 102 MHz for Khulna, 105.4 MHz for Chittagong, 105 MHz for Rajshahi, 105.4 MHz for Rangpur and 105 MHz for Sylhet.
They complement the existing BBC 100 MHz FM currently broadcasting in Dhaka.
BBC Bangla has 16.8 million listeners in Bangladesh and 2.4 millions listeners in India with bureau in Dhaka, Kolkata and New Delhi.
A live discussion programme will be held on ‘Chittagong: Your city and your question’ at 8:00pm on July 6 where the panel discussants will answer the questions of the audience on the topic.
The programme will also be broadcast on July 7 at 8:00pm on television Channel i, said a press release.
Editor of the BBC Bangla said, ‘This special programme will not only familiarise the audience with the FM105.4
but also create a bridge with the audience of this port city’.
Business report, interview of important persons, live phone-in and cultural report on the port city will be in the programme list and the audience would also be able to listen to the programme online at www.bbcbengali.com.
Fuel price hike protested
Staff Correspondent

Green Voice, a platform of young environmental activists, formed a human chain on the Dhaka University campus on Friday in protest against the fuel price hike.
The organisation also demanded that the government should immediately revoke its decision of raising the fuel prices.
Speaking on the occasion, green activists slammed the government for its decision to increase the prices of fuel oil, saying that it would further increase the people’s sufferings.
Prices of essentials had gone up sharply due to fuel price hike two times this year, they said, adding that the latest decision of increasing the fuel prices would add to sufferings to common people.
They alleged that the government had pushed the people towards a suffocating situation by increasing the fuel prices as per the prescription of International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Cashing in on fuel price hike, they said, many bus owners started collecting extra fare from the passengers. Fresh increase in the fuel prices would make some 4 lakh people poor, they added.
Suspected robber killed in
shootout in Feni
United News of Bangladesh . Feni

A suspected robber was killed in a shootout between his cohorts and RAB members in the Moddhya Madhupur area of Feni town early Friday.
The lawmen identified the deceased as Nizamuddin alias Nizam Dacoit, 38, of Chhagalnaiya upazila of the district. RAB officials said he was wanted in 23 cases including four of murders.
RAB members arrested Nizam at a house at Halishahar in Chittagong town on Wednesday.
According to Nizam’s statement the elite force went to Modhya Madhupur for recovering hidden arms at about 3:30am.
‘As soon as the elite force reached the spot Nizam’s accomplices began shooting at them, forcing the law enforcers to fire back,’ says a RAB account of the encounter.
At one stage while trying to flee Nizam was caught in the line of fire and died instantly. His accomplices, however, managed to flee the scene.
The elite force recovered three light guns, one gun and six rounds of cartridge from the spot.
Srimongal OC, 5 other cops
closed over bribery
Our Correspondent . Moulvibazar

The officer-in-charge and five other policemen of the Srimongal police station have been closed to the Moulvibazar police line on charge of bribery.
The OC, M Asaduzzaman, faced the action on Thursday and sub-inspector Nahid Ahmed, constables Mahmudul Hasan, M Jasim Uddin and Mainuddin and police van driver M Ripon on Wednesday.
According to the police and villagers, a police team led by SI Nahid seized a jeep loaded with rubber from Satgaon-Laharpur road on June 29 and arrested Mujibur Rahman and Manjur Ali, jeep driver Ranjit Rabidas, helper Sumon Rabidas and M Firoz Ali in this connection.
After confining the arrested persons to the PS lock-up the policemen were bargaining with their relatives for bribe money before their release.
While visiting the PS Monday night, the acting superintendent of police, M Matiur Rahman happened to notice the matter and ordered closing the six.